PM Transcripts

Subjects: anthrax; debate; submarine refitting; interest rates; achievements of Coalition Government.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister John Howard good morning.
PRIME MINISTER:
Good morning, how are you? That';s Andrew is it?
JOURNALIST:
It';s Grant here.
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh Grant I';m sorry.
JOURNALIST:
That';s okay.
JOURNALIST:
Hello there Prime Minister, it';s Andrew Jarman here.
PRIME MINISTER:
How are you Andrew?
JOURNALIST:
I';m going well.
PRIME MINISTER:
Very nice to talk to you both.
JOURNALIST:
Yes good and we';ve also got Glen Moore from the news room with us as well.
JOURNALIST:
Hello Mr Howard.
PRIME MINISTER:
Hello Glen.
JOURNALIST:
Listen I was going to ask you Mr Howard firstly how real is the Anthrax threat here in Australia? We had a number of scares around the country and in Adelaide yesterday.
PRIME MINISTER:
Glen at present all of the investigations have shown that there is no threat and no problem but there have been a number of hoaxes and because people are understandably nervous given what';s happened overseas every time you see something suspicious you think it might be a problem, you report it to the authorities and it has to be investigated. As of about 7 o';clock this morning there';d been about 55 reported cases. None of them on investigation so far have produced a problem. In about seven cases there was a powder substance which was found to be a hoax. Another 28 cases where the investigation has been completed. There was no problem at all it';s just that the postmark was suspicious, saying Florida because that';s where the problem was in America or the parcel looked a bit odd. Everybody is a bit sensitive. I';d say to the listening public that there is no reason why we should be alarmed or concerned but we have to be on the lookout. You don';t know, there is a heightened state of readiness and awareness, we';ve had the experience of dealing with this kind of thing at the time of the Olympics in Sydney last year, that';s given us a bit of experience and an understanding but my message is people should not be alarmed but we have to be on guard and careful.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard the debate on Sunday night from my personal opinion you might have an egg and spoon races as a debate to discuss and decide the worthiness of somebody to lead the country. But there was that issue of the GST that did seem to affect those 80 swinging voters that Channel Nine had their fingers on the pulses of. Do you think the GST is still that shadow that';s hanging over the election?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don';t believe so. Look we needed tax reform in this country and I knew it was not going to be easy. And the point I was making on Sunday night and I make it again is that under the tax reform plan we have guaranteed that the states will in the years ahead get more money and therefore they';ll have more resources to put into government schools and public hospitals. I think whenever you';re having a debate about more resources for government schools and public hospitals that point has really got to be made. We needed tax reform in this country and tax reform is not just the GST it';s lower personal income tax, it';s lower company tax, it';s improvements in Commonwealth/State financial relations that guarantee more money for the states to provide for public hospitals and government schools. And I think that';s very important in the debate. But that has happened, we';re more interested now in the future and yesterday I unveiled a number of plans that are going to encourage more investment in venture capital which we need. We need more risk takers and more entrepreneurs investing in the future of this country and part of what I outlined yesterday will give them more a lot of encouragement and incentive to do so.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard as you know I';m a 35 year old, I';m a father of three young children…
PRIME MINISTER:
You';ve got a mortgage?
JOURNALIST:
Yeah I got a mortgage.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yeah I bet the interest rates lower now than it was.
JOURNALIST:
And I';m rapt with the interest rates…
PRIME MINISTER:
If you want to keep that interest rate - vote for me. (inaudible) monty to go up if you vote for the other bloke.
JOURNALIST:
… big screen TV, we can watch some cricket together.
PRIME MINISTER:
I mean we have delivered the lowest housing interest rates in 30 years. They really, it';s important, if you';re a 35 year old bloke with three children and you';re paying off a mortgage, I mean I won';t rudely ask you how much the mortgage is but if it';s the average of $100,000 you';re $350 a month better off than you were five and a half years ago. So when my opponent says do you feel better off now or worse off than you did five and a half years ago I tell you what if you';re paying off a mortgage you certainly feel a lot better off.
JOURNALIST:
Now Mr Howard that $350, my wife didn';t tell me about that, I';m going to go and follow that up.
PRIME MINISTER:
You talk to your wife about that $350, you think she';s done something with do you?
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister Glen Moore here again, the Sub Corporation deal, you';re going to announce some important news on that today?
PRIME MINISTER:
This is going to be announced today. I';m doing it with the Premier and it';s going to be extremely good news for Adelaide.
JOURNALIST:
Now that';s the $420 million deal over seven years, securing hundreds of jobs.
PRIME MINISTER:
That';s the plan and it really is very good. And it should be in South Australia because South Australia has got the corporation, the establishment, the equipment and everything and it ought to be in South Australia. There will be work for Western Australia, maintenance work. I mean I';m the Prime Minister of the whole country, I don';t play favourites between states. But the sensible thing is to look at the capacity of different parts of the country to do different things and obviously the major submarine work ought to be done here in South Australia.
JOURNALIST:
Now forgive me for being a little bit cynical but have you timed this for election?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it';s got to be signed and I mean, when you say have I timed it for the election, I mean it';s something that was due to be arranged about now.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard on the subject of that, in a funny kind of way I am actually your employer and you are my employee because you';re actually looking for my vote.
PRIME MINISTER:
That is absolutely right, I';m always mindful of the fact that I';m accountable to the Australian public.
JOURNALIST:
So if you';re actually coming to me and asking for my vote and giving me your CV, what would be the three things that you could tell me that you';ve done in the past three years that could convince me to vote for you?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well can I have five and a half years? The last five and a half years. The three things, restoring the strength of the Australian economy including paying back about $58 billion of $96 billion of government debt, and reforming the tax system and reforming industrial relations. All of those, lowering interest rates, that';s one thing. Gun control laws. And the leadership we displayed on East Timor. Now they are the three things of which I am most proud over the last five and a half years. But this election campaign is not only about the past but it';s also about the future. And the capacity of this government because of what it';s done in the past to manage the Australian economy through difficult times into the future is very important. But it';s also very important to have innovative things which encourage greater investment and encourage more risk taking and encourage more job generation. But if you ask me in presenting my CV what are the three things that I';m most proud about I';d like to point to most, they are the three things.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard I know that you';ve compared your political team to say a cricket team.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes.
JOURNALIST:
I want to know Mr Howard do you open bowl or bat a number three?
PRIME MINISTER:
I would normally, I wouldn';t open the bowling, Peter Costello';s the Glenn McGrath, Tony Abbott is Adam Gilchrist.
JOURNALIST:
Would you say you';re the Shane Warne?
PRIME MINISTER:8217;re the Shane Warne?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I would like to think I might have some pretentions to being the Steve Waugh. Very very modestly.
JOURNALIST:
I see you more as the Funky Miller type actually.
PRIME MINISTER:
No I don';t quite make that.
JOURNALIST:
Thank you very much indeed for your time this morning Mr Howard, we know you are incredibly busy and you';ve got a flat out schedule, we really do appreciate you having a chat with us this morning.
PRIME MINISTER:
Okay. Thanks.
[ends]