PM: Well thank you ladies and gentlemen.
The families, parents, local communities and police at the local level have been dealing with the problem of binge drinking for a long, long time. Families, parents, local communities know that binge drinking is a problem right across the country. What we find is that families and local police and communities have been trying to do their bit to turn this problem around, and today the Australian Government is putting up its hand to partner with them to try, to try to turn this problem around.
If you look at some of the figures, we have a big challenge on our hands. There is a 2005 survey by the Australian Secondary Students, of Australian Secondary Students Alcohol and Drug Survey. And it found that in a given week, approximately one in ten, that is 168,000 young people aged 12 to 17, reported binge drinking or drinking at risky levels. For 16 and 17 year olds, one in five drank at risky levels. In an earlier survey, 13 per cent of 18 to 20 year olds drank 13 or more standard drinks each time they visited a club, 83 per cent left the club as the driver of a vehicle and 70 per cent of males and 30 per cent of females believed that drinking was an important tradition at their club.
Ultimately, this, of course, is a question of personal responsibility. But what we propose to do is to, as the Australian Government, to do what we can to partner with parents and local communities and with families and with local police and sporting organisations to try and turn this problem around.
Therefore, we're announcing today a $53 million program, which has three parts to it.
A $14.4 million investment in community level initiatives to confront the culture of binge drinking, particularly in sporting organisations. This funding, in particular, would be dedicated to sporting clubs to assist them in developing local codes of conduct in relation to binge drinking. The Government will also take sporting organisations actions on this question into account in the possible future consideration of grants to such sporting organisations.
Secondly, the question of personal responsibility. $19.1 million to support innovative early intervention and diversion programs for young people under the age of 18. That is where young people are found binge drinking, to provide funding and support to assist to turn those young people around.
The possible initiatives there range anything from requiring young people to participate in educational and/or diversionary activities. Or even to allow the authorities to confiscate alcohol and to provide formal warnings. Our objective under this program is to have a major pilot project up and running in each state capital of Australia during the course of 2008. We need to learn how this can work effectively at a community level.
The third part of this new national binge drinking strategy is this: $20 million over two years in a hard hitting television, radio and internet campaign that confronts young people with the costs and consequences of binge drinking.
I can remember the impact of the HIV/AIDS television campaign in the ‘80s. Also, the impact of more recent television campaigns on smoking, also on the road toll. This ‘in your face' sort of advertising is necessary to confront young people with what happens if you go out binge drinking. It damages your health, increases the risk of damaging your life permanently through a car smash, or losing your life. And, I believe we need a no-holds-barred approach to putting it right in the face of young people as to what happens unless this is turned around.
The last thing I'd say is we don't pretend to have all the answers on this. We've actually spent quite some weeks working this through. But we believe this is a positive step in the right direction. We'll be reviewing this approach in 12 months time against the measures to see what effect has been yielded through this investment. In the meantime, we will be examining other measures through Nicola's department on how we can supplement this campaign with round two of a national binge drinking strategy in 2009.
I conclude where I began. Right across the community mums and dads know this is a real problem. They are trying hard to deal with it at the local community level. The Australian Government now wants to partner with them to see what we can do practically to turn this around. Nicola, do you want to add?
ROXON: Thanks very much. Look, as the Prime Minister has already outlined, this is an issue which is hurting our kids. It's hurting our communities but also, it is hurting our hospitals. I travelled around the country and talk to parents who raise this is as an issue all the time. But just as often I talk to health professionals who discuss the problems they're presented with in emergency departments every night. We know that this culture of drinking is causing great harm to many, many children and we know that it's going to cause even more harm if we don't do something, to do our bit to help stop it.
So the Prime Minister's taken you through the three initiatives that we are announcing today. This is a really important step in the way we tackle the problems of alcohol in our community.
More broadly, these initiatives will then be considered and any further work that the Government might be able to do in our preventative healthcare taskforce, an election commitment that was made, which is going to prioritise the issues of excessive consumption of alcohol. Also the use of tobacco and obesity. Three of the major drivers of health problems across the country.
But today we're focussed very much on what binge drinking does for young people. We know that we have a culture that is developing that is causing serious problems for young people. And we think we need to do our share in helping solve this problem.
