Labor prepared to govern: Gillard

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.
Ms 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."
Ms 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," Ms 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, Ms 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, Ms 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.
Ms 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."
Ms 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, Ms 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.
Ms 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."
Ms Gillard said Mr 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."
Ms 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".
Ms Gillard said Mr 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."
Ms 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 on Tuesday, with a report
revealing a multibillion dollar shortfall.
Mr 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."
Ms 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."
Ms 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, Ms Gillard said she would
work with Mr Oakeshott and Mr Windsor.
"I would be hoping we could make that date transparent well in advance of it coming
on," she said.
Ms Gillard revealed Mr Oakeshott and Mr Windsor had not informed her of their decision.
Instead she had "sat and watched" their news conference along with Mr Swan.
Ms 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."
Ms Gillard said she hadn't yet contemplated moving into the prime minister's
official Canberra residence, The Lodge.
"I've given it no thought and I've got absolutely no idea," she said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Oakeshott said although Ms Gillard now had the numbers "this
is not a mandate for anyone".
Quizzed about Mr Oakeshott's comments, Ms Gillard said she wasn't sure she entirely
agreed with the MP's assessment.
"(But) what I would say is there's no walking away, no attempt to in some way not
understand, the message from the result in the election," she said.
"The Australian people have sent me, sent the Labor Party, sent this parliament a
message.
"Heard that message loud and clear."
But the prime minister said she went to the election with a set of commitments.
"I will be doing everything I can to deliver on those commitments".
Ms Gillard said the $1.8 billion earmarked under the next round of funding from the
health and hospitals fund would not necessarily all be spent.
"It is only quality applications that will receive the tick," she said.
There would be $500 million up for grabs under the education investment fund.
The government was determined to make sure that any new spending was offset by
savings, Ms Gillard said.
"Obviously there is some new money that we have made available through priority
regional investment fund and consequently we will and indeed have ... identified an
offsetting saving," she said.
Budget responsibility and costings had proved to have been an important rule in
recent days.
"It was clear to the Australian people that what we said during the election
campaign is what we meant and what we honoured," Ms Gillard said.
"Obviously for the coalition there was an $11 billion problem."
Ms Gillard said the government's national broadband rollout would be focused on
delivering equity in wholesale pricing between regional and metropolitan Australia.
"Whether you're on the broadband in Tamworth or on the broadband in CBD Sydney,
seeking to communicate with another business in CBD Sydney, the wholesale price for
your broadband will be the same," she said.
"What a transformation."
Businesses in regional Australia had been burdened with higher communication costs
since the advent of the telephone, Ms Gillard said.
Ms Gillard said her priorities before the year's end would be to have a
parliamentary sitting, a start on the government's legislative program and the
delivery of Labor's election promises.
"I went to the election absolutely passionate about and I am still passionate about
... a strong economy, about making sure people have got the benefits of dignity and
work."
Ms Gillard would not be drawn on whether she was vindicated by ousting Kevin Rudd,
saying she would leave that to the political aficionados.