Subject:
workplace relations; water; David Hicks; education
E&OE...
JOURNALIST:
I just wanted to ask you, do you believe that Labor is split over AWAs?
PRIME MINISTER:
What's happened is that Julia Gillard has pulled Kevin Rudd into line. He was out there trying to fake his policy to the business community implying that, oh you know it's really a bit softer, and we are just going to make it fairer, and she put her fist down this morning and said, no we are ripping it up, we are getting rid of it and it's the hardline, left wing union-dominated IR policy that is going to prevail if Labor wins the next election. Very revealing 24 hours, Mr Rudd has been caught out and pulled into line by his own deputy.
JOURNALIST:
So the Sir Rod Eddington as an advisor, Kevin Rudd is trying to get close to business but he's got to deal with the left wing figures, is that what you're saying?
PRIME MINISTER:
He's been trying to fake it, he's been pretending to the business community that it's softer and kinder and gentler than it really is, but Julia Gillard said no, we are ripping it up, we are putting a million AWAs on the line and we are going to bring back the nightmare of unfair dismissal laws for small business.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think you've still got some way to go on WorkChoices though?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think WorkChoices is being accepted. The predictions have not been realised; we've got the lowest unemployment in 30 years, the lowest level of strikes ever and real wages are still rising. That's not a bad record.
JOURNALIST:
It's already close of business in Washington, were you expecting to hear anything about David Hicks today?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don't have any particular time in mind, we've made it clear we want the charges laid by the middle of this month.
JOURNALIST:
Will you meet Mike Rann over water, he was a bit surly here in Sydney yesterday that you were in his state and he didn't know about it?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the last time I checked, South Australia was part of the nation and I don't normally seek permission, with great respect, from state premiers wherever I go in our country. If Mr Rann wants to come and talk to me, I am very happy to accommodate him, I have always got on well with him in the past, despite our political differences we can work together. But we have a plan and it's in the interests of everybody that this plan be adopted, it's putting a lot of money, $10 billion, to tackle all the big problems. But it won't work unless you have single control of it at a Commonwealth level.
JOURNALIST:
So his idea of like a Reserve Bank model of independent directors reporting to the Federal Government as opposed to being beholden to them, not a good idea?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, it won't work. We are elected to take responsibility for things and you don't discharge responsibility by washing your hands of it and handing it over to somebody else.
JOURNALIST:
On education, some people accuse the Federal Government of trying to take over control of that, how do you respond?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well nobody is trying to take over control of education. What we are trying to do is to accommodate the tens of thousands of Australian children who each year go from one state to another and find their studies are disrupted because there's a lack of synchronisation between the curriculums in each state. And what we are wanting is a sufficient uniformity so that if you go from Western Australia to Queensland, you don't fall back a year. I get parents complaining to me on a regular basis, and we are now a more mobile society than we used to be. This happens a lot more and it's only fair to the students that we do something about it and we need the help of the states to bring that about.
JOURNALIST:
What's your response to this new climate change report which is indicating both scientific and governmental support for the idea of needing to tackle climate change?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it hasn't come out yet, I will react to it when it comes out. Thank you.
[ends]