JOURNALIST:
Faheem Lodhi is the first person charged for committing a terrorist act or attempting to in Australia. He's just been given 20 year a minimum, what's your reaction?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I accept the decision of the court. I don't normally give a running commentary on every court decision in Australia. Clearly the court felt that was the appropriate penalty and I don't have any comment.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, are you disappointed with the Centrelink workers who seem to have taken advantage of their position?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well anybody who abuses a position of trust should incur penalties and consequences, of course. The important point to make is that the issue has been dealt with effectively and expeditiously by Centrelink. Centrelink does a very good job, they have an enormous number of employees and 99.9 per cent of those employees work very hard and do a great job by their fellow Australians.
JOURNALIST:
When will a decision be made over Telstra?
PRIME MINISTER:
The matter remains under consideration and until I have anything further to say I won't add to that.
JOURNALIST:
Isn't this uncertainty over Telstra's future bad for shareholders though?
PRIME MINISTER:
The matter remains under consideration.
JOURNALIST:
Was it spoken about at yesterday's Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don't talk about what's discussed at Cabinet meetings but obviously the matter has been discussed amongst ministers.
JOURNALIST:
Has a decision been made?
PRIME MINISTER:
The matter remains under consideration and I don't have anything to add to that.
JOURNALIST:
Will a decision be made by the end of the week?
PRIME MINISTER:
The matter is under consideration and I don't have anything to add to that.
JOURNALIST:
Dennis Jensen's lost his pre-selection in Western Australia. Are you disappointed about that?
PRIME MINISTER:
I thought Dennis had done a good job. He'd only been there for 18 months. It was a decision taken by the Party organisation and I am sorry because Dennis was a good member. I've got nothing against the man who was chosen in his place. He's a person of quality as well. But when a man has only been in Parliament for a short period of time it's not usual. But clearly pre-selection committee, which was properly convened in accordance with the rules in the Party; you see we do have rank and file pre-selections in the Liberal Party, we don't organise everything in Head Office in Sussex Street or whatever, and therefore things are a little bit different in our Party but it's a democratic process.
JOURNALIST:
Just on Lodhi again, I mean do you think that sends a strong message to...
PRIME MINISTER:
Look I think it's important that I do not get into the situation of commenting each time there is a court decision. The Australian public knows how much I am opposed to terrorism, and the Australian public knows how determined I am to maintain and strengthen where necessary our anti-terrorism laws, but it is for courts to decide guilt, it is for courts to hand down verdicts and it is for courts to deal with the people. That's the rule of law; it's the separation of powers in our system. I am responsible for enacting the laws with the blessing of Parliament. The enforcement of laws is a matter for the judiciary.
JOURNALIST:
Why hasn't Ted Baillieu won the trust and confidence of Victorian voters?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don't do anything other than offer my support for Ted. He's a Liberal and I think all Liberals in Victoria offer their support for Ted and I think that we'll all work to get him elected. But in the end, it's up to state parliamentary parties to make their case, and if you're alluding to the comments that were made to Mr Costello, let me simply say I think Mr Costello's comments were perfectly understandable and I certainly wouldn't offer any criticism of them. I think Mr Costello and I are united in our determination to help Mr Baillieu win.
JOURNALIST:
So why were his comments understandable? Can you explain that?
PRIME MINISTER:
If you want to talk about Mr Costello's comments go and talk to him, except that I know Mr Costello wants a Liberal Government in Victoria as I do.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister will you be doing any campaigning in Queensland for the state election there?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, I'll be going up for the day of the launch and I'll do what I'm asked to do. But as Mr Springborg said this morning, and I heard him say it, this election is going to be determined on state issues, and I agree with him. State elections are determined on state issues whether they're in Queensland or New South Wales or Victoria and federal elections are determined on federal issues and I am sure that Mr Springborg is absolutely right.
JOURNALIST:
With that in mind Prime Minister, what do you think you might be able to add to Mr Springborg's campaign?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well he obviously thinks I can add something because he's invited me to the launch and I am very happy to go. But in the end, it's up to the people of Queensland to make a judgment on the relative merits of the two parties at a state level.
JOURNALIST:
What will you be telling the voters there sir?
PRIME MINISTER:
I'm telling the voters that the Beattie Government has failed the people of Queensland in crucial areas like health.
JOURNALIST:
Will you be selling the WorkChoices Legislation? Some people are arguing the reason why you aren't up there already is because of the effects...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think the WorkChoices legislation is outstanding legislation and wherever I go in Australia I sell it. I remind the Australian people that we've had 159,000 new jobs since Workchoices has been introduced and that most of the claims made in the ACTU's television ad have been demonstrated to be wrong by the Office of Workplace Services. So I promote the WorkChoices legislation in bright fashion wherever I go in Australia, and you'll find that wherever I go, if it's appropriate I'll talk about WorkChoices.
JOURNALIST:
Wherever you go there seems to be protestors about it...
PRIME MINISTER:
This is a great democracy and if you weren't the subject of protestors you'd be irrelevant.
Thank you.
[ends]