Combatting Online Trolls and Strengthening Defamation Laws
28 November 2021
Prime Minister, Attorney General
Prime Minister: OK, well, good morning, everyone, it's good to be with you, I understand. We'd like me to make a few remarks at the outset. I'm joined, of course, by the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. And I want to thank him for the great job that he's done in bringing together so many of the elements of this budget that are supporting our many different communities, ethnic communities across the country. And tonight, your last night's Budget address many things, but the most important thing is addresses is the strength of our economy because a strong economy means a stronger future. And regardless of what your background is, regardless of how many generations your family has been here, whether it's the 60000 years of Indigenous Australians or those who have joined us most recently and become part of the Australian family, all of us depend on a strong economy. A strong economy is what supports our pension scheme. A strong economy is what supports Medicare, our migrant support services, our settlement services for those who've come in the most trying circumstances. Even now, as we've seen, over a thousand people already arrive from Ukraine and in 5,000 in total visas have been issued for those from Ukraine to come on the weekend, I announced 2,000 specific places for visas for those who require them, humanitarian visas to flee the persecution and the conflict that is occurring in Myanmar and of course, the sixteen and a half thousand places in the budget we've announced. For those who are coming from Afghanistan and always standing with the people of Afghanistan who have suffered so much and we stood by for so long and I'm very pleased that we're able to continue to provide that support. I said that as we were going through that terrible crisis in the airlift out of Afghanistan last year that our commitments were just a floor. They were not a ceiling. And in last night's budget we're able to confirm the additional support that we're providing into those programs. Australia has a generous migration program, always has. We've always understood the value of migration to Australia and to support our economy, our workforce, but principally because of the richness it brings to our community life. And I want to thank all those community organisations that do such a fantastic job working with their communities on the ground. I'm particularly mindful of Stefan Romaniw at the moment and Ukrainian Association, who have done an outstanding job, and we've provided additional financial support to the Ukrainian Association to deal with the specific challenges that they're facing at the moment with the increased demands that have been placed upon them because of the terrible war in Ukraine. But our communities, organisations and the leadership they have shown, as we've seen through COVID, but as we've seen through every challenge, we've even floods as we see them across New South Wales and Queensland. Currently, the fires that we've seen and the many other impacts our Budget is stronger today, and it's stronger because of the hard work of Australians right around the country. We've got more people in work. Four per cent unemployment, even lower for women in terms of unemployment. A million more women in work. And that is so important in migrant communities that we're seeing more women of ethnic backgrounds coming into work and having those economic opportunities because that gives them choice. It gives families choice, it enables them to plan for their future with confidence. And the stronger economy that we've been delivering as a government means a stronger future by being able to guarantee the essential services that all Australians rely on. It means that we can invest in the Defence Forces and security services that we need to protect Australia's liberty and the freedom that we have in this country that so many from all corners of the world have come here to shelter and be part of and to build on and contribute to when they come to this country and raise their families, build their businesses. The support for small business in this budget is very significant. The support for training and infrastructure very significant in this budget. But I know, particularly in ethnic communities across the country, Australia is the most successful multicultural nation on Earth. And one of the reasons for that, I think, is the high level of entrepreneurialism that exists in the many migrant communities over many generations in this country. So by backing small businesses with lower taxes and in particular to back them in to be employing apprentices, by giving additional skills training to their staff with a 120 per cent deduction on investment in those skills training initiatives. 120 per cent reduction tax deduction when it comes to investments in data and digital expenditure, such as cloud computing and things of that nature, we're helping small businesses be successful in the post-COVID economy. Australia's economy is a standout. We're coming out of this pandemic with 375,000 more jobs than we had going into it. And all of the communities represented across Australia will know from their original home countries that Australia's performance during this pandemic is a standout. We've saved over 40,000 lives. We one of the highest pandemic preparedness of any country in the world, ranking second on the global index with one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. But our economy with more jobs, more growth, wages increasing, growth increasing, unemployment falling puts us in a strong position to capitalise on the opportunities that are ahead and our many ethnic communities across Australia will be in the engine room of that as entrepreneurs are skilled workers, that's what the migration program has brought to Australia, skills entrepreneurship community and we're backing that in very strongly in this Budget, both with cost of living relief and a strong plan for the future. Anything you wanted to add that, Alex.
The Hon. Alex Hawke MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs: No thanks PM. I just say very briefly to add to the PM's remarks. The Government is investing heavily from a prime minister who secured Australia's borders in the human dividend of what we can now return as a country in our humanitarian program. So we are going to see more people coming from Afghanistan under this Budget and more people coming from Ukraine. And