HOST: Good morning Prime Minister.
PM: Good morning Sarah, I'm here in the pink as you can see and the ground's starting to fill with everybody sporting their pink as well for Jane McGrath Day.
HOST: Well Prime Minister it looks very good on you indeed, but before we get to the funding announcement could we just chat bushfires for a moment. 80 properties have been destroyed in Tasmania so far, we're looking at a horror few days with temperatures continuing to soar right across the southern states.
Is financial assistance to those affected by bushfires something the Federal Government is already putting together?
PM: We are working with Tasmanian officials. We've got very clear arrangements for how local authorities, state authorities and federal authorities work together.
Unfortunately Sarah, our world has given us the opportunity to test all of this time and time again, for example in the Queensland floods. So we'll keep working to support communities.
At the moment, the focus of course is on still fighting the fires and I know you've been giving people some very important information this morning about where fires are located and how to keep themselves safe.
So that's got to be the focus right now, and we'll keep working with the state government and local authorities to support communities through.
HOST: Okay Prime Minister, let's talk about that pink hat and $18.5 million in funding for the McGrath Foundation. How exactly will this money be used?
PM: Well it's not often you see me in a pink hat, a pink bandanna and even a pink skirt.
I'm doing that today because this is the day at the cricket that we say we can come together and fight breast cancer.
One of the ways we do that is by supporting the Jane McGrath Foundation for breast cancer nurses. They're an incredible support to women on their journey through breast cancer.
We are announcing today that we are renewing the funding for 44 nurses, and we're increasing the funding so that there can be 10 more.
As a woman in my fifties, I don't think there's any woman in the country who's got to my age who hasn't got a friend who's gone through breast cancer. And many of them can tell you how important a breast care nurse has been as they go through that journey.
So we want to see more of them out and around Australia and I'm very pleased that overwhelmingly these positions are in regional Australia where we want to increase survivability rates and make sure that wherever you are in the country, if you get breast cancer you get the best of care.
HOST: That is absolutely wonderful news. Of course this is all happening at the SCG for Jane McGrath Day. We know, Prime Minister, that you are mad about AFL, but what about the cricket?
PM: I am not going to pretend to be a cricketing expert. I am not giving up my day job to become a commentator, but I am looking forward to the cricket today, it's going to be-
HOST: I just wanted to say Prime Minister, you might not be as mad about cricket as you are about AFL, but Mike Hussey's kids are mad about your spoodle Reuben.
Did you know they've actually hassled their dad into buying one after meeting yours at Kirribilli House on New Year's Day?
PM: Mike Hussey is a great person, bit of a pity about the run-out yesterday, but when we had a chat on New Year's Day, yes he was hassled by his kids into getting their cavoodle, which is the same as our dog Reuben. A cavoodle, so a king cavalier mixed with a poodle.
We reckon Reuben's a pretty special dog, but now they reckon they've got a very special dog too called Coco and I did make a promise on New Year's Day.
We've got to find a way of having cavoodle chaos. We'll bring the two cavoodles together and see what that does to furniture and rugs as they all get chewed through.
HOST: Yes, Ms Gillard, I'm sure Mike Hussey will be cursing you when it comes to puppy training in the months to come. Now Prime Minister, you are fresh from a Christmas break. You had about a week off.
How exactly does a Prime Minister spend her holidays?
PM: Well pretty quietly. I spent them with family in South Australia. So Tim and I, and in fact the dog, all went to South Australia and spent Christmas with my family.
Tim and I managed to cook a turkey on Christmas Day so we were pretty proud of ourselves and we just had a good time with family, with friends, just doing some quiet things.
Meals together, playing cards, walks on the beach, all of that kind of very casual stuff that I really don't get much of an opportunity to do when I'm working full-pelt during the year.
HOST: So daggy trackies on the couch and watching daytime TV?
PM: Absolutely. There's a great delight when you've got my job to spend some time not having to worry about what you're wearing, not having to worry about makeup or anything like that and knowing that everything's in safe hands with Wayne Swan.
But I'm back at work now and feeling very refreshed after the break.
HOST: You're a woman my own heart. Now tell me Prime Minister, this was your first Christmas without your dad John. That must have been hard on you and your sister as well as your mum.
PM: It's been a difficult time for my family, losing Dad last year and of course this was a different Christmas without Dad round the Christmas table.
I know that my family is going through an experience that's shared by so many other families around the nation, when Christmas really brings home to you yet again the loss of a loved one. So it was a different and a difficult time for us with Dad not there.
HOST: Well Prime Minister you are back. 2013 is going to be a huge year for you, an election this year. Can you reveal have you set a date yet?
PM: I can't do that scoop for you Sarah.
HOST: Come on, a Weekend Today exclusive Prime Minister!
PM: It would be a big story if we did that, I'm sure it would. But no I haven't set a date and we've got lots of governing to do before worrying about the election.
This is the year we'll be launching the National Disability Insurance Scheme on 1 July, so I've got my eye on all of the preparations for that.
And this is the year we're going to make sure we're really driving reform in every school.
We got a bit of a wakeup call about how our kids are going against the standards of the world through some international testing.
I want to make sure every Australian child gets a great education, so I'll be focussing on those things well before we start worrying about election dates.
HOST: Brilliant. So you've got some New Year's resolutions for the country, but finally Prime Minister, what about personal resolutions that you'll be undertaking this year?
PM: You've always got to make some resolutions don't you, and I did, about making sure I'm doing all of the things to keep myself healthy and fit and well.
I'm someone who likes to get a little bit of exercise and watch the diet and that kind of stuff.
You've got to be kind of match-fit, particularly in an election year, so a few resolutions like that, and then I always focus on what I want to achieve for the nation.
So I've got some resolutions about what I want us to get done together during the course of the year, and none of them bigger than what I want us to do for Australia's kids.
HOST: Okay Prime Minister Julia Gillard, thank you very much for joining us this morning. Have a great day at the SCG. Over to you Steve.
PM: Thanks.