Australia PRIME MINISTER – TRANSCRIPT OF DOORSTOP INTERVIEW ...

O E – PROOF ONLY Subjects: National Broadband Network; And we're here to talk about the National Broadband Network. And can I say a very big thank you for showing us around and particularly, for showing us the cable that is the backbone of the National Broadband Network. As Prime Minister, I will build the National Broadband Network. And today, I am here with Stephen Conroy, our Minister, and our local member, Sharryn Jackson, to release the maps for the fibre roll-out of the National Broadband Network. To release the maps of where the super fast broadband by fibre will go. And what we're also announcing today is that the objective for the fibre and super fast broadband has now lifted from 90 per cent of Australian households to 93 per cent of Australian households. But every Australian household and business will be better off with the National Broadband Network; Now what does this mean, the National Broadband Network for the future? Now, Mr Abbott says don't build the National Broadband Network. Not building the National Broadband Network would effectively export jobs of the future from our country to countries in our region. The better economic plan, my economic plan, is to build the National Broadband Network to support jobs now in construction and to get this nation a fair share of the jobs of the future. And the National Broadband Network, of course, is centrally about jobs and the strength of our economy. Mr Abbott says no to computers for kids in schools, and he also says no to the advantage the National Broadband Network would be for children studying around the country. And to make sure that our kids get a world-class education, they need access to the world-class technology of the National Broadband Network, which will be so much a part of how they study and how they work in the future. And with our health system, the National Broadband Network will make another transformative difference. It means no matter where you live in this country you will able to get the benefit of specialist advice, have a specialist in one part of the country look at your diagnostic tests, work through with you your health care issues and health care complaints. Whether you live in regional Australia, the east coast or the west costs of our nation, you will be able to use the broadband to stay in touch with the best of health professionals. Now, Mr Abbott says no to electronic health records, he says no to the national broadband and in saying no to that, he's saying no to these possibilities of better health care for the future. Now the National Broadband Network is about the future but it's happening around us today. We've talked to people today about what's happening here in Western Australia, and whether it's in Tasmania where we've already got customers live on the National Broadband Network, or Brunswick in Melbourne where I live, where construction will start in a few weeks, or Willunga in South Australia or the Illawarra or Armadale, construction in these places is starting in a few weeks' time. So in saying no to the National Broadband Network, Mr Abbott is saying down tools on that construction, down tools on those jobs, down tools on a strong economy for the future, down tools on world class health and education. I will build the National Broadband Network. And you can see from the map just over there where we've already started construction and where, ultimately, that backbone network will be completed and will deliver to. There is no doubt that the National Broadband Network has the potential to end the tyranny of distance once and for all. For too long, Australians living in regional and remote Australia have put up with expensive and slow broadband speeds. Under the Gillard Labor Government, every Australian, every Australian will be getting access to the National Broadband Network no matter where they live or choose to work. So today we mark another step in the delivery of the National Broadband Network with the release of the coverage maps. So the NBN will deliver affordable, high speed broadband to every house, school, business and hospital in the country. So the Gillard Labor Government is getting on with building the National Broadband Network. Last month we saw an important milestone for the National Broadband Network, an historic heads of agreement between NBN Co and Telstra. And this agreement has opened the way for a faster, cheaper, more efficient roll out for the National Broadband Network. And if you look at what's happening in Tasmania right now, you'll begin to get an idea of how competitive the retail market will become as the National Broadband Network is rolled out across Australia. You can't vote for Tony Abbott because he is going to shut the National Broadband Network down. Australian cannot afford to take the risk of the Tony Abbott Government while he tries to strangle the National Broadband Network at birth. We can't afford it economically, we can't afford it socially and we can't afford to lose the innovation that will spring from the National Broadband Network as we separate out the retail and the wholesale network. But just to again demonstrate finally the choice – the stark choice – between the Gillard Government and the Abbott Opposition, I have here from the Liberal Party website this morning their regional communications page. 18 failed broadband plans in government, two and half years, three shadow ministers – still no idea what they're going to do about regional telecommunications. My focus now and for the 21st of August, my focus as Prime Minister will be on delivering a strong economy with jobs for Australians and jobs for the future. And the National Broadband Network is a choice about whether or not we will have jobs of the future in this country, or we'll sit back – as Mr Abbott wants us to do – and we'll watch them go to Korea and Japan and Singapore. Whether we'll have world class health or deny Australians the benefits that broadband will bring. The choice is between implementing the Minerals Resource Rent Tax and delivering benefits that would strengthen our economy, or doing what Mr Abbott wants �to do, which is not take the tax our biggest miners have agreed to pay. Is he just here to spend some private time, are you going to have dinner tonight, or – PM: You know what? And this project, the National Broadband Network, will pay for itself over and over and over again in the increased prosperity for this country. That's what the National Broadband Network is about. And it's okay when they're old enough to go and get a job that jobs have been exported from this country to places like Singapore that have got better infrastructure because we didn't build the National Broadband Network. My plan is to build the National Broadband Network. That they reject out of hand not building the National Broadband Network, ripping computers away from kids in school. What i'm going to ask Australians to do, what I'm asking them to do today, what I'll be asking them to do every other day of this campaign, is on the 21st of August to move this country forward. There could be no clearer example of that than choosing to build the NBN, choosing prosperity, choosing a strong economy rather than choosing to sit back and wait for our competitors to take the jobs of the future away from this country. He's in this election campaign, saying to Australians, if he is elected Prime Minister he will cut health. There the things Mr Abbott stands for and I think Australians will look back when Mr Abbott wasn't wandering around making election promises, that he was actually a senior minister of the Howard Government and they'll say to themselves, 'what did Mr Abbott do then?' He was a passionate advocate of WorkChoices. My determination, my passion is to see this country move forward and by that I mean delivering the National Broadband Network, insuring we've got a strong economy, ensuring Australians have got jobs, ensuring Australians can rely on good schools and decent health care – they're my objectives. PM: Well I'll turn to Stephen but on the question of delivery, we can point to places around this country where people are already live on the National Broadband Network – Tasmania and of course there are places around this country where construction will be happening in a few weeks' time. As Prime Minister, I've announced an increase in police resources, Australian Federal Police in our region working with our regional partners to catch and prosecute people smugglers. We've got people who have been successfully prosecuted for this evil trade and what I want to achieve as Prime Minister is we take away from people smugglers the product they sell. PM: Mr Rudd is passionate about representing his local community and let me tell you, if you've ever talked to Kevin Rudd as I have, and I know Stephen and Sharryn would be able to say this as well, if you have ever talked to Kevin Rudd as I have, he's never taken a vote for Griffith for granted. Of course I want to work with the Premier here, Premier Barnett, to complete our health reform and health investment arrangements. A real choice as to whether on the 22 August, I am Prime Minister, with my plans for a stronger economy, for the jobs of the future, for better investment in health and education for the continuation of Fair Work or Mr Abbott is Prime Minister, with his plans for increased prices through increased company tax, with his plans to return to the worst aspects of WorkChoices and his cuts to health and education. I have the better economic plan, including national broadband and the jobs of the future. I am worried that we won't get a fair share of the jobs of the future because this nation doesn't build the National Broadband Network. PM: Look my understanding is I'll check this, but I did a little bit earlier in the week see the Deputy Premier of Western Australia over on the east coast, who was acting Premier at the time because Premier Barnett was away on a little spot of leave, so I can't absolutely verify where the Premier is today but I don't have a plan to meet with him today.