PM Transcripts

Subjects: streetwalk, Taliban; Dr Hewson; baby bonus; election; aged care.
JOURNALIST:
What';s the reaction been?
PRIME MINISTER:
… you can cocoon yourself inside stage managed events and radio and television studios or go out and meet some people knowing that every time you go for a walk somebody';s going to come up and tell you that you';re a, you know, blank blank idiot and disagree with you and get some footage on the evening news bulletin. But I think it';s more important that people like me, and I think Mr Beazley should do a bit of it too, ought to actually get out and wander through a shopping centre and talk to people. I mean what is the matter if a few people come up and abuse you? I mean it would be a very strange country, I mean this electorate is sort of about as 50-50 as you can get anywhere in the country. Of course there's going to be a lot of people who disagree with me and it';s part of the demographic process and if we ever get to a stage in this country where our political leaders are so sort of stage managed in election campaigns that they never wander around and expose themselves to questioning by people as well as the media then I think we have come to a very sorry pass.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible).
PRIME MINISTER:
No look I';ve been called worse than that Sarah in my time. I mean I';ve been campaigning on street corners since the early 1960';s, 1950';s, and I';m quite battle hardened to that but what was good today was the evidently very friendly reaction of people. Bass is very marginal and we need Bass to make certain that we get back. Because this is going to be a tight contest and we need to try and win a seat or two from Labor as well as hanging onto the seats we've got.
JOURNALIST:
Are you saying Mr Beazley hasn';t been…
PRIME MINISTER:
No I';m not saying that, I think it';s good for both of us. I don';t examine in detail what he's doing but you know, I think it';s a good idea to get out and wander around and I think all people should. Now you';re going to run into a bit of flak, you know some of the experts say don';t do it because you';ll get the bloke pointing his finger at you on the television screen, but you know I probably will but so what. At least it';s a human interchange and I draw great comfort, and I know Tony Benneworth draws great comfort from the fact that most of the people we met were very friendly.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible).
PRIME MINISTER:
Yeah that';s right.
JOURNALIST:
Are you surprised by that?
PRIME MINISTER:
No. The percentage of the population won';t care.
JOURNALIST:
Why did you choose Tasmania to go for a walk?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it's such a beautiful city, it';s such a beautiful day, and such a great candidate. I mean all my candidates are great. But you know I went for a walk in Queensland and the campaign';s still got another seven or eight days, I might do a few more.
JOURNALIST:
So you were aware that you were going to face some difficulties in…
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes.
JOURNALIST:
You could have predicted it.
PRIME MINISTER:
Of course. Of course I did. I mean the only way to avoid that is to sit in a studio and on a bus and on an aircraft and pretend you';re interacting with the Australian people, which you';re not.
JOURNALIST:
Will new mothers have to wait for at least 18 months before they can get the baby rebate.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well Peter Costello made it clear that it';s the, it';s pro rata-ed and it';s paid as a rebate.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard when will you get your briefing on the Taliban threat, and do you expect it will canvass the need for additional security precautions?
PRIME MINISTER:
Most of the security precautions that we needed to take have been taken, in fact all of them, and the threat that was made by the Taliban may not in the eyes of some Islamic scholars and leaders in this country be particularly credible. But in any event the leaders of the Islamic community in Australia have, in a very welcome response, made it clear that they do not think that any Islamic people in Australia should take any notice of it. And that is a very welcome response, I thank them for that, they are behaving in a very responsible way and they are behaving in a way that exhibits their concern for Australia';s interest and that they';re behaving as leaders within the Australian community because we want no skerrick of the sort of things of which the Taliban was speaking of in this country and the fact that Islamic leaders as well as other leaders have made it clear that they don';t want it, I believe is a very welcome thing.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard John Hewson said this morning in the Financial Review that you played the race card in this election, what';s your response to that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I haven';t.
JOURNALIST:
Is it a win for prejudice over policy?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, it';s not, it';s, I don';t know what the result is going to be, I don';t, well I';m not going to hypothesise about whether I';m going to win or lose, it';s going to be a difficult fight. But people at least know in this election campaign that in difficult times they have a choice between somebody who is strong and decisive and somebody who goes from one side of the street to the other. I mean he can';t even effectively discipline Peter Knott, I mean he leaves it to Geoff Walsh to get Knott to apologise. I mean what Knott said was outrageous, it blamed the Americans for the circumstances that led to the attack on the World Trade Centre. I mean that is an outrageous statement, I mean when we had people making outrageous statements in 1996 the person in question lost her endorsement. Mr Beazley doesn't have the strength to do that.
