JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister the last Australian who actually served in World War One has died. Do you have a special message?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well quite a moment in Australian history. We sent almost 390,000 volunteers to World War One out of a male population of 2.5 million. It was an astonishing contribution. There's just one man now left alive who made up that 390,000 and William Allan, is the one who died overnight, he's the last sailor. And he takes with us a piece of our history. And it is quite a moment. He lived a long life, he lived a very good life and we extend our love and sympathy to his family but more than that we honour that extraordinary cohort of remarkable generation of Australians.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard John Dalziel from the Salvos today has said and I quote "We're concerned that the new changes might exploit the vulnerable". Are you concerned that you're having trouble breaking through to groups like the Salvos on this issue?
PRIME MINISTER:
I expected there to be opposition. The vulnerable will be advantaged by these changes because we are giving people, and even John Dalziel acknowledged this, who have been out of work for a long time the opportunity of a job.
JOURNALIST:
The Salvos though are an interesting group in that a) they (inaudible) the job network and b) they probably look after people in the community who do lose their jobs. (inaudible) not getting through to the sorts of (inaudible)?
PRIME MINISTER:
Michael, you'll get a range of views on these things amongst all of adherents of particular denominations. There is no single Salvation Army position any more than there is a single Catholic position, or a single Anglican position, or a Baptist position, or an Atheist position. People will have a range of views according to how they view the legislation. The idea that morality is profoundly on one side or the other of this argument is not an argument I accept.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister do you endorse the suggestion of Danna Vale that a section of the Mornington Peninsular might be set aside as some kind of substitute ANZAC Cove?
PRIME MINISTER:
Tim, I understand what is motivating Danna and I respect her a lot and I have great affection for her as a colleague, but I am not myself particularly attracted to the idea. There's a danger that we will inject an artificial element into the ANZAC observance. People want to go to where it happened and there is a special feeling when you are there as there is a special feeling on the Western Front, as there is at Kokoda, or at Tobruk, that you simply cannot get by a simulated arrangement in Australia. That's my view.
JOURNALIST:
So you agree with those who say this reeks a theme park?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look I'm not going to use that expression. I'm just giving you my view in my language in my way.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard Jon Stanhope is facing a censure motion today in the ACT Parliament for leaking (inaudible). Is this an appropriate reprimand for him (inaudible)?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look I'm not going to talk about that. That's a matter for the ACT council-parliament.
JOURNALIST:
You're speaking with the South Coast Labour Council this afternoon. Do you expect this to be a positive meeting?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well they asked to meet me and I agreed. I'm happy to sit down and talk to representatives of the Labour Council here in the Illawarra. I guess we may have some differences of emphasis but I'm perfectly happy to talk to them. I got a letter from them yesterday and I said I'd meet them. I'm perfectly happy to meet union representatives to talk about our workplace relations proposals, very happy indeed to do so.
JOURNALIST:
Do you expect that that will influence...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don't know. I haven't met them yet. Lets have the meeting. But the principle is that if representatives of the unions want to talk to me about this legislation I'm very happy to do so.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, some of the people, some of the ordinary workers who are here today are telling us they're concerned about their overtime, their children's future and their entitlements....
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think that is inevitably the reaction when you have a fear campaign run by the unions. I say to those people, wait till the legislation is in operation and you will find that your fears will be put aside.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, do you think you're going to have to make further changes to terrorist legislation to protect your (inaudible) some more?
PRIME MINISTER:
Michael we haven't made any changes of substance. We haven't.
JOURNALIST:
Well do you intend to....?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we're not going to alter the substance of it. When you're drafting a piece of legislation you'll always go through various refinements but the substance of the legislation which includes, remember, essentially three things. The introduction of the control orders, the introduction of preventative detention for up to 14 days and the bringing together and modernisation of the sedition offence. None of those things are going to change.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard the Health Minister has apparently said in an interview that he can foresee if a vaccine is developed for bird flu, that it might be given to all of the Australian population. From what you know, do you think that's likely and desirable if a vaccine can be developed?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look I am not going to answer that without knowing exactly what he said. We will obviously do everything we can to protect the Australian public. Equally I don't want the Australian public to panic. We're not about to have a pandemic spread to this country. There is a heightened danger, but it's a long way from some of the fear scenarios that have been floated by some. We are working in collaboration with others on a vaccine and we've got a big investment in anti-virals and I can assure the Australian public that everything that can be done will be done to protect all Australians.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard how much does it concern you that the bird flu has started to pop up in Europe and what do you think needs to be done?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well Europe is a long way from Australia. Having said that we have to take precautions and we have been taking precautions now for months and it is of concern by I'm not alarmed. I'm very alert, but I'm not alarmed about it and we're very careful. But all of these things require a balance. You've got to take all the precautions, but you don't want to start panicking people. We have a very good capacity in our country to deal with public health issues. We have a better record than most countries with things like fighting HIV Aids, with reducing smoking, with vaccination. Look at the extraordinary increase in the childhood vaccination s a few years ago from the low to middle 50s to over 90% in several years because we introduced some new measures making family payments contingent upon people getting their children vaccinated. Now we do those things very well in Australia, better than most. Everybody works together. So I am sure that if this problem were to escalate, and I don't believe it will, we'll be able to handle it extremely well. Australians don't panic, they work together and they're sensible.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, you're in Labor Party heartland here and we've had comments from the President of the Labor Party today about the culture in the Labor Party. Do you think that this is a chance for the Liberal Party to move into this area and get somebody into the House of Representatives?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we don't regard any part of Australia as off limits. There is no part of Australia which is off limits to the Liberal Party. After the 1996 election many of the old industrial cities of Australia with the exception of Wollongong and Newcastle lay in Liberal, or anti-Labor hands. Places like Mount Isa, Broken Hill, Whyalla, Ipswich, you went around the country; Kalgoorlie. You associate all of those names with the trade union tradition of this country yet after 1996 they lay in either Liberal or other anti-Labor hands. Now I don't regard the Illawarra as off limits any more than we've regarded the Hunter as off limits. But we've got to earn our spurs. We've got to earn the respect of the people of this area. I don't take anything for granted. I don't take Killara for granted and the Labor Party shouldn't take Wollongong for granted. Thank you.
[ends]