PM Transcripts

JOURNALIST:
Can I call you PM or that a bit forward?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, that';s fine.
JOURNALIST:
PM, I';m quite comfortable with that.
PRIME MINISTER:
Fine, absolutely wonderful.
JOURNALIST:
You can call me Amanda and I';ll call you PM.
PRIME MINISTER:
If you are comfortable I am happy and relaxed…
JOURNALIST:
Are you comfortable though because we';ve got you a cup of black tea with sugar.
PRIME MINISTER:
I';ve got my black tea and you';ve given me some water and you';ve given me a spoon too.
JOURNALIST:
Poor PM has a bit of a cold. He has a bit of a stuffed up nose and he';s come in here and he';s spreading germs all over the studio already.
PRIME MINISTER:
But I';m prepared to fight on against those odds and be interviewed.
JOURNALIST:
I quite like your voice being a little a husky though, just quietly, I think it sounds quite sexy, it sounds quite good, bit like Renee Gayer.
Now, Troy, can we be upstanding for a moment please.
JOURNALIST:
Sure.
Advance Australia Fair
JOURNALIST:
See most Australians only know the first two lines and then we';re all going to all look nervously at the Prime Minister to sing the rest of them.
PRIME MINISTER:
I';m not going to sing it.
JOURNALIST:
Can I ask you, when the occasion arises to sing the national anthem are you a proud singer or do you just sort of…
PRIME MINISTER:
No I actually do sing it quite lustily, I think.
JOURNALIST:
A lusty version.
JOURNALIST:
Well please don';t tell us what goes on…
JOURNALIST:
Come on, heat up the studio.
PRIME MINISTER:
I was not, when we had a vote on this a long time ago, when both of you were even much younger.
JOURNALIST:
I was around.
PRIME MINISTER:
1977 we had a vote on this and they had a choice between what was called what should become Australia';s national song, and they had Waltzing Matilda, Advance Australia Fair, Song of Australia, which..
JOURNALIST:
Hopeless.
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh no, I don';t think it';s hopeless. Older people who used to listen the ABC would remember it introduced a programme a long time ago, and then of course God Save the Queen. Now I voted for Waltzing Matilda. I think that is a far more stirring tune…
JOURNALIST:
About a crook who does himself in.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well whatever it is, it';s fantastic. And Advance Australia Fair won the vote and I just take the view well we have it now.
JOURNALIST:
Got to go with it.
PRIME MINISTER:
People have grown accustomed to its sound.
JOURNALIST:
I think though, PM, that if ‘Working Class Man'; had been out by Jimmy Barnes in 1977 that';s what you would have voted for.
PRIME MINISTER:
I think even better than that if Bruce Woodley';s ‘I am Australian'; had been out in 1977 I would have given it my second preference. I';d have distributed my Waltzing Matilda preference.
JOURNALIST:
Good on you.
JOURNALIST:
One of the things I want to ask you about Mr Howard is all the ads that we';re getting on telly at the moment.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes.
JOURNALIST:
Now you don';t actually appear live in any of them, why aren';t you like a spruiker? Why don';t we see any of those. We';ve got Big Kev, we could have Big John and you';re like slapping your fist out saying ladies and gentlemen come and vote for me, this is what is I stand for.
PRIME MINISTER:
One of them has got a grab from my launch speech.
JOURNALIST:
Yeah, but it';s not you, I mean like I want you to…
PRIME MINISTER:
… like me…
JOURNALIST:
… not you selling it to us, you know…
PRIME MINISTER:
The whole idea of those ads is the concept of them is different…
JOURNALIST:
They';re nasty, you get stuck into each other.
PRIME MINISTER:
And we';re not meant to do that? Even though you have these absolutely outrageous distortions from the Australian Labor Party.
JOURNALIST:
What about the one the with the two barking dogs. Are you upset that you';re the little woof woof dog and Kim';s the big woof woof? Does that upset you these sort of ads?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, no I've been looking at ads like that all my life.
JOURNALIST:
I think it';s quite good though Matt, I don';t know about you but it reminds me of Alexis Carrington and Crystal Carrington in Dynasty back in the ‘80s, that sort of fighting on. I quite enjoy it.
JOURNALIST:
But they didn';t have Ray Martin in the middle. But I think the one important thing that I noticed last night is all the ads showing people how to vote. Are you concerned that just about every Australian yesterday could go and fill out a TAB slip without any problems whatsoever and yet 20 per cent on Saturday will bugger up putting one, two, three.
PRIME MINISTER:
No, it';s not 20 per cent.
JOURNALIST:
It';s something that high isn';t it?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, very rarely.
JOURNALIST:
I';ll use some seasonally adjusted figures.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yeah, well bad season. No I think, it';s come down a lot. But remember voting in Australia is compulsory and people who are indifferent maybe will muck up their ballot paper. But you';re not forced to vote, you';re only forced to go into the booth and have your name crossed off. You can then turn around and walk out and that';s it.
