E&OE...................................................................................................
JOURNALIST:
What's your reaction to the events in Indonesia, Mr Howard?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I think the whole world would like to give Indonesia an opportunity
of going through an effective examination of what occurred and the signs
at this stage are that that is occurring. I can't prejudge the outcome
of that. There were obviously violations of human rights in East Timor.
Indonesia has recognised that by establishing their own investigation
as to the possible implication of individuals in that I'm not going
to pre-empt the outcome of the tribunal examination any more than anyone
should but I am pleased, as indeed the whole world is pleased, that Indonesia
is applying herself to that issue and it's to the credit of Indonesia
and a credit to the new government in that country that that is occurring.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, Australia [inaudible] provide intelligence material. Would
it do that to a domestic Indonesian tribunal and not just the international
tribunal?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we'll examine that. I think Mr Downer has laid down the approach
in relation to that and we have tried in the past to adopt a sensible
balance between helping the due investigation without wanting to compromise
sources and I think that sort of principle can be applied.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, what's your view of the actual situation now in [inaudible]...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Mr Downer was asked that question this morning and what he stated
was not only the Government's position but the Government's
state of knowledge and state of mind. Indonesia is going through a difficult
period of transition and deserves the understanding of the Australian
Government and of the Australian community. It's important that we
build the relationship with Indonesia. We see it as a new beginning, with
a new leader or a new government and a new embrace of democracy, a more
open society and that's to be encouraged. We should keep in mind
just how difficult it is to run a country of that size and what an enormous
challenge it is.
JOURNALIST:
What do you think of President's Wahid's actions in relation
to General Wiranto?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that is asking me in effect to comment on the possible implication
of an individual and I'm not going to do that. All I do is to encourage
the Indonesian authorities to have a transparent, open process and the
consensus of the world opinion is that Indonesia should be given an opportunity
of doing that and we should not be prematurely critical of the process
which is being adopted.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, should the States match your pledge to put a floor under government
services in the bush?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, the States have responsibilities and there are state services that
are being withdrawn from the bush. I'll get around to saying what
I think States ought to be doing in due time. I'm focussing at the
moment on the Commonwealth's responsibilities. One of the things
I would like to point out is that we're not only in the business
of ensuring that no further Commonwealth services are taken away but we
are also in the business of improving Commonwealth services. For example
the recent Job Network tender resulted in an increase of 50% in the number
of providers in regional Australia a 50% increase. So that it is
increasing services, that is new services going into the bush, into regional
Australia, into country areas and there are 300 towns alone that under
the new Job Network tender will have providers that weren't there
before. So not only are we about preventing the withdrawal or the diminution
of services, we are also, where possible, in the business of providing
additional services. I'm standing in front of one that's the
recipient of it. The Job Network is a live example. The Job Network has
outperformed the CES by 50% on the available evidence. There are more
services available in the bush under the second Job Network tender. Now,
that is very good news.
JOURNALIST:
What about in the case of Employment National? Will you be putting the
floor of the withdrawal of government services in an application to Employment
National?
PRIME MINISTER:
The Government service is delivered by the Network. You don't measure
the quality of the government service by providing, by looking at the
performance of one individual provider because you've got to remember
that the contracts that are won by the private providers are funded by
the Government. So the service provided by the government there is not
restricted to the running of Employment National. The service provided
by the Government is the entire Job Network and if you want to measure
whether the Government service is available you look at the whole Job
Network, you don't just look at the Employment National, that is
just quite wrong.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, at the next election, to strengthen you case on the sale of
Telstra, are you willing to detail the infrastructure projects that could
be financed out of that sale?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well Michelle, the next election is not scheduled until the end of next
year and I'm certainly not in campaign mode and I don't intend
to anticipate what I might say at the end of next year.
JOURNALIST:
Well, before then.
PRIME MINISTER:
Or even before then. Well, what I might say I will say at the appropriate
time but I don't have at this stage anything to add to what I've
been saying over recent days and that is that it is ludicrous to have
tens of billions of public dollars tied up in a telecommunications company
when that money could be more effectively used for a lot of other things
over and above what we might otherwise be able to do in normal Government
spending.
