MCCALLUM:
We have the Prime Minister John Howard on the line, thanks indeed for your time Mr Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER:
Nice to talk to you Nick.
MCCALLUM:
You're on your way to the Whitfield area is that right, the bushfires?
PRIME MINISTER:
I am. We flew in to Albury, we couldn't fly into Wangaratta because of the smoke haze, we flew into Albury and we're now driving to Whitfield where I'll meet Sophie Mirabella, the local member, and fire fighters and other local citizens.
MCCALLUM:
Why have you decided to do a tour of the area, sir?
PRIME MINISTER:
Because I think at a time like this people whose homes and livelihoods are threatened and also those men and women who are working so well in the County Fire Authority, in Victoria's case, they do, I think, need a statement, a communication from the rest of the country and I'm the best person to do it, that their fellow Australians are thinking of them, they understand their plight and they admire the fantastic job that they're doing.
MCCALLUM:
Given that it's going to be an ongoing crisis up in their area, is there much more the Commonwealth Government can do?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I've spoken to Mr Bracks and told him that if there was any additional help that Victoria should appropriately get from the Commonwealth, he only had to ask. At the moment we have two Army tankers and crews supplying diesel to the Country Fire Authority, we have six Army bulldozers and crews helping cut fire breaks and clear debris caused by the damaged trees and we have Army engineers assisting with survey and temporary repairs to bridges. Now in addition to that there are the long standing financial arrangements whereby once the cost of these natural disasters goes beyond a certain level, the Commonwealth picks up 50 per cent of the cost. And when it goes beyond an even higher level the Commonwealth picks up 75 per cent of the total cost. Now theses are well established arrangements that operate in relation to all natural disasters. But if there are any additional particular things that it's reasonable that the Commonwealth provide, then Mr Bracks only has to ask. I've spoken also to the Premier of Tasmania and I'll be visiting Tasmania this afternoon and my offer of additional assistance in the same terms is naturally available to the people of Tasmania
MCCALLUM:
Obviously you like all of us have seen on TV and in the papers the extent of the flames and how ferocious the fires have been. Have you been surprised at, certainly in Victoria, at the lack of property damage and also, thankfully, the lack of serious injury?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we're all eternally grateful that nobody's been seriously injured or there's been no loss of life to date and we must hope that that continues. I'm surprised, I think it's a tribute to the calmness of Australians in these situations. It's also a great tribute to the skill of the fire fighters, they are remarkable men and women and they do it willingly and they do it at great risk and often considerable cost and we're greatly in their debt and it's important that the country say thank you and to reassure people whose livelihoods are threatened that we have them very much in our thoughts.
MCCALLUM:
And just on another issue Mr Howard, the DLP looks as though it's won two upper house seats in the Victorian election, a bit of a surprise. Did you ever think you'd live to see the day where the DLP was back?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think most people thought that the DLP had completely disappeared. I would say good luck to them. I've always had something of a respect for the DLP. I thought what they did all those years ago in standing up for good principle inside the labour movement, more broadly defined, was impressive. And whilst, I guess, on economic policy I wouldn't have agreed with some of the views of the DLP (inaudible) social policies (inaudible) are very close to mine but I say good luck to them. If they hang on to the two seats against the recount, congratulations. We have to be honest if we reflect on the history of politics in Victoria that if it hadn't been for the DLP, Bob Menzies probably would've lost office in 1961, so we ought to be mindful of the history and the contribution that the party made to keeping the Labor Party out of office all of those years and I don't think we should forget that.
MCCALLUM:
And do you interpret, Mr Howard, Kevin Rudd's latest statements on Iraq as a change of policy in the Labor party?
PRIME MINISTER:
No I don't. I think what Mr Rudd is trying to do is to be all things to all men. Mr Rudd's policy hasn't changed; he is saying that he wants the troops out irrespective of the conditions inside Iraq. He's trying to soften that by saying oh well they wouldn't come out until some time in 2008. Obviously that's the earliest they're likely to come out if Federal Labor win in the election because the election's not going to be until the end of next year, or it's always held towards the three year period, so obviously he's stating the obvious to say it would be early in 2008. But what Mr Rudd has to understand is that it's silly to, and wrong and I think quite dangerous, to commit yourself to a policy of withdrawal until you know what the conditions are in the country. The time for pulling out our forces, and the same applies to the Americans and others, is when we are satisfied that the Iraqi military can look after the security situation itself. Now you can't predetermine a date for that to happen and you can't predetermine, therefore, a date of withdrawal. But what Mr Rudd is trying to do is pretend that he's softening and changing the policy where in reality he's not, he's just trying to be all things to all men.
MCCALLUM:
Okay then, Prime Minister John Howard thanks indeed for your time. I hope you get to see what you want to see up there in the north east of Victoria and obviously all Australians agree with your sentiments on the CFA. Thanks indeed for your time, sir.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thanks you. Bye, bye.
[ends]