JOURNALIST:
What about Ross Lightfoot in, I think it was ';98 when he made those claims about Aborigines, I mean…
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I tell you what, those claims brought an immediate rebuke from me, and they were not repeated and moreover when he made some remarks a few weeks ago about the asylum seekers that I regarded has having gone too far, I rang him and told him so and they have not been repeated. But you';re dealing here with an endorsed Labor candidate on the greatest international issue of the day and he';s effectively saying it';s the Americans fault. But he's still a Beazley candidate in this election. I think that is unacceptable. But once you make a statement like that you are no longer fit to be a candidate for a party that believes that we should be supporting the American position.
JOURNALIST:
… she's a dementia patient who died in the Bethlehem Nursing Home in Bendigo last week (inaudible) laying the blame for that at underfunding of aged care facilities in Australia, that';s it a lack (inaudible).
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don';t know all of the circumstances of that, I';m obviously saddened when anybody dies obviously. But I think it';s unreasonable every time an incident like that occurs it';s unreasonable to turn around and say well that';s automatically the fault of an individual. We have offered a more generous increase in aged care funding in this election campaign than have our political opponents and I think we';ve made very extensive provisions and it';s easy I suppose to personalise things like that and I don';t complain, I accept those sort of criticisms go with the territory and I';m very sorry. But I don';t know the circumstances of the lady';s death.
JOURNALIST:
In case we don';t get the chance to talk later today, this is the end of the of the fourth week of the campaign with just a week to go, I know you don';t like being the analyst, how do you believe your chances (inaudible) Saturday.
PRIME MINISTER:
I don';t know, I think it's going to be very tough, I always said it was going to be very tough. There are two overriding issues, those two overriding issues are national security and economic management. And I';m saying to the Australian people that on both scores, both by reason of what I';ve done in Government and what I offer over the next three years, I am better qualified to lead the nation on those two scores. I can deliver better economic management and I can better guide Australia through these difficult national security circumstances than Mr Beazley. In the end all of the promises that are made about health and education can only be delivered if we have a growing economy and we are far more likely to deliver a growing economy, to maintain low interest rates, to maintain lower taxation, and to maintain a budget in balance.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think people are now engaged in the campaign?
PRIME MINISTER:
Nigel, I don';t know. My experience going around here is that they';re quite, they';re quite engaged. But I mean that is a matter for the experts and for the commentators, I enjoy election campaigns, I particularly enjoy the part of the election campaign that enables you to get out into the open air and outside radio studios and interact with people vigorously, positively, and some times negatively. But it';s part of the election campaign.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard just in relation to the Taliban comments, there';s some suggestion that these were made after this gentlemen had been repeatedly asked by journalists over a lengthy period about Australia. How seriously do you take the threat or do you think that some of this sort of fear that';s been generated by this is getting a little bit out of control?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I said last night and I say again it';s important we not dismiss these things but equally we shouldn';t overreact and people should not be alarmed and the responsibility of the Government is, and we';ve done that, is to take all proper security precautions. But equally I say to my fellow Australians, go about your daily lives, this is still one of the safest countries in the world, the best country in the world in which to live, get on with your lives, invest in your businesses, enjoy your sport, look after your families, go on your holidays, continue to make investments and continue to enjoy life. Because in the end those who would seek to destroy our way of life only win if they frighten us out of living.
JOURNALIST:
So you don';t believe that this so called Jihad is a creation of the media in some sense?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I can only react to what I saw on the television.
JOURNALIST:
What impact do you think the Labor launch…
PRIME MINISTER:
I beg your pardon? I can';t hear you.
JOURNALIST:
Impact of the Labor launch on voters?
PRIME MINISTER:
The Labor launch? I don';t know, I suppose I';ll find out on Saturday week.
JOURNALIST:
Why has Mr Hewson made such a personal attack on you in the Australian Financial Review today?
PRIME MINISTER:
Go and ask him.
JOURNALIST:
Were you disappointed by Dr Hewson';s attack?
PRIME MINISTER:
Completely unsurprised.
[ends]