At the end of May, the Prime Minister got a bollocking from 2GB’s Alan Jones on the pricing policies of Australia’s supermarket duopoly. Interestingly, a transcript of that conversation has never appeared on the Prime Minister’s website, noted Crikey’s Christian Kerr last Thursday.
Here are another, um, several transcripts that are missing from the PM’s site according to one Crikey reader:
1. John Howard, Press Conference, Parliament House, 14 June 2007 Howard was asked 32 questions on the Liberal Party fundraiser at Kirribilli House. JOHN HOWARD: … Now, my understanding—without getting anybody else’s advice—is it’s not a gift because I do, for the moment—I chose my words carefully—control the premises in which I live and reside. And I am entitled to reside in Kirribilli House because I’m currently Prime Minister of Australia and I’m entitled to invite people and to extend hospitality.
2. John Howard Interview on 7.30 Report, 15 May 2007 Where Howard suggested the polls might be the result of the Australian public having a sense of humour “Well ultimately, we’ll all find out whether it’s not all been a you know, an interesting exercise by the Australian public’s with its innate sense of humour, and we’ll find that out on election day won’t we?”
3. John Howard Interview on Sky News with Kieran Gilbert, 2 May 2007 Howard refused to say whether Heffernan should apologise to Julia Gillard over his comments that she was “deliberately barren” and therefore unfit to be a leader and kept referring to the fact he was “conventionally married” and a “great supporter of conventional family arrangements”.
4. John Howard Interview, 3AW Radio, 27 April 2007 Howard defended his decision to appoint Amanda Vanstone Ambassador of Italy.
5. John Howard Interview on ABC Brisbane, 24 April 2007 Backed all three Queensland Liberal MPs, Andrew Laming, Gary Hardgrave and Ross Vasta – who are all being investigated by the AFP. Only time he has done this. John Howard: “All I can say is that I have a lot of confidence in my three colleagues.”
6. John Howard, Interview with Neil Mitchell, 13 April 2007 Howard criticised his own Education Minister, Julie Bishop, proposal to make it compulsory for all Year five students to be weighed, have their body mass index assessed and do a fitness test. “Do we want to start weighing children?” Mr Howard asked. “Well, I must say that that’s escaped me. “I’m not sure that that mightn’t be just a little too prescriptive.”
7. John Howard, Southern Cross radio interview, 21 March 2007 Howard discussed Santoro and polls which indicate a majority of people think he is arrogant. Lines include Howard arguing that he doesn’t “feel very arrogant” and “I don’t behave in an arrogant manner”. On Santo Santoro – Howard admits it “gives a bad impression of the government” and “it has been damaging to the Government”.
8. John Howard, Press Conference in Abu Dhabi, 16 March 2007 Howard discussed Santo Santoro’s resignation from the Ministry. Admits he is “angry and disappointed” at Santoro and that the “incident is embarrassing”
9. John Howard, Interview with Jim Middleton, Reported on AM Program, 14 March 2007 Howard discusses Santo Santoro who traded shares in a company that operated in his area of portfolio responsibility – a breach of the Ministerial Code of Conduct. Howard argued that Santoro should not be sacked because “you always have to apply a commonsense test, and nobody’s perfect, we all inadvertently overlook things”
10. John Howard, Speech at NSW Liberal lunch function (launch of their ad campaign), 9 March 2007 Howard at this function mistakenly named Manly candidate “Chris Baird” when his name is Mike Baird. Howard also spoke about a government which deserves to be defeated “Please believe me that this government not only can be defeated but it deserves to be defeated.” [quoted on Channel 10 5pm news, 9 March 2007]
11. John Howard, Press Conference, Canberra, 6 March 2007 Spoke about Senator David Johnston’s association with Julian Grill “I think it’s absurd to suggest that because he (Johnston) had a professional association with Mr Grill 20 years ago that he’s not qualified to be in the ministry.” Also asked about the AFP raids on 3 Liberal MPs.
12. John Howard, Doorstop, Qld, 5 March 2007 Howard used his words carefully when asked if any other Minister had met with Brian Burke or his associate Julian Grill. “I don’t believe any of them have behaved inappropriately in relation to either of those men” and that nine of his Minister had met Burke or Grill “in their ministerial capacity.” Also think this was the Doorstop where Howard confirmed Geoff Prosser was paying Grill for lobbying services. Howard’s response was “So what?”
13. John Howard, Interview with Charles Wooley, Across Australia, Hobart, 2 March 2007 Terry Hicks speaks to Howard on talkback radio about his son David Hicks. Herald Sun report, 3 March 2007: ‘Terry Hicks ambushed the PM on talkback radio, saying he was only concerned with his son’s plight because he feared an electoral backlash.’
14. John Howard, Sky News interview, 28 February 2007 Howard admits conversation with Ron Walker (Aust Nuclear Energy) was around about the same time that Howard set up the Switkowski review.
15. John Howard, Karl Stefanovic interview on the Today Show, 26 February 2007 Asked about Maxine McKew’s decision to run in the seat of Bennelong. Howard wasn’t prepared to answer all the questions which led Karl Stefanovic to make these observations: STEFANOVIC: You are not very talkative this morning PM. STEFANOVIC: You sounded a bit grumpy this morning PM?
16. John Howard, 3AW Interview, 23 February 2007 Howard dismissed Brendan Nelson’s comparison of Kokoda with Australia’s current involvement in Iraq when he said “I don’t think I’d quite put it in Kokoda terms myself”.
17. John Howard’s interview with Alan Jones, 14 February 2007 Alan Jones got stuck into Howard over dental care, describing the state of dental care a national crisis. Jones did not appreciate Howard claiming it was a state matter and Jones asked Howard why it was ok to take over the Murray Darling system and industrial relations from the states – but not take some responsibility for dental care.
18. Interview with Marius Benson, ABC News Radio, Canberra, 12 February 2007 Was originally on the PM’s website – then it was taken off. Howard discusses the polls and Obama matter.
19. John Howard’s Doorstop on 11 February 2007 at the Aged Care Announcement, Holy Family Nursing Home, Marayong. Sky News reported Howard saying from this Doorstop “I hope Mr Obama does not become President of the United States. I hope the next President of the United States…has a more responsible attitude towards terrorism than that.”
20. Q&A segment for John Howard’s Press Club Address, 25 January 2007
21. John Howard’s interview with Alan Jones, 2GB, 24 January 2007. Jones ripped into Howard over the Tristar matter claiming Howard had a company that “won’t even talk to you” and demanded to know why Howard hadn’t replied to a letter the Tristar workers wrote him in November 2006. Joe Hockey only went to visit the Tristar workers – after Alan Jones insisted Howard make him.
22. John Howard’s Interview with Stan Zemanek, 2UE Radio, 22 December 2006: Howard confessed he had “had a drink tonight” and referred to “all the other sundry things that you have in political life”.
23. John Howard, Doorstop, Makin Adelaide, 29 August 2006: Where the Liberal Member, Trish Draper, had to remind Howard which seat she represented.
24. John Howard’s Doorstop at Kirribilli House, 11 July 2006: On a day when Costello’s comments had been interpreted as calling Howard a liar – in this doorstop Howard’s comments were interpreted as accusing Costello of “hubris and arrogance”.
25. John Howard’s Press Conference at his Sydney Office, 11 July 2006. Leadership tensions between Costello and Howard dominated this Press Conference. Howard admitted it had been a “bad couple of days” for the Liberal party. He also admitted it was a “bad look” and it would “hurt” the Coalition in the opinion polls. Howard was also forced to deny Costello had called him a “liar”.
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