JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister how important a milestone is the conviction of Saddam Hussein?
PRIME MINISTER:
It's an enormous milestone on a very hard road to democracy for Iraq. There's something quite heroic in my view about a country, suffering all of the bloodshed and turmoil and travail, that Iraq is suffering, yet still perseveres to give this mass murderer a fair trial. And the lengths that they went to, to provide transparency demonstrates to me that the people of Iraq really want to embrace democracy because a fundamental of democracy is due process when people are charged with crimes. And it would have been all too easy for him to have, quote, been shot trying to escape. It would've been all too easy for some kind of arbitrary extrajudicial execution, that didn't happen. He's been tried, it's been a tortuous process and it gives me a great deal of faith in the determination of the Iraqi people to embrace democracy and this is a country worth supporting.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister should he hang for his crime?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that's a matter for the law of Iraq. I'm not going to give advice to Iraq as to what is the appropriate penalty. That is a matter for the law of Iraq. My views on capital punishment are known, I'm against it, I don't believe it in Australia and I will always oppose it in Australia. But let's not focus on that as the prime issue. Surely the prime issue is that he's been tried in a transparent process and the Iraqis have demonstrated their faith in due process and their belief that the rule of law, which is fundamental to democracy, is important to their future. And I think that is inspiring and it is something worth supporting and it is something worth defending.
JOURNALIST:
Do you expect the judgement, the decision will have any impact on the level of violence that's being seen in Iraq at present?
PRIME MINISTER:
I would not have thought it would make any immediate impact but its demonstration effect to the rest of the world is enormous. I mean here is a country going through the most awful agony and yet it is determined to entrench the rule of law. Now that says something to the rest of the world. Doesn't that say it is a country worth supporting? Not a country that should have the backs of the world turned on it.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, what practical achievements do you hope to emerge from your meeting with the Premiers tomorrow?
PRIME MINISTER:
A number of things, Jim. A better understanding amongst the governments of the chronic situation facing the Murray-Darling Basin; I hope an agreement to accelerate the implementations of the water plan that was agreed to several years ago, called the National Water Initiative. There was quite a big plan agreed on. The progress with implementing that plan has been slower then I would have liked and I believe that tomorrow's meeting will be an opportunity for an agreement to accelerate progress on that and there are a number of other matters relating to the immediate impact of the drought that can be discussed.
JOURNALIST:
Are you worried that the states, if there isn't a meeting of this kind, will take unilateral and, what will prove for the whole system, detrimental action? Is that the problem?
PRIME MINISTER:
I approach this meeting in a spirit of collaboration and cooperation. I'm not approaching this meeting in a mood which is critical of the states. The Australian public wants all the governments of this country to work together on this issue and that is the spirit that I will bring to the meeting.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, is there any special message in why you're holding the summit on Melbourne Cup Day?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, it's just convenient as it's turned out with my other commitments. It will be over by lunchtime. It will be over, I have taken care, to ensure in sufficient time for Mr Bracks to return to Melbourne. We actually discussed that when I rang him on Friday and it's convenient. I mean I am reverential and respectful and it will be over in adequate time for people to view in an uninterrupted fashion, this great Australian festival.
JOURNALIST:
Can I suggest that it'll be useful distraction from another meeting happening in Sydney....
PRIME MINISTER:
Are you talking about the meeting of the Reserve Bank?
JOURNALIST:
Yes indeed.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well if the meeting of the Reserve Bank produces an announcement, and it sometimes does and it sometimes doesn't, that will be the following day. So I don't think it's really got anything to do with that and you are, dear me, you are so cynical Paul. I'm astonished.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard does it come down to, in the end, pulling less water out of the river system for agriculture? In other words scaling back over some years the irrigation and agriculture of the area?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh it comes down to a number of things. The more efficient use of water is fundamental to the problem.
