Subject:
Murray Sporting Complex; National Plan for Water Security; Margaret Jackson; Eddie McGuire; Dalai Lama; citizenship test; David Hicks.
E&OE...
PRIME MINISTER:
Could I just start off by saying that it's always a great pleasure to be back here in North Queensland, in Townsville with my colleague Peter Lindsay and today's announcement is tremendously important for the community and particularly sports lovers and supporters and participants in this part of Australia. And it will make it possible for national and international sporting events to be staged here in Townsville and that is hugely important because I have always understood the, I suppose, feeling of exclusion that many Australians feel who live in regional areas of the country that if you want to view a big international or national event you've got to travel to Brisbane or to Sydney or to Melbourne and while they are great places, they're not the only places in Australia and it's very important that we spread these opportunities around. Could I just, nationally, say something about water. It is really very heartening that we've had good rain in some of the parched areas of New South Wales and Victoria. Some of them haven't had decent rain for seven years and we can't overestimate the morale boost that this will represent, but we have got to keep hoping and praying for more rain because they will need more than the falls of the past 24 or 36 hours to break the drought. But it is welcome and it gives a sense of hope to many of the farmers in those parts of our country. It does give a sense of hope to people in those parts of the country. The other not so good story about water is confirmation that state governments around the country have forced their water utilities to pay their earnings to state treasuries to be spent on things unrelated to water at a time when the country is metaphorically dying of thirst. And this is a complaint that Malcolm Turnbull has made in the past, that instead of these water utilities investing their profits in fixing leaky pipes and other infrastructure, they have had to pay them by way of taxes to state governments. I think that is an outrage at a time when the country is so desperately short of water. So here you have us putting, at a federal level, $10 billion on the table to fix the problem and we find that a billion dollars is being sucked out of these water utilities by state governments. I think at a time of drought that is an outrage.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, on that $10 billion plan we know that the state premiers are now prepared to waive any concerns about releasing the documents for that plan, are you prepared to do that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well they don't have any involvement in the $10 billion. We are providing it. Look, forget about this bureaucratic argument about what gets released. We've got a $10 billion plan on the table and the state governments have been sucking a billion dollars out of water utilities when that money should be invested in infrastructure.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, the Qantas Chairman is moving on, any comment?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I will make a comment. It's her decision. I regard Margaret Jackson as an outstanding business figure. I am not going to comment on the nuances or ins and outs of the Qantas bid, but let me say that I think Margaret Jackson has been a person of great ability and great integrity and she will remain a very significant figure in the Australian business community. The question of whether she continues as Chairman of Qantas is, of course, a matter for her. I am not going to make a comment on that. I have got a lot of confidence in her and I have got a lot of regard for her and she has always struck me as a person of high intelligence and great integrity.
JOURNALIST:
Another person who seems to be moving on today is Eddie McGuire. He will be stepping down as the boss of Channel Nine. Do you have a message for him and do you think they can turn it around?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well whoever succeeds him is a matter, of course, for Channel Nine. It's a great channel. I am not going to get into an argument between different channels, I love them all. They are all good on some occasions; they all make mistakes on other occasions, but I won't get into that. But Eddie's a personality in his own right and I don't think he'll be lost to the television screen and I wish him well.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, a spokesperson for China's ministry has come out today and warned countries against engaging with the Dalai Lama. They have labelled him a political exile trying to split China. What do you have say about that only a month out from him coming to our shores?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well look I make decisions in relation to what I think is right and I know that this country has a good relationship with China. But in relation to who I meet, that is a matter for me and I don't, in deciding who I will or can meet, I don't seek advice from others no matter who they might be. I think Australians understand that I am not that sort of person and if I am able to meet the Dalai Lama I will. But can I just make the point that I dealt with this issue years ago, way back in 96 or 97. There was an issue about whether I met the Dalai Lama. I did meet him, so I don't really think it's a big issue and it's just a question of whether it's convenient for me to do so on this occasion. I can't meet everybody but equally I make the point that I will decide according to what I think is in the interests of Australia who I meet and I won't be taking advice from anybody.
JOURNALIST:
We've seen some details today of the new citizenship test and I believe you may have had a chance to look at...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I have seen some questions, but those questions I gather were generated by a newspaper.
JOURNALIST:
Are you confident that most Australians would be able to answer the questions?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the questions I looked at in the newspaper; but they're not ours. I am not saying there's anything wrong with them although I think some of the multiple choices were a little bit cute. Oh I think so, and particularly after people who will sit the test have gone through the resource book about Australia's Government set up and Australia's history. We're going to have a booklet which will talk about the history of Australia and our structure of government and the importance of sport in Australian national life; and canvass some of Australia's great sporting heroes and all of that sort of thing. But those questions in the paper this morning are not ours; they're questions that have been put together. But I think most Australians would be able to answer those questions although in relation to the multiple choice ones, you might get a situation where people would see there are a couple of correct answers.
JOURNALIST:
In terms of your funding announcement today were you gazumped by Kevin Rudd yesterday?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don't think it's a question of who gazumps who. I mean isn't it a question of helping the local people? I don't think they're really interested in who gazumps who. They're interested in a commitment from the Government and the Government is in a position to provide $3.35 million in July of this year which is precisely when the local council wants the work to commence. So I don't want to talk about gazumping. I mean local people are not interested in those games, they're just interested in whether the Government will help and the Government will help and this will be a great thing for Townsville.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, back on water, if you want people to move beyond the bureaucracy and to have the states starting to fund it, wouldn't it be better if everyone knew exactly what was on the detail?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, no but the $10 billion plan; the states are not being asked to contribute anything. That's totally federal money and it's money on top of what is already there. And we have got all the states in agreement except Victoria and Victoria is still holding out. Victoria is going to miss out on potentially billions of dollars if it continues to hold out in relation to this and I just think the attitude Victoria is taking is astonishing. Queensland's signed up, New South Wales, South Australia, the ACT but not Victoria. I mean, this is all new money. We are prepared to pipe and line the irrigation channels of Australia with six of the $10 billion and then buy back the over allocation of water with the remainder. Now we're not asking the states to contribute a dollar. It's all new money from the Commonwealth, so I don't really know what Victoria is delaying it for.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, more about people coming to our shores. Have you got any idea or any more indication today of when exactly David Hicks will be home?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, but that is a matter that should not be a cause of national celebration or observance. I mean he is somebody who confessed to training with a terrorist organisation and he will come back to this country and his return is being handled by the authorities and he will then serve out the rest of his prison sentence in a South Australian jail. And when he's served his sentence well he'll go into the community but I don't regard it as an important national event. I think many Australians would share my view.
[ends]