JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, the Free Trade Agreement details released today - do you think that puts pressure on the Labor Party to change its position to support the agreement now?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, it certainly does. There is overwhelming evidence of great benefits to the Australian economy. The aggregate figure is in fact bigger than the original one and I can't understand why the Labor Party doesn't immediately say - this Free Trade Agreement is good for Australia and back it. They're playing politics with our national economic interest. They should stop doing that. This is an independent assessment. It clearly shows the benefits of the agreement and Labor should back it. I mean, this is for Australia. It's not for the Liberal Party. It's for Australia and Labor should back it.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, have you discussed the future of the ABA with Alan Jones?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, I have nothing at all to add to what I've previously said on this subject. There was no conversation of the type described. There was no threat. There was no decision influenced by Mr Jones in any shape or form and beyond that I don't really have anything further to say.
JOURNALIST:
The Courier Mail this morning quotes an unnamed former minister saying that you approached Richard Alston to ensure that Flint was reappointed...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Professor Flint was appointed pursuant to a Cabinet decision. There are always discussions surrounding Cabinet decisions between ministers and necessarily and properly those discussions remain confidential but I repeat - there was no threat; there was no influence and frankly I don't have anything further to add.
JOURNALIST:
... Lance Collins today, the end of the matter Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I don't think it will be the end of discussion within the intelligence community and neither it should be. I don't want to stifle discussion about intelligence matters. But I gave Lt. Col. Collins, who I respect, he served Australia very well, I've given him a full response. I promised him a conscientious courteous reply and that's what I've provided to him. I'm satisfied on the information available to me that there is no case to have a royal commission. We have an inquiry going on and that inquiry will report in due course.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, is Queensland the key to your re-election?
PRIME MINISTER:
Every part of Australia is important to me and I always like coming to Queensland, love the place.
JOURNALIST:
Are you worried about how you're going...?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, look, I am conscientious about my responsibilities to Australians who live in Queensland and that's why we delivered a generous sugar package. If you're asking me as Leader of the Liberal Party, I never take anything for granted. I will work very hard to make sure that we get another opportunity of governing Australia.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard (inaudible) what's likely to happen to them?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh, not automatically, no. I've had a discussion with Gary Hardgrave, who's the Acting Immigration Minister, and the situation is going to remain as it is for the time being. I've very pleased about the High Court decision. The High Court has said that the laws about mandatory detention are correct, they're valid, they're constitutional and the High Court has rightly said that the family court did not have the jurisdiction to make the order that the family court did. That doesn't mean that they're automatically going to take those children out of their current care arrangements. We're assessing it and the Minister and I have sought some advice on that, but people shouldn't assume that we're going to automatically reverse the current arrangement. But we do have the very good situation that the highest court in the land has said in a very definitive way that the laws that we operate at the present time in relation to mandatory detention are correct and they're constitutional and I'm very pleased about that.
JOURNALIST:
Back to the Jones (inaudible)...?
PRIME MINISTER:
I indicated earlier the letter that was written by Professor Flint, I have to sought some advice from my department as to whether there were any conflict of interest situations involved in that and when I get that advice, well, I'll be properly advised.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, when you spoke to Alan Jones about John Laws....(inaudible)?
PRIME MINISTER:
I'm not saying what I talked about. I didn't say that. I simply was asked whether I'd had a conversation and the conversation was initiated by Mr Jones. I have thousands of conversations with hundreds of people and I am simply not going to go into confidential discussions. I repeat what I've said. But I reject totally any suggestion that there was an attempt made by Mr Jones and we had the conversation which we described. I've repeated that time without number over the last couple of days and I repeat it again. But as to the contents of individual conversations I am not going into it.
JOURNALIST:
Are you comfortable with Danna Vale's letter?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh look, I think Danna Vale's doing a very good job as a Minister. I mean, she probably be a bit sorry and it went to the wrong destination. But look, there's nothing malicious in the letter. I mean for heaven's sake, I think we're all getting a little bit worked up about nothing. If somebody wants to send a message of support to another person I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with that.
JOURNALIST:
Does that extend to the ABA Chairman writing a letter to Alan Jones?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think those circumstances are different.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible)
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, nobody likes price increases but that really is a matter for Telstra to defend. I don't run Telstra.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible) majority shareholder?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I mean the people of Australia through the government is a major shareholder. I don't run Telstra and I wish we weren't the major shareholder and everytime these things come up it is a further reminder of the absurdity of the current arrangement where 50.9% or whatever it is. The sooner that changes the better. In any event, it's up to Telstra to justify that increase, not me. I don't run the company and I have no desire to run the company and I'm sure the people who are in charge of it can run it better than I can. It's not my job and frankly if you've got people who have difficulties, I think they should go and talk to Telstra. I'm told that the criteria laid down and administered by the ACCC have been met in relation to these price increases and in those circumstances I can't really add. What I can say is that I'm told by Telstra that the cost of telephony over the last seven years has risen at a much lower rate than the cost of living. Now, that's due to technological advances. But it doesn't alter the fact that the Telstra telephony has risen by a relatively low amount, I think, 2.1% since 1997 whereas the cost of living has gone up by a much greater amount.
Thanks very much.
[ends]