PRIME MINISTER:
Well ladies and gentlemen, this is a wonderful way to finish the year - the lowest unemployment level since the middle 1970s, a further fall to 5.2 per cent, more than 20,000 new jobs, almost 1.5 million new jobs created since the Coalition came to office, and this record low unemployment rate is a reminder of what politics and public policy is all about. It's a reminder that good policy produces a great human dividend of more jobs for Australians, and my message to the Labor Party is that we could have an even lower unemployment rate if they would drop their opposition to changes in the unfair dismissal laws. Why must we wait another seven months for us to have the numbers in the Senate to pass that measure ourselves despite Labor's opposition? Why won't they give the still unemployed of Australia a further break by dropping their opposition and letting that legislation go through? They could do it this afternoon before the Senate rises. They could give a Christmas gift to those people still unemployed by getting out of the way and letting that unfair dismissal law go through.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard on mutual obligation, those plans for that WA community have been described as quite paternalistic.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don't accept that definition for a moment. I'll be meeting the Indigenous Council shortly and I'll have something further to say after that meeting, but I do not accept that. I think what has been talked about makes common sense and will resonate throughout the Australian community as a very common sense way to go.
[ends]