SAMANTHA ARMYTAGE:
Good morning to you, Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER:
`Morning, Sam.
SAMANTHA ARMYTAGE:
Tim Costello says we should increase our intake back to 20,000 and New South Wales Premier Mike Baird has also called for Australia to do more to help refugees. Why won't you increase the overall intake?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we are going to do more. In the last year, we took almost 4,500 people from this conflict. We have got the Immigration Minister in Europe right now to talk about what more we can do with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees – and we will do more. We are already the most generous country in the world on a per capita basis when it comes to dealing with refugees through the UNHCR. We are determined to do more in response to the crisis in this very troubled part of the world.
SAMANTHA ARMYTAGE:
So, could we increase that to 20,000 as Tim Costello said?
PRIME MINISTER:
That was a figure that the former government very, very briefly put in place. I don't think we ever took that number. Let's never forget that under the former government, that number was filled by the people smugglers. We have stopped the boats. We are now in control of who comes to our country. We did, last year, take 4,500 people from Syria and Iraq and we are looking at what more we can do, because as well as a strong security response to this dreadful crisis, we also need a strong humanitarian one.
SAMANTHA ARMYTAGE:
Yes, the Pope overnight has called for every parish and monastery in Europe to take a refugee family. It really highlights the need for compassion in this situation, doesn't it?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, absolutely right. We need a strong humanitarian response. We also need a strong security response and, as you know, Australia is involved in air strikes against the death cult which is ultimately responsible for what is going on there. In Syria at the moment, people are caught between the mass executions of the death cult and the chemical weapons of the regime. So, it is very important, over time, to do what we can to restore a kind of order in this very, very dark and difficult part of the world.
SAMANTHA ARMYTAGE:
Yeah, it sure is. Cabinet is due to decide this week whether to allow Australian air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria. Does that mean there is a greater obligation for us to offer a safe haven to displaced civilians?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, obviously, it is important to try to create safe havens, not just on the borders of Syria, but inside Syria itself because we should never underestimate the evil of the Daesh death cult, so-called Islamic State. We have seen on our screens the beheadings, the crucifixions, the mass executions. Every day we see this dreadful group try to come up with new and more horrific ways of killing people.
SAMANTHA ARMYTAGE:
Prime Minister, just changing topics. It’s two years since you were elected Prime Minister. Newspoll today has the Coalition trailing Labor by 8 points two-party preferred. Your disapproval rating is at 63 per cent – that's 29 points higher than when you were elected. How does that make you feel today? Do you need to work harder to win over voters, do you think?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Sam, there is a sense in which politicians can never work hard enough! And, as you can see, I'm at a small business breakfast this morning to mark the second anniversary of a government which – for all the ups and downs – has restored confidence to business, is restoring confidence in our economy, has created 335,000 more jobs in the economy since September of 2013, is proceeding with the free trade agreement with China which means more trade, more jobs, more prosperity, more export opportunities. So, sure, there is always a long way to go but we have got a plan, Sam, and the plan is working and we are sticking with the plan.
SAMANTHA ARMYTAGE:
Ok, you have flagged a Cabinet reshuffle, will Joe Hockey be there as Treasurer for your third anniversary?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, that's my very strong expectation, Sam, because Joe was responsible, along with me and the Cabinet, for last year's Budget which was a budget for saving – a difficult but necessary budget for saving. He was also responsible for this year's Budget for confidence and, as you can see, there are quite a lot of exuberant and confident small business people behind me this morning.
SAMANTHA ARMYTAGE:
Yes, we love exuberant small business people! We will let you get back to your breakfast, Prime Minister.
Thanks for your time this morning.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you so much, Sam.
[ends]