HOST: Let's ask the Prime Minister, good evening to Mr Rudd. It has been an extraordinary day of accusations, of threats and mud-slinging on both sides. What do you think today has achieved?
PM: Well can I just say Matt, there has been one set of accusations here and that is by Mr Turnbull, against myself. Last Friday, he accused the Prime Minister of Australia, myself and the Treasurer, of being corrupt. There can be no more serious allegation against the head of Government of a country. What we discovered today and confirmed today, as I indicated over the weekend, was that this entire allegation by Mr Turnbull is based on an email which is a fake, a fraud, a fabrication, in fact, a forgery.
Yet, on the basis of that forgery, and Mr Turnbull, seeking to put it around the Australian community, he went out into the public debate, and sought to bring down a Government. He sought to not just accuse me of corruption, but call upon me to resign. For such a grave error of judgement to occur from someone who will put themself up as the alternative leader of the country, it is quite clear to all fair minded people, that he has no option now himself but to stand up, apologise and to resign.
He does not have the quality of leadership about him.
HOST: You were being asked today to justify your actions or resign, justify the Treasurer's actions or make him resign, have you justified those actions?
PM: Well the entire argument put by Mr Turnbull and the Liberal Party against myself, was that I had acted corruptly in relation to a car dealer in Queensland. And Mr Turnbull said that the evidence was an email between my office and a public servant in the Treasury, asking for representations to be made for this car dealer. The problem is, this email is a complete fraud, a phoney, a hoax, a fabrication.
Yet Mr Turnbull is prepared to go out there, and simply forget any due diligence, go out there and simply make the accusation and call for my resignation. It reflects on his character, not just arrogance, not just the fact that you have got someone who is plainly an opportunist, but a person who will stop at nothing in order to try and become Prime Minister of the country. It is very easy -
HOST: But Prime Minister, what about your Treasurer -
PM: It is very easy, let me finish this point, it is very easy in public life to throw mud at somebody and to hope that some of it sticks which is what Mr Turnbull has done all over the weekend. All these newspapers covering his accusations against me and against the Treasurer -
HOST: Ok well they have been dealt with today. Let's deal with the Treasurer -
PM: Well can I just say to you Sir, that they have not been fully dealt with in the context of your program because this is a most serious accusation. It is a bit like saying that the chief executive of Channel Seven is corrupt. I would have thought that the chief executive of Channel Seven would want to come out and say, ‘actually that has been proven to be completely the reverse'.
I am the chief executive of the country as Prime Minister. This accusation has been made against me, three days in the media on this. And now, the entire basis of the argument has been destroyed. Mr Turnbull has no alternative but to resign.
HOST: What about the accusations against your Treasurer, do you think that there is still mud sticking against Wayne Swan, what else has he got to explain?
PM: Can I just say, at this time of the global economic recession, the Treasurer of Australia is out there with myself, working on how do we keep the Australian economy afloat, when so many economies are sliding into recession. He is working full time on these challenges. And that is why Australia, almost uniquely amongst the major economies managed to avoid a recession so far.
That is what we spend our time doing. His actions in relation to this matter have been entirely appropriate, in contrast to the inappropriate behaviour of Mr Turnbull. Can I say this, the time has come for the wise heads in the Liberal Party, the older persons, Brendan Nelson, Nick Minchin, Peter Costello, to tap Mr Turnbull on the shoulder and say, ‘it is time to go'. This lack of character, evidenced in his behaviour on this entire sordid accusations against myself and the Treasurer, means that he has disqualified himself from putting himself forward as an alternative Prime Minister of Australia.
HOST: So do you categorically say that you can stand by your Treasurer?
PM: The Treasurer has acted entirely appropriately. You see, this particular special purpose vehicle for the motor industry was created by the Government to assist the motor vehicle industry car dealerships right across the country. So many of them, being in the absolute forefront of the impact of a global recession.
And that is why the Government has been active there, active on so many fronts. And the Treasurer has been working really hard across the country to try and support Australia's motor vehicle industry and the car dealership industry at a time when these industries are in devastation in so many countries around the world.
He is a first class Treasurer and can I say this, that when it comes to the future of our nation, I know that we have a plan to deal with the challenges facing working families, your viewers watching this tonight. But you know something, you need to have a positive constructive Opposition, not one that is constantly seeking to tear you down personally and to talk the economy down at the same time.
Australians want us to get on with the business of providing this strategy for the future to support our jobs and our families in these really tough times around the world.
HOST: Mr Rudd we appreciate your time tonight.
PM: Thank you for having me on the program.