TRANSCRIPT
THE HON PETER COSTELLO MP
TREASURER

Great Hall, Parliament House

Canberra

Monday 8 March 2004

12.00 Noon

SUBJECTS: Football rape allegations

JOURNALIST:

Mr Costello, given your speech today, are you concerned that the Rugby League

isn’t doing enough to address the rape allegations in the code?

TREASURER:

Well, let me say first of all, it is important that where a victim comes forward

that they be given every support, and that those that have information should

assist the police in their investigations and if there is evidence, charges

should be laid, and if there is a conviction, people should be brought to sweet

justice. The second thing is, it is not a matter for jokes. If somebody has

come forward with these allegations, they should be treated with dignity and

respect and their complaints investigated. It is not a subject for jokes at

football nights, or anything like that, these are very serious allegations,

and we want the message to go to men and to women that each person needs to

be treated with respect, they are entitled to be safe.

JOURNALIST:

You have spoken of the code of silence, how entrenched do you think that culture

is within that football club?

TREASURER:

Well, I think in some of the football clubs, the players think that their

obligation is to team mates or team members, when in fact I think their obligation

is to the law enforcement authorities, to help with the investigation. Footballers

need camaraderie to play football, but that camaraderie doesn’t extend

to covering up crimes and whatever football club it is, then you have got no

obligation to cover up a crime, in fact you have got an obligation to cooperate

with law enforcement.

JOURNALIST:

So can Australian mateship be a bit of a barrier in this case?

TREASURER:

Well, there is nothing wrong with mateship where it involves helping somebody

who is down and out. But mateship is not covering up a crime, that is not mateship.

Mateship is cooperating with law enforcement and at the end of the day, footballers

want to play football, and if the public has confidence that they are dealing

with women and members of the public in the way they should, that will help

them get back to the business of playing football.

JOURNALIST:

Treasurer on aged care, how much more can the Government give to the aged

care system which is haemorrhaging (inaudible)?

TREASURER:

Well look, I am not going into deliberations of the Government this morning.

JOURNALIST:

Does that make John Howard a mate if you are helping someone who is down and

out?

TREASURER:

We are very good friends and colleagues, I can assure you of that.

JOURNALIST:

Do you think this speculation, Mr Costello, will hinder the Government in

any way in getting its message out?

TREASURER:

Look, the Government is governing and I am at the moment, working on the Budget,

it is very important for Australia’s economic future that we get it right,

and I can tell you, yes, I will be working as hard as I possibly can to do that…

JOURNALIST:

(inaudible) could overshadow…

TREASURER:

No, the Government will get on with the seriousness of economic management

and governing Australia, and I continue (inaudible) working very hard to do

that.