Subjects: Rural Transaction Centre; living wages; country Australia; terrorism bill; war veterans and widows.
E&OE...........
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister the RTC funding programme in two years will go, I think that';s correct, what are its chances of being renewed?
PRIME MINISTER:
It';s been a very successful programme and we';ll obviously look at that question as we get near the end of the current round of funding but it';s been very successful and we';ll wait and see. But it has been very successful, I don';t want to make a commitment to you now as that wouldn';t be sensible. What it's done is to maintain critical service mass in small country communities. And you can see today, I mean this is tremendously important, these people have now got the full range of financial services and that is great news for country Australians and we want to hang onto these small country communities, they';re part of being, our spiritual existence. You';ve got to have these small country communities.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister what';s your reaction to the living wage case decision?
PRIME MINISTER:
It does appear to be something of a compromise between the no increase case that was put by the employers and the $25 I think that was sought by the unions. The real driver of great satisfaction in this country is the strength of the economy and over the last few years we';ve delivered increases in real wages and local interest rates and more jobs. And that';s the best thing that any Government can do. But we believe in wage justice for the low income people of this country. But the best thing that you do for them is still to have more jobs, low interest rates and rising real wages.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible) is over?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think it will give the town a real charge, it brings facilities but it also brings hope and one of the things that was happening in country Australia a few years ago was that people were losing hope. Things were going against them with their prices and their rural industries. Now over the last two years that';s got better, interest rates have come down and now they see the maintenance of basic services and in some cases a return of basic services. The last bank left Ganmain I';m told in 1994. Now that';s a long time ago, and the credit union was back a few years later. But this will give it an assured base of financial services and it is important that communities like this have those services and that';s why we brought in the Regional Transaction Centre programme. It will help, but the efforts of the local community are even more important.
JOURNALIST:
Are you concerned about the terrorism bill, is there any way that it can be modified without jeopardising the need for more vigilance?
PRIME MINISTER:
I haven';t examined the detail of the Senate report yet. I will and I';ll make a decision after I';ve done that. We need the Bill, that';s not to say it has to be passed precisely as originally presented but if there is any attempt to significantly weaken it so that it loses the purpose for which it was introduced then obviously we can';t agree to that. But I';ll have a look at what the Senate committee';s got to say and if there are changes that make sense and don';t weaken the purpose of the bill then those can be made.
JOURNALIST:
In the living wage case decision, is the figure too high?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, as I said, it';s a compromise between the two propositions, one put by the employers and one put by the unions.
JOURNALIST:
So you';re happy with that (inaudible)?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look I accept the decision because I want people to feel that we have a fair system in this country but the best thing I can do for the workers of Australia is create an economy that gives them jobs, low interest rates and rising income. That';s what we done over the last six years.
JOURNALIST:
Will the Federal Government improve what been, what some claim is inadequate compensation for war veterans and widows?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think the war veterans and war widows have been in a number of areas that';s seen their benefits increase significantly over the time that we';ve been in Government and for example the things that the Gold Card have been very widely welcomed in the veteran community.
Thank you.
[ends]