Premier Paula Cox is calling on people to pull together to help turn around the economic downturn and look to a more positive future.Ms Cox says Islanders should use their fighting spirit to focus beyond the “bleak and grim” reality of the current financial situation.She says although the Island is hurting, with more than 150 job losses in the last week, she believes there is “a wave of change” on the horizon.Ms Cox said: “Even in these hard times when we feel down, we should look and see how we can prepare ourselves for the future.“As bleak and as grim as it may feel, we can’t just look in the rear view mirror, we need to look forward and prepare to do the necessary.”Ms Cox said it had been “heartening” to visit Bermuda College recently to meet people who were “re-tooling and re-training”.Ms Cox called the current economic crisis “a test for Bermuda” saying that everyone had to pull together to get through the difficult time.She said her main priority was to keep Bermudians employed and she wasn’t about “gimmicking or showboating”.But as Premier she had to “manage expectations and address needs in a logical and heartfelt way” and be “realistic and reasonable” with the public purse.Ms Cox said: “We are in this together and we’re not going to be able to bail out and jump overboard so we have to navigate accordingly.“It’s a trying and testing time. It will separate the men and women from the boys and girls but we can do this”.Ms Cox was speaking yesterday on the Sherri ‘Sherri J’ Simmons show on Magic 102.7FM. She spent about 90 minutes fielding questions from the public, mostly about the economy.When asked how the downturn in the economy had affected her personally, Ms Cox said her income as Premier was “significantly lower” compared to when she worked as corporate counsel of ACE.She said she made sure she listened to people’s problems and said: “I try to respond without acting as if I’m Lady Bountiful.”Ms Cox, who said people had every right to hold her accountable, added: “The economy is always the hot issue when there’s an economic downturn. It’s jobs, jobs, jobs, that’s most important”.Ms Cox hinted further that the temporary payroll tax relief granted to retailers last week may be given to other businesses.She said she wanted to “widen the level of relief and concessions” to prevent the “bitter blow” of job losses.Ms Cox said Government was currently considering other initiatives for some sectors, but confirmed there was nothing on the cards for taxi drivers.She added: “We are aware there is more red tape than there should be …We are looking at further issues as to how and where we can extend relief”.Ms Cox also addressed questions about people wanting to dip into their private pensions early by saying the hardship regulations were being assessed.She said there was “scope to consider” further ways people could access their pensions, but stressed the additional cash would only be available on an emergency needs basis and “not for a trip or a luxury”.Ms Cox also hinted that the idea of unemployment benefits may be re-looked at when people were “feeling a little bit more flush” as the money would ultimately come from workers’ pay cheques.Mr Cox said the changes to the Customs duty at the airport looked likely to be followed by introducing the 35 percent rate to all personal shopping through couriers.Ms Cox said the Price Control Commission had met several times and was in the process of collecting data. She said: “We are making sure we aren’t seeing businesses fleece the consumer”.Ms Cox revealed that a national lottery was “at the frontrunner of discussions” as struggling charities would benefit from the additional funds.But she said it was “highly improbable” that such an initiative would take place within months. A Royal Gazette online report misquoted Ms Cox as saying it was “highly probable”. The Royal Gazette apologises for the error.She also made it clear that replacing the Causeway would not be a full-scale capital project any time soon as there was no risk to motorists.One caller said Government had “lied to thousands of people” by not releasing the report on the hurricane damage at the Heritage Wharf cruise ship pier. Ms Cox replied that “there will be full disclosure when investigations have concluded”.Ms Cox said the next Budget would be “suggestive of the times we are in” but when asked to reveal the date of the next General Election she joked: “You think I’m stupid? I’m not stupid”.A woman urged her to “continue what she was doing as she was doing a wonderful job” while a man said “he didn’t see any grey hair” even though her job “must be a lot of pressure for a woman”.One caller then said she was pushing “future generations into economic slavery” and another said Bermuda was becoming “a high-end third world country”.However, Ms Cox urged people to re-elect the Progressive Labour Party as they “have a track record in making tough decisions”.The Premier, who has nearly been in office for a year, said the top job had been “busy, stimulating and rewarding”.She admitted her style of leadership was very different to former Premier Ewart Brown, explaining: “I’ve never been one for photo-shoots, I am in the business of going out and doing the work.“I respect people’s privacy and rarely arrange for the media to be at meetings”.Ms Cox added that she believes a Premier should “pitch their level of visibility” to avoid what she called “over-exposure in the media”.