If we get it right, this is of course going to make a huge difference to those young people whose lives can be so seriously damaged by not just the drinking, but the accidents and other incidents that often flow from binge drinking. But it will also have an impact on our hospitals on the work of our health professionals across the country, and we know that we have to work with parents and the community to really start to turn this trend around.
PM: Just as we go into this, to conclude. A couple of things we haven't included in this package which will be addressed either with the States and Territories or subject to further internal examination by us. One is alcohol advertising. That of course is subject to some consideration internally at the moment. That will take some time to work through. There is also I believe, a Parliamentary report which is being prepared on aspects of that. Secondly, proper labelling. And thirdly, the adequacy of existing State and Territory laws when it comes to dispensing alcohol to minors, or those suffering from intense intoxication.
So those have not been swept under the carpet. They are still being examined, and they would form part of continuing review by the Health Department during the course of this year, but we thought it was important to start work now in these areas.
JOURNALIST: I was just going to ask whether you are, you mentioned an uncomfortable dilemma with alcohol advertising on television (inaudible) encourages people to think that binge drinking should be part of that culture?
PM: Well, you want a personal view on that, personal view is yes. But we'd like to submit this to some more science and that's why I'm saying it's there, part of the mix for the examination in the year ahead, but I'd much rather get cracking now on these three specific areas.
JOURNALIST: On that front of science there has been various studies that suggested that really graphic advertisements on road toll, for example don't work. Why do you think these will? And, what would you say to people, you know, most people have experiences with binge drinking themselves. You have spoken about your experience overseas. If their parents or the Prime Minister is setting that sort of example, why should anybody else do any different?
PM: Well, I don't stand before you as some sort of saint. Never have, never will do. But what I do know is that when it comes to young people, particularly in that age bracket with the stats I read out before, the age bracket of 12 to 13 to the ages of 17 to 18, the risk of bringing about fundamental damage, brain damage, not to mention other health conditions, is very great indeed. That's why we need to take action here.
So I keep saying in my remarks to you today, there is no total solution to this problem. But we believe this is a step in the right direction. And by the way, on the case of the HIV/AIDS campaign back in I think it was the ‘80s, or maybe it was the early ‘90s, most health experts I've spoken to said that it was highly effective in changing behaviour. I stand to be corrected in terms of some of the other campaigns that you've referred to.
JOURNALIST: In what circumstances do you see sporting organisations having their grants either reduced or withdrawn? What would need to happen for you to do that?
PM: Well this will be worked out Mark, in great detail with sporting organisations. That's why a significant amount of money is dedicated in this program to working out protocols with them. A baseline thing though might be this. Might be, might be. And that is, for a local sporting club to have a clear code of conduct on what constitutes acceptable levels of drinking and not. I mean, I'm no wowser on this sort of stuff. I mean, everyone likes to go out and have a good time. Good on them. But it's where sporting clubs actually draw the line. So having a code of conduct which is developed, with the players or the members of the club, I think that would be a good start.
But if you've got sporting clubs who are out there who just basically take no responsibility at all, maybe that's where we've got to start to have a hard look about whether they should be recipients of long term funding support from the Commonwealth.
JOURNALIST: A lot of sporting clubs are sponsored by (inaudible) I think the Broncos are. (Inaudible). Do you think that will go hand in hand with this?
PM: Well, I think everyone needs a decent code of conduct. I mean, you've got certainly under brewing companies and others who are active sponsors of sporting events and of sporting teams. I mean, I just recognise that up front. It's what you actually do to change behaviour. The whole thrust of what we put forward today is about personal responsibility. Families and communities and local police have been doing a lot on this front. And I think it's time we put up our hand as the national Government as said ‘here is some extra help'. But I do think, frankly, scaring the living daylights out of young people about the health impact of binge drinking in terms of brain damage, I don't think it's going to do any harm and it might just do some good.
JOURNALIST: What do you think is the root cause of young people going out and getting themselves (inaudible) like that? I mean, it's quite an extreme thing to do. You could prevent it, I guess, you could scare them. But what is the root cause?
