Subject:
Julie Bishop; welfare; Dr Haneef; Tasmania; election.
E&OE...
PRIME MINISTER:
Could I just open by saying how much I condemn the violent incident that occurred in the office of the Education Minister Julie Bishop in Perth yesterday. That kind of thuggery is totally unacceptable and people who engage in that kind of conduct should be dealt with in accordance with the law. I have spoken to Julie Bishop. She was plainly shaken by the incident and who wouldn't be if they were surrounded in their office by 50 thugs. And that kind of behaviour, all the mealy mouthed explanations about police brutality don't impress me and they won't impress the great majority of the Australian public.
JOURNALIST:
Who do you think was behind it Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that is a matter for the police to deal with, but I have seen enough and you have seen enough to know what sort of incident it was.
JOURNALIST:
You've made some significant announcements today regarding welfare.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes.
JOURNALIST:
Why did you feel they were needed?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well because too many children are suffering because of the irresponsible behaviour of their parents. Children have no hope in life if they don't go to school, they have no hope in life if the money that is going to their parents for their clothing and their food and their shelter is spent on drink and gambling and society has a right to require people to use the money that is meant to be for the welfare of their children for the welfare of their children. We're not going to take anything away from people. We're going to make sure it goes for the purpose that it was always intended.
JOURNALIST:
Will parents be losing any money out of this?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, they won't lose money, but they will lose the right to spend money that should be for their children on drink and gambling. The people who will be affected by this are parents who are irresponsible in relation to their children but there won't be any reduction in the money that's going. But there will be a direction of that money to the welfare of children, and it will only occur in the circumstances I have outlined. And another element of course is attendance at school. Truancy levels are too high in some parts of Australia. We need the cooperation of the states and I expect to get it, and the Australian public will expect the states to cooperate with us to the full.
JOURNALIST:
In your speech you said it was income support payments and family payments as well. Is it Family Tax Benefit A and B recipients?
PRIME MINISTER:
No. What happens is that the trigger for the application of it are the welfare payments but when it applies it will affect not only the welfare payments but also the Family Tax Benefit. But it won't affect the income, it won't affect private income.
JOURNALIST:
How will it work in the case of the Northern Territory? You made specific reference to that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well what will happen in the Northern Territory, we're quarantining the payments for everybody as part of the stabilisation process and once we've got a bit of stability in these Northern Territory communities, we can move into a situation where the treatment there is on a par with treatment in the rest of the community.
JOURNALIST:
But this is not an initiative targeted at aboriginal people is it?
PRIME MINISTER:
I beg your pardon?
JOURNALIST:
This is not an initiative targeted at aboriginal people is it?
PRIME MINISTER:
This initiative is targeted to the whole community. Yes of course it is. But separately from that, in the Northern Territory, because of the dysfunctional and chaotic nature of some of the indigenous communities, the welfare payments of all families in those communities are for a temporary period being quarantined. And when stability has been restored, the only ones that will be quarantined will be those who are caught by the criteria that will apply to the whole community.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, without commenting on the merits of the Haneef case, what is its importance?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I can't comment on Haneef. I will make no comment at all on the substance of the allegations against Mr Haneef. I will compliment the police on their assiduous work. I will say that Dr Haneef is entitled like any other person to a presumption of innocence but without commenting on his particular circumstances all of this is a reminder that terrorism is a global threat. You can't pick and choose where you fight terrorism. You can't say I'll fight it over there but I won't fight it here. It's also fair to say that the anti-terrorism laws that this government has enacted are all to their very last clause needed. And I have said before that if we need to strengthen them, we will strengthen them in the future. But I am not going to make any comment about Dr Haneef's case.
JOURNALIST:
Will it be a (inaudible) issue in the election campaign?
PRIME MINISTER:
I beg your pardon?
JOURNALIST:
Will it be a critical issue in the election campaign?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, this man is being dealt with in accordance with the law. I don't control the behaviour. I mean to suggest that this is in some way related to the election campaign.
JOURNALIST:
No sir, I didn't.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well you're asking me to be a commentator. I am not going to do that. I will leave that to you experts in the media.
JOURNALIST:
On the welfare payments, are you concerned about any backlash from parents who are on income support payments in the lead up to an election?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well frankly, if people don't like it, I'll just have to wear that criticism because I believe in this. I think its necessary and I think we do have to achieve that balance between entitlements and responsibilities. It's the only way you can have a proper functioning welfare system in a civilised society. People have got entitlements but they also have responsibilities. If they don't use the benefits taxpayers give them for the welfare of their children they should be forced to use those benefits for the welfare of their children. And that essentially is how this system will operate. Most parents will support this because most parents do it already and most parents think other parents who don't do it should do it, and I believe they'll strongly support it.
JOURNALIST:
Will there be a warning system before...?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it's all laid out in the speech. It's done gradually. It's not going to be done hastily, but it's been carefully thought through, it's been carefully constructed. But it is a major reform and we are the only side of politics that can do this. The Labor Party will say, they're already saying oh we're going to do this, but they opposed welfare to work. I mean how can the Labor Party seriously ask the Australian people to believe they support what I have announced today when a couple of years ago when we introduced welfare to work they opposed it. The opposed welfare to work. Now they're going to ask us to believe that they support this measure. Not likely.
JOURNALIST:
Will this include the $4000 baby bonus as well?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think this (inaudible) trip to Tasmania has secured votes that you need?
PRIME MINISTER:
I have no idea. I will know on election day.
JOURNALIST:
Did you meet with John Gay last night?
PRIME MINISTER:
John Gay was amongst a whole lot of other people I met last night. Yes, yes I did. I met him and he's a nice man and we had a pleasant discussion. I had a pleasant discussion with other people. We talked about a whole range of things and it's a free country, and I am entitled to meet anybody of good repute.
JOURNALIST:
Including the pulp mill Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
Did we talk about the pulp mill? Briefly, and is there any secret about that? Is that surprising?
JOURNALIST:
Has it changed your opinion at all?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, my opinion is the same.
JOURNALIST:
And what was your key message to the conference in there this morning before the election I guess?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well my key message is that there's a very big challenge and that the Liberal Party and the rest of the country has a lot at stake.
JOURNALIST:
Are you going win back New South Wales and Sydney Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I am not going to be a commentator on different parts of the country. Everything's a challenge but day by day we see that the Labor Party under Mr Rudd is not quite what it appears to be. They'll want us to believe that they are great believers in welfare reform this weekend. Well how can they explain opposing the welfare to work measures if they believe in welfare reform? I mean how can you seriously say you support today's measures I've announced and yet not believe in welfare to work?
JOURNALIST:
Have you got any chance of picking up Franklin?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes. Look, this is going to be a very interesting election. I think Vanessa is an excellent candidate and the Labor candidate is not very, how shall I say, not very well supported by the retiring member Harry Quick and the Labor candidate is typical of the union number crunchers that the Labor Party is full of. A Rudd Cabinet would have 70 per cent of its members who are former trade union officials. I think Australians when they understand that will not like the prospect. Thank you very much.
[ends]