GILLARD: Since the start of the new year Australians would have seen a variety of predictions in the media about unemployment in 2009. Today's newspapers contained some predictions. The Government has been clear with the Australian people that we expect 2009 to be a tough year.
The global financial crisis and the looming recession in developed countries around the world is not going to leave this nation untouched. It's not going to leave us untouched when it comes to jobs for Australians.
The Government has said that we are understand that the loss of even one job has human consequences, for the person who's lost their job, for their family, and for the economy. We also understand that employers around the country view their staff as their most valuable asset. And my message to employers today would be to think about the long term when they are contemplating potential job cuts in 2009.
The Government has taken action already to invest in jobs and to protect jobs. That's what our $10.4 billion economic security statement was all about. Protecting jobs, investing in jobs. That's also why we made available $300 million to local governments around the country, why we're investing in infrastructure around the country, and why we've made available a $6 billion package to support our car industry.
The Government will continue to act in 2009 as necessary to protect jobs and to invest in jobs. But we would ask employers to consider the long term of their business, their valuable staff and the skills that they bring to their enterprise, when they're considering their future employment decisions in 2009.
JOURNALIST: Are you disputing the figures that have been carried about?
GILLARD: The Government has published its own forecast, we did that in our mid-year economic and fiscal outlook, and the Government made it clear in those figures that we are expecting unemployment to rise slightly during the course of 2009 and into 2010.
They're the published forecast. We understand these are difficult and unpredictable times. We understand employers and employees are still assessing the impact of the global financial crisis and looming recession in developed countries around the world on their businesses. But we will continue to act decisively to protect jobs and to invest in jobs.
JOURNALIST: Has the Government made a decision about whether we will take prisoners from Guantanamo Bay?
GILLARD: Can I say about that issue, that earlier in, sorry I'm going to get, it's 2008, 2009. Can I say about that issue that early in 2008, we received a request from the US Government to consider resettlement of a group of detainees. That first request was denied by the Australian Government. In December 2008, we received a second request. We have considered that request and last night Australian time, Friday US time, we advised the United States Government that we would not be agreeing to those resettlement requests.
Those resettlement requests have been considered on a case by case basis, against our stringent national security and immigration criteria. Assessing those requests from a case by case basis, they had not met our stringent national security and immigration criteria and have been rejected. For the future we will consider any future requests on a case by case basis against the stringent criteria for both national security and immigration.
JOURNALIST: Can you elaborate a little bit on what those criteria are and what the sticking points are?
GILLARD: Well clearly when we deal with any movement into this country, we bring to bear very tough national security assessments, very tough character assessments for immigration, those tough assessments will continue to be made. They were brought to bear on this matter, they would be brought to bear on any future case by case assessment. But we have now advised the US Government, Friday American time, that the most recent request to us, the request received in December 2008, has been denied.
JOURNALIST: Does that now put our Government at loggerheads with Barack Obama's?
GILLARD: Well I think we need to be very clear about this. Each request that the Australian Government has received about resettlement for Guantanamo Bay detainees has been received from the Bush Administration. The request earlier in 2008 was received from the Bush Administration. The request in December 2008 was received from the Bush Administration.
I note yesterday in his comments, the Leader of the Opposition appeared to infer that this request had been received from President-elect Obama. That is simply not correct and the Leader of the Opposition I think in a rushed judgement here, did not fully inform himself of the facts.
JOURNALIST: Are the Australian Government's view then that these people should stay in Guantanamo Bay?
GILLARD: Well the Australian Government makes decisions about who comes to this country. We've made those decisions based on our stringent national security and immigration criteria, and the American Government has been advised about our decision.
JOURNALIST: Can you elaborate on why they were, why particular individuals were rejected?
GILLARD: Well we assess on a case by case basis. We assess against our national security criteria and our immigration criteria, against that very stringent set of circumstances. These case by case assessments failed the test and we have advised the US Administration of that.
JOURNALIST: Have we received any other requests for resettling within Australia for people who are not from Guantanamo Bay, since the beginning of the last year?
GILLARD: The request to us in December was about persons at Guantanamo Bay.
JOURNALIST: Have there been any other request about resettling persons here?
GILLARD: No. The request to us was about persons from Guantanamo Bay.
JOURNALIST: So there've been no other requests to Australia from the United States Government about resettling persons?
GILLARD: No. The request to us was from Guantanamo Bay.
JOURNALIST: Given Australia's involvement on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, do we have some sort of moral imperative to at some point take these people from Guantanamo Bay?
GILLARD: Well we for the future, will assess on a case by case basis, but we will always assess against our stringent national security criteria, and our stringent immigration criteria. The decisions we make will be against those criteria and they'll always be in the best interests of this country.
JOURNALIST: Has the Government have any involvement in Gaza. Have you been briefed on the situation there?
GILLARD: I've been continuously updated on the situation in Gaza and obviously I've made clear on behalf of the Australian Government, our very deep concern about the resumption of violence. Our condemnation of the actions of Hamas in shelling into southern Israel. Our concern about civilian casualties. Our concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. As a result of our concern about the humanitarian situation, on New Year's Day the Government announced that it would make available an additional $5 million of humanitarian aid, that is being made available through UN and non-government relief agencies, to provide access to basic food stocks and medical supplies for people in Gaza. It comes on top of almost a doubling of our aid to the Palestinian people during 2008.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible) production in the United States has halved in the last three months. Does the Australian Government have the view about the United States of subsidising its (inaudible) industry, possibly to the detriment of the Australian steel industry?
GILLARD: I'll discard the decisions obviously of that nature. First and foremost the decisions with the US Administration, obviously anything that amounted to a trade barrier could be dealt with through World Trade Organisation processes. This is a Government that has acted here domestically, to support jobs in this country, including through our $6 billion car plan.
JOURNALIST: What do you make of what happened to Ron Barassi on New Year's Eve.
GILLARD: Well I was really saddened, indeed sickened to hear about the violent incident involving Mr Barassi. Obviously Ron Barassi has been an inspiration for many Australians and this was a particularly sickening incident. I think the message from the whole community needs to be this kind of violence is unacceptable. This sort of street thuggery is unacceptable.
JOURNALIST: How do find about the decision of Evan Thornley to have walked away so easily having been given an armchair ride to the Upper House in Victoria?
GILLARD: Well clearly that's a matter for Mr Thornley and for the State Government and State Members of Parliament.
JOURNALIST: Are you personally disappointed by it?
GILLARD: Well it's a decision for Mr Thornley and it's obviously been made.
Thank you.
[ends]