PM: You know Malcolm, I don't know, is the honest answer. It's a really complex one. And that's why we spent some time grappling with this. When people first asked me about binge drinking, it was quite some time ago, you in the gallery, and we have thought long and hard about this. There is no easy answer. How do you change any person's behaviour which is heading in a personally and socially destructive direction - don't know.
What I do know, however, is that what seems to be a missing element in the attitudes of young people is knowing there is a direct relationship between serious binge drinking, 170,000 young people I just referred to, on the one hand, and, for example, brain damage on the other. I don't think they make that connection at present. Therefore, our job, through the advertising campaign and other campaigns, is to draw those threads together. It just hopefully will make young people think.
JOURNALIST: PM, you say you're not a wowser. So what sort of advertisement would be okay? We've seen the VB ads, the (inaudible) ads that have been running since the ‘70s, ‘you can get it driving a truck', that sort of thing. Is that ad okay, or are you worried about the ads that target younger people?
PM: Well, not only do I know that I'm not a wowser; I also know that I'm not a creative designer. So, there is a whole bunch of things which other people do a whole lot better than I do. That's one of them. And at the moment you have some people in politics saying an ad should look like this or look like that. The only suggestion I would have to those designing such an ad campaign, an ad campaign by the way which has to go through the scrutiny mechanisms which we've outlined in other policy, which has been outlined earlier by Senator Faulkner. Is that it's effective in confronting, in the eye balls, young people with the direct health consequences to themselves. Not just TV, radio and also the new media, internet based communication.
JOURNALIST: (Inaudible) also on grants, you talk about codes of conduct, is that only for players or are you also talking about how sporting organisations (inaudible) Federal Government funding monitor the drinking of people in their clubs?
PM: Let me take those, take the second question first which relates to how we would scrutinise grants to clubs in the future. It's whether they have a code of conduct which applies to those who use their clubs as well as those who are, as it were, active supporting members of their clubs.
And, Laura, your first question was?
JOURNALIST: About whether you'd contemplate a broad ban (inaudible)
PM: No, that's not in range. But, I think -
JOURNALIST: Why not?
PM: Well we've got to take this one step at a time. I think, we pushed this whole problem to one side for too long. I'm saying; let's change the direction of the ship from there to here in terms of bringing some appropriate national focus to bare on this. Let's measure it in 12 months time. If it's working, well, we'll know where to put more resources. If it's not, then let's look at other measures. And I ran through some of the other measures before.
JOURNALIST: What's your message to the big football codes? Do you think they've allowed this problem to grow through the actions of some of their players and also sponsorship which they take on?
PM: I'm not in the business of pointing the finger at any particular club or player or anything else. I think it's a problem for all of us. It's a problem for mums and dads right across Australia. I know very few mums and dads with teenage kids who don't worry about this. And, therefore, it's something which whether kids are following this code or that code or not following any code, it's become a growing part of, shall I say, local social culture among young people for whatever reasons - sporty cultures, non sporty cultures. Therefore, I don't think it's helpful to say that ‘A, B and C are to blame'. What I'm in the business of is finding answers. And I think what we've got here is a package of reasonable ways forward.
But, I say, this is not the total solution. In twelve months time we will be back looking at the numbers again. And I may be saying to you, ‘this didn't work properly, let's have another go and do something else'.
JOURNALIST: What about some of those products such as alco-pops and ready to drink type beverages that are favoured by young people when they go out. Are you concerned about those sorts of marketing tools? And is that something you'll have a look at?
PM: Nicola and I have been talking about this today actually. I might ask Nicola to respond.
ROXON: Yes, look, obviously these are some of the products that are getting young people interested in alcohol and making it easier for serious amounts of alcohol to be consumed. Those are the sort of quotes you always here in the research, kids saying ‘oh, I couldn't taste the alcohol'. And, these products do need to be considered closely. The initiatives that we've announced today are a good first step for us to be tackling this problem, but we will be looking closely at the way those products are marketed, make sure that they are complying with all of the regulations that currently exist. And when we're looking at the broader picture, of course, they will be ones that I'm sure many of the health groups in particular, will be wanting to talk to us about.
