PM: Well it's good to be back in Tasmania, the second time I have been since being elected as Prime Minister, I've just been told since being elected as leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party in the last 18 months I have been here on 8 occasions. Always good to be back here is Tassie, good to be back here with our local members, good to be back with the Tasmanian Premier.
This is so much part of the heart and soul of Tasmanian and Australian tourism, that is this great Port Arthur convict site. And I would congratulate those who are associated with this most recent part of the site redevelopment and conservation plan. Really important for Tasmanian tourism, really important for Australian tourism and its good that the Australian Government and the Tasmanian Government together with the authority here led by Barry have been active partners cooperating in ensuring this conservation project is brought to completion.
Historical tourism in Australia is part and parcel of the overall fabric of the industry and in Australian tourism we constantly have to be in the business of reinviting, redefining and reshaping the product we take to the rest of the world and the rest of the nation.
That's why it's good to see that here at Port Arthur we're not just resting on our laurels, not just saying well its always been (inaudible) let's just leave it that way and instead we are going back to this site and saying well how can we take this whole site further and to provide an opportunity for new visitors and old visitors coming back to have a fresh opportunity to experience this country's convict past.
As I just said in the remarks I made inside, so many Australians have a convict background including yours truly and therefore when you come to sites like this it's not just an academic exercise, it's not just wondering around a park. It's actually finding an opportunity to peer back to the emergence of the Australian character, the Australian soul and the Australian nation.
So I congratulate the Port Arthur authority for what they have done here, transforming this extraordinary site into something even more extraordinary and I congratulate the Tasmanian Government for their keen work in partnership with the Commonwealth on this. And it's been my own personal great pleasure to be here today for the official opening of this part of the convict site here at Port Arthur. And it's also providing me an opportunity to have some further discussions with the Tasmanian Premier about matters to do with our two Governments.
If I could turn to the Premier to add to my remarks and then to Peter.
PREMIER BARTLETT: Well thank you . Port Arthur is of course as iconic in Tasmania as the white sands of our east coast beaches and the rugged mountains of our west coast.
It is iconic for all Tasmanians and a site that I believe is iconic for all Australians. Its deeply linked of course to where we come from as Tasmanians and who we are and its so important I believe for us to understand that heritage, to embrace it and to learn from it as a State going forward.
So it's my great pleasure to be here with the Prime Minister today to open what is I believe a world class restoration of the separate prison that adds weight I believe to the prospect of the Port Arthur historic site becoming world heritage listed and we are actively working with the Australian Government on that listing.
It's really important I believe for Tasmania not to rest but to continue to expand on the significant opportunities that we have in heritage tourism and associated economic social and cultural growth that we will see from that.
Quite aside from Port Arthur there are many other sites with huge potential around Tasmania. I recently visited Oatlands and saw first hand the significant convict heritage which is unrestored within that town, but has real potential to continue to create iconic sites for Tasmania. Iconic sites that will bring new and returning visitors to our island and we look forward also to working with the Australian Government and Local Government on realising those opportunities.
So having the opportunity to have the Prime Minister here is very welcome. We have a very cordial relationship that I know in conversations to date that the Prime Minister is very much aware of the challenges but also the opportunities that face Tasmania and I look forward to having some further conversations with him while he is here this afternoon.
Thank you.
GARRETT: This is a good day for Tasmania because Port Arthur means such a lot to the history of this island. And to the nation and the heritage recognition that this site has now and the fantastic restoration that's been taken by the community here and by the authorities means that we will have more Australians and more people internationally visiting this site, understanding how critical the history of Port Arthur is to our Australian history and providing a good strong driver for regional economies.
There is no doubt at all that Australia's heritage is rich, its distinct and its unique. It tells us stories about our past, it fashions us into what we are today and what we have become. Port Arthur is one of those iconic site and we do expect that the Port Arthur site to be a part of a greater world heritage nomination which we have every anticipation should be successful in two years time. So congratulations to all involved its a very good day, this is an important site for Australians, our heritage is critical to understanding who we are to driving our regional economies and also to sharing our Australian experience with visitors from overseas.
PM: Over to you folks.
JOURNALIST: (Inaudible) river in Queensland, there's evidence that there's new development there in breach of a moratorium in 2001. Is that embarrassing as a Queenslander and also is it a sign that States once again can't be trusted on water?
PM: Well we take any real breach of obligations in relation to the our international obligations for heritage protection seriously. I look forward to a factual report on this. I haven't received one yet and once we received that report then we will take the necessary action.
When it comes to the proper protection of our waterways and our wetlands these are matters of national importance, matters of national responsibility under the relevant international conventions to which Australia is signatory and we will act according to our obligations.
JOURNALIST: And regarding your announcement yesterday of $50 million is a drop in the ocean from the $3 billion you've got over the ten years. Is it enough, is it a big enough announcement yesterday, it doesn't seem to be much of a step up from where we were?
PM: Well $50 million is the amount which has already been spent and that's brought back 35 gigalitres of water for the Murray-Darling system and that's the first time in the history of the Commonwealth that the Commonwealth government has actually brought back water entitlements. We've don't that in our first six months.
The previous Government over 12 years did buy a single gigalitre of water entitlement back from the Murray-Darling system, point one. The second point is this: what was announced yesterday was an enhanced package of some $400 million for the purchase of water entitlements from Queensland and New South Wales. That's important going down as far as the Menindee lakes.
The third thing that was announced yesterday was a further package of $80 million for the purchase of water entitlements within South Australia and fourthly what was announced yesterday was that the Commonwealth would now be in the business of engaging in the negotiation for the purchase of properties, not just water entitlements, but properties themselves which are of significance relevance to the overall demands being placed on the system.