JOURNALIST:
You';re quite right. Now we have so many more questions to ask, some of them on behalf of our listeners as well, your electorate, can you stick around?
PRIME MINISTER:
My electorate?
JOURNALIST:
Yeah.
PRIME MINISTER:
I';ve been there about four times.
JOURNALIST:
Well no the nation, the country is your electorate. From the people.
PRIME MINISTER:
This future thing. Look I';m going to win on Saturday I hope and I';ll get another three year term and I just said when I get two years into I';ll think about my future. Right at the moment nothing could drag me out.
JOURNALIST:
No what I meant was can you hang around, not after the election, after this song.
PRIME MINISTER:
After this song? Yeah, that';s what I meant.
JOURNALIST:
I love it.
JOURNALIST:
I should run for office, I had him on toast.
JOURNALIST:
You';re like Hugh Rimington.
[song]
JOURNALIST:
101.9 the Fox. It';s 16 to nine with Tracey and Matt and Amanda Blair filling in for Tracey this week and we';re joined by the Prime Minister John Howard this morning.
JOURNALIST:
Now Mr Howard I';ve got a question for you, on election night on Saturday night what do you do? Like where do you go? Where do you hang out?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I';ll be in Sydney, I';ll go to Kirribilli House after I';ve gone around the polling booths in my electorate and thanked people for turning out, either in the hot sun or the cold weather, handing out my how to vote cards, I';ll go back to Kirribilli House and I';ll just be there with my family and some of my staff.
JOURNALIST:
Toasted cheese sandwiches and slippers? That sort of affair?
PRIME MINISTER:
No slippers, I';ll still have my running shoes on.
JOURNALIST:
Now this is something I want to ask you about because I want to, look this is, it is a sense of personal shame that drives me nuts this question, but you see the leaders around the world and you used to always see Bill Clinton going for a jog around Camp David and George W. and the Australian Prime Minister power walks, and why don';t you jog?
PRIME MINISTER:
I just think power walking is more sensible for a bloke my age.
JOURNALIST:
How old are you?
PRIME MINISTER:
62.
JOURNALIST:
Are you really?
JOURNALIST:
But you don';t look 62.
JOURNALIST:
‘Cause he power walks.
JOURNALIST:
No you don';t though, seriously I';m not lying.
JOURNALIST:
One of our listeners wanted to know where do you get your tracksuits from that you powerwalk in? He thought they were quite spectaculor.
PRIME MINISTER:
The Wallabies.
JOURNALIST:
Oh they';re the Wallabies'; one.
PRIME MINISTER:
I was listening to Mike Carlton in 2UE in Sydney yesterday and some bloke rang up and he was complaining that I was advertising the company.
JOURNALIST:
Vodafone.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I had one of the older ones on - Reebok. And he said it was an outrageous that the Prime Minister was advertising an overseas, a foreign owned company.
JOURNALIST:
Running shoes when he in fact walks, that';s what he';s angry about.
JOURNALIST:
Lay off the walking.
PRIME MINISTER:
He hadn't sort of looked on the other side that had Wallabies. But I mainly wear those Wallaby, I got a couple of Wallaby tracksuits, they';re very nice, they';re very good. Great team.
JOURNALIST:
You look good in and them and I think you do quite a fine job there with your powerwalking.
PRIME MINISTER:
It gives you an imitate knowledge of all the nocks and crannies of various cities. I go past all the...
JOURNALIST:
Who walks with you? Who actually walks with you, cause Madonna has he bodyguard and you know Geri Halliwell takes her dog and her bodyguard, who do you take?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh I';ve got a couple of Federal Police officers and I';m often pursued by cameras, particularly during the election campaign and some of my staff. But I normally commune with myself, I just sort of think about what';s ahead. I sometimes take a radio with me to listen the news.
JOURNALIST:
Are you one of those people who when they trips on something breaks into a run as if you were about to start running sometimes when you';re walking along. You know how people do that? Do you do that when you';re powerwalking.
PRIME MINISTER:
To sort of give the impression they were always…. No, not one of those.
JOURNALIST:
I';ve got to ask this question because a few Hollywood stars that are constantly followed by cameras like you are, I mean today how many cameraman do we have in here? We have, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 cameras in here with you today. Do you ever get that uncontrollably urge to do something? Like do you ever want to give them the bird or do anything like that? Cause I know myself that I often look at these Hollywood stars.
PRIME MINISTER:
I have experiences on occasions when I';ve been momentarily overwhelmed by that feeling. It hasn';t happened too often lately and they are such charming cameraman and they …
JOURNALIST:
Do you have a good side? Like you know cause I know that Don Lane could only ever been shown I think from the right side.