JOURNALIST: You have previously spoken about how you want to tackle this problem in (inaudible) with the states. What role do you see for the states and territories? And secondly, has the problem really gotten worse in recent years, is it not a right of passage for every young generation to (inaudible)
PM: On the first question of the States and Territories, and I will throw to Nicola on that as well, as she has been talking to our colleagues on this, some of those measures I ran through before like labelling and like the enforcement of regulations and fines regimes against liquor outlets in selling alcohol to minors or to people who are seriously intoxicated. They are state responsibilities. That is why we want to spend further time this year working with them on how that can be improved. So we do accept they have responsibilities. We want to work in partnership with them with these national initiatives that I put forward just now.
And Nicola, you might want to add to that.
ROXON: Yeah, look I do want to just add to that because there has been a number of discussions already between health colleagues at the State and Territory level. Many of you will have followed the announcement we made some time ago about the $50 million investment of the COAG initiative into alcohol treatment and rehabilitation for Indigenous communities. This is a second contribution we are making in this space and certainly our discussions with the States and Territories will continue, because it is an area where we do have a lot of shared responsibilities and we need to work together to find some solutions.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd, you are a father of teenage children, have you spoken to your children about binge drinking and what impact has that had upon policy?
PM: Look, I don't want to, get into detail about conversations I have with my kids. But when I say that I don't know any parents for whom this is not a concern, I include myself as a parent, and therefore, what impact have my chats had with our kids over the years? Some, and they are good. But I mean part of the response we get from parents across the community is, ‘here is a practical challenge for you'. Young people are starting to get towards a drinking age, and their parents are wrestling with this dilemma, when should you begin introducing a young person into responsible drinking?
This is something I actually don't have any particular wisdom on, but these are the sorts of conversations going around the dinner tables of Australia this evening and there is no magical answer to it. But I think those conversations are made easier if the debate is open and in the public and being pushed forward by the means that we have put forward today, including advertising campaigns.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, when we last spoke, you spoke strongly on the question of the Government's payments to carers and seniors, but you did not explicitly rule out withdrawing those payments. Shouldn't you do that in light of the fact that this issue has caused so much angst, or if you can't, aren't we to take it that those payments really are in play?
PM: Well when I said, Tim, that our carers and our pensioners shouldn't be left in the lurch that is precisely what I meant. And that is, that when it comes to the bonuses system, carers and pensioners will not be any worse off under the Budget, and beyond that, what we are looking at is ways and means by which we can provide greater financial certainty for carers and pensioners into the long term future.
JOURNALIST: (Inaudible)
PM: We've said, and we were quite plain, that carers and pensioners would not be worse off under the budget when it comes to that bonus system that you referred to. And for the longer term, the challenge that Jenny Macklin, and others have been wrestling with is how do we put all this on to a more secure, predictable basis for carers and pensioners into the long term future rather than having to deal simply with a series of one offs.
JOURNALIST: (Inaudible) Has the ERC come to a general position about what it does with the (inaudible) surge in revenue? The Treasurer has talked about (inaudible) surplus, do you see any role for these one off payments in future?
PM: Well I think when it comes to the general budgetary process including the ERC, I don't think you would expect me to give you a blow by blow account as to how all that unfolds.
JOURNALIST: (Inaudible)
PM: Well I think you are actually. And I am not about to give you a blow by blow rendition. It is an unfolding, internal, deliberative process, we will work our way through. As you know the expenditure demands on Government and the revenue situation is in a constant state of flux. Nothing different from this as in previous years. We will work through it quite methodically. It is important, however, from the debate in the last few days, to make sure that our most vulnerable in the community, have their fears allayed.
JOURNALIST: Do you think that you're talk, constant talk about pain in the Budget, not just yours but your fellow Ministers, has frightened some vulnerable groups?
PM: I can't answer that question, honestly, Michelle. What I can say is that if you have got to make some serious cuts to spending, in the administrative areas of departments, it is going to hurt and that is just the truth of it. You can just continue on regardless as the previous Government did with running outlays at 4.5 per cent real, and just pretend there is not an inflation problem, which seems to be the economic philosophy of those opposite at present. No inflation problem, forget the fact that productivity growth has collapsed in a hole. Can't identify a single spending cut and then convey the impression that there is somehow a recipe for that in responsible economic management. Well we have a different view. Inflation is a real problem. Productivity growth, has ground down to zero and we can't sustain outlay to the level of 4.5 per cent real in the year ahead.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd could your party give a lead (inaudible) donations from brewers and for licensed clubs?
