E&OE..........................................................................................
HODGMAN:
John Howard joins us live from Melbourne where he has just announced
$20 million funding for community agencies as part of the Federal
Government's Tough on Drugs strategy. Prime Minister, thanks
for joining News Radio.
PRIME MINISTER:
It's a pleasure.
HODGMAN:
Let's start out with your vision of tackling the burgeoning drug
problem in Australia, what is the solution?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, the way to go about it is to attack it on three levels. You
must have effective law enforcement, you must have effective education
of children in particular against the dangers of commencing drug taking
and you must have adequate treatment facilities for addicts who want
to kick their habit. And our Tough on Drugs strategy of $290 million
is about providing more resources in those three areas. One is no
more important than the other two. They are all important. You have
got to give the police and the customs extra resources. You have got
to station Australian Federal Police in countries like Thailand so
they can pick up intelligence about drugs that are being sent to Australia.
You also need to warn young people, particularly through the schools,
about the dangers of drugs and you also need adequate treatment facilities.
And what I announced today was in that third area. We are providing
to something like 50 organisations all over Australia an additional
$20 million which will really give those organisations more resources
to help people who have got a problem and who up until now haven't
been able to get enough assistance. And one of the more distressing
elements of the drug problem that I have encountered is talking on
talkback radio to the parents of young people who have got a problem,
want to do something about it but can't find a place in a treatment
facility. Now, whatever views you might have on other aspects of how
to fight the drug problem, I think everybody agrees that there should
be adequate facilities for people who have got an addiction and want
to do something about it. Now, hitherto this has been mainly something
that has been dealt with at a State level. We think there is a federal
responsibility as well and that's why we have made a lot more
money available and I am very pleased with the range of facilities
that we are helping today in all parts of Australia, in every State
and we have had hundreds of applications and we have made grants to
50-odd organisations. And from the response that I got at the launch
today it is obvious that the resources are very welcome.
HODGMAN:
Apart from the drugs problem I would like to cover three big R's and,
I think, there are probably three R's I'd like to cover
reconciliation, republic and revenue. And by that I mean tax and Telstra
privatisation. What do you see your role as in shaping this course
of change for Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we need a new taxation system. We have needed a new taxation
system for 20 years. And we had an election where we put our political
bodies on the line, we laid out the detail and the people voted for
us and we are asking the Senate to respect the decision of the Australian
people last October and I hope that it will. It is yet to take a vote
and I think we should wait and see how the Senate responds. I hope
it will respond in accordance with the wishes of the Australian public.
The Australian public did return us. There will be enormous benefits
for our exporters if we can get a new tax system. They will be a lot
cheaper because under a GST exports are cheaper. We will be cutting
the costs of our domestic industries, we'll be particularly cutting
the cost of our fuel for our farmers and miners and that's very
important, and we'll be providing significant personal income
tax cuts, $13 billion worth in addition to family package, particularly
targeted to families with children of $2 billion on top of that $13
billion. So there's a huge reform at stake and our argument very
simply is that we told the public all about this before the election
and the public voted for us and we told them all the detail of it.
We probably exceeded the detail provided in an election campaign,
provided by any former government, and we are just saying a very simple
thing to the Australian people and also to the Senators who will finally
make a decision on this before the 30th of June, please
remember that the Australian people voted for us and if you believe
in representative democracy then you'll take note of that decision.
HODGMAN:
Because I have not spoken to you before I am interested in getting
an insight into John Howard the person. What would you say are the
qualities you bring to Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
Candour, tenacity, an understanding of what the mainstream is concerned
about. A belief in the infinite decency of the Australian people,
a confident view of our past, not a blinkered view, not a view that
says we never made mistakes, we didn't treat some people less
well than we should have. Of course we have blemishes but I have an
essentially optimistic view both of Australia's past and of Australia's
future and that's what the Australian people need. But it has
to be a realistic optimism, it has to be an optimism tempered by a
recognition that we are forever part of a globalised world economy
and anybody who thinks that we can turn back the clock and put up
the walls of protection and return to a fortressed Australia are kidding
themselves.
HODGMAN:
Okay. So recent events in East Timor, for instance, have given Australia
cause to reflect on its role in the region over the past quarter century.
