JOURNALIST:
Firstly Mr Howard, did you get what you think you would get out of that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, I thought it was a very valuable meeting. People had strong feelings, which I understand. But they were expressed very effectively and I learnt quite a bit.
JOURNALIST:
How long will they have to wait before they actually…
PRIME MINISTER:
Not unreasonably long, but I';m not going to commit myself to a day or a week – that';s silly. We';ll respond as soon as we reasonably can.
JOURNALIST:
What did you learn out of that, do you feel?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think I learnt some understanding of the commitment or the desire to have alternative uses of cane. I mean, I';ve certainly been aware of that in the past, but the uniformity of that was quite strong.
JOURNALIST:
Profiteering is one thing as well. I mean, is that something the Government can do (inaudible) because they';re very adamant that they need a slice of the money that other mills and things like that are getting.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well a lot of those things are in the hands of the people in the industry. It';s not really the Government';s position to give too much direction in that area. But clearly, we will be giving some more assistance. And one of the things I can say is that the re-establishment assistance under the present package is probably on the low side and that any response would include more generosity in that area.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, cane has been in trouble for a number of years now. Could you not have come earlier?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, it';s been… it';s been up and down. There have been periods in the not so distant past where it hasn';t been anywhere near as difficult now. And, obviously, I indicated when sugar missed out in the Free Trade Agreement, that there would be a package and there would be assistance for the industry.
JOURNALIST:
There has been a lot of talk about federal assistance in the need to bail out (inaudible) industry. Do you think Mr Beattie';s government, it';s only committed $30 million and Mr Beattie has said he';s not going to be giving any more. Is there a need for the Queensland Government…
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, look, I think the time for me to say anything about that would be when we decide what we';re going to do. I want to avoid as much as I possibly can getting this industry caught in any cross fire between state and federal. Nothing angers Australians more than arguments between state and federal governments in areas where government assistance is needed and government action is needed – people get very shirty about that, and quite frankly I don';t blame them.
JOURNALIST:
But do you think they';ll get close to the $600 million that they';re asking?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh, look, I don';t want to start talking about figures. But I did indicate that I';m not going to be able to meet all of the expectations of the industry. And I did indicate that as well as wanting to help the industry, I have a responsibility to spend taxpayers'; money wisely. It';s not my money. It';s yours, and I';ve got to spend it wisely.
JOURNALIST:
What';s the most significant point you';ll take back to Cabinet when you';re considering what assistance you can offer?
PRIME MINISTER:
The personal distress and the social and family impact. That in the end is the most important thing of the lot. These communities here depend on the industry. It';s not just a group of canegrowers, it';s the whole community, a string of communities that are very dependent on them.
JOURNALIST:
What assurances can you give? They were all saying they want a future. They want to know whether there is an industry.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, the assurance I give is the assurance I gave them and that is that we';ve heard what they';ve had to say, we';ll go away and we';ll conscientiously think about how we can assist, having in mind responsibilities we have in other areas to the Australian people. Thank you.
[ends]