PM: A short time ago the Acting Chief of Defence Force and the Acting Defence Minister confirmed that we had lost two Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan on active duty. Today the nation mourns the loss of two brave soldiers of Australia. This is an enormous loss for their families and their loved ones. On behalf of the Government and the people of Australia I extend to them our deepest condolences, our deepest sympathy. Our prayers and our thoughts are with them on a day of incredible personal loss. 4
Our soldiers' remains are being returned to Tarin Kowt, they have been returned to Tarin Kowt before they are returned to Australia.
Also, in this attack an explosive detection dog was also killed. These are incredible dogs who also do an incredible job out there in the field and form an extraordinary bond with the soldiers who work with them.
This is a sober reminder to us all about the difficult and dangerous work that our soldiers are doing each day in Afghanistan, whether it's in the news or whether it's not. It's a sobering reminder that we are up against a determined and dangerous enemy. It's a sober reminder also that, for Australia, our mission is important to ensure that Afghanistan does not return to become an operating base for terrorists around the world. Terrorists who in the last decade have killed more than a hundred Australians.
Last night I spoke to our commanders in the field in Afghanistan and the commanding General, General Cantwell as well. I asked them, as our leaders in the field, to convey to all the troops in Afghanistan the support and the solidarity of all Australians with them at a time when they have lost one of their comrades in arms, two of their comrades in arms.
I also asked our commanders in the field to convey to the troops in the field, the fact that all Australians feel tremendously proud of the work they do each day in the name of Australia and that our thoughts and our prayers are with each and every one of them and their families at this very difficult time.
This is an extraordinarily hard and wrenching time for families, for friends, for fellow soldiers. Let us all bear each of them in our thoughts today.
I'm happy to take your questions.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd does this incident show that Australia should have more troops in Afghanistan?
PM: The Government believes that overall troop deployment to Afghanistan is about right, given the mission that we have set for ourselves. We have never extended a blank cheque when it comes to our troop commitment, what we have said is that the mission is clear, and that is in Oruzgan Province, to raise the Fourth Afghan Army National Brigade so that that Brigade can assume security responsibilities for the province. That is our mission, that is what we're working towards, we believe our current troop commitment is right for that purpose.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd what sort of support is being offered to the families of these soldiers?
PM: The Australian Defence Force are a family, the Australian Army is a family, therefore when tragedy strikes they behave like a family. They have their own protocols and procedures in place to provide support and immediate care for loved ones. I've seen this before, they are extraordinarily good at providing the physical, practical and emotional support which families and loved ones go through at times like this. They are a very good organisation, they are a family.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd just on the mining tax-
PM: Can I just ask for any other questions on Afghanistan first please.
JOURNALIST: In the past year (inaudible) and you've talked about the troop levels, is it the time that the Taliban is resurgent, are we winning the war (inaudible)?
PM: I would draw your attention to comments recently by the Chief of Defence Force in Canberra, who indicated that we are making progress in our part of Afghanistan and more broadly, but let us make no bones about it, this is a very tough, difficult, continuing military campaign and we are up against a determined and dangerous enemy. However, under no circumstances can Australians afford to allow Afghanistan to become a free, operating, training base for terrorist organisations in the future. That is what happened in times past, and as a result many, many Australians, innocent Australians abroad lie dead. Therefore, our resolve must be firm and we must complete the mission which we have set for ourselves in that particular province of Afghanistan, in partnership with our friends and allies from around the world.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible)
PM: The security situation in Afghanistan is constantly changing and in different parts of the country. I think it's very important to bear that in mind, in different parts of the country. For example, the number of claims in this country go to the Hazara lands within Afghanistan, and circumstances in those parts of the country change from time to time. In Oruzgan we are dealing with parts of the country which are predominantly Pashtu, and have usually a different set of security circumstances. Therefore what the Government has done on the question you raise is act responsibly and flexibly in response to changing circumstances of security over time and changing circumstances also in different regions of Afghanistan. And that of course is consistent with our obligations under the convention.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible)
PM: I think first thing to say is this, the Defence Minister John Faulkner has been assiduous in undertaking a rolling review of the security circumstances in Afghanistan, in Oruzgan, and our preparedness to deal with each of those challenges as they arise. This is not a static situation, it is a dynamic situation and the Defence Minister together with the Chief of the Defence Force have been fundamentally engaged in our evolving security needs in that part of the country.
As for other forces, I cannot comment directly on their circumstances, but you're right to say this has been a hard day, a difficult day for so many of our people in uniform and those in uniform from other lands as well. There are families grieving today all around the world. The mission, the mission, is an important mission for all civilised countries in the world.
Are there any more questions on Afghanistan? I'll take a few others on other subjects and then go.
Just here, here and then you.
JOURNALIST: Minister Conroy has accused Google of hoovering up banking details which a Google person says is wrong (inaudible). Is the Minister prejudicing an AFP investigation of this continuing claim (inaudible)?
