

PRIME MINISTER

2 August 1999

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TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME 
MINISTER

THE HON JOHN HOWARD MP

DOORSTOP INTERVIEW - HAMILTON 
SHOWGROUNDS

HAMILTON, VICTORIA

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SUBJECTS: Republic referendum, 
forestry issues, driving under the influence, Ralph Report.

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E&OE

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JOURNALIST:

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Mr Reith’s announcement yesterday that he is going to support the 
‘no’ case because…[inaudible] …a popularly elected President. 
Do you think that it is dangerous thinking or supporting the idea of 
a popularly elected President?

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PRIME MINISTER:

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Well, you should go and talk to Mr Reith about that. Look, I made 
a promise to the Australian people before the last election that there 
would be a referendum on this issue. I have always made it plain myself 
that I am against change. I have never disguised that from the Australian 
people but I also said that the issue was their’s to decide and I 
am handing it over to the Australian people to decide because it belongs 
to them. It doesn’t belong to the politicians or to elite interest 
groups. It belongs to all of the Australian people and as far as I am 
concerned that remains my position. And I am not going to give a running 
commentary on the contributions of my colleagues. We have a free vote 
within the Government on the issue and Mr Reith is entitled to his view 
as I am to mine and Senator Hill is to his and Mr Costello is to his. 
We are an open, free, democratic party and everybody has got a view 
and the Australian people will decide the issue.

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JOURNALIST:

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Do you still have reservations though about a popularly elected President?

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PRIME MINISTER:

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Look, I am not going to get into a running commentary. My position 
is clear. I am against change and I certainly have expressed views about 
a popularly elected presidency in the past. But, look, if you want to 
ask questions on behalf of Mr Turnbull go to some other forum.

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JOURNALIST:

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Do you still hold the view that you expressed at the convention last 
year?

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PRIME MINISTER:

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My views have not altered.

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JOURNALIST:

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Mr Howard, what’s your response to Mr Court’s claims in WA that 
you are not providing the support that he was owed over forestry issues?

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PRIME MINISTER:

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That’s nonsense. Mr Court, and Mr Court couldn’t possibly be seriously 
saying that.

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JOURNALIST:

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[Inaudible]

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PRIME MINISTER:

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Well, I think you…I would be very surprised if Mr Court seriously 
…[interruption]… Look, I have just spent three days in Western Australia 
and at no stage did Mr Court suggest to me that we weren’t providing 
the support we said we’d provide. We are honouring that agreement 
in full and I think the Western Australian Government should honour 
the original agreement in full. And if that were to happen the jobs 
of more than 1,000 forestry workers would be a lot more secure than 
they are today.

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JOURNALIST:

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So what reasons have your lawyers to call for Mr Barrett’s sacking?

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PRIME MINISTER:

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I am not going to talk about the case; it’s not appropriate to do 
so.

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JOURNALIST:

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Just back on the republic. Do you think Mr Reith’s change of stance 
will have a significant impact on the debate - he is a rather senior 
minister of yours?

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PRIME MINISTER:

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Well, look, I am not a commentator. You’re the commentators. I am 
the Prime Minister. I promised there’d be a vote. I have stated my 
own position. My position has not changed. I think we have about the 
most stable political system in the world and I can’t for the life 
of me see why we’d want to change it. We are a completely independent 
country, we have got a very good system, why muck around with it? But 
other people have a different view and the Australian people will decide 
it - not me, not Mr Reith, not Mr Turnbull but the Australian people. 
And I have always said that I’d hand it over to the Australian people. 
I have always made plain my own position both in relation to the present 
system and in relation to the alternative. And what I said at the convention 
has not altered, that is my view and it will remain my view. But it 
has not been my desire to give a running commentary on everybody else’s 
contribution because I am not a commentator, the last time I checked 
I thought I was a participant.

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JOURNALIST:

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Mr Turnbull said over the weekend that he feared the Government had 
rigged the referendum.

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PRIME MINISTER:

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Well, the Government…how can you be rigging something when you are 
doing what you promised the people you said you would do? I said that 
I would give people a vote and that’s what’s happening. And we are 
putting a question to them that faithfully and truthfully reflects the 
proposition. The proposition that has been put to the Australian people 
is that this country should become a republic with a President chosen 
by two-thirds of the members of the House of Representatives on the 
nomination of the Prime Minister and with the support of the Leader 
of the Opposition. Now, that’s what the convention voted for, that’s 
Mr Turnbull’s model, that’s what we are putting. I don’t know 
what the man is complaining about.

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JOURNALIST:

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On an unrelated subject….

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PRIME MINISTER:

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…thank heaven’s for that.

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JOURNALIST:

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…alcohol has officially replaced speed as the worst killer on [inaudible]…

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PRIME MINISTER:

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Well, that doesn’t surprise me at all. The 
application of an atom of common sense would tell the Australian public 
that the abuse of alcohol still remains a major cause of road deaths. 
And fortunately, as a result of random breath testing introduc  ed almost 20 years ago, the death toll around Australia has come down 
quite dramatically and that is a great thing. But there are still too 
many people of all ages who drive when they shouldn’t do so. And I 
support every campaign including the very dramatic advertisements that 
have been run here in Victoria and around Australia to drive home the 
terrible consequences, the tragedy and the human misery when people 
drink and then go out and drive. They should never do that and it should 
be the constant responsibility of parents to drive that lesson home 
to their teenage children because youth does have a capacity to behave 
irresponsibly. We all know that and I think it should be the responsibility 
of every parent in Australia to remind their kids when they go out at 
night if they are going to have a drink for heaven’s sake get one 
their mates to drive them home.

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JOURNALIST:

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Mr Howard, you said when you spoke earlier that in the Ralph Report, 
the findings of that, rural people and farmers and wool producers wouldn’t 
be disadvantaged. How are you going to ensure that they won’t be disadvantaged?

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PRIME MINISTER:

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No, what I said was that the Government would not hurt rural people 
in the decisions it makes on business taxation. Now, I am not going 
to go into the details of how that outcome will be achieved but I wanted 
to send a message to the Australian bush today that it will not be disadvantaged 
by the Government’s decisions on business taxation. We have greatly 
advantaged the bush through our cuts in fuel prices and the other benefits 
of the GST and in relation to business taxation I have the same message, 
we are not going to hurt the bush, the bush needs help not penalties. 
The bush needs understanding not indifference. And in our decisions 
on business taxation we will make sure that none of those decisions 
disadvantage the bush.

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JOURNALIST:

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How quickly will the Government be responding to the Ralph Report?

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PRIME MINISTER:

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We will respond with appropriate speed having regard to all of the 
circumstances including the reactions of the public. Thank you.

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[ends]

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rwÂ  1999-08-04Â  11:14

