Subjects: receiving of honourary doctorate; NRL; Dr Victor Chang.
E&OE................................
JOURNALIST:
Your reaction to the honourary doctorate today from Notre Dame University.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it's very kind of them and I look forward to addressing the university gathering and receiving it. It's one of the great private universities in Australia. It's a Catholic private university and I regard it as a very great honour that the university is going to confer this on me.
JOURNALIST:
And a great surprise?
PRIME MINISTER:
A pleasant surprise yes. But it will be an event that I will derive a great deal of satisfaction and pleasure from and it's an opportunity for me to say something about the contribution of Catholic education to the building of Australia. It's been a magnificent contribution, not only at a university level but particularly at a primary and secondary level under very difficult circumstances in years gone by and it is a chance for me to say a few things about that.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, today with the time capsule, it's a great achievement for a game to play 10,000 first grade games.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it is and league's had a tough time over the last few years with the split and everything and I hope it's up now.onwards and upwards for the game. It's gone through a very difficult period and I do wish it well for the future.
JOURNALIST:
And as you said the league has copped a fair share of criticism over recent times. Do you think it can pull out of the..
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I certainly hope so. It was in a very strong position ten years ago before the split came and I do hope it can pull out of it and I know there are a lot of people, league fans but also people who are sort of follow other sports as well, they wish the game well. I'm certainly somebody who follows the game closely and I follow a lot of other games very closely as well. And I certainly hope that the difficulties of the past few years are behind it.
JOURNALIST:
Just a quick question. It's the tenth anniversary since Victor Chang's death. Your thoughts today?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I remember that day very well and it sort of hit me as it hit all Australians with a devastating psychological blow. It seemed so outrageous, so much an affront to what our country stands for that this wonderful person who brought life and a future to so many people and was a pioneer, should have been shot down in cold blood. I think it was terrible and a lot of people still remember that day very vividly.
JOURNALIST:
Ten years on, is the memory of what he achieved and what he stands for still very much alive?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think it is. I think he is seen as one of the great Australian contributors and great Australian achievers of the last one hundred years. And when people talk of the great Australian figures of that period his name invariably comes up and I think that's richly deserved.
JOURNALIST:
And will remain?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I'm sure it will because he was a pioneer, an achiever, and most importantly he brought hope and life to people and they are the best contributors of all.