What have you as our current Prime Minister learnt from the lessons
of the past?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I think I am rather more interested in what I have done and
I have probably done more than any prime minister, particularly in
recent times, to alter Australian policy on East Timor. I have no
doubt that the views I put to Dr Habibie, the Indonesian President,
before Christmas when I wrote to him urging a significant change in
the policy of the Indonesian Government, I have no doubt that that
had a major impact on Indonesian thinking. Now, it's very easy
from the vantage point of 1999 to say that something that was done
in 1975 or 1979 was wrong. I don't do that. I can understand
why attitudes were taken then. The important thing is to get it right
now and we say that ultimately the views of the East Timorese people
must be obeyed and if they ultimately opt for independence, well independence
they will have. We would prefer in their interests and in the interests
of the stability of the region to have a period of autonomy before
that full independence occurs. The resources of that territory are
very meagre, they will be even less if there is an abrupt withdrawal
of Indonesian support. In any event, Australia has special responsibilities
because we are close to East Timor and we will discharge our responsibilities.
The Australian Government will not be reluctant to see that we discharge
our responsibilities. And it's because we are willing to do that
and because we have been a good friend of Indonesia's and of
the people of East Timor that we can express our views so very strongly.
HODGMAN:
Staying with reconstruction and reconciliation to the task of healing
the wounds between black and white Australia. We have heard your reasons
for not saying sorry, for not.....
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, no. People keep saying, not saying sorry. I mean, a person can
be personally sorry and I have said any number of times that I am
personally sorry for any injustices committed against any Australian
in the past. As an individual human being of course I am sorry and
if you actually analyse what I said at the Reconciliation Congress
in 1997 you'll find that I had quite a bit to say about that
from a personal point of view. I have just expressed a view about
a national apology in relation to the events of earlier generations
where I don't believe that is appropriate and that remains my
view.
HODGMAN:
This morning the Australian newspaper has reported that Cabinet
has approved the Constitutional preamble which fails to recognise
the aboriginal custodianship of Australia's past, is that the
case?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think people should wait and see the preamble before they jump to
conclusions.
HODGMAN:
Okay. Given that this has been a major sticking point as far as the
Constitution debate is concerned, are you expecting further tension
on the road to reconciliation?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I don't think that last statement is correct. I think the
two are somewhat different issues. As far as reconciliation is concerned
I said on election night that I would like to see it realised and
we'll try very hard and there's goodwill on the part of
the Government and there's a lot of hard work being put in to
see if some agreement can't be reached in relation to a document.
But it's not going to be easy and I don't want to raise
expectations unduly but there's goodwill on our part and there's
immense goodwill on the part of most Australians. But equally most
Australians are far more interested in the future than the past and
the more there is a dwelling on the past in so many things the less
attention is commanded of the Australian people.
HODGMAN:
You recall your election victory speech, you set a very tight timeframe
for reconciliation. It is a sensitive process. Do you think it is
possible to achieve in two years?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, the reconciliation timetable was not set by me it was set by
the Act of the Australian Parliament that established a council for
reconciliation and that puts a timeframe of a couple of years on it.
So it was with that in mind that I made those comments.
HODGMAN:
Is it possible?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I am going to try, I can't make...do more than that.
It's difficult but there's goodwill and in order to achieve
an outcome there has to be goodwill on all sides. And I know that
there are many people within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
community who have immense goodwill towards whoever is in government,
whether it's a Coalition government or a Labor government. And
they are interested in a positive future between indigenous and other
Australians.
HODGMAN:
Okay. From reconciliation onto another one of the R's
the republic. From your position of Prime Minister of Australia how
do you rate the importance of the debate?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I have never rated it as highly as some other people have but
I have always said that I would not in any way prevent the Australian
people making a decision on this issue. And that is why we promised
to have a Constitutional Convention and I said that if out of that
Convention there was strong support for a particular model I would
put that model. And that is exactly what I have done, I have remained
true and straight to the commitments I made to the Australian public.
I don't find that people are very excited about the issue either
way. It is rarely raised with me in my ordinary work as Prime Minister.
I don't find Australians generally particularly interested either
way. Now, that may change as we get closer to the referendum and it's
too early to make a judgement either about the outcome or indeed about
the level of interest. But speaking as of now I have to say to you,
Kendall, that it is not something that people raise with me. The only
people who raise the issue with me are journalists.
HODGMAN:
So if you had your way how would you have preferred to have spent
the amount of money that is going to be spent on the referendum?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I've never really thought about that because I have always
taken the view that you have to spend some money on democracy. I mean,
it's very easy for people to say well it's a waste of money
to have this or that. If you carry that to its logical conclusion
you don't have any elections. Now, heavens above you can't
have a democracy without consulting the people. I have accepted all
along that there would probably be a referendum so therefore I have
not really devoted any attention to that. Look, I made a promise to
the public and I intend to keep that promise.
