Subjects: funding for expansion of Snow Brand Production and Packaging; HIH; cloning; road funding.
E&OE................................
Well ladies and gentlemen could I just firstly announce the Commonwealth will provide an amount of $259,000 out of its Dairy Adjustment Fund to finance, to help finance a major expansion of the Snow Brand Production and Packaging line here in Nowra. And this is going to assist Snow Brand with a $2 million investment and it's going to result in a further demand for dairy product in this part of the south coast and will of course therefore be a major boost to the dairy industry on the south coast of New South Wales.
These monies are coming out of the Dairy Adjustment package that was made available by the Government when it provided assistance to the process of deregulation of the dairy industry initiated by the states of Australia. It's a further evidence of the Government's determination to help where it is appropriate, the local industry. It builds on contributions made from that same fund to other operations within the south coast area of New South Wales and will as I say lead to a significant increase in the demand for milk product in the area and therefore is very good news for the dairy farmers of the south coast of New South Wales and the dairy farmers of the Gilmore electorate.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard your next stop is at a League's Club, given your concern about the amount of gambling in Australia, do you think the time is right to take a close look at poker machines in the country and possibly curtailing their use.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we don't run poker machines, they're run by the states. The one thing the federal government can do is to have an influence on internet gambling. We've put certain views to the states as to what they should do, but unfortunately too many of the states of Australia are hooked on gambling revenue and with the additional resources they're now getting from the GST, I mean that Budget Michael Egan brought down should be renamed the Budget the GST gave you. He would not have been able to bring forward the abolition of the Bank Account Debits tax if it weren't for the fact that in the years ahead New South Wales will have more money from the GST. But that of course is another issue.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, you've indicated that you'll review safeguards on superannuation funds in the wake of the HIH collapse. Will you do that within the HIH Royal Commission?
PRIME MINISTER:
No I am not planning that that be a term of reference because there's no evidence that HIH in any way brought to light a weakness in superannuation regulation. But separately from the Royal Commission we're going to have a look at the regulations governing superannuation funds to make certain that they are adequate. There's no suggestion incidentally that they're not but I wouldn't want people who've got money in super to think it's at risk. But when you have a big collapse like HIH, you naturally run the ruler over everything.
JOURNALIST:
In relation to cloning what will you be taking to the table when you meet with the states.
PRIME MINISTER:
I will be asking that we have a uniform position, that we have a total prohibition on human cloning. We have to acknowledge that medical research provides some wonderful opportunities in other areas that can relieve suffering, prolong human life and bring greater fulfilment of life to many people. It's a very difficult issue. It involves important ethical considerations as well as considerations of medical science. The legislation will, [inaudible] to be carefully drawn and we do need a single, uniform approach. This is an issue for all Australians, it's not an issue in my opinion where you should have differences between the states. It's too important for that. The issues involved transcend state borders and I'll be talking constructively with the Premiers. I have a view which I'll be putting to them and the early indications are that there's already a great similarity of views between my government and that of the various states.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, would you extend that to include stem-cell research ?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think cell research is something that can be looked at if the considerations and the definitions are (inaudible) looked at differently from human cloning or the cloning of a whole human being. It is a different issue and we wouldn't want to prevent the beneficial products of that kind of research being available to the citizens of Australia. But the rules governing it, if I can but it that way have to be very tightly drawn so that you don't have any kind of de-facto development of the sort of thing we're trying to stop out of that research.
JOURNALIST:
In relation to main road 92 from Nowra to Canberra, when will the money be made available...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well all of it would be available tomorrow if the state government which is the constructing authority had got off its backside and done something earlier. I mean the problem with this is we've had the money on the we've been ready to fund this for ages and it took forever and a day to get the New South Wales Government to come to the party. And the trouble we have is that we're not the constructing authority. Roads are constructed by local councils and state governments. There's no federal, main roads compartment, and we are always at the mercy of dilatory state governments when it comes to constructing roads. Now I announced the Commonwealth's contribution for this what three years ago. And Johanna Gash and I have been trying to get the state government to come to the party. They finally did and I just want to say that if tomorrow they could guarantee that the thing would be built within the space of 12 months, which of course they can't because they've taken so long to get around to it, we'd have all the money available.
JOURNALIST:
If there's a change of government at the end of the year do you [inaudible]? Is there a guarantee?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don't know. Has Mr Beazley's given a guarantee. Go and ask him. I can't I'm not giving guarantees on behalf of the other bloke I look after..the people of Gilmore will know that I promised federal money for this three years ago and the state government has taken an age to come to the party.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, Kay Hull this morning said that there's very little in the budget for self funded retirees [inaudible]. Do you agree with those comments?
PRIME MINISTER:
She didn't say that.
JOURNALIST:
Is your visit anything to do with Mr Beazley's visit recently?
PRIME MINISTER:
I didn't know he'd come.
[ends]