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Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard says Labor is prepared
to deliver stable and effective government for the next three years
after winning the support of two key rural independents.
"Labor is prepared to govern," she told reporters in
Canberra.
"Labor is prepared to deliver stable, effective and secure
government for the next three years."
Earlier, rural independents Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor said
they'd back Labor, giving Ms Gillard the 76 votes required to form
a minority government.
Gillard said the Australian people had told the government it
would be held more accountable than ever before and more than any
government in modern memory.
"Ours will be a government with just one purpose, and that's to
serve the Australian people," she said.
"We will be held to higher standards of transparency and reform and
it's in that spirit I approach the task of forming a
government."
Gillard said the political deadlock had resulted in more openness,
transparency and reform in how the parliament was conducted than
any other time in modern Australian politics.
The political players had been open with the Australian people
throughout the process.
"To quote Rob Oakeshott, sunshine is the best disinfectant,"
Gillard said.
"We've agreed to far-reaching reforms that make me as prime
minister and our government and how it functions more accountable
to the Australian people.
"So let's draw back the curtains and let the sun shine in, let our
parliament be more open than it was before."
Labor would govern in the best interests of the Australian people,
Gillard said.
"I know that if we fail in this solemn responsibility, we will be
judged harshly when we next face the Australian people at the next
election," she said.
"Being held to that test is just the way I want it."
The government would be true to its beliefs and pragmatic on
policy, Gillard said.
She also reached out to Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and Nationals
leader Warren Truss, saying that the closeness of the election
result showed voters wanted them to find more common ground in the
national interest.
"I pledge my best efforts as prime minister to work constructively
with you and your colleagues to find common ground where we can,"
she said.
Gillard said she would meet Governor-General Quentin Bryce later on
Tuesday and present her with the documents to prove she had the 76
seats required to form government.
"I will then move through to create the new government."
Gillard said she had offered a regional affairs ministry to Mr
Oakeshott, who is considering his options.
"I've certainly spoken to Mr Oakeshott and whether he would be
interested in serving in an executive capacity, he's considering
that," she said.
"Obviously, that's an unusual arrangement, he's also a man with a
very young family and a new baby on the way.
"I've said to him that if he wanted to serve to help drive these
reforms for regional Australia that I would be open to that
discussion."
As part of the agreement with the independents, Gillard has
promised to give regional Australia "its fair share".
"The next round of health and hospitals funding will be focused and
dedicated to regional Australia," she said.
"So will the next round of funding from the education investment
fund."
The government will ensure its national broadband network will have
uniform wholesale prices across the country, while regional
Australia also will be given priority as the network rolls
out.
Labor will dedicate $800 million to a priority regional
infrastructure program, while $573 million of the regional
infrastructure fund will be spent with the guidance of regional
development officers.
Gillard said those commitments came on top of Labor's general
commitment to the $6 billion regional infrastructure fund and the
telly-health and building better cities programs outlined during
the election campaign.
"In total this means, for regional Australia, they can look forward
to benefits in the order of $9.9 billion," she said.
"But that's a fair share, it's been worked through with Mr
Oakeshott and Mr Windsor and I thank them for working through that
with me and (Treasurer) Wayne Swan."
Gillard said Abbott had phoned to wish her well.
"I thank him for the simple courtesy and decency that making such a
call shows," she said.
"It can't have been easy for him and I genuinely thank him for
that."
Gillard said her aim was to forge a government that delivered for
regional Australia, "recognising that in our nation one size does
not fit all".
Gillard said Oakeshott was the only crossbencher to be offered
an executive position.
She said the MP had the interests of the regions at heart, and
could serve them from the crossbenches.
"Another way of doing it of course is to determine that you will at
least for some purposes serve in executive government," she
said.
"That's an offer that is there, it's there for Mr Oakeshott to
consider."
Gillard said $2 billion of the $6 billion in revenue coming from
Labor's proposed minerals resource rent tax would flow to Western
Australia.
About half a billion dollars would be specifically allocated with
the advice and assistance of regional development
authorities.
The revenue from the mining tax was brought into question today,
with a report revealing a multibillion dollar shortfall.
Swan said the regional infrastructure fund was in place earlier
this year before any of the political events unfolded.
He said it was part of the response to mining boom "mark
two".
"And the regional infrastructure fund is a very, very important
part of all of that."
Gillard was asked if there would be a gentler, kinder parliament as
the independents have demanded.
"I'm not naive about political processes," she said in
response.
"I think Australians want us to have a hard contest when there are
real differences."
But the prime minister said the Australian people had delivered a
message about "needless partisanship".
"(They are) not wanting to see bickering and imaginary contests and
I've heard that message."
Gillard said former prime minister Kevin Rudd would be offered a
senior portfolio but she declined to say if he would get foreign
affairs.
"I gave Kevin Rudd a commitment that he would be a senior member of
my ministerial team, a cabinet minister, as he will be," she
said.
When it came to deciding the date of the next election, Gillard
said she would work with Oakeshott and Windsor.
"I would be hoping we could make that date transparent well in
advance of it coming on," she said.
Gillard revealed Oakeshott and Windsor had not informed her of
their decision.
Instead she had "sat and watched" their news conference along with
Swan.
Gillard needs to await advice from leader of government business
Anthony Albanese before indicating when parliament will
reconvene.
"I've asked him as soon as we move out of the period of caretaker,
which we will once I've seen the governor-general, to get some
advice for us about parliamentary dates," she said.
"My intention would be to have the parliament come together in a
reasonable period of time, but I can't now, without the benefit of
that advice, give you a greater specific date."
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