HODGMAN:
So let's get onto other aspects of revenue now, you have a very
big year ahead as far as getting the tax package up and ready for
implementation by next year. You have said it is the most important
piece of legislation you will ever present to the Parliament. What
difficulties do you foresee given what has happened in the Senate
with Telstra?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I don't know that I can add much to what I said a few moments
ago that in order to make this law it needs to pass through the Senate
and the Australian people voted for the package. We are going through
a process of Senate inquiries at the present time, we'll get
reports from Senate committees. I suspect that many of those reports
will reflect already known views about the issue from the different
vantage points of politics and in the end the Senate will have to
make a decision. And I can only say again to the Labor Party, to the
Australian Democrats and to the Independents in the Senate that we
did have an election last October, we did lay out all of the detail
of our plan before the election, we didn't hold anything back,
no government in the history of Australia has gone into more detail
on an important issue than did we before the last election. We were
told by many people it was politically foolish to do so and we were
told that it was crazy and all those sorts of things. But in the end
we did it, we were honest with the Australian people, we were up-front
with them, we laid out our plan, we won the election and what we are
saying to those who hold the numbers in the Senate, please remember
that.
Now, if in the face of all of that they don't take heed of the
Australian people well, we argue that that would be a very, very disappointing
thing for them to do to say the least. But I don't want to at
this stage pre-empt what the Senate is going to do. The Senate has
made it clear, or the Labor Party and others in the Senate have....they
said they want to have an inquiry process, well we accept that they
had the numbers to bring that on and that's happening now. I
understand that the Labor Party is committed to having a definitive
vote before the 30th of June. Clearly our prospects of
getting it through before the 30th of June are greater
than after the 30th of June. So we just have to wait and
see but it is an important test of whether the authority and the will
of the Australian people is heeded.
HODGMAN:
Before you go Prime Minister, just a couple of quick fire questions
on the day's current affairs. How damaging do you think that
the IOC bribery scandal has been to Sydney hosting the Olympic Games
next year?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, in the end when we get to the games people will have put it
behind them but I can't say that the publicity of the past few
months has been in any way helpful. But it's one of those very
difficult situations. Everybody wants the games to be a success. As
an Australian and as the Australian Prime Minister the time the games
are being held, I am immensely proud of the fact that they have come
to Australia and it is an Australian event, it's not just a Sydney
event although they are being held in Australia. And I am quite certain
that as we get to the countdown when that torch relay commences in
Australia there will be a tremendous surge of excitement but the excitement
and the pride will be directed towards the performance of the athletes.
I don't think it will be directed elsewhere and that is how it
should be.
HODGMAN:
Do you have any advice for Phil Coles?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, look, if I had any advice in relation to that I wouldn't
be giving it publicly but I can only say that the events....a whole
range of events in relation to this have been, to say the least, extremely
disappointing.
HODGMAN:
And what's your response to the Australian Conservation Foundation's
comment that the Beverley Uranium Mine will make for the creation
of a nuclear waste dump in the outback more likely?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I am very surprised at that. I hadn't had it reported to
me previously, you are the first person who has drawn it to my attention.
Now, I am not criticising you for raising it but I don't believe
that that is the case at all and I am surprised at the comment.
HODGMAN:
Politics aside, Prime Minister, when you're making decisions
particularly economic decisions which impact on everyone, what do
you see as the quintessential ordinary Australian on whose behalf
you are making decisions?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well there's, I don't think of one particular model of an
ordinary Australian and I don't usually use the expression ordinary'
very often myself. I try and avoid using it, it sounds rather a patronising
expression. I often use the mainstream'. But I try and
make decisions based upon the maximum benefit for the maximum number
of Australians. And there is no doubt that the economic decisions
that we have taken have benefited to a very significant degree the
maximum number of Australians. We have delivered historically low
interest rates, historically low inflation, very strong economic growth,
400,000 more jobs in three years, the strongest growing economy in
the western world, an economy which is, despite the Asian downturn,
been able to shift exports away from the Asia-Pacific region into
more profitable destinations.
So all of those things have greatly benefited millions of Australians.
Now, there are some Australians who haven't got the benefit of
that but if we'd have taken different decisions fewer Australians
would have been helped and more Australians would have been harmed
because high interest rates affects the mainstream of the Australian
community, high inflation does. More unemployment, all of those things
adversely affect more people. So what one tries to do is to take decisions
that are fair and take decisions that maximise benefits for the largest
number of Australians possible.
HODGMAN:
Prime Minister, thank you for your time today.
PRIME MINISTER:
It's been a pleasure.
[ends]