Subjects: Telstra; Alice-Darwin Rail Link; CASA; school funding; electricity; Kyoto agreement.
E&OE................................
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard is the sale of Telstra still on your agenda? The full sale of Telstra?
PRIME MINISTER:
Our policy on that hasn't changed. Our policy is that our first objective is to get service levels in bush better and for the public to feel and know that they are better and we will attend to that before we proceed further. But there has been no change in the policy.
JOURNALIST:
Will you sign off on the Alice-Darwin Rail Link tomorrow?
PRIME MINISTER:
I hope to go to Whyalla with the Premier to be involved in the signing of one of the contracts and the financial closure is taking place in Sydney today and Senator Minchin, from South Australia appropriately, will be representing the Commonwealth Government at that event. This is a tremendous event for South Australia. My Government has given massive support to the railway, we've maintained that support through thick and thin because we believe in it. This is a nation building project and it's one of those projects that governments have got to support despite the bean counters and despite the cynicism of people who don't believe in nation building projects. It's been talked about almost since Federation and I'm delighted and very proud that it's a commonwealth government led by me that has given the commonwealth support. I congratulate John Olsen and Denis Burke on their persistence and their resilient support for the project and I know in time Australians will thank our three governments for the commitment and the foresight and the willingness that they've displayed in relation to this project.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister is a relief for you that this is going to come about today, because it has been pretty shaky over the last month or so.
PRIME MINISTER:
All of these things are difficult. It involves a combination of financial decisions and the support of governments. But there comes a time when you've got to put some government dollars on the line to support something that you know in the long run will be of enormous benefit to the nation. I wouldn't be supporting this project if I didn't believe in it and I wouldn't be supporting it if I didn't believe it weren't going to be very good for Australia in the years ahead. And I am delighted that it has come to fruition, it's been tough, it's been difficult, I could easily have given up but I wasn't going to do that because I believe in it.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard what can you do about the price of electricity in South Australia? Do you think the national market is actually working?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well there are obviously some state factors at work that I don't control. And we are in favour of having as competitive and a national electricity market as we can because when you have competitive markets, consumers, that's you and me, and the rest of the Australian public are always a lot better off.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible] recently [inaudible] largely federal issues, is that why you're here?
PRIME MINISTER:
I come here regularly.
JOURNALIST:
Will your Government reappoint Mick Toller as the head of the CASA Board?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I am not aware of when Mr Toller's term expires, are you?
JOURNALIST:
In a year or so I believe.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we'll consider it then. I mean the normal thing with appointments is that you consider somebody's reappointment when the term is about to expire.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible].. about the private and public schools. The private schools, they don't pay GST because your government .that is charities. Is it charity to private schools?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well private schools are very strongly supported by my Government and it provides an enormous amount of choice and opportunity for people, including people in the Greek Orthodox Community. We treat schools fairly and equally and we regard private schools as a very important choice available for Australian parents. But of course in financial terms governments continue to give a lot more support to government schools than they do to independent schools. But because of the assistance the federal government provides, low income Australians now have greater opportunities to send their children to independent schools and that's a good thing.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible] won't be going to the next election, am I right, advocating the full sale of Telstra?
PRIME MINISTER:
We'll be going to the next election with the same policy as we have now and the one I've outlined.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, a new survey shows that 80% of Australians want the ratification of the Kyoto agreement irrespective of the US position.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I haven't read the precise question.
JOURNALIST:
What's your view on that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I said I haven't read the precise question and I didn't know that it made a reference to the US position. But I do know this that I'm in favour and I think most Australians are in favour of controlling greenhouse gas emissions and reducing them. We are, our government is, and we will remain committed to what we said we would do at the time of the Kyoto meeting. I've made that plain in the past and I'm not the least bit surprised that 80% of the Australian community would support Kyoto because that is a metaphor for saying are you in favour of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Of course I am and of course 80% are. I'm surprised it's not 98%.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible] Australia ratify that though?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the question of ratification is dependent upon the actions of others. There's no point in believing that an agreement like this can be ratified if the United States is not part of it. And look the other point I make is this - that you need to get the developing countries involved and there's a very simple reason for that. If we have a protocol that only applies to the developed countries it means that the dirty industries will leave industrialised countries and go to developing countries and the air will still be polluted. The aggregate level of pollution will be exactly the same it's just that the location of the polluters will have changed and there will have been great economic damage done to the economies of countries like Australia. So what we need is a protocol that has everybody included and that's what the Americans are arguing for and that is why President Bush has taken the stance that he's taken. But we remain committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Australia and we're going to continue to stick to the things we said we would do post Kyoto. But you've got to get the developing countries involved. If you don't it can't be effective.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible] Pauline Hanson has damaged their image. She's threatening now legal action. What's your view on that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I haven't been briefed on that. I'm not going to give a running commentary on something I haven't been briefed about.
[ends]