JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, do you feel like you're on the campaign already?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well this is not the first time this year I've been to the electorate of Adelaide, but I have to say that that graduation ceremony is one of the nicest graduation ceremonies I've ever attended, the evident enthusiasm and sense of achievement of those young people reaffirms the faith I already had in the Green Corps project and I can assure the Member for Adelaide, who's very strongly in favour of that project, that its funding will not be cut.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, do you think Mr Latham's getting a (inaudible) with his current claims about smear tactics?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look I just simply repeat there is no dirt unit in the Government, I have not attacked Mr Latham's family, nobody in my Government has attacked Mr Latham's family, he's brought his family into this issue, I'm not interested in his private life, I never have been, I never will be. I'm interested in his public policies and the Australian public want to know what Mr Latham stands for and that's his challenge - to tell the Australian public what he believes in and what he stands for and what he wants for the future of our country so they can make an informed judgement whenever the election is held.
JOURNALIST:
... Government Members' Secretariat is doing?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the Government Members' Secretariat does what Jim Lloyd pointed out, it provides information and support, it does not dig up dirt.
JOURNALIST:
Are you personally vouching that Gerry Wheeler and Ian Hanke have not disseminated dirt on...
PRIME MINISTER:
I am not aware of any dissemination by anybody. I know Gerry Wheeler well, I respect him a great deal, I don't know Ian as well - I've not heard anything that would support that the claims that have been made against them. And can I say that it's very easy for Mr Latham to demand people be sacked, what evidence is there that he's done anything wrong? To use the Australian vernacular, Mr Latham put up or shut up.
JOURNALIST:
... he has I understand been looking into the financial affairs of the Liverpool Council?
PRIME MINISTER:
There's nothing wrong with that.
JOURNALIST:
Should taxpayers be paying for it?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look it is perfectly legitimate for a person employed on the staff of a Government Minister to look at the behaviour of somebody on the other side of politics who's held a public office. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that at all. Let me make it clear, we will not retreat from making Mr Latham accountable for what he did as Mayor of Liverpool, I'm not saying it's going to be the biggest issue in the campaign but it's a public office. What he's tried to do is conflate all of these things and say that any sort of reference to anything that he's mentioned is in some manner a personal attack. The Mayor of Liverpool is a public office and if he's bungled that, then we are entitled to say he will bungle being Prime Minister of Australia.
JOURNALIST:
How can you be sure that as they've dug for financial information that they haven't been digging...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well let me turn that question on its head, if anybody has any evidence that dirt has been thrown let them tell us. Can I just make a point to you that for the first time I think I can recall since I've been in Federal Parliament I've actually seen a string of senior journalists go on the record and say they have not been briefed by the Government. I mean when you get people like Laurie Oakes and Dennis Shanahan and Michelle Grattan, one after the other, and Barrie Cassidy, saying well we haven't been given any personal material by the Government, that has to say something.
JOURNALIST:
... behind what appears to be a wall of secrecy.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well there's no wall of secrecy, the accounts are signed off by the Chief Government Whip.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, what do you make of the Labor candidate in Townsville and comments about troops coming home by Christmas but saying Mr Latham never said which Christmas?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think what it illustrates is the Labor Party's been caught out, narrowcast to the electorate, particularly when it has a large military establishment, which the electorate of Herbert does, broadcast another message. This is the Labor Party being caught out, what she was trying to do was to soften the message because she knows it's unpopular in Herbert, but she's been caught out and Mr Latham has had to reaffirm the line, I mean this is a blatant case of saying one thing to the people of Herbert and saying something else to the rest of the Australian public.
JOURNALIST:
Hasn't Judi Moylan done exactly the same thing?
PRIME MINISTER:
No.
JOURNALIST:
Well didn't she write to constituents...
