Subjects: Commonwealth Games; World Cup.
E&OE...........
WILSON:
We';ve been joined by a special guest.
DOYLE:
We have guys. None other than our Prime Minister Mr John Howard, very very proud this morning. Good morning and welcome back to Sunrise. I think everyone';s so proud.
PRIME MINISTER:
It was fantastic. I think what was great about this Commonwealth Games is not only that we won a record number of medals and clearly the best performance ever, but it covers such a range of sports. I mean, 17 different sports and it went into areas that we hadn';t previously been thought as likely to win. So it was a fantastic effort and everybody';s very excited and very proud.
WILSON:
One of the great privileges that goes with the job I suppose is going up those stairs and meeting the first of the athletes.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yeah it was, I had the opportunity of doing it after the team came back from Kuala Lumpur and so it was a great thrill to be able to do it. And they looked pretty happy and they had every reason to be. And one of the things that I found very touching was Ian Thorpe said that they were so greatly supported by all the messages that they were getting from back home. And I think it';s important that that be said, that all those hundreds, indeed thousands of hero grams and whatever that people send, not only your own family and friends but sport lovers all around the country, it does have an impact. I mean, we all know that when we';re away from home no matter who we are, it';s nice to hear the people back home and if you';re representing your country and you might be feeling a bit down and a bit disappointed, to get a whole lot of messages it really does give you an extra charge. And I found this talking to them that they were really very supported and stimulated by the messages. So thank you message senders.
DOYLE:
Now we all know what a big sports fan you are. I imagine you didn';t have a lot of sleep over the past 10 days. Have you got a favourite moment?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look it';s always dangerous to sort of do this, but I think the women';s marathon. I think what Kerryn and Krishna and Jackie did in that was terrific. And just first, second and third and…
DOYLE:
Amazing.
PRIME MINISTER:
It is amazing. And for a heart stopper – the netball. I mean we';ve had two heart stoppers in a couple of days. We';ve had that and the rugby, heart stoppers, so they';re…
DOYLE:
The netball has obviously watched the Bledisloe I think and tried to copy it, you know.
PRIME MINISTER:
But it was a great… it was just fantastic. And I thought also what was very good is that despite the obvious rivalry, which is always understandable in sports, the local press in England was very complimentary about Australians. And so they ought to be, but sometimes you know the press can not be like that.
DOYLE:
Particularly about Ian Thorpe, they were calling him the greatest athlete on the planet. That';s a huge accolade.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well he';s got a following, no doubt about that. And he got a very big following in Japan. I was just talking to him about going off to Japan in about 10 days time for the Pacific and he';s got extraordinary following there. And he';s quite an athlete. He';s just got still so much ahead of him.
WILSON:
We just saw Ian Thorpe there, Prime Minister. I think he is the most popular man down there at the moment, apart from yourself.
PRIME MINISTER:
No, break it down. Flattery will get you nowhere, no.
WILSON:
It';s great to have you on Sunrise.
PRIME MINISTER:
Of course, yes.
WILSON:
Now we';ve got the team official Ian Hanson down there. We should also mention the officials. I mean the volunteers…
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes. And all of these… we could never forget that despite all the, you know if you get right to the top here, you get all the sponsorships and there';s a lot of money - we all know that. But right at the beginning you start with nothing and what really sustains Australian sport are the efforts of local people, those people who get up at 6 o'clock on Saturday morning to go off to little athletics, or to go off to soccer, or to rugby, or cricket, or whatever it is. And that';s what has made sport so very good. It';s one of the reasons why we do so very well at sport. We have that great volunteer spirit at the grass roots. You don';t sort of… elitism in sport doesn';t come from nowhere and it doesn';t sort of come from the side and it';s not, I mean you can bring great people in and indeed one of the great contributions that';s been made at these Commonwealth Games is from people who have recently come to Australia and it';s just an example of our diversity. But it';s that grass roots contribution that';s so enormously important.
DOYLE:
Now of course next Commonwealth Games is here in Melbourne. You';ve got to feel sorry for some of the other countries. I mean we do so well in Manchester. I mean we';re going to have home soil advantage.
PRIME MINISTER:
That';s right, but you never take anything for granted and we are doing incredibly well at the moment and we did superbly well at the Olympic Games and very well, but other countries are applying themselves and we always have to work hard. You have to work very hard to stay on top.
WILSON:
And you';ll be working in with the Victorian Government. There';s been a…
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh, absolutely. I mean the Commonwealth Games, and Ron Walker who';s organising does a fantastic job.
WILSON:
The 2014 World Cup. NSW Premier Bob Carr said yesterday that he had the backing of the Federal Government and of the Prime Minister. Are you still very keen of the World Cup coming to Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, I think Australia can organise any major sporting event. It doesn';t matter what it is. I mean, we';re going to have the Rugby World Cup in Australia next year. We had the Olympic Games. That';s not the issue. The issue is that Soccer Australia has a number of internal challenges and the most sensible thing to do is to get that sorted out. And the bid after all is made by Soccer Australia. It';s not made… it';s a national bid. You don';t… Melbourne or Sydney doesn';t win the right to host world soccer. It';s won by the whole country. So you really need a cooperative effort. And what I am gently and ever so diplomatically suggesting with great goodwill, suggesting to Mr Carr and Mr Bracks, is that if you are serious about a bid, let';s all talk about it, but first let';s let soccer get its house in order, then soccer can talk to all of us, then we put together some national committee if the judgement is then made that you should put a bid together. We found with the Sydney Olympics, we won that through a cooperative effort and you don';t win a cooperative effort by announcing it without telling anybody else.
DOYLE:
Well too much sport is never enough, as you boys would agree. Now Wunala Dreaming is just about to head out, it';s on a trip back to Sydney. It will be empty, but it';s got to go back there, so if anyone needs a lift you know I think they';ve got some seats. Prime Minister Howard it was a pleasure to have you on Sunrise again and you enjoy your morning with all those wonderful athletes. Thank you.
[ends]