Canberra:
Australia's prime minister Julia Gillard refused to meet the Dalai Lama during his visit to Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday, but insisted that the snub had nothing to do with Chinese pressure on world leaders to shun the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
Ms Gillard attracted criticism from within her own government for announcing on Monday that she would not meet the Dalai Lama.
Speaking to reporters in Canberra on Tuesday, the Dalai Lama said he was not disappointed by Ms Gillard's decision and indicated that he had been unaware that Australia's leader was a woman.
He twice referred to the prime minister as a man during the news conference before he was corrected.
"If your prime minister has some kind of spiritual interest, then of course, my meeting would be useful, otherwise I have nothing to ask him," the Dalai Lama said.
Ms Gillard is an atheist.
Australian prime ministers have held low-key private meetings with the Dalai Lama in the past which have irritated China.
Greens leader Senator Bob Brown met the Dalai Lama on Tuesday and had been lobbying for Ms Gillard to do the same.
Ms Gillard did not provide reasons for her snub, despite acknowledging last month that Australians expected their leaders to receive the revered Nobel Peace Prize winner.
She said her decision had nothing to do with China's dislike of the Dalai Lama.
"I make my own decisions and the government makes its own decisions about meetings that we hold," Ms Gillard told reporters.
The 75-year-old Buddhist monk held a private meeting with education minister and former rock star Peter Garrett as the government's representative on Tuesday, as well as meeting conservative opposition party leaders.
Some lawmakers have accused Ms Gillard of being out of step with Australia's most important defence ally, the United States, where the Dalai Lama has met President Barack Obama.
Her government colleague Michael Danby, convener of the Friends of Tibet group of lawmakers, said he had expected at least Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd would have met the Dalai Lama to gain insights into the democracy movement in China.
However, some analysts have suggested that Ms Gillard is trying to demonstrate her independence from the Green party, a vocal critic of China's control of Tibet and a crucial supporter of the ruling Labor Party.
Conservative Prime Minister John Howard was the last Australian leader to meet Tibetan Buddhism's highest spiritual authority in 2007.
Even low-key talks with the Dalai Lama have annoyed China, which regards him as a dangerous separatist who wants Tibet to split from China.
The Dalai Lama recently relinquished his political authority over Tibetans, but remains their spiritual leader.
China buys vast quantities of Australian raw materials including iron ore, coal and natural gas.
Ms Gillard attracted criticism from within her own government for announcing on Monday that she would not meet the Dalai Lama.
Speaking to reporters in Canberra on Tuesday, the Dalai Lama said he was not disappointed by Ms Gillard's decision and indicated that he had been unaware that Australia's leader was a woman.
He twice referred to the prime minister as a man during the news conference before he was corrected.
"If your prime minister has some kind of spiritual interest, then of course, my meeting would be useful, otherwise I have nothing to ask him," the Dalai Lama said.
Ms Gillard is an atheist.
Australian prime ministers have held low-key private meetings with the Dalai Lama in the past which have irritated China.
Greens leader Senator Bob Brown met the Dalai Lama on Tuesday and had been lobbying for Ms Gillard to do the same.
Ms Gillard did not provide reasons for her snub, despite acknowledging last month that Australians expected their leaders to receive the revered Nobel Peace Prize winner.
She said her decision had nothing to do with China's dislike of the Dalai Lama.
"I make my own decisions and the government makes its own decisions about meetings that we hold," Ms Gillard told reporters.
The 75-year-old Buddhist monk held a private meeting with education minister and former rock star Peter Garrett as the government's representative on Tuesday, as well as meeting conservative opposition party leaders.
Some lawmakers have accused Ms Gillard of being out of step with Australia's most important defence ally, the United States, where the Dalai Lama has met President Barack Obama.
Her government colleague Michael Danby, convener of the Friends of Tibet group of lawmakers, said he had expected at least Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd would have met the Dalai Lama to gain insights into the democracy movement in China.
However, some analysts have suggested that Ms Gillard is trying to demonstrate her independence from the Green party, a vocal critic of China's control of Tibet and a crucial supporter of the ruling Labor Party.
Conservative Prime Minister John Howard was the last Australian leader to meet Tibetan Buddhism's highest spiritual authority in 2007.
Even low-key talks with the Dalai Lama have annoyed China, which regards him as a dangerous separatist who wants Tibet to split from China.
The Dalai Lama recently relinquished his political authority over Tibetans, but remains their spiritual leader.
China buys vast quantities of Australian raw materials including iron ore, coal and natural gas.
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