JULIA GILLARD: It's a great pleasure to be here today to launch this report, capturing the voices of Australian school children participating in the 2020 Summit process. We called on Australian schools to participate in 2020. we wanted to make sure that when the Youth Summit meets in Canberra and when the final 2020 Summit meets in Canberra, that they've heard the voices of Australian young people. And the students who are in school today are going to be the adults of 2020 so we wanted to capture their ideas. This report contains feedback from School Summits in more than 500 schools. It contains the voices of thousands of school students, thinking about what sort of world they want to live in, in 2020. And I don't think its surprising the single most popular stream to talk about was climate change because young people know that we've got to grapple with the challenge of climate change and that's so important for their future. But they also talked about the economy, education and health, the future for Indigenous Australians. We've got the voices of young Australians recorded on all of these things.
This report is going to go to tomorrow's Youth Summit, where 100 young people from around the country will meet in Canberra in their own 2020 Summit. And then the voice from the Youth Summit will go to the full 2020 Summit on the following weekend. It has been an exciting time in the schools that have participated. It is going to be an exciting weekend in the Youth Summit. And I am very pleased that when 1000 of Australia's best and brightest meet in Canberra for the 2020 Summit, they will hear the powerful voices of Australian young people from this report and from the Youth Summit to meet this weekend. Are there questions?
JOURNALIST: From what you've read from the feedback from students, can you paint us a picture of what they imagine 2020 will look like?
JULIA GILLARD: Well, they imagine, they I think are very well aware of the sorts of discussions that people are having today and they think about what that could mean for the future. A lot of the ideas are about the environment, they're about climate change, about water, about better transport systems, better ways of getting around without creating greenhouse gas emissions. Many of the ideas are about a fairer future for Indigenous Australians. Many young people saw the Apology to the Stolen Generations and they are now reflecting a mood I think of reconciliation in the country. And many are about better assistance in education and in health and many also worry about the price of housing, probably reflecting some of the discussions they hear at home. So we have got ideas right across the board from young people around the country.
JOURNALIST: Did the children say their teachers need a pay rise at all?
[Laugh]
JULIA GILLARD: Well, I did note that one of the ideas was to replace teachers with robots. That's not something that we are considering. I suppose we wouldn't have to pay the robots but we would have to have the maintenance. But I think there is probably a concern from young people about the education system and about how they fit into it.
JOURNALIST: Are you concerned about the safety of Australian athletes in China in the wake of the revelations overnight?
JULIA GILLARD: Of course I've watched the news and we are always concerned bout these questions. Can I say on the question of the security at the Olympics, obviously securing the Olympics is predominantly a matter for Chinese authorities. Our local security people are working with the Chinese authorities on the question of security. These are world events, these are exciting events, many of our athletes have trained all of their lives, they have dreamed from kindergarten onwards about getting to go to the Olympics and realising their dreams of perhaps winning a medal. So this is a time of excitement but it is also a time of prudent preparation on the security front and those matters are being attended to with our local security experts working with the Chinese government.
JOURNALIST: Will the Australian team have their own security as well as what China provides?
JULIA GILLARD: I won't comment on operational matters. What I will say though is we are assisted in this country by the Australian Federal Police and from other security agencies with the best possible assistance and advice.
JOURNALIST: Do you have confidence in the Chinese government's preparation and the security to protect our athletes?
JULIA GILLARD: I am not going to comment on what are operational matters. What I certainly will say is that our local security people, who are very expert, will be working with the Chinese government. The Chinese government of course is predominately responsible for security at the Games but our local security people will be collaborating with them.
JOURNALIST: The Victorian Government's changes to poker machines. Would you like to see the reduction in the number of poker machines?
JULIA GILLARD: The Prime Minister has shown a key concern about the impact of poker machines and gaming more generally on families around the country. I think many Australians would know from their own circle of family and friends someone who has struggled with gaming addiction and the dreadful consequences it can have for them and their families. Because of that concern the Prime Minister has asked our Minister for Families, Jenny Macklin to meet with her State and Territory counterparts to talk about gaming and what can be done to reduce the harm and she will be doing that in June.
JOURNALIST: Will that affect the number of machines though?
JULIA GILLARD: Those discussions are yet to be had; they'll be had in June, they'll be had between the Federal government and State and Territory governments. Like many issues that affect the nation, we can only come up with the best solutions when the Federal government works with State and Territory governments. That's why the Rudd Labor Government is so focused on ending years and years of blame game where the former government thought that the best thing to do was to blame State governments but not fix problems. We believe in fixing problems, we believe in fixing them through discussion with our State and Territory colleagues and that will be occurring.
JOURNALIST: On the Olympics, Brendan Nelson this morning said he expects that the IOC will can the Torch Relay a little earlier than expected and he is supportive of it. What's your view?
JULIA GILLARD: This is a matter, at the end of the day, for the IOC. Can I say I think that there would be many Australians disappointed if the Torch didn't come to this country. It is the symbol of the Olympics; the Olympics are an exciting event. Many people look forward to going out and seeing the Torch, particularly people who couldn't dream really of going to the Olympics themselves, its one way of them visibly being engaged in the Olympic spirit. So I think people would be disappointed. This is a decision for the IOC at the end of the day and they will make it.
JOURNALIST: Do you think it's appropriate that a 14 year old girl be the face of Fashion Week?
JULIA GILLARD: I'm always concerned about young people and their images and stereotypes, about body image. We know of course in this country that we struggle with an epidemic of obesity on the one hand and then too many young people who fall victim to anorexia and other eating disorders on the other hand. I think it's important that magazines and the popular media show realistic images of what it is to be young and to be healthy. On the question of the individual girl involved, obviously this is a decision that her family will make paying appropriate regard to her welfare and making sure that school and other things happen. So I am not going to give advice to that individual family but overall I think it is very important that our mainstream media is reflecting back to the community realistic, everyday images of what its like to be young, to be fit, to be healthy, to be energetic, rather than some of the images we see particularly in magazines for girls which are images of unrealistically thin people, often those images altered in a way that's not apparent to the person flicking through the magazines. We want people to know what it is to be healthy.
JOURNALIST: Some questions raised today in The Australian newspaper regarding Therese Rein's companies, had all of those matters been properly declared by the Prime Minister?
JULIA GILLARD: I am advised this is a company that has been inactive for a considerable period of time, from 2006. It is a company that is being wound up; it will be wound up by the 30th of June this year. It is an inactive company. The Prime Minister has certainly complied with the declaration arrangements for Parliamentarians. This is a company that's on its way to going out of existence.
JOURNALIST: Would you sit at home and watch Glenn Wheatley on reality TV show?
[Laugh]
JULIA GILLARD: I don't get that many opportunities to sit at home watching anything unfortunately and if I did have an idle hour at home to watch something on TV I don't think that would be my first selection.
Thank you very much.