PRIME MINISTER:
This is such – if I may say so – a Dick Smith event, because it is so much about our country. It is a celebration of the best of our country.
The way Dick has been able to help out our farmers, help out our charities and give shoppers the chance to do something a bit philanthropic while they shop – well, good on you, mate. Congratulations.
Now, Dick’s essentially right, we can take on the best in the world and win, but we’ve got to focus on our strengths and we can continue to be a very high wage economy. That’s a good thing, not a bad thing, but we’ve got to play to our strengths and that means we’ve got to focus on the things that we’re good at. It means we’ve got to get the economic fundamentals right and one of the reasons why I’m so determined to get rid of the carbon tax, to get rid of the mining tax, to get red tape down, is because that will enable our workers and our businesses to compete on the best possible terms.
QUESTION:
Are you speaking to Holden this week? Are we going to hear anything on their future?
PRIME MINISTER:
I have spoken to Holden. I’ve had numerous conversations with Holden over the years. We’re not, I’m afraid, going to change the decision that Holden had made to withdraw from manufacturing in this country in 2017. I regret to say that we are not going to change the decision that Ford have made to withdraw from manufacturing in this country 2016. We are talking to Toyota, because they’ve got a very different business model and we hope that they will continue to manufacture cars in this country, but they’re going to succeed in this country because they are a dynamic, successful business, not because they’re getting government handouts. Government handouts are not the way to go. A competitive, successful, creative business is the way to go if we are to succeed.
QUESTION:
Mr Abbott, Dick’s obviously very concerned about the future of Australian food producers. That’s the whole reason why he’s he set up Dick Smith Foods. Is there a role for the Australian Government to provide assistance to this industry?
PRIME MINISTER:
I’m not saying that there is no role for government under any circumstances. Of course we’ve got to get the fundamentals right and of course we’ve got to try to ensure that the system under which our manufacturers and our producers operate is as fair as it reasonably can be. But, in the end, all of the products that are being sold in this store are being sold here because they are good products and Woolworths can get them for the right price from the producers so they can sell them for the right price to the consumers. So, the future for all of our industries – food no less than every other industry – is to sell a good product for a competitive price and thank God so many of our food manufacturers are very good at it and I want to thank Woolworths for the work that they've recently done with SPC Ardmona – and it's good to see the SPC Ardmona stand over there – just as I thank Coles for the good work that they've done recently with Murray Goulburn. I think that our big supermarket chains have a good philosophy. They appreciate that their customers don't benefit if their suppliers aren't also able to make a profit and run a decent business.
QUESTION:
With MYEFO out today, obviously a big budget blow out is expected. Can we expect to see savings measures in the future?
PRIME MINISTER:
The repair job started from day one of the election of the new government, but obviously it accelerates from today given that today we will see the full extent of Labor's debt and deficit disaster. What we will see today is the sad truth that six years of Labor fiscal profligacy has given us cumulative deficits in the order of a quarter of a trillion dollars; has set us up, absent serious policy change, for a decade of deficits. That must and will change under the Coalition. It starts with the savings that we announced during the election campaign. There's $15 billion worth of savings which are currently being blocked in the Senate by the Labor Party. The Labor Party is not just blocking $15 billion worth of Coalition savings, they’re also blocking $5 billion worth of savings that they themselves announced before the last election.
QUESTION:
Labor’s accusing you of using scare tactics to hide what you’ve spent since you came to office?
PRIME MINISTER:
These are truth tactics, and, sure, we had to put some $9 billion into the Reserve Bank but that was to recapitalise the bank after it had effectively been asset stripped by the former government.
QUESTION:
You’ve also had other billions of dollars of other spending on top of that as well, so it’s not just savings you’re announcing. How are you going to balance the books?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, not true. There’s a billion dollars worth of road funding that wasn’t announced by us pre-election, but it had been committed to by the Labor Party, it had been committed to by the Labor Party, so…
QUESTION:
And what about Gonski?
PRIME MINISTER:
…Labor is telling us that it would’ve spent the $1.2 billion. Now, sure, that particular item is going on our account, but Labor can’t be both for Gonski and against the Gonski spending. I mean, you can’t have it both ways here.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, the boat back policy’s been scrapped. Is that a concession that perhaps it wasn't the best idea?
PRIME MINISTER:
We absolutely stand by all the policies that we took to the election. I want to make that crystal clear: we absolutely stand by all the policies that we took to the election and all of the policies that we took to the election will be needed to stop the boats. The boats are stopping, they must stop and all the policies that we took to the election are a part of that.
QUESTION:
The head of NBN Co. believes that he can rein in the cost of what it will cost. Do you think that's possible?
PRIME MINISTER:
I certainly want to do better than the estimates in the recent strategic review of the NBN. I think Malcolm Turnbull is absolutely the right man to give Australia faster, more affordable broadband as quickly as possible. Malcolm has been one of this country’s internet pioneers. He’s absolutely the right person to deliver this and we want to honour our commitments. We want to honour our commitments. It will be much harder to honour our commitments now that we know the scale of Labor’s NBN disaster, but we are determined to do everything we humanly can to honour that particular commitment.
QUESTION:
How soon is it likely that the Government will sign a code of conduct with Indonesia?
PRIME MINISTER:
We’re talking to Indonesia all the time and we are determined to have the strongest possible relationship with Indonesia. President Yudhoyono has been a fine President of Indonesia. He’s been a great friend of Australia. I know he would not want to leave office with the relationship in anything other than the best possible repair and that’s what we’re determined to do.
QUESTION:
Malcolm Turnbull’s been copping a little bit of flak from some within your party. I believe the Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi is saying that he should stop talking or stop freelancing on gay marriage or quit Cabinet. What are your thoughts on that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, all of us cop a bit of flak from time to time, including sometimes from people in our own party. Both the gentlemen in question have well known views on this subject. The Liberal Party is a broad church – always has been always will be.
QUESTION:
On the spectrum of Cory Bernardi to Malcolm Turnbull, where do you fall, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, look, I’m friends with both of them.
QUESTION:
But on the issue of gay marriage and their views – on that spectrum, where do you fall?
PRIME MINISTER:
Everyone knows that I take a fairly traditional position on that particular subject, but I understand not everyone shares my view. One of the great things about Australia is that we can have a discussion even about difficult subjects, even about subjects where people feel strongly on both sides of a question and still stay friends.
QUESTION:
Should there be a conscience vote on the issue of gay marriage, then?
PRIME MINISTER:
If this matter were to come before the new Parliament, it would be dealt with by our party room in the usual way.
QUESTION:
Is it ok, though, for Malcolm Turnbull to be out spruiking his own ideas while he’s a member of Cabinet?
PRIME MINISTER:
This is a rather unusual subject and I think on a subject such as this, there is a certain leeway extended to people. We’ve had a pretty broad-ranging debate in the community and you wouldn’t be surprised if it was a pretty broad ranging debate inside the party. But everyone knows where I stand. I stand for the traditional definition. I accept that not everyone shares my view, but my own view – for what it’s worth – is that we should not lightly change things which have stood the test of time. We’re here to, I suppose, support our country, to respect people who are doing the right thing, and I feel very supportive and very respectful towards all of the institutions that have contributed to the country that we are. Thank you so much.
[ends]