PM: Well on these questions I have always got an open mind, but it is not something we have looked at yet, but we are going to have a go at the national binge drinking strategy that I outlined before for the year ahead. But I have a completely open mind as to how we go in the future. A completely open mind. This is a real challenge for mums and dads. Think of the number of young people in that age bracket of 12 to 17, and according to this fairly recent survey data, 170,000 of them each week are reporting binge drinking levels. That is a lot of young people and we need to do something about it.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd on the subject of Nauru, are Australian (inaudible) being sent and is there also going to be an increase in police going to PNG (inaudible)
PM: Firstly, on PNG, my discussions with Prime Minister Somare were about a whole range of things on the bilateral cooperation front, including law and order. The PNG Police Commissioner, as I am advised, has already put forward a submission to the Australian counterpart for additional police advisers. I understand we are responding to that positively. How many has not yet been determined, but there would be more.
On Nauru, I'll have to come back to you.
JOURNALST: Mr Rudd on the issue of MPs consulting, have you taken information, taken (inaudible) to make sure that your own MPs are not engaged in any consultancies (inaudible) Mark Vaile engaged in, in recent times? (inaudible)
PM: I think all MPs are required to make sure their register is correct. And with Labor Party members I am sure they will be attentive to their requirements on that. As, I think you or someone else raised a question the other day with us about my own company, Australia China Consultancies, back in the time when I first came into parliament. That company existed right through I think my first term in Parliament and was concluded at that point. And that's reflected as being a source of income to me in my pecuniary interest register at the time. As for others, we need to check they will be attentive to the accuracy -
JOURNALIST: Just to clarify, you received income from that consultancy after you entered the -
PM: As declared in my interest registry at the time.
JOURNALIST: Did you continue with the consultancy work that you were doing prior to (inaudible)
PM: Well I think in my own case when I won the seat of Griffith, there was no particular certainty about winning the seat of Griffith so as my only source of income was the private company I headed. Then you, it was important to -
JOURNALIST: (Inaudible)
PM: Of course, that was what I just said before. Is that that company ran through the period following the election, there was a revenue stream from it. I think into the next couple of years, it was concluded by the time I got to the following election.
JOURNALIST: Did you travel overseas with that company too?
PM: No, not at all. But as I said that is fully declared in my pecuniary interest register as a source of continuing income through the ACC.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible)
PM: Oh I can't recall, I don't think so. I don't think so. But as I said, we are required to declare it. It was declared, it has been there since the beginning. And I think, you know I imagine other members have been in a similar circumstance in the past as well. I think what I concluded by the end of that first term was that is was simply not sustainable in terms of workload even as a backbencher to maintain that and to then discharge the full range of responsibilities let alone as you subsequently became a front bencher.
JOURNALIST: (Inaudible) parliament sitting on Fridays considering (inaudible) back down?
PM: Well I think the thing there Matthew, is that her Majesty's loyal opposition decided to just turn it into a general sort of Barman and Baileys circus rather than treat it as private members business. If the opposition are going to turn parliament into a Barman and Bailey circus then there is no point sustaining a three ring circus, you just get on with the business of parliament and I think Anthony Albanese handled that pretty well the other day. Dennis?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister as a matter of principle, should now backbench MPs maintain private consultancies outside of their duty as MPs?
PM: I think, my own experience is that it is not possible to sustain that in terms of your - it is perfectly lawful to sustain it - it is not practically possible in terms of the demands on your time and as a newly elected member, that was certainly the conclusion I drew during the course of that first term.
JOURNALIST: But it is not just an issue of whether, you know you can get the job done, do you have any concerns that people that could be dealing with you overseas would be confused about who they were talking to, whether it's someone from the government or -
PM: I think that is a legitimate principle and certainly one that we will look at further.
JOURNALIST: But you weren't concerned at the time, yourself?
