JONES:
PM good morning.
PRIME MINISTER:
Good morning Alan.
JONES:
PM you've been described as being un-characteristically ill-disciplined in the interview that you gave those two journalists.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I wasn't. I did not in my mind say anything that was inconsistent with what I've previously said about my future. Let me take you back to the middle of 2003 when I decided that I would stay as leader and fight the last election - a decision I took overwhelmingly because my party wanted me to stay. I said then that I would remain leader of the party for so long as the party wanted me to. That has remained my position ever since. It is still my position. The idea that I would assert a right to lead the party and fight an election without the consent and the support of the party is ludicrous. And could I also say, it completely defies logic that I would choose an interview with two journalists - and they are senior people, I'm not bucketing them - two journalists in a foreign capital, in an indirect way, to announce a changed position about my future. I do not believe there was anything in the responses I gave inconsistent with the line that I have taken and the position I have had since the last election. The apparently offensive answer (I mean offensive in the sense of the big announcement) when I was asked about my squaring off against Mr Beazley, I had previously said, I've never taken any leader lightly; I didn't take Crean lightly, I didn't take Latham lightly, I don't take Beazley lightly, you've got to see everybody carefully.
JONES:
Well just for the benefit of my listeners, let me just tell you exactly what you did say because I've got the transcript here: 'I didn't take Crean lightly, didn't take Latham lightly, I don't take Beazley lightly; you've got to treat everybody carefully. Once you start thinking your opponent is a pushover, you're in trouble'. Steve Lewis says, 'you reckon you could best him three times?' Prime Minister: 'Yes I hope so, try'. So that means that you're going to contest the next election?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that is apparently the basis of The Australian writing a headline saying I won't hand over to Costello and a comment piece to the effect that I have declared war on somebody I work with closely and in a position of great trust and dependability for 10 years.
JONES:
Let me just clarify for the benefit of my listeners. We've got two other offending parts of the interview; I've got the transcript in front of me here. Malcolm Farr - there's a bit of jocular stuff between these two journalists and the Prime Minister and he's asked 'when and if you do move from the job, given your experience in the region and your experience of the sort of broad international organisations etc, have you thought about some sort of'... and the Prime Minister interrupts, 'no, no'. Malcolm Farr says, 'not at all' and you say, 'well you only think about those things when you're about to find another job and I'm not about to find another job'. Malcolm Farr says 'okay'. You say, 'I'm not planning going anywhere'. Now elsewhere in the interview you repeat that. Are they the two pieces along with the Beazley piece which brings us to the question, I'm not planning to go anywhere? There seems to be a view that at some point you should hand over the leadership to Peter Costello. Do you subscribe to that view - that is independently of whether the party wants you or not, that Peter Costello in this term should be given the Prime Ministership?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I certainly believe that when I go Peter should become the leader and become Prime Minister - that has always been my view. I've never... and I take this opportunity because this thing is now in the headlines... much in all as I respect other people like Tony Abbott and so forth and I like them a lot and I'm very fond of Tony, but I have never seen anybody other than Peter as my logical successor. The time for him to become my successor is a matter for the party to determine. I've led this party now for a total of almost 14 years - ten in this latest stretch and I do know its mood; that is why I stayed last time. I stayed last time because the overwhelming bulk of my colleagues wanted me to stay and I listen to my colleagues. I get vibes from them and I'll work out how long they want me to stay.
JONES:
And there is a mood for change at the moment or no mood?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don't detect any mood. Heavens above, we only got re-elected seven months ago. I mean it's almost offensive to the public.
JONES:
It's very offensive to the public, the public is sick of all of this....
PRIME MINISTER:
Can I just say, the public voted us back with an increased majority, gave us control of the Senate and in those circumstances I think the average punter out there would be saying, well hang on, we voted for this bloke only seven months ago, what's all this business about him going.
