Prime Minister
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister what’s your reaction to Sarah Hanson-Young receiving abusive phone calls from a New South Wales Police Officer?
PRIME MINISTER: I think it’s very concerning and that’s obviously a matter for the authorities. I trust Sarah is well and these reports are troubling. But I’ll leave that to authorities to investigate and take appropriate action as necessary.
JOURNALIST: What do you make of Bill Shorten’s [inaudible]?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think Bill must have little faith in Australia Post, because every time he writes me a letter, it seems to be in the media before it gets to me, and I think that just says that Bill Shorten is good for stunts. But look, as interested as he seems to suggest he is, quite frankly I think he’s betrayed by the way he does it. If he wants to write me a letter, he can just write me a letter, he doesn’t have to put it in the newspaper every time.
What I’d say is this. The Liberal Party won’t be contracting to the Labor Party immigration policy. I don’t think they’ve got very good form in that area. The Liberal Party has always been very strong when it comes to immigration policies that protect Australia’s national interests, that ensure the strong growth of our economy and that we manage the pressures of population growth all around the country.
We’ll have more to say about our additional policies in this area and the Leader of the Opposition will be welcome to support those policies when they’re announced. But when it comes to the Labor Party asking us to sort of contract immigration policy to them, it’s a bit like me trying to suggest to Johnathan Thurston how he should kick goals.
JOURNALIST: Why won’t you include in your legislation to change the GST carve-up an amendment that would mean Tasmania and the other states definitely won’t be worse off under that?
PRIME MINISTER: All states and territories are better off. There’s a better-off guarantee in the legislation we’re putting to the Parliament and there’s a better off guarantee always, from our Government, the Liberal National Government at a national level to Tasmania, because as you’ve just seen under the Liberal and National governments federally and the Liberal Government here, Tasmanians are coming home. Tasmanians are choosing to stay here. Jobs are growing in Tasmania, population is moving forward here in Tasmania. Because Tasmania is always better off under a Liberal Government at a state level and at a federal level.
Thanks very much.
[ENDS]