PM: It's great to be here today in my own electorate at QB, one of our fantastic community centres. I'm here actually in a kitchen and restaurant facility that was built with Federal funds and it's part of a vocational education and training program in partnership with Victoria University. But it's also been great to meet with the kids who are here on their school holiday program, enjoying all of the creative pursuits and having some fun together and they were very kind to sing me Happy Birthday.
So I do want to say to everybody who works here, to Norm, to Mary, to the people who put in volunteer time as well, the local committee that keeps this community centre going - it's fantastic work making a difference to kids lives and making a difference to our local community's life and a very nice place to celebrate your birthday.
Very happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, how are you coping with the 50?
PM: 50 feels fine, thank you very much.
JOURNALIST: OK, so what did Tim get you for your birthday?
PM: Well Tim has arranged for us to get a dog, a poodle, so that will come in a few weeks time, but I'm also sporting some new jewellery that Tim and his family gave me. So the bracelet and the necklace and the earrings all arrived this morning, so I've been very, very spoiled.
JOURNALIST: And any plans for tonight?
PM: We'll be spending some quiet time, just looking forward to spending a bit of time with Tim and over the days to come, some time with friends as well.
JOURNALIST: You'll be going to the Grand Final?
PM: I will be going to the Grand Final, I'm going to barrack for Geelong. Of course I would have liked it if the Western Bulldogs had made the Grand Final, that was my dream, but there's always next year.
But in the absence of the Western Bulldogs I'm going to barrack for Geelong. Geelong, of course, has Podsy as a team member, Podsy came from the Werribee Tigers, so I'm going to barrack for Geelong and I'm going to back them in. I reckon they'll be up by 29 points and I do want to say something about the performance of Stephen Conroy, one of my ministers, this morning. He was on national TV singing the Collingwood theme song, so I am now going to make it a ministerial rule that apart from Peter Garrett no one sings.
JOURNALIST: Will he be penalised for that?
PM: Well he certainly won't be able to repeat that performance in the future and I think Australians will be very grateful not to have their ears assaulted by Stephen Conroy's rendition of the Collingwood Club song.
JOURNALIST: What are your thoughts about the Andrew Bolt case yesterday, Prime Minister?
PM: I understand from today's media that the Herald Sun is contemplating an appeal of the Federal Court ruling, so in those circumstances I'm not going to comment.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Tony Abbott has wished you a happy birthday, but has also said he doesn't think there willl be many more in The Lodge, have you got a comment on that?
PM: Tony Abbott, always playing politics and always inclined to say no. I suppose we're going to see that on display on my birthday, as well as every other day.
Thank you very much.
JOURNALIST: Words of wisdom on turning 50 (inaudible) milestone?
PM: It is an important milestone in your life. I think any birthday with a zero at the end of it causes people to take stock and think about their life. I am living an amazing life, this is an incredible privilege to be Prime Minister, but of course my focus, whether it's my birthday or any other day, is making sure that we've got jobs for the future, jobs for the kids that I've met today, we've got prosperity and we've got that sense of fairness, that we're not leaving anybody behind. That's the great Labor tradition and that's what drives me. Thanks very much.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible)
PM: I'll be looking forward to future birthdays to come and fighting that 2013 election. Thank you.