JOURNALIST:
Is it time though, Prime Minister, to start buying back water licences?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don't think it is time to announce a water policy at a doorstop. I think we have a good water policy, it's the National Water Initiative, and if that is fully implemented it will make an enormous contribution to solving the problem.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, Queensland initially wasn't coming, it is now coming, can you explain why that happened and are you pleased that state's being represented?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the chronic problem with the Murray-Darling and that directly affected New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, that's why I only invited those states. But if Mr Beattie wants to come, he's very welcome, I've made that known to him and any of the other Premiers, if they want to come. But the immediate problem is with those three states. I had no desire to offend the great state of Queensland but it's just that the issue related very directly to the problems of the Murray-Darling.
JOURNALIST:
Have you seen the Labor Party's ad on interest rates?
PRIME MINISTER:
I saw them on the news last night.
JOURNALIST:
Any impressions?
PRIME MINISTER:
I beg your pardon?
JOURNALIST:
Any opinion of them?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, no I don't have any opinion of them. I think what the Australian public will be asking themselves increasingly over the next year is which party in these more challenging economic circumstances is better able to manage the economy and therefore better able to keep interest rates down. I don't think that question is going to disappear and interest rates in the end are a function of broad economic management. Governments that manage the economy well normally over a period of time preside over lower interest rates because the economy is running well. And we can debate about the past and I will always remind the Labor Party of the 17 per cent interest rates that Mr Keating gave us. But in the future the Australian people will be asking the question, which side of politics is better able to keep the economy as strong as possible in these new and challenging circumstances. Economic management in this country is going to be more challenging and harder over the next year and therefore there'll be an even greater premium on good economic management, and there'll be an even greater desire by the Australian people to know which side of politics can better manage the economy.
JOURNALIST:
But does your argument get harder as rates keep going up?
PRIME MINISTER:
There are a number of things that people take into account and increasingly comparative skill at managing the economy will be the principle concern as we go through the next 12 months because economic management in the next year, for a number of reasons, is going to be more challenging.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister did the National Water Initiative canvass the option for buying back water licences?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the principle behind the National Water Initiative was the concept of having a nationwide trading system in water and we are still not making as much progress in relation to that as we should be.
JOURNALIST:
Do you share the concerns of Judith Troeth about dirty tricks being played out in the vote in the Senate this week on stem cells?
PRIME MINISTER:
I haven't heard her express any such concern.
JOURNALIST:
She says she wouldn't be surprised if there were dirty tricks being played out this week?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well look I don't, it's a non-party vote.
JOURNALIST:
Have you decided how you'll vote?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, I haven't actually. I am wrestling with this issue. On the one hand I want to do everything possible to help relieve suffering and leave open the hope of cures for terrible debilitating illnesses. On the other hand I do have concerns that this may in some areas be a step too far and I am still weighing the matter. I envy those people who think it's so simple. Some of these things aren't quite as simple as some people pretend.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister what do you say to the Fijian armed forces who are claiming that Australian officers or officials brought firearms into the country illegally?
PRIME MINISTER:
I would simply say that we are behaving in a manner appropriate to ensure that if it is necessary to evacuate Australians we're able to do it effectively.
JOURNALIST:
So they could have brought firearms into the country?
PRIME MINISTER:
No I didn't say that. What I said....
JOURNALIST:
So you deny they brought firearms.....
PRIME MINISTER:
No, what I said, was what I said.
JOURNALIST:
Do we have Defence Force personnel in the High Commission with weapons?
PRIME MINISTER:
Mr Downer explained the status of people there and what they were doing and I don't have anything to add to his very adequate explanation on the AM program this morning.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, the Victorian Labor and Liberal Parties are considering a preference deal to potentially decimate the number of the Nationals in the State Parliament, as a staunch coalitionist yourself, would you be urging the Liberals to....
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, preference deals in state elections and what happens in state elections is a matter for the state branches of our parties. I follow what occurs but I'm not going to give any advice in relation to that and I'm concerned about the health of the Federal Coalition and I can report it remains a very strong and lusty being.
Thank you.
[ends]