JOURNALIST:
But rural people might be a bit sceptical of the generality of that undertaking.
PRIME MINISTER:
I think rural people will understand that I'm developing an argument
about the application of public investment and then in time if we think
it's appropriate to be more specific we will but I'm not foreshadowing
at this stage at what point I might be more specific.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, would you envisage putting in the Telstra sale contract an
obligation on the owners, the private owners to continue to provide community
service ...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we'll legislate. I mean, legislation is far more effective
than having something in a contract.
JOURNALIST:
So that would be specific...
PRIME MINISTER:
We will legislate, of course we will. We will require community performance
of community obligations. It's a matter of legislation, not a matter
of contract.
JOURNALIST:
What's your response to Meg Lees' comments that you're
obliged to try and link infrastructure [inaudible]...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it's certainly not [inaudible].. It's a statement of the
obvious. Look we have ongoing responsibilities. There is a certain amount
that we will be able to do in relation to infrastructure out of future
budgets and it should be made clear that it's not necessary to sell
the rest of Telstra to have some infrastructure spending. The point I'm
making is that you can do more sooner if you get rid of Telstra and what
I'm confronting the Australian community with is the choice. Do you
want to have tens of billions of dollars invested in a telecommunications
company or do you want more upgrading of infrastructure including in the
regions at an earlier date to a greater extent? That is not a bribe, it
is a statement of the obvious and what I've initiated is a debate
in the country about what our priorities are. Is a priority for the next
ten years to keep tens of billions of public dollars tied up in a telecommunications
company or is it a priority to use that money to pay off national debt
and to invest more rapidly and more comprehensively in public infrastructure
around the country including in the bush. Now there's no bribe in
that, it is a statement of the obvious and it is my obligation to lay
out these choices and to seek to persuade the Australian community to
the wisdom of our position.
JOURNALIST:
Do you plan to approach the Australian Democrats?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don't flag when I talk to the Democrats or indeed anybody else
at news conferences. I talk to the Democrats on a regular basis so if
I have a particular reason to talk to them I will but I won't be
flagging it here.
JOURNALIST:
BHP lost the Federal Court case against providing individual contracts
in the Pilbara region - a set back for industrial relations reform? Well
it's too early to make that judgement. What's happened is that
an injunction's been granted. The thing hasn't been finally
resolved. It's not for me to give a running commentary on litigation
between companies and unions...
JOURNLIST:
[Inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it's a court case that was granted an injunction. I'm
not going to start putting degrees of outcome on it. I'm not going
to put any particular spin on it. It was an interlocutory, it was an application
for an injunction and as to what the final outcome is, you never know
with these things.
JOURNALIST:
[Inaudible]...
PRIME MINISTER:
No I don't, he is entitled to take his own counsel. I'm not
going to start commenting on every single thing that is in the newspapers.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, the Australian dollar took a bit of a tumble over the weekend
and some commentators attributed that to interest rates...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well they were very uninformed, ignorant, ill-advised commentators.
JOURALIST:
Mr Howard, on the issue of the historian, David Irving, he's proposing
to come back into Australia. What do you think about that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we have a view that because of his record he shouldn't come
to Australia.
JOURNALIST:
[Inaudible]..
PRIME MINISTER:
No.
JOURNALIST:
So he will not be able to come even though...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Michelle, we took a decision and we will give effect to that decision
in a lawful manner.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, Badgery's Creek if it goes before the Cabinet
when it sits later this month [inaudible]...
PRIME MINISTER:
You are asking me to reveal a Cabinet agenda? Heaven's above. I
thought you normally had your ways of obtaining it but you are asking
me to reveal it. I think we have now got towards the terminal phase -
one more question.
JOURNALIST:
On Telstra, on the timeframe, do you envisage...when would you expect
to introduce legislation for the further sale of it? Do you have a, sort
of, a timeframe...
PRIME MINISTER:
We've laid it down. I mean, the policy is that we have this benchmarking
exercise and that is being established and being underway. And then if
that turns up okay we will then introduce legislation. Now, that will
be presumably during this term, exactly when I don't know. It depends
on how long the benchmarking study takes. Thanks.
[ends]