JOURNALIST:
Judi Moylan's reservations were known last year, but she voted in favour of the Government's decision. She hasn't said, she's been utterly consistent, Judi Moylan has been very consistent. What she said last year, she had reservations, she said that, but she ended up supporting the Government.
JOURNALIST:
Norway has today announced that it will be pulling out...
PRIME MINISTER:
I'm sorry?
JOURNALIST:
Norway has announced...
PRIME MINISTER:
No, I haven't heard that. I'll check that out.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible)
PRIME MINISTER:
Yeah, well, I'll check that out but it won't alter our position.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, just on a local issue here, if we may, the radio active dump issue is horribly unpopular in South Australia. When are you going to get the message?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we'll be examining that issue when Cabinet meets next week. We'll be looking at the implications of the decision of the full federal court. It's not an easy issue, I understand that. We have to find a solution to the waste disposal issue and it has to be found somewhere in Australia and no matter where a decision is taken after a proper independent inquiry, nobody likes it, we'll be looking at the thing in a measured sensible way, we're not going to take a bull at a gate attitude and we're going to very careful and measured and considerate about how we handle the issue and we'll be talking about the issue at the next Cabinet meeting and obviously one of the things that we will take into account are the concerns of people in South Australia and we'll balance that against the other consideration and the other responsibilities that we have.
JOURNALIST:
Have you decided whether to take that case to the high...
PRIME MINISTER:
No, we're going to talk about it next week. We haven't taken any decision.
JOURNALIST:
Are you opening the door...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we're going to talk about it next week okay.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister it doesn't sound like there's the rhetoric on (inaudible) federal government is softening its...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well they're your words.
JOURNALIST:
No, well, I'm...
PRIME MINISTER:
No what I'm saying in answer to your question is that we'll talk about it next week. I'm not saying any more and I'm not saying any less.
JOURNALIST:
So measured and considered, that's everything Peter McGauran hasn't been.
PRIME MINISTER:
I think Peter McGauran does an excellent job. All of my ministers are measured and considered. My parliamentary secretary's even more measured and more considered.
JOURNALIST:
You headed this morning in your speech that tomorrow night you'd be outlining the Coalition's fourth term...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I'll be making a major speech here in Adelaide in which I'll be talking in broad philosophical terms about the goals we have if the Australian people were kind enough to give us another term. I certainly don't...
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible)
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, come along tomorrow Jason, you're down in Adelaide for a couple of days. But it is about our goals and our responsibilities for the next term and you can't achieve anything by way of goals unless you have a strong economy and you have a secure and defended nation.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, Tony Blair has today said that he doesn't think that weapons of mass destruction will ever be found in Iraq. Is it time the Australian Government made the same statement?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we'll just examine the next report of the Iraq Survey Group before we say anything of that kind. We don't just automatically follow something that may be said by either the American or British Government. We believe Iraq had weapons of mass destruction based on the intelligence and nothing has happened since has altered the fact that we have strong intelligence that built a very powerful substantial case and nothing has altered that. But as to conclusions about what has been found, I'll wait until I'll get product of the Iraq Survey Group.
JOURNALIST:
When you say you're going to talk about the nuclear waste dump does that include reopening the possibility of siting it elsewhere?
PRIME MINISTER:
We're going to discuss the matter in Cabinet.
JOURNALIST:
Is everything up for grabs...
PRIME MINISTER:
We're going to discuss the matter in Cabinet.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, just on another matter...
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes.
JOURNALIST:
The latest Newspoll puts Mike Rann as the most popular Premier in Australia. Do you think Rob Kerin's (inaudible)
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh, look, I haven't come here to talk about state politics. It's always hard being in opposition at a state level, particularly in the early years. I think if you go around Australia you'll find that in the early years of an incumbent state government they'd always rate very well no matter who the personalities are. Rob's a good friend and he's doing a good job and I support him.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible) Rann to be rating the most popular...
PRIME MINISTER:
I'm not a commentator, I'm running for office.
Thank you.
[ends]