PM: Well as I understood at the time I think there were other, many other precedents for it at the time as well. And as I said the conclusion I drew was that it was not, not practically sustainable. And certainly not at the point, which I was approaching the subsequent election.
JOURNALIST: (Inaudible) Do you believe that this sort of practice should continue?
PM: As I said it is, on the question of, there are two points allied in this. One is how you deal with the practical impost on your time as a member of parliament. And the second is any possible perceived conflict of interest particularly when you either are approaching a position of responsibility in terms of the executive of the party, or whether you have perhaps been in one. So I think it is time to clear this up, to answer your question. And that is one of the things that we will be looking to very soon.
JOURNALIST: So what is your position on Mr Vaile?
PM: Mr Vaile? I think both with himself and with the other Liberal members who haven't been attending fully to their parliamentary responsibilities, I think it is important they make a decision about whether they are going to stay in the parliament or not. But I think in my own case, it is certainly something I became more than convinced of during my first term in this place, which is about ten years ago. That it was simply not doable in terms of the time available as an opposition back bencher.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible) as to whether there should be a rule or a guideline for MPs?
PM: I think so. I think that is, having looked at it, even for back benchers. I remember the circumstances of some folk when they arrived here, they had no other source of income, you've actually got a company, and that is it. And then it takes a while to wind it down. The process of winding down that company of mine began at that time. It took some time to get there. It was a practical consideration too in terms of the availability of, in terms of the availability of the sheer amount of time you need to do your job as a member of parliament. As your committee responsibilities increase you get a greater sense of what needs to be done in this place.
JOURNALIST: Wouldn't that become all very sticky though when you have got people (inaudible)
PM: Well that's, yes it is difficult and this was presented to me I remember at the time as I became a member of Parliament which is that (inaudible) sustained if you were a lawyer, a barrister you could take cases. If you have other pre-existing interests, it is very difficult to simply cut that off. So that is why it has been a bit complex. But I think it is time to provide some clarity on this and we will be doing so.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd, Wilson Tuckey (inaudible) shipping tools, all across Australia for the last five years. There does seem to be a loophole in the pecuniary interest register that allows him to do this. Would you look at tidying up the laws so that MPs can't do this sort of thing?
PM: Well I don't know the full detail of what Wilson has been up to. Wilson is often a voyage of discovery in more ways that one. So I think it's primarily a responsibility for himself and Dr Nelson to clear up. But can I say when it comes to transparency and accountability there are higher expectations of those of us in the political process. And if there is more to be done in the demands of pecuniary interest registration process and what is contained within it, then Senator Faulkner I am sure has that in his in tray.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd do you think the merger of the Liberal and National party will present a formidable political foe to the Labor Party?
PM: I think the problem for the Liberal Party and the National Party is they don't know what they stand for. Ultimately it is a matter for them. But what do they stand for? What does the National Party stand for these days? I am not altogether sure. If they are supposed to stand up for the interests of rural Australian they are certainly a declining force out there because they haven't done so for a long, long time. Where does the Liberal Party stand in terms of protecting working families? Where do they stand on industrial relations? Where do they stand on Kyoto? Where do they stand on Iraq? Where do they stand on anything anymore? I am not sure. The problem that these two parties present at the moment is that it is quite unclear to the Australian people what principles they stand for.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd the other day on donations, you mentioned a caps on donations...for organisations, from companies, and individuals. You didn't mention unions. Would you be including them in that category?
PM: I think it is important that if you are fair 'dinkum about this then you have got to look at general caps, which don't benefit one side of politics or the other. But I was very clear the other day about putting numbers forward because I think we need to have a serious and intelligent discussion/debate about it rather than just, you know, pluck a number out of space. I notice, I think it was Mr Turnbull the other day, said that individuals should be excluded from any such cap limit. If you are going to have caps they have got to apply to individuals, they have got to apply to organisations, companies, etcetera.
So therefore, we will take some time working our way through it. But I go back to the other principles we put forward. I think it is time to turn the corner, in the political donations culture. That's why it is important to bring the disclosure limit back to something which is half reasonable. We have done that, I think in our proposal for 1000. But also to cover off some of the other things that I addressed the other day as well.