E & O E - PROOF ONLY
HOST: Hello Prime Minister, how are you?
PM: I'm very well indeed.
HOST: I've got to say - and please don't take this the wrong way - I know you're a very powerful woman - but I'm just heartbroken, I thought you were visiting New FM yesterday and I brought in some of my mum's scones and I had them all ready for you.
PM: Now I feel bad, and I love scones. Say sorry to your mum for me.
HOST: We'll send them your way. Did you enjoy your trip to Newcastle?
PM: I always love coming to Newcastle and you're really leading the way with the Smart City, Smart Grid initiative so I was having a look at all of that, helping people get more info about how to use power and how to save money. And I met a fantastic family - Paul and Nicole and their daughters - and we talked about how dad's always telling them to turn the lights off and not use the hair straighteners and that kind of stuff, so it was a good conversation.
HOST: Yeah we were on the list of people to visit but we weren't considered because of smartness unfortunately.
PM: Don't talk yourself down.
HOST: Thank you for saying we lead the way Prime Minister. We'll take that and run with it.
PM: Well you definitely are and it's an important combination of private business, CSIRO, your local uni, so it's great that it's happening in Newcastle. And I know people worry a lot when they get those big power bills and I'm very focused on making sure we don't see power price rises over the next few years like we've seen over the last few years.
So, one part of that is better information for people so they can make some choices about how they use their power. And another part is getting the state government on board to make some changes that will make a difference.
HOST: Julia, you said our local Tom Slingsby, his win of gold was a win for rangas everywhere.
PM: Absolutely.
HOST: How did you feel seeing him cross the sailing line?
PM: I was proud as an Aussie and proud as a redhead. One for the rangas - it's a good thing.
HOST: If you had a chance Prime Minister, at competing in an Olympic event, what would it have been?
PM: Barracking.
HOST: I love it. Give us an example Prime Minister, of how you barrack.
PM: I don't think I can just recreate that for you now, you've got to have the TV up loud and you've got to do a bit of jumping around.
HOST: Prime Minister, if you don't mind me asking a question, woman-to-woman, as a woman, as Prime Minister and congratulations on being the first, you are under a lot more scrutiny being a female. How do you cope with that?
PM: I always expected it would be like that and I don't let it worry me too much. But I do, you know, like the fact that I talk to a lot of women and I've met a lot of young girls and, it has sort of made a difference to them to be able to think that by me doing this job it really is another step forward to say it doesn't matter who you are in Australia you can aspire to be anything and do anything and you can do that as a woman.
HOST: Fantastic. You're such a busy woman, Prime Minister, with everything you've got on your plate. We were wondering just having a team chat this morning about how someone like you unwinds. Do you ever turn the mobile off or have a glass of Sauv Blanc?
PM: I occasionally do turn the mobile off. I occasionally do have a glass of Sauv Blanc. I'm probably more likely to have a glass of red than a Sauv Blanc and you know, I do some simply things. Chat with Tim, watch a DVD, I do a bit of knitting, I find that's a good way to relax. Stuff like that.
HOST: You knit with Tim?
PM: No, I do my own knitting. I chat with Tim and I knit.
HOST: Make sure you get that right Steve. We don't want poor Tim having that out there in the media.
PM: Something tells me Steve's not bringing a great deal of knitting expertise to this conversation.
HOST: My mother makes great scones and gee she knits well too PM.
PM: Well she's a woman who's increasingly endeared to me.
HOST: Prime Minister, Tony Abbott's admitted to reading this famous book, Fifty Shades of Grey. Our own team member Sarah's reading it, it's sold over 20 million copies. Have you had a look at the book at all?
PM: No, I haven't and, you know, I've got a fair bit more work to do than Mr Abbott does. I've got to get everything done and he just wanders around saying no. So he's got a fair bit more down time.
HOST: And Prime Minister, can I just say to you it's not a great way to unwind and I'm just going to say that and we'll leave it at that.
PM: Okay, well I'm aware of the nature of the book and so I think that's probably the right end point of the conversation.
HOST: Prime Minister Julia Gillard, thanks for spending some time with us and next time please come in for some of those magic scones!
PM: You've talked me into it, absolutely.
HOST: Do you have full fat cream with it, Julia?
PM: You've got to do a bit of jam don't you.
HOST: Thanks Prime Minister.
PM: Thank you.