John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Very easily. I will quote something else that I said to the Financial Review interviewer. I said:

If the government sought to reflect too much populism on this issue, there would be an understandable backlash in the business community against it.

I understand the view that [Qantas] is an icon, but the personal views of the prime minister or the treasurer or senior ministers shouldn’t be allowed in a free enterprise economy to influence who owns companies …

I regard that as an absolutely unexceptionable statement of an operating principle in the sort of economy that we have, and I am fascinated that the Leader of the Opposition apparently has a different view. I go on to say:

... shouldn’t be allowed in a free enterprise economy to influence who owns companies, provided the law is observed and the rules are obeyed.

I am absolutely certain that the Treasurer will ensure that the rules are observed and the law will be obeyed; he will exercise his prerogatives, he will see that the Qantas Sale Act and the foreign takeovers legislation are observed and, as always, he will place the national interest ahead of anything else.

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