Subject:
health; APEC; climate change; education system
E&OE...
PRIME MINISTER:
Could I just make a comment and that is that it's important that all of the Premiers tell the Australian public whether they are agreeable to a future Labor government taking back 40 per cent of the GST revenue that they now receive because that is the amount that would be required to fund the states' current contribution to the running of the public hospital system. If we're really serious about this, and Mr Rudd said he is, then I would like the Premiers to say now whether they are agreeable to 40 per cent of the GST revenue they now receive from the Commonwealth being taken back because you can't take over financial responsibility for running the public hospitals without there being some compensatory arrangement in relation to finance and we have calculated and the Treasurer's put out a statement this morning explaining the basis of that calculation that you're really talking about 40 per cent of the GST revenue that the states now receive.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, Laura Bush can't make the APEC meeting.
PRIME MINISTER:
No, that's disappointing but she rang Janette yesterday and explained that she's being treated over a period of months now for a pinched nerve and she was told by her doctor that the very long plane journey was not advisable and she was particularly sorry that she couldn't come but I can understand and we both understand why the decision's been taken.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, the Galaxy poll, are you concerned that people don't seem to believe that the good times are due to the Government's economic management?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh I think everybody being human thinks they're always overtaxed. I think that's human nature. Indeed the fact that almost a third of the people polled put it down to good economic management I found quite encouraging.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, on climate change, how do you see any new international agreement working? What's your vision?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I explained today that what you need in relation to climate change is to have an understanding where each contributes according to the circumstances of their own country. What is appropriate for Australia is not appropriate for Britain. What is appropriate for Korea is not appropriate for the United States and what we need to do is to get out of APEC an understanding of that. An understanding that we might have an aspirational goal about greenhouse gas emissions reductions but if we can get out of APEC an understand that each has got to make a contribution according to their own particular circumstances then I think that will be a big step forward because APEC brings together the three largest polluters. It brings the United States, China and the Russian Federation and it brings them together in a manageable group of only 21 countries so I'm hopeful that we can make some progress. You can't ever at one international meeting solve big issues like this in one go, nobody's suggesting that, but if we can make some incremental progress it can lay a good foundation for the meeting in Washington later this month, later next month rather and also the Bali meeting under the auspices of the United Nations in December.
JOURNALIST:
How confident are you that China will come on board with your vision?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I hope to talk to the Chinese President before the meeting and I'm hopeful. I think it's a situation where China naturally is not going to give up the opportunity of economic growth but China is also aware of its responsibilities as we are and the Americans are as an international citizen, so I remain optimistic. It's not easy reconciling all of these differences but this atmosphere in Sydney with a manageable number of countries probably gives us a better opportunity than other forums.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, on the greenhouse understanding, will it include any timeframes?
PRIME MINISTER:
I beg your pardon?
JOURNALIST:
On the greenhouse understanding, will it include any kind of timeframe or any kind of targets being set?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I did talk about the possibility of an aspirational target. I think it's very important that you understand that each country will set its own timetable. See the essence of the approach I adopt is that you aggregate the individual contributions of different countries with different circumstances. We have our own proposal for an emissions trading system to come into operation in 2012. We will set an Australian target next year after we have all the advice and all the evidence that we need to soundly base that target and I think other countries will do the same.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, the Victorian Police Commissioner has questioned the use of the term war on terror, calling it meaningless and...
PRIME MINISTER:
Who said that?
JOURNALIST:
The Victorian Police Commissioner...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don't agree with her. I think it's very meaningful.
JOURNALIST:
There are reports around today saying that our education system's perhaps a bit substandard, the Business Council are calling perhaps for a bit of a review. What do you think about that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think it's always dangerous and misleading and inaccurate to generalise about the education system or indeed the health system. There are some outstanding features of the Australian education system and if you look at the international benchmarks the Australian education system scrubs up very well. On the other hand there's always room for improvement, that is why in the last Budget we invested $5 billion in a higher education fund to help the university sector. It's why we're building Australian Technical Colleges, it's why we support freedom of parental choice when it comes to schools. So whilst I accept that there's always room for improvement I think the Australian education system generally speaking compares very well with those of other countries.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, you made a point at the end of your speech today about protestors and the reason we have to have such heavy security if you like is because of the evidence of violent protest in the past.
PRIME MINISTER:
I mean it's, I think we just have to state it very plainly. The inconvenience people will suffer next week is not the fault of the Federal Government, it's not the fault of the New South Wales Government, it's not the fault of George Bush or the New South Wales Police, it's the fault of the violent demonstrators. That's the reason why we have to have these security precautions, it's got nothing to do with any of the governments and it's the propensity to violence within groups of demonstrators who are intent on doing physical and property damage that we find these security precautions necessary and I just say to the people of Sydney I'm sorry about the inconvenience but it's not the fault of anybody other than those who want to practice violence amongst the ranks of the demonstrators. Thank you.
[ends]