PRIME MINISTER:
I think they are equally ordinary. I don';t sort of get upset according to the angle I';m taken from.
JOURNALIST:
Did you, did you because there is photographic evidence put forth by some publications, did you have a makeover and trim the eyebrows and things like that?
PRIME MINISTER:
A makeover?
JOURNALIST:
At one stage did you say okay from my image I';m going to change my glasses and trim my eyebrows? Have you ever done that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Like everybody who wears glasses, the frames I now wear are different from the frames…
JOURNALIST:
Well they';re very funky, but what about 10 tens ago.
JOURNALIST:
Have you ever wanted to write into the Women';s Weekly and say Dear Women';s Weekly I need a change of image, I need a makeover, I need some new suits, I need a new hairdo. Have you ever wanted to do that?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don';t think there';s much hope with the hairdo for me. Sort of rapidly disappearing.
JOURNALIST:
I have a theory that the Menzies eyebrows were handed down to each leader.
PRIME MINISTER:
I';ve seen a photograph of my paternal grandfather so I know where I got the eyebrows from and Bob Menzies was not my paternal grandfather.
JOURNALIST:
Contrary to popular opinion.
JOURNALIST:
Well we';ll come back in just a few minutes and continue this interview with Prime Minister John Howard.
JOURNALIST:
I think you need to say the hardhitting interview with the Prime Minister.
JOURNALIST:
Matt and Amanda I';m wondering if I can actually get a brief question in for the PM.
JOURNALIST:
You';re the only person with credibly.
I';m right behind you Mr Howard, I';m actually wondering, we';ve had a lot of calls in the newsroom while you';ve been on, will the GST be going up if you get in?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, no, no, no.
JOURNALIST:
Great, thank you for that.
JOURNALIST:
Well answered.
[commercial break]
JOURNALIST:
Million dollars in cash to be won so what we want you to do is picture this, one packed of Tim Tams frozen in a 15 tonne fridge made of ice.
Wow.
And if you guess exactly how long it will take for the ice to melt and the packet to hit the floor, you will win the one million dollars cash.
I';m quite curious as to the Prime Minister';s policy on Tim Tams. Do you support biscuits being in coffee centres in all public service offices? Or do you think people should have to pay for their own biscuits?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh no I';m all in favour of them being there.
JOURNALIST:
Just wanted to know what you….
PRIME MINISTER:
An integral part of my…
JOURNALIST:
Chocolate biscuits or the dry sort of like scotch finger, their all a bit dry and stuff.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yeah you should have a few chockies yes.
JOURNALIST:
There you have it.
JOURNALIST:
You heard it from the top dog.
JOURNALIST:
All you need are two tim tam barcodes to enter. All the details check out the website – timtam.com.au and you could win a million dollars cash. Visit timtam.com.au right now.
[commercial break]
JOURNALIST:
Tracey and Matt at 101.9 the Fox with Amanda Blair filling in for Trace this week and we';re joined in the studio by the Prime Minister, John Howard.
JOURNALIST:
Don';t you love saying it – the Prime Minister is in here – sorry you';ve turned me off – don';t you love saying that Prime Minister of Australia is in here with us this morning sharing our studio, I think it';s quite nice and I';m quite flattered to, well not flattered I';m quite delighted to meet you because Matt and I were talking about it before that we';ve seen you so many times on television and we';ve heard you on radio and it';s kind of that thing where we';re going “oh my god he';s going to come in here”, it';s almost looks like you';re a cartoon character that';s walked in and I don';t mean that with any disrespect. I mean that it';s just sort of like “oh he';s here and he';s alive”.
Now I';ve got a question for you. When you were a kid what did you want to be? Did you want to be the Prime Minister of Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
I wanted to play cricket for Australia but I discovered pretty early that my prowess was not good enough.
JOURNALIST:
I know that feeling.
JOURNALIST:
How early?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh I sort of wanted to play cricket for Australia when I, from about the age of eight or nine, then I discovered by the age of about 12 that it wasn';t going to happen. I was, I got very interested in politics in my teens. I don';t know that I ever sort of had that view that I';d one day end up Prime Minister. I mean I didn';t get photographed outside the Lodge for the family album at the age of 15 or any of that sort of stuff. As some others in the Parliament….
JOURNALIST:
Come on, point the finger, who done that?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, no I won';t. I';ll be very, very even handed.
JOURNALIST:
We';re you the bossy kid at school?
PRIME MINISTER:
People have been photographed outside Downing Street and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and that.
JOURNALIST:
Really. Who was it? Was it Kim Beazley? Are you pointing the finger.
PRIME MINISTER:
No I';m not actually, no, no.
JOURNALIST:
Corner him.
JOURNALIST:
Malcolm Fraser.
PRIME MINISTER:
Others.
JOURNALIST:
We';re you the bossy kid at school though?
PRIME MINISTER:
Others who will remain nameless.
