JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, have you made a decision on Labor's Free Trade amendments?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, we're prepared to look at the proposal in relation to local content because all that is put up is to put into legislation - or regulations, preferably - what the present position is. So there's no problem with that, subject to checking out the detail of it. But the other proposal, we're not going to agree to that, that is quite unnecessary. That problem that was highlighted in America in relation to the evergreening of patents doesn't exist in Australia and these matters are determined by courts. If a spurious claim is made for an extension of a patent then the court will deal with that. As for trying to define what is a spurious application or just an inadequate application would be legally very difficult. But there is no difficulty here and we do not intend to accept that proposal.
JOURNALIST:
Does that mean that the FTA is now at risk?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the FTA should not be at risk, the Labor Party has pretended the last 48 hours that they're in favour of it. I mean this device that Mr Latham has put up is just a political fig leaf to the left wing of his party, but he should understand that yes we'll have a look at the proposal in relation to putting into legislation what's been agreed in relation to local content, we're quite happy to do that, because there's no malady, there's no problem with that. But the other proposal is not one that we will support and that's our position and we won't support it.
JOURNALIST:
Have you left Mark Latham any room to move now?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well there's no question of leaving him any room to move, I mean he's either in favour of the Free Trade Agreement or not, I mean he's trying to have two bob each way to use a classical Australian expression, he's trying to pretend to the dissenters in his own party that he's getting something for them yet he's trying to tell the rest of the world that he's in favour of the Free Trade Agreement. Well he will have an opportunity to decide whether he's in favour of the Free Trade Agreement or not by the votes of his people in the Senate.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, are you satisfied with the results of today's Newspoll which shows the Coalition has extended its lead in the primary vote?
PRIME MINISTER:
There is only one poll that I am ever satisfied with and that's the one that takes place on election day and hopefully delivers a victory to the Government.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, there have been concerns raised about the generic medicines issue, the patents issue. Why raise the prospect of...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well those concerns are without substance.
JOURNALIST:
So you're not, but surely Mr Latham's proposing a safeguard to the FTA...
PRIME MINISTER:
Mr Latham is providing, Mr Latham is providing a political fig leaf, it's got nothing to do with the merits of the issue, it's got everything to do with the internal politics of the issue.
JOURNALIST:
But if you were to accept it, it could go through more quickly couldn't it?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look we're not going to accept something that doesn't make sense. I mean we are not going to accept something that doesn't make sense.
Thank you.
[ends]