E&OE……………………….……………………………………………………………

Look it’s great to be here at Tamworth today. I want to thank the Mayor and the councillors of Tamworth City Council for making me and Senator John Williams so welcome today. This is an iconic Australian festival. It’s a sign of the continuing vitality of regional Australia and it’s an honour to be here.

 

We are, of course, on the eve of Australia Day. Australia Day is a really marvellous day in our national year. It’s a day to count our blessings and a day to reflect on our achievements as a nation.

 

So, it’s good to be here in Tamworth. I want to thank Adam Harvey for making me so welcome. The festival has chosen its principal ambassador very well. Not only is he a fabulous singer but he’s a fabulous bloke and I hope he does very well in the awards ceremony on Saturday night.

 

I should also thank and congratulate Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting for all the pleasure and pride they’ve given Australians because of their extraordinary performance on the cricket field today.

 

Any questions?

 

 

Are you a country music fan, Tony?

 

Look, I would be telling a fib if I was to say I was a country music expert but when I was younger I used to drive my Leyland P76 with the tape deck blaring out Glen Campbell and I’d warble along. So, you might say I’m a bit of a rhinestone cowboy.

 

 

Tony what’s your favourite Slim Dusty song?

 

 

Well, “The Pub With No Beer” I suppose is one which has assumed legendary status. I rather like that old classic “I’d Like to Have a Beer with Duncan Because Duncan’s Me Mate” because there was a Duncan I was pretty keen on once upon a time.

 

 

Is this your first time at the festival, Tony?

 

 

Look, it’s certainly not my first time in Tamworth but it’s my first time to be in the city and enjoying the country music festival. So it’s lovely to be here.

 

 

On another issue Tony, asylum seekers. Immigration Department figures reckon it will cost $2 billion over four years to reopen the centre. Is that worth it?

 

 

Look, these figures are completely fanciful and look, I think they got the same people to do those costings as did the costings for the school hall programme and the pink batts programme. It’s just completely unbelievable that housing asylum seekers in Nauru would cost more than constructing the Crown Casino in Melbourne, which has 40,000 visitors and four million lights. I mean, this is just a bizarre suggestion being peddled by the Government to justify the fact that it does not want to admit that its policies have failed and the Howard Government’s policies worked.

 

 

In the Queensland election, who do you expect Anna Bligh to bring out? Kevin Rudd or Julia Gillard?

 

 

Well, that’s a very good question. I think the great thing about the Queensland election is that it gives people the chance to get rid of a really bad government. It gives people the chance to elect Campbell Newman, to restore hope, reward and opportunity to the people of Queensland but look, I guess Anna Bligh will have to decide which particular liability she wants to be associated with.

 

 

How do you like the Coalition’s chances in the Queensland election?

 

 

We don’t take anything for granted. We absolutely take nothing for granted. I think Campbell Newman has done a remarkable job bringing a really dynamic aspect to the Coalition in Queensland. I think that Bruce McIver and everyone associated with the LNP has done a great job unifying our two conservative parties in Queensland. I think this is now potentially, at least, the dawning of a new era for the people of Queensland.

 

 

Fair bit of flooding today. Any message today for the people affected by the floods?

 

 

Look, plainly people have to take care. I know that country people are not unused to floods but you can never take a swollen river for granted so just be careful. Don’t take any risks.

 

 

Tony, the Government is having a strategy meeting prior to parliament resuming. You’ve labelled it as a crisis meeting. Can you elaborate on that?

 

 

Look, I think that every meeting of a parliamentary party should be an opportunity for the members of that parliamentary party to put forward ideas. Certainly, there are no shortages of ideas that come forward when I have a Coalition party room meeting. Some of them are good, some of them are great. We pick the best of them. But look, the fact that they are suddenly saying ‘give us your ideas’ proves just how bankrupt they’ve been for the last four years. It is an admission of failure from a four year old government that they’ve suddenly got to have a meeting to come up with some ideas.

 

Thanks very much.

 

[ends]