These are significant steps forward in terms of taking stress off the system. As I said yesterday and I say again today, there are no magical solutions for dealing with the Murray-Darling given that this Murray-Darling system in the last 12 or 13 years has had the 12 hottest years in history and in terms of inflows into the system, record low inflows into the system.
And at 6 months its very difficult to undo a pattern of inaction which has gone back more than a decade on the part of the previous Federal Government. These are concrete steps forward. We have taken our first steps in terms of reducing demand on the system. And the second set of measures that we adopted in COAG in Sydney in July was to expend something in the order of $5.2 billion in irrigation enhancement investments nationwide across the Murray-Darling Basin so that the 30% of water which is lost through the inefficiency of the irrigation system is reduced.
The overall objective is to reduce demand on the entire stressed river system. A stressed river system because we have now the impact of cumulative drought and in turn an impact which comes as one of the consequences of climate change.
JOURNALIST: Tasmania's Police Commissioner has stood down pending a criminal inquiry. Does the State need an anti corruption body?
PM: Well this matter as I am advised is now the subject to internal investigation within the Tasmanian Police Service and while that matter is subject to investigation I don't propose to make any comment whatsoever.
JOURNALIST: The Bracks review on the car industry. How urgently does the Federal Government need to act on these recommendations to ensure the continued future of car manufacturing in Australia?
PM: Well the Bracks review has delivered it report as I have said before and I said prior to becoming Prime Minister of Australia. I don't want to be Prime Minister of a country that doesn't make things anymore.
We take the future of our automobile industry seriously, we take the future of manufacturing industry seriously. That's part of how we are as Australians, that part of what we do. Therefore this important study which has just been concluded will now be examined in detail by the Government and in the months ahead we will be delivering our response.
Its been a serious body of work done, its come up with some substantive recommendations. We will now evaluate those, but I say to everyone loud and clear that we are long term believers in industry in Australia. Long term believers in Industry policy in Australia, long term believers in manufacturing in Australia, long term believers in the automobile industry in Australia.
And as evidence of our good intense on this, we've already of course announced and implemented since coming into to Government a half billion dollar Green Car innovation fund, which has already been drawn upon by Toyota in order to have in Australia by 2010 manufactured for the first time in Australia, an Australian manufactured hybrid car.
That's what the Australian people want, a government which just doesn't stand to one side and say sorry not our responsibility, a government instead which says how can we partner intelligently with industry to make this important sector of our economy have a real future.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible) do you support all States having anti-corruption bodies?
PM: Well the trigger for your question is this matter relating to the Tasmanian Police Commissioner. Because I am not familiar with the facts of it and I won't be familiar with the facts of it until these matters are concluded I have no further comment to make on it.
JOURNALIST: The Bracks review recommends that fuel goes into an ETS and transport included in an ETS without even mentioning a compensatory cut in fuel excise. Is that fair enough?
PM: Well as I said we will examine this review which is a detailed, complex document in the weeks and months ahead. We will not come up with a kneejerk reaction to it. We take the industry seriously, that's why we have subjected it to such analysis. And remember through Barry's former close colleague John Button, through the Button plan for the future of the car industry - that's largely why we have got a car industry today, that's the bottom line.
And therefore in continuation of the spirit of the Button plan for the car industry we take this seriously. We're going to methodical about it, we are going to be careful about it, we are going to consult closely with industry on it. But we won't be rushed into a decision, we'll do it as I said in the months ahead.
JOURNALIST: Jodie Campbell (inaudible)?
PM: She a fantastic member, she is doing a great job and she is constantly in our ear about what the local community needs. And a $4.5 million support package in Scottsdale I think indicates that we are being practically responsive to what has been a terrible impact for the local community in terms of jobs by the decision to close the mill.
So I would applaud the local member for being up there, in our ribs, in our ear, in our face. That what she does, she is very good at it and our response it to come back with practical support packages of the type we have delivered.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister in general do you support anti-corruption watchdogs...
PM: It is a matter for individual States to make their own decisions on.
JOURNALIST: The announcements yesterday, only $50 million of it was new money, the rest of it has already been previously announced. Is this enough as an emergency measure?
PM: The $80 million from South Australia will go to particular measures which they will adopt as far as the buyback of water entitlements in South Australia is concerned. The original package as the release indicated yesterday for Queensland was less than the $400 million which was then announced and the reason we have enhanced that amount of money is because we want to extend the ability to buy back water entitlements down the Darling from Queensland as far as the Menindee lakes. That's what is different about this.
And the second thing that's different is this. It is our preparedness to now purchase properties. And a further different which was announced was our ability to now go out and negotiate with entire irrigation sub communities and to purchase those.
We are proceeding as rapidly as we can in the market to buy back water entitlements. Given that as of nine months ago not one dollar was spent by the previous Government for 12 years to buy back a single gigalitre of water when we know that the last decade this river has been under great stress.
I go back to what you can do practically and realistically within a fixed period of time. The other thing I'd draw your attention is the statement yesterday that in 08-09 we'll also engage in a further basin wide tender arrangement to purchase back further entitlements as well.
One step at a time. In six months $50 million, 35 gigalitres. This announcement which comes in the two parts we have just discussed and then a further indication that we will go to a further Basin wide tender.
These are practical steps heading in the right direction, given we have such a stressed system, an absolutely stressed system which needs to have demand taken (inaudible) through a chronic history of over allocation of water entitlements going back decades.
JOURNALIST: Are you planning on visiting the north any time soon?
PM: Well I was up that way not long go and I will be back up that way I imagine before much longer. Its a great State I like being back here.