JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, were you happy with this morning';s meeting?
PRIME MINISTER:
I thought it was a very good opportunity for people in the industry from this district to talk directly to me and my colleagues. I listened. I outlined the general approach that we were going to bring. It';s a very sad situation. These are good people, they';re very good people, they';ve worked very hard, they don';t deserve what';s happened to them. We have to find in assisting them, a balance between recognising that and trying to help them, but also spending taxpayers'; money wisely. It';s a hard balance to strike, but we';ll try very hard to do it.
JOURNALIST:
Were there any revelations today? I mean, were you surprised…
PRIME MINISTER:
I think what was reinforced to me were a number of things. There';s obviously a problem seen by many of the canegrowers about the transferring of properties from one generation to another and that was an issue that was given greater emphasis today than I';ve heard before. A number of other things; I heard variations of what had been put before. But it all adds to my understanding of the plight of the industry. But it';s also important that we find ways that provide a lasting response. There';s no point in topping up something that isn';t going to survive. But equally we have to recognise the need to help people re-establish, where that is necessary, in other activities.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think the rescue package will be ready by April?
PRIME MINISTER:
I';m not going to commit myself to any particular time. Thank you.
JOURNALIST:
Do you see a future for the sugar industry in Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, there';ll always be a future for a sugar industry. But it won';t, obviously, be of the same shape in the future. I think everybody recognises that and anybody who sat in on that meeting yesterday, today rather, will know, as people told me yesterday in Brisbane, that we have to find alternatives for canegrowing if many of these people are to have an economically viable future.
JOURNALIST:
Did the desperation surprise you at all or was that what you expected?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, I expected that. I';m very conscious of just how desperate many people feel and I have no doubt that I will encounter similar stories of difficulty and desperation when I meet a much larger gathering of people in a little while in Mackay. But that';s what I wanted to come to north Queensland to experience. I want the people in the industry to understand that I do sympathise with them. I am trying very hard to find a solution that is fair to them and is also fair to the rest of the taxpayers of Australia. And it';s very hard when the country overall is doing so well, it';s very hard if you';re missing out on that prosperity. And I';m sensitive to that and I feel for these very good people.
Thank you.
[ends]