PM Transcripts

Subjects: Labor Party campaign launch; education; Telstra; Jonathon Shier
RIMINGTON:
We';re joined now by the Prime Minister from Melbourne, Mr Howard welcome to Nightline.
PRIME MINISTER:
Evening Hugh.
RIMINGTON:
Now Labor is running hard on education as we';ve just seen, promising a billion dollars more for our universities, you would have to agree wouldn';t you that our universities do need a rescue plan?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don';t know that they need a rescue plan, we put a lot of extra money into research at the beginning of this year, we';re adding thousands of new places. One of the weaknesses of Labor';s plan is that it';s going to discriminate against Australian students again by allowing foreigners to have full fee paying courses but deny them to Australians, I think that is unfair and unreasonable. I guess my reaction to Labor';s policy launch today was it wasn';t quite the blockbuster that we';d been promised.
RIMINGTON:
According to education department evidence to the Senate Estimates spending on our universities has fallen in real terms by 15 per cent since you first gained office. Now is that a record of which you can be proud of?
PRIME MINISTER:
Hugh when you look at the, put together all of the sources of university funding, that aggregate funding has gone up. You can';t just measure money going to universities according to what the government puts in. If universities can get money from private sources, if they can get money from a variety of sources it all adds to the totality of the assets.
RIMINGTON:
Would you accept though that that change of the funding system has fundamentally changed the nature of universities in Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
No I don';t accept that and there';s nothing in the Labor plan to suggest that they really think so.
RIMINGTON:
In terms of schools your policy has bought substantially more public funding to the elite so called category one private schools. If the Liberal Party';s all about choice aren';t you creating a situation where if parents can in any way afford it these days, they really have no choice but to send their kids to private schools?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that statement is wrong Hugh, let me explain how it';s wrong. We';ve been in office for five and a half years and in that five and a half year period we have increased commonwealth funding for government schools by 43 per cent, yet the enrolment in those schools has gone up by only 1.8 per cent. The teacher unions who dominate Labor policy in this area ultimately aim to have no government help for independent schools at all and I would say to the parents of all children who go to independent schools that what he';s proposing in this election campaign if he gets in will be the thin end of the wedge. Fundamentally teacher unions who run the Labor Party on this issue do not believe in parental choice and I say that as a passionate believer in choice and a passionate believer in the government system as well as the independent system.
RIMINGTON:
A couple of quick questions Prime Minister if we can because we';re nearly out of time, on Telstra, sort out the confusion if you can for me at least, if you can indulge me on this, what exactly is the government';s policy over the next term on Telstra?
PRIME MINISTER:
No confusion at all Hugh, we won';t sell an extra share in Telstra until we are satisfied that services in the bush are adequate.
RIMINGTON:
Do you think that could happen in this next term?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don';t know, I';ll need to be convinced and if it doesn';t happen we won';t sell any extra shares in the coming term.
RIMINGTON:
So if a whole bunch of National Party MP';s go into your office in 18 months time and say gee you wouldn';t believe it, Telstra';s fantastic in the bush, better than it is in Sydney, does that mean you say well lets rip into it and sell Telstra?
PRIME MINISTER:
Hugh, I';m not going to hypothesise, we have a policy and our policy is very simple, we don';t sell any more shares until we';re satisfied that services in the bush are up to scratch.
RIMINGTON:
Okay then Jonathon Shier has quit as head of the ABC less than two years into his five year term, what would you say about Jonathon Shier';s contribution in that job?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don';t really want to make any comment, that really is a matter for the board. The Managing Director is not engaged by the Government, the Government appoints the board, the board appoints the Managing Director. I don';t pretend to know all of the background to it and I';m therefore not going to comment. Naturally on a personal basis I wish him well but I don';t really have a useful contribution to make on the ins and outs of it. It';s a management decision of the board. The board is made up of some very well qualified people.
RIMINGTON:
Are you satisfied though Prime Minister that the reform process that the Government hoped to institute within the ABC is now complete?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don';t think tonight is the night for me to start talking about that because it will inevitably be twisted by some people in the context of Mr Shier';s departure. I believe the ABC is an important part of the broadcasting network of Australia, I believe in competition, I believe in private networks, I believe in a public broadcaster and may the best network as always win.
RIMINGy the best network as always win.
RIMINGTON:
Prime Minister thank you very munch for your time.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you.
[ends]