E&OE...
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER
THE HON JOHN HOWARD MP
RADIO INTERVIEW WITH LAURA DAMENKOE, 2CUZ FM
BOURKE, NSW
SUBJECTS: Visit to Bourke, reconciliation, GST.
E&OE....................................................................................................
DAMENKOE:
[Tape starts] Have you so far achieved what you wanted in Bourke?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, what I have found is - the best things I have found is the determination of [inaudible] to work together as a community to solve problems. They are not the sort of people that say well, you belong to this particular group and you belong to another group and we'll negotiate with each other but we won't work together.
[Inaudible]... or problem of one part of the community but rather to see it as a total problem for the whole community. And I think that's a tremendous attitude and one that I congratulate the people of Bourke for having.
DAMENKOE:
And this reconciliation, I have recently been informed that you are trying to push this move. In what way?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I think all Australians want to see closer relations between Aborigines and Torres Strait Islander Australians and the rest of the community. I believe that the best way that true reconciliation can be achieved is to improve the opportunities for indigenous people to share in the general success of the community, to be included as part of the community, to preserve their own separate culture and heritage which is the right of every Australian, aboriginal or otherwise. But also to recognise that the benefits of living in Australia ought as far as possible be shared fairly equally. Now, there are a lot of areas of continuing aboriginal disadvantage and they are the things that should be challenged most of all and remedied most of all in areas like health and housing and education, employment opportunities. Once again it's a mixed picture. I was in South Australia yesterday and I was told how valuable the development of the uranium mine had been for the employment of the local indigenous community and how concerned they were that there might be some interruptions. Now, that's a good news story. I hear other good news stories and yet you also hear the not so good news stories of high levels of unemployment and they're the sorts of challenges that we have to try as a community, as an entire country we need to try and overcome. And I am very impressed with the spirit that is operating in Bourke, the attitude that people are taking, the willingness of community leaders to work together not to see themselves as separate but rather to see themselves as part of the one community with their own distinctive characteristics but to see themselves as part of the one community. And I think that's a great attitude and therein lies the long-term solution to the problem. But it won't be easy because the picture in some areas is quite depressing.
DAMENKOE:
Okay. Moving along to the GST, I realise that it will be arriving very soon, in a couple of months' time. Do you think it will benefit some more than others?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, it will certainly benefit the whole country. The main reason we are bringing in the GST is that it will make our economy go better, it'll make our exports cheaper, it will make fuel in the bush cheaper, it will reduce the operating costs of business, it will provide a $12 billion tax cut to the entire community and it will replace a lot of outdated, old-fashioned indirect taxes with a comprehensive single rate goods and services tax. And there will be some implementation and detail and challenges and we will work with people to help them. And it will be very easy if you want to be negative to run a scare on each individual aspect of the GST but you have to see it as an overall package and overall it will be very beneficial to the Australian economy. And I am quite certain that in a year's time after it's been operating for six or seven months people will look back and say, gee, that wasn't as hard as some people suggested and isn't it better that we have this new system.
DAMENKOE:
Okay. Let's hope it all works out really well. And you'll be visiting Bourke again later this year or?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I don't have any immediate plans but I hope to come back at some stage but as you know Australia is a big country and if you set out to visit every place of any consequence at least once you'd have to be Prime Minister for about 15 years to get to it. So I have certainly enjoyed being here and I hope that I have learnt more about the town and more about the aspirations of the people.
DAMENKOE:
Yes, well, we hope to see you again and I hope you enjoy your stay and the rest of your tour.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you, very nice of you to have me on your station. Bye bye.
[ends]
Top