PM: The Minister's statements speak for themselves, I'm sure they'll be a continued robust exchange between himself and the various companies concerned, I'm sure they'll both argue their positions, I stand by what the Minister has said.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister just on the mining tax, will you be using your trip to Western Australia to meet with mining executives and will you be meeting with Colin Barnett as well and do you think a compromise at this stage on the mining tax is possible, do you expect to reach a compromise?
PM: I think the first thing to say about tax reform is this, tax reform is important for all Australians, including all West Australians because it's about building a strong economy for the future as well as ensuring that all Australians and all West Australians get a fairer share for the future as well. Over there in the West there have been mining booms in the past, but not all West Australians believe, well frankly not all West Australians have benefitted from those booms in the past.
So we're on about building strength for the future, we're on about a fairer share for the future. Building strength for the future through making sure that we're bringing down the company tax rates for some 50,000 West Australian companies to make sure that they are globally competitive in future. Providing tax breaks to some 160,000 WA small businesses to make sure that that helps their bottom line with an ability to instantly write off something like $5000 worth of asset investments in a year. Making the economy strong by investing in WA's future infrastructure needs, its roads, its rail and its ports, because it's such a dynamic economy, and having the funds possible to do that, and also to boost our overall level of national savings through the superannuation reforms, $85 billion worth of national savings, an important buffer for the future.
On the fairer front, it's making sure that all those WA families get a fairer share too, by making better super available for them in the future as well, and that means hundreds of thousands of families having their superannuation guarantee level increased from 9 to 12 per cent, so that their superannuation nest egg is better for the future.
Now on the tax reform debate itself on the ground, when I was last in WA, which was I think barely a month ago, I sat down with a bunch of leaders from various mining companies, I saw another group recently in Canberra. We'll continue to talk as is necessary, I'm sure I'm going to run into a few over there as well.
The other thing you mentioned is the WA Premier, the WA Premier said earlier this year that his view was that mining companies were getting away with murder, his comments not mine, and that therefore they should pay more. Well I think it's important to be consistent in this debate and I think it's very important that in our overall tax reform we use therefore, the Resources Super Profits Tax as part of an overall tax reform which benefits the Australian economy and the WA economy in the future as well.
JOURNALIST: Is the election campaign going to consist of what the Liberals are saying a vicious smear campaign against Tony Abbott?
PM: I haven't seen comments from the Liberals this morning. I think the bottom line is this - an election, whenever it's held, is about alternatives. It's about Mr Abbott and his position on bringing back WorkChoices; his position on further cuts to health and hospitals, like the billion he cut when he was last Health Minister; and further cuts to education; and cuts to renewable energy projects.
That's what he's said so far, and our alternative is pretty clear: we've got rid of WorkChoices. It won't be coming back under us, because we want to protect people's penalty rates. We've increased our investment in the hospital system by 50 percent already and on top that we're investing hugely in the education system - a new, national curriculum, for example. These are big alternatives. One other one which was partly touched upon, maybe, before is in the area of Senator Conroy's portfolio, a national broadband network. We are building it. We need to make sure the entire economy is prepared for the 21st century. Mr Abbott has effectively said he'd rip it up.
Now, when you ask, therefore, about an election, an election is about alternatives, and my responsibility is to make those alternatives absolutely crystal clear in people's minds as we travel through the rest of this year.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, (inaudible) resource-rich country (inaudible)?
PM: It's a matter for foreign governments to do what they would do. I have noted that a profits-based taxation system has been contemplated by a range of governments around the world.
Your question goes to the fundamental point about why moving to a profits-based tax regime for the mining industry is actually better for the mining industry in the long term, and that is because for start-up companies in the beginning of their operations and when they're not profitable they're actually given, effectively, a big tax break and they pay less tax under this system. It's only when they become significantly profitable or super profitable that they'd end up paying more tax. Therefore, anyone who has been intelligently participating in this debate supports a profits-based way of taxing the industry in the future, rather than a volume-based way of taxing the industry in the future.
That's why, in summary, on the future of tax reform, number one - it's about making sure we've got a strong economy in the future by making sure we're helping with company tax rates, bringing them down right across the board; small business tax breaks; providing funds for building infrastructure; boosting national savings, a very important buffer at times of global economic uncertainty; and, on top of that, for the mining industry itself, broadening the base of the industry through a profits-based system.
I go back to where I began this set of questions this morning, and that is, it is also really important that apart from building a stronger Australian economy for the future we're also delivering a fairer share for all Australian families and the bottom line there is what we do for people's super when they retire. A lot of people are worried about how much super they'll have to retire on in 10, 20, 30 years' time. If you're 30 years old today, under the proposals that we're putting forward and if you're on $50,000 a year, you know, you end up being about $108,000 better off under this proposal. That's why it's a very important reform for working families.
Thank you, folks, and I better zip.