Subjects:- tax reform, Federation, Wimbledon.
E&OE
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, does the relative ease that which the GST appears to have been changed over vindicate your visit here to London?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, there was always a reason for coming. But the GST so far has gone well. I know Mr Beazley is mortified that the world didn't come to an end last Saturday. He wanted that to happen. He wanted it to be chaotic and disastrous and it wasn't. And I don't believe it will be. There will still be challenges, and they will be dealt with in the weeks ahead, but the decisions the government had to take on the GST were decisions taken before its introduction. You don't start changing it a couple of days after its introduction. You don't start doing that. You observe it, you monitor it and of course the Treasurer is doing that. And I will be talking to him as soon as I get into my hotel. I will be keeping in regular touch with him. As you know, communications these days are instantaneous.
This is an important visit. It's an important visit historically and on the way over in the plane I was reading the biographies of Edmond Barton and Alfred Deakin, two of the people who came here in 1900 to negotiate with the British Government the Federal Compact that was to bring Australia about and it's a wonderful story of Australian negotiators triumphing against a little bit of reluctance on one issue, although at that particular time the British were very willing to facilitate the Commonwealth of Australia coming into being. It's a very important historical event and I think the rather petty short term attitude taken by Mr Beazley is wrong. It's certainly not the view taken by Bob Carr who has made it very plain to me that he sees it as a very important event in Australia's history. And he and Mr Bracks and others have taken a very constructive attitude.
And can I say, I was stirred by the sight of those diggers. The first time ever in the history of this country, Britain that is, that you have women mounting guard at Buckingham Palace. I think that, I think that those things are all some reminder that there is more to political life than just debate about economic issues.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think Australians accept the importance of this visit Mr Howard? Do they understand
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, some of them will and some of them won't. It's like everything else, Allison, you can't win them all. But you do have to observe history. But the other thing is that Britain is a very important customer to Australia. We invest more in Britain than any country, except the United States. And in turn Britain and the United States vie with each other to invest in Australia. And they're ahead of any other country. So you have got to keep a balance. I mean nobody would batt an eyelid about a visit to Korea or Japan by an Australian Prime Minister because it is said they are our best customers. They are.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible] during the implementation of the GST.
PRIME MINISTER:
but it is also true that the investment in our country and from our country to Britain and the United States is very important.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, events in Fiji appear to have taken a turn for the worse. Are you briefed on that yet to comment?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I'm concerned about any government that is based on reasons other than merit and democracy. And one that appears to, as I have been told when I left Australia last night, appear to not contain any Indian Fijians. That is regrettable for the most obvious of reasons.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER:
No, I haven't been, I've only just arrived.
JOURNALIST:
Three supporters and a Speight gunman apparently have been wounded in shooting.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I'll have to get briefed on that. I've only just arrived.
JOURNALIST:
Will you be going to Wimbledon, sir, and any thoughts on .
PRIME MNISTER:
Well, I hope we have Australians in both the mens singles and also Jelena Dokic makes it. But I will just wait and see. As I said before I left Australia, you're dammed if you do and you're dammed if you don't. It may even be one of you who suggest that I will be exploiting the situation if I do it.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, did you at any point have second thoughts about the scale of this visit, given the GST?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, I didn't. Because, I mean half the cost of it is the Federation Guard, are you going to begrudge that to those men and women? I don't think any Australia does. Thank you.
JOURNALIST:
Are you going for a walk Mr Howard?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, I am, I will be out in about three quarters of an hour.
JOURNALIST:
Where are you going?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I thought I might go to Hyde Park. I'd better speak to my advisers on that. Thank you.
Ends.