JOURNALIST:
Do you think the agreement you signed this morning will help the people here on the ground in Wadeye and the indigenous communities?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it's already started, the spirit reflected in the agreement resulted in, or produced the no school no pool policy, and from that a renewed determination by a local community in return for government help to accept responsibility and the example of that will be repeated in different ways. Part of the agreement I signed with the Chief Minister will deliver a more effective housing assistance approach; one where we give more financial help to the Territory and the Territory assumes full responsibility. There is a clear understanding where that is the approach and that's better because the Territory Government ought to be able to do it better because it's got facilities on the ground nearer to the problem. Now that doesn't apply to every service but it certainly does with housing and that's the sort of approach we are going to adopt - an approach which delivers practical outcomes and practical advance and not one that is not bogged down with a lot of red tape and a lot of rhetoric; none of which delivers a job or a better health outlook or better employment prospects. Education is the key to everybody's future and I couldn't be more overjoyed at the news that kids are coming back to school and that is terrific in so many ways.
JOURNALIST:
Would you like to see ...
PRIME MINISTER:
I believe there is a case for reviewing the whole issue of Aboriginal Land title in the sense of looking more towards private recognition. It's a view that I've held for some time. We have to work through the detail of how that might occur and we haven't reached that point yet but I certainly believe that all Australians should be able to aspire to owning their own home and having their own business; having title to something is the key to your sense of individuality, it's the key to your capacity to achieve, and to care for your family and I don't believe that indigenous Australians should be treated differently in this respect.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER:
Well let us at the moment recognise there is a need for change and I am not talking here about reducing the opportunities for indigenous people. I am talking about giving them the same opportunities as the rest of their fellow Australians.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER:
In a sense, that is not much of an issue for me. I am interested in outcomes and whatever produces better opportunities I am for and what ever holds back better opportunities, I am against. So in a sense you can interpret as you will my philosophy on the issue, but I have a strong view about this, and I believe that shared responsibility; the idea that if we give something to help, something has to be given in return through the assumption of greater local responsibility. That's happened here, and if it can happen in indigenous communities all around Australia then we'll really be starting to make over time, a bit of progress.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I have just given one which is well known, and what has flown from the approach to schooling, what has flown from that, flowed from that rather, is the opportunity for the Government now to come in with the announcements I've made today and because we have a larger school community, we are now going to provide more support for play groups, we are going to provide more support for nutrition, we are going to provide more support for culturally appropriate programmes and why are we doing that? We are doing that because there are more children at school and you can see the responses and the incentives working in the appropriate way.
JOURNALIST:
This is your first trip to a community, what was your impression?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well its not my first visit to a community, no.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER:
No I have visited a lot of communities over the years.
JOURNALIST:
What are your impressions of it?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the thing that struck me today was the enthusiasm of people, the children were energetic, not lethargic. I am no doctor, but it tells me something about their spirit, it tells me something about, maybe their nutrition is better, that they are being cared for effectively, its always a sign, you visit a community with a lot of children and the children are lethargic, there is a problem - if the children are energetic, they were not lethargic, I think they were really hoping to pull me into the pool at one stage and it's so warm, I wouldn't have minded.
JOURNALIST:
One of the problems with this community is that its cut off for five months of the year during the wet season, the elders made the case today for a better road, and also the communications have been very neglected in this community.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I made an announcement today which is going to help on the communications front. Roads were not something that were specifically mentioned, but the question of infrastructure is always there in any discussion and we hope that the communities will benefit from the communications announcement I made today and that's a very clear step forward, one more and then I must go.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think you can assume from what I have said, what the government's policy is - the Federal government's policy - and what was good today is that I have signed an agreement, the first agreement with one of the other jurisdictions and I want to thank the Chief Minister for her very practical approach as well. We are both interested in outcomes, not ideology and I am very interested that the Northern Territory government, as well as the Federal Vice President of the ALP, both supported change in the Native Title approach.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, [inaudible] interest rates, are you relieved?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think the Reserve Bank made the right decision.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible] that decision?
PRIME MINISTER:
No the Reserve Bank is independent, the Reserve Bank has been independent since this government came to power and the Reserve Bank has over the nine years done a very good job and has played a role in the economic strength we have. I believe the decision taken by the bank today is the right decision. I don't think the indicia were there to support a further rate rise and I therefore have no hesitation in saying I think the Bank made the right decision.
JOURNALIST:
What does your government think of compensation for the victims of the helicopter crash, for their family?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that happens automatically. There is a very extensive compensation system which provides both lump sums and also ongoing payments and the actual amounts depend upon the length of service and a number of other factors, the number of dependants and so forth but I am not in a position to say what each individual family will receive because it will depend on a whole lot of those factors and in any event it is not for me to disclose private information but there are in existence a network of measures that provide compensation.
JOURNALIST:
You saw the survivors today? How are they?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well they are still very badly shaken by the ordeal they have been through. They are obviously very saddened by the loss of their comrades and they'll take a while to recover but they are doing as well as one could expect in the circumstances, given what they've been through, they're not in any danger. One is more severely injured that the other, but he's not in a life threatening situation. They did tell me the medical care on Kanimbla was outstanding; having been part of the dispensation of that care, they then became the recipients and they said the care was absolutely outstanding.
JOURNALIST:
[Inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER:
You never want to believe everything you read in the newspapers, ever such an esteemed newspaper as The Australian.
[ends]