JOURNALIST:
We';re joined by the Prime Minister from our Canberra studios. Good afternoon, Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER:
Good afternoon, Jane.
JOURNALIST:
Thanks very much for joining us in the programme. Well, first to those cane industry disappointments, they';re enormously upset with the Free Trade Agreement outcome. How can you as Prime Minister convince them that they haven';t been sold out, as they';re saying, in this deal?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, they haven';t been sold out. If I had refused to sign the Free Trade Agreement because we couldn';t get additional access for sugar, that wouldn';t have advantaged the sugar people at all. They haven';t gained anything out of this agreement nor have they lost anything. And the important point to make, Jane, is that if I had said because sugar was excluded we were not going to sign the Agreement, I would have been inflicting losses on a whole lot of other industries and people who gain under the Agreement. And it is simply not tenable to say that because we couldn';t get the sugar sector included it was reasonable to deny the clear benefits, not only for manufacturing and service industries but also for agriculture. You mentioned a moment ago the positive reaction of the horticulture industry, the seafood industry, lamb, beef, not as much they would have liked, but nonetheless a big improvement, dairy, significant improvements upfront. I was meant to throw all of that away because I couldn';t get the extra sector included? Now, that wouldn';t make sense. But having said all of that and made the point that if I were to turn my back on the Free Trade Agreement I wouldn';t have been helping the sugar industry, having said all of that let me say to canegrowers and people in the industry who may be listening that I do understand how difficult their plight is. We did try hard. We are prepared to sit down with the industry and I';ll be in touch with industry leaders in the next 24 hours or so to begin the process of discussion about what additional assistance the Government can give to this industry because we recognise that they have, through no fault of their own, they';re hard-working men and women, they are the victims of a corrupt world trading system and I understand that and I want to help them. But I wouldn';t have helped them by hurting others, that is the point…
JOURNALIST:
I';m sorry to interrupt, but we';ve heard from your Trade Minister, Mark Vaile, he';s referred to this possible assistance to the industry to help growers out of the industry. Can you tell us a little more of what you have planned in this regard?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I would have thought the most sensible thing for me to do is to talk to the industry and get their views because I start setting the plan in cement. What I';ve said and what Mark has said is that we are willing to provide additional assistance, and that means financial assistance. Part of it will involve those people who can no longer be viable, some additional assistance for those people to leave the industry. We';ll look at alternative activities. In fact, I';m prepared to look at all sensible proposals that might come from the industry. But I don';t want to come to those discussions with a closed mind. However, we';re not prepared to support the approach which sustains activity which is uneconomic. In other words, it';s got to be on sensible grounds. But I do recognise their plight and we are prepared to put extra dollars towards helping them.
JOURNALIST:
They';re asking for things where extra dollars already. I mean, how far are you prepared to go as a Federal Government?
PRIME MINISTER:
Jane, too early to be talking figures. I haven';t even discussed the matter with the industry yet. I';ve had some very preliminary discussions with my colleagues and as soon as I can get together with the industry, which will be very soon, we can start talking and I have no doubt different people will have different views as to how this issue can be best handled. And before I make my mind how it can best be handled, I do want to talk to the industry. I do want to get their views. It';s not sensible for me to say in advance well this is how it';s going to be. I recognise their problems. I understand their plight. I share their sense of disappointment. But I just have to say to them again, I could not have helped them by denying others – that would have made no sense at all.
JOURNALIST:
Will the funding that you';re talking about for whatever sorts of structural adjustment packages you';re talking about – will that come through the current reform process that Premier Beattie here in Queensland has committed to or are we talking about starting from scratch with this reform process in the sugar industry?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, it might contain elements of both because we do have a slightly new situation. There is a sense and an understandable sense within the sugar industry that through no fault of its own it has missed out. Other sectors have gained, the sugar industry hasn';t gained and I';ve got an open mind. We don';t have an unlimited amount of resources, but we are prepared to be fair and we are prepared to be helpful as long as there';s an understanding on the part of the industry that it has to recognise the need for change and to recognise that in some areas activity is not viable and in those cases people should be given reasonable help.
JOURNALIST:
Yes, I was going to ask you – what';s going to be the quid pro quo for you providing funding to the sugar industry? What attitude to you want them to have and do you think they have enough of an understanding of the fact that perhaps sugar farmers may leave the industry?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Jane, I think it';s like all of these situations – some do and some don';t. I am very sympathetic to their position and I want to talk to them before I start in anyway circumscribing, and limiting, and laying down where the Government might be going. I think it';s too early for me to be doing that. Far too early.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, are you concerned about the potential voter backlash this coming Federal election, a result of sugar being excluded from the Free Trade Agreement - there';s a lot of talk of that here in Queensland?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Jane, I don';t want to get into a debate about the politics of this. I want to try and help the industry. We have decided to sign a Free Trade Agreement because it is overwhelmingly in Australia';s interests, overwhelmingly, and the sugar industry would not have been better off if we had refused to sign the Agreement – I have to say that again, and again. There seems to a view around in some quarters that in some way if we had refused to sign the Agreement we would have won concessions for sugar industry. All we would have done was to have denied all the other sectors of the Australian economy and the nation as a whole the obvious advantages. Now, my parliamentary colleagues understand that. But I also understand that the sugar industry feels left out, I am sensitive to that and I want to try and help them and we are prepared to talk to the industry, get their views before we make further decisions.
JOURNALIST:
On another issue Prime Minister – Opposition leader Mark Latham says if he wins the next election, he';s committed himself to reduce the superannuation loading for the Prime Minister from 160% to 72.5% - will you make the same commitment?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Jane, I have seen a statement that he';s made and I';m not making any comment until I';ve analysed everything that';s in that statement.
JOURNALIST:
So, you wouldn';t commit to any changes at this point?
PRIME MINISTER:
I';ll analyse what';s in the statement.
JOURNALIST:
Alright. Look, thanks very much for your time. Thanks again, for joining the Country Hour.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you.