EO&E..............................................................................................................................................................

 

 

Ok, look, it’s terrific to be here at the Parramatta Leagues Club. This is the capital of Western Sydney and it’s great to be here amongst so many very enthusiastic supporters of a change of government. The candidates who I introduced to the public today – the campaign which I launched today – these are the only candidates that the people of Western Sydney can vote for if they want to get rid of the carbon tax and I am confident, that the next election is going to be a referendum on the carbon tax and I am confident that it will be a referendum on Prime Ministers who aren’t straight with the public before an election.

 

I noticed that the Prime Minister is in a place called Deception Bay today. Well that might as well be the Prime Minister’s home address, because time and time again, she has failed to be honest with people. She wasn’t honest and straight with Kevin Rudd before the political assassination. She wasn’t straight with the Australian people about the carbon tax before the election. She wasn’t straight with Speaker Harry Jenkins and she wasn’t straight, as we now know today, with Andrew Wilkie. The only way to get a Prime Minister who is straight with the people is to change this Government.

 

Finally, we see today this phoney fight between the Greens and the Labor Party. Frankly it’s as choreographed as world championship wrestling. If it’s fair dinkum, there’s one way for the Prime Minister to demonstrate that and that is by tearing up her agreement with the Greens, because what we got from this Prime Minister was prenuptials with the Greens, a civil ceremony with the Greens and a carbon tax with the Greens and if she’s fair dinkum about tearing up the deal with the Greens, she’s got to get rid of the carbon tax and the border protection policies that don’t work as well.

 

 

When you met with SBY, why didn’t you ever raise with him your policy of towing back the boats?

 

 

The one thing I’m not going to do is engage in megaphone diplomacy or breach the confidence of those discussions.

 

 

The ABC sources say it was not raised, why won’t you just admit that?

 

 

The one thing I’m going to do is treat the Indonesians with respect. If this Government had treated the Indonesians with more respect, we might not have the kind of disasters on our borders that we’re now getting.

 

 

Ms Gillard says that you are a coward not to raise this topic with the Indonesian President.

 

I think that’s a bit rich from a Prime Minister who didn’t raise the carbon tax with the Australian people before the election. It’s a bit rich from a Prime Minister who wasn’t straight with Andrew Wilkie about mandatory pre-commitment.

 

 

You’re saying you’ll turn asylum seeker boats back to Indonesia, because that’s where they came from, but aren’t most of them coming from Malaysia to Indonesia. Why not take them back to Malaysia?

 

 

Every single boat from Indonesia is carrying people who got themselves to Indonesia. Now, they chose to put themselves in Indonesia, and if the boats go back, that’s where they’ll be.

 

 

On the ABC today, you mentioned that towing back boats is dangerous for our Defence Force men and women. So, if it’s dangerous for our Defence Force men and women, why is it still Coalition policy if it’s so dangerous for them?

 

 

Well, sure it’s difficult work, no doubt about that, but they sign up to do difficult work on behalf of our country and the most dangerous thing of all,  for everyone, including boat people is to continue this disastrous situation at our borders when people are put into sea in leaky boats. As long as the boats keep coming, the tragedies will keep happening. That’s the danger I want to avert.

 

Thank you.

 

[ends]