JOURNALIST:
We';re you the bossy kid at school though? We';re you the bossy kid at school? Were you sort of always telling people to pick up their rubbish.
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh, no, no, no.
JOURNALIST:
Were you a lunch monitor? We';re you the kid that sucked up?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think I did a bit of lunch monitoring. Yes.
JOURNALIST:
That';s quite good.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, spectacular days.
JOURNALIST:
That would have been good.
JOURNALIST:
Now what about, there';s something I want to ask you about because you';re very much known as the family man and we watched that Australian Story and you keep it quite private but you do – is it one daughter or two?
PRIME MINISTER:
I have a daughter.
JOURNALIST:
Melanie isn';t it.
PRIME MINISTER:
Melanie is 27.
JOURNALIST:
How is it for her when she brings home a new boyfriend or something to meet the Prime Minister to your house for dinner?
JOURNALIST:
Yeah.
JOURNALIST:
Do you go easy on them? Is it hard?
PRIME MINISTER:
Absolutely. She';s got, she';s got, she';s had, she';s got good taste in men at the moment. She';s seeing a bloke, he';s a terrific fella.
JOURNALIST:
Is he overly agreeable when it comes to politics?
PRIME MINISTER:
He';s just a very nice bloke and I like him and we try and sort of make anybody feel very welcome because our kids being around us when they want to be is very important to us. We have fortunately, touch wood, we have a very good relationship with our adult children.
JOURNALIST:
With that, with that…
PRIME MINISTER:
And we work very hard to sort of treat them as adults. I mean that';s the way you, treating children in an easy open sort of best as possible on an equal basis at every stage in their life is part of being a good parent.
JOURNALIST:
And Janette… sorry.
JOURNALIST:
I was just going to say does your wife, does she have to like lobby for you to increase spending maybe on clothes over the next year?
PRIME MINISTER:
Matt, look we';ve had a joint bank account from year dot, she doesn';t need to lobby.
JOURNALIST:
Budgeted like.
PRIME MINISTER:
No, but she';s got, she';s got very good sense of economic control in money my wife.
JOURNALIST:
Does she, does she hold the purse strings at home? Does she do all that and you just like do as you';re told?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh no, no, we just sort of, whatever has to be done is done.
JOURNALIST:
Do you every pop out to the 7 Eleven to get any bread and milk or anything like that? Do you every run out?
PRIME MINISTER:
I have, I mean not so much in the last few years, but I used to do it very regularly.
JOURNALIST:
Did you?
PRIME MINISTER:
When, before I became Prime Minister, when we were living in another part of Sydney I used to do it on a very regular basis.
JOURNALIST:
Do you cook? Do you cook at home?
PRIME MINISTER:
No.
JOURNALIST:
No you don';t?
PRIME MINISTER:
I can';t claim but I prepare my own breakfast and always have in the whole time that we';ve been married, but I';m not a cook, I can';t claim to be a cook and you know everybody thinks it, at home, it should just stay that way.
JOURNALIST:
What, what is the worst thing about being the Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh I don';t know that there is a bad thing about being Prime Minister.
JOURNALIST:
Surely these interviews aren';t high on your list?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, no there really isn';t. I mean, I know, I don';t want this to sound corny, it';s not meant to sound corny but it is an incredible privilege to be Prime Minister of this fantastic country and there';s not been a day of the last five and a half years that I';ve woken up and said, and thought to myself, I wish I didn';t have this job. Not a day.
JOURNALIST:
Don';t you get sick of it though? Don';t you get tired?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look everybody in their job has taxing moments and you';ll get periods of being physically tired of course, but I am still quite excited by the job, even when things don';t go well, my determination to keep going, to get over the problem in front of me, but I can honestly say that there has not been a day that I have been in this position that I have felt, gee I wish I didn';t have this job. I can honestly said it is the most fantastic experience and every day you meet a new group of Australians and every day you get a better understanding of what makes our country tick. We';ve got a lot of variety we have, and a lot of fascinating people.
JOURNALIST:
Sorry to interrupt, but we are running out of time.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, yes you';ve got to pay your sponsors, yes.
JOURNALIST:
Yes and that sort of stuff. As I said we had a lot of questions but we should probably finished on a very puerile note being that';s what we';re renown for but Josh from Heidelberg wanted to know who does the worst farts you or Peter Costello? That was his question.
JOURNALIST:
Yes.
JOURNALIST:
So we gave him the opportunity.
PRIME MINISTER:
I think I';ll give that a miss.ER:
I think I';ll give that a miss.
JOURNALIST:
Alright Josh we did ask. He demanded that we did, he said it was his right as a member of this great democracy.
PRIME MINISTER:
Indeed.
JOURNALIST:
To ask questions like that. So thank you for coming in Mr Howard.
JOURNALIST:
Yeah thank you and good luck on Saturday.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you
[ends]