JONES:
In that interview you did say two things of Peter Costello. 'I think the public believes Peter Costello's done an excellent job as Treasurer and give him a lot of credit for the state of the economy, that's what I think'. And Steve Lewis says 'do you think they believe he has credentials to one day take over from your good self?' The Prime Minister says, 'I've said before that if I were to go under a bus, he'd become the leader of the party and I'm sure he'd do a very good job'. Some are saying today that you have been, that you have duped Peter Costello for the last time, a challenge is now possible?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I haven't, I mean I haven't duped him for the first time. But Peter would like to lead the party; he would like to be Prime Minister that is a wholly legitimate aspiration. I have never asked anybody to rule out seeking the leadership of the party, I never would and I think Peter, if he were to get the job would do a very good job, he'd not only do a very good job.
JONES:
But is there an understanding amongst his supporters whom ever they might be that you will stand aside in this term?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I'm sure a lot of his supporters hope and expect that that will occur.
JONES:
Will it?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that is a matter for the party. See...
JONES:
But you won't voluntarily go?
PRIME MINISTER:
No well I'll tell you what. I am not going to... how shall I put it, I'm not going to damage the Liberal Party. At the end of the day I owe the Liberal Party far more than the Liberal Party owes me. The Liberal Party has given me tremendous loyalty and they've been very supportive and I will never do anything that will inflict long term damage on the party. And my position is at the pleasure of the Liberal Party. When it becomes very clear to me that the Liberal Party would like a change, then I will acquiesce. I don't get that impression now - I don't think the public has that impression.
JONES:
So is the answer today to have a joint press conference with you and Peter Costello? You've spoken to him, you've tried to get him.
PRIME MINISTER:
I have spoken...
JONES:
Did he express any anger to you?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think it's only fair when you're dealing with these matters and you're talking to your closest colleague about it - I think it's only fair that the discussions we have remain certainly...
JONES:
Well would you consider having a joint press conference?
PRIME MINISTER:
Alan I'm not going to with great respect...
JONES:
Well what I'm just asking I suppose for the public point of view, you say the public have had a gut full of it and they have, so where does it end?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well Alan I can only repeat my position. As to how I deport myself over the next day or two; I'm not committing myself to that. I'm simply saying this: that I did not set out in that interview and I do not believe I have in that interview altered my position.
JONES:
Was it an ill-disciplined moment?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well some people are saying that.
JONES:
Do you regret it?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well Alan I regret what is... the hoo-ha that has happened, but look, it's happened and there's nothing that I can do about that. And I'm not grizzling about the journalists, I'm disagreeing with their interpretation.
JONES:
Would you like to lead the Liberal Party into the next election?
PRIME MINISTER:
That's a matter for the Liberal Party. It always has been and it always will be. Alan I do not disguise the fact that I enjoy the job, I do. I'm immensely privileged to be Prime Minister of...very privileged to be Prime Minister and it's an immensely rewarding job. I have very good health and I'm grateful to God that I've got good health and I still have a lot of energy and a lot of ideas. But like everybody I know that nothing goes on forever and there will come a time when it's in the party's interests for me to move on. Now I accept that.
JONES:
But you have no sniff from the party that that time is now?
PRIME MINISTER:
I have not had any indication from the party that that time has arrived. I will know when it's arrived. I won't need, you know I won't need some protracted leadership battle to tell me that. I will know when the time has arrived, just as I knew two years ago that the time had not arrived. And that decision I took two years ago; the wisdom of which was vindicated by the election result when we increased our majority and got control of the Senate. I knew two years ago that the party did not want me to go. I didn't need to take us to a poll, I didn't take a show of hands in the party room. I just said to my party I've decided after assessing the situation to continue and there was overwhelming support for that decision. Now equally if that mood were to change over the time ahead, I would know that and I would not challenge it. I would accept it and that's always been my position. I am at the will and the disposal of the Liberal Party and that's a position that I've always communicated to my colleagues over the last two years. I mean I always have been. My position remains: I'll stay in this position - health of course permitting and that's thankfully very good at the moment - I'll stay in this position for so long as the party wants me to. Now that is the right position and I will know when the party feels that I should move on. I won't need some kind of straw poll to tell me.
JONES:
Okay, good to talk to you, thank you for your time.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thanks Alan.
[ends]