JOURNALIST:
A question for Mr Howard. It's not related to the helicopters but is the
Government planning to allow American military bases to be built in northern
Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
‘Well we made an announcement
some time ago, I think it may have been two or three years ago, after a, from
recollection, a visit to the United States by the former Defence Minister
Senator Hill to the effect that we were going to expand the capacity for
training and operational exercises, if I could put it that way, in northern
Australia for Americans. And whether you describe that as bases or not, I don't
know. But can I say very openly that the notion of that sort of thing occurring
in Australia, whether you call it a base or not, involving American forces is
not something that I would do other than very warmly welcome. And I'm sure it
would be warmly welcomed not only by the Commonwealth Government, but I know it
would be very, very warmly welcomed by the Northern Territory Government.
In fact, my experience of state
governments is that they would all rather like to have operations like this
within their borders, unlike certain other things they don't want to have
within their borders. But they're very, very welcoming on this. So as far as
I'm concerned, subject always to the proper arrangements that fully respect and
maintain and continue to assert Australian sovereignty, the notion of bases or
operational facilities or training facilities by Americans is something that I
would warmly welcome. My understanding is that all the Americans want at the
present time is to have the capacity to train. But I don't have any difficulty
with that and I would imagine it would be quite warmly supported by the
Australian public.’
A simple “yes” would have done
it.
Thank goodness the great
prevaricator will make sure our sovereignty is respected … just like his
predecessors did with Pine Gap, North West Cape & heaven knows how many
other facilities maintained & controlled by the US on our soil, but for its
sole benefit.
If our little warrior prime
princess thinks that Australians would welcome more US “bases” on our soil, he
could always ask them?
Of course, John Howard’s idea
of “respect” will ensure that we’ll all inevitably wake-up in the morning feeling
soiled & cheated.
his rodent's voice .....
he's at it again .... this time from China .....
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, last one, the one I tried to get to you yesterday. A few days
ago there was a murder of an eight year old girl in a shopping centre in Perth
and there was a suggestion that the person who did it was one of the murderers
of Jamie Bulger, who was the little boy in Britain, a little toddler killed by.
PRIME MINISTER
I know who you mean.
JOURNALIST:
Is it possible that someone like that could be resettled in Australia under a
scheme where they're given a new identity?
PRIME MINISTER
That is an unbelievably
hypothetical question and I am not even going to try and answer it. In relation
to the particular circumstances of the matter, the appalling murder of a little
girl, I understand the Western Australian Police have responded to rumours and
I direct you to that response.
Not a hypothetical question at all, just another example of our scurrying little rodent simply refusing to answer a specific question .... & the so-called journalists just simply let him get away with it ..... every time.
and how's this for a piece of "perpetual hyperbole" .....
PRIME MINISTER:
I just want to make a very quick
comment about the day of action back in Australia, you have all just witnessed
the extraordinary situation of our LNG sales to China and the huge potential
that they represent for Australia's economic future. I ask the rhetorical
question why put this at risk? Forty-three per cent of all workers in the West
Australian resource sector are employed under AWAs and if AWAs are swept away
it will affect the competitiveness of the greatest export industry this country
has at the present time. In the last ten years, in the whole of the mining
industry there has been a dramatic disappearance of industrial disputes. In the
12 months to March 1996 it was something like 1200 days lost, 100,000.* In the
last three months, it has been 10.8. In other words, Labor and the union's
industrial relations changes are a dagger at the throat of the successful
resource sector in this country and I have no doubt that they are serious about
the changes and I have no doubt that the unions will hold them to their word if
they were to win the next election and given the importance of the resource
sector and the importance of AWAs, I can't for the life of me wonder why
Australia would put any of this at risk.
"A quick comment" .... the old "flying wedgie" at his best .... even my postman knows about the mining boom in WA & the fact that labour shortages have resulted in higher wages & better conditions for those willing to make the move ..... & my postman also knows that low paid workers in capital cities, regional centres & a host of country towns enjoy no such advantage & that the rodent's "aspirational prosperity" under "Workchoices" is an "aspirational mirage".
Meanwhile, the Chinese will have a lot of fun trying to figure out what the artful little dodger actually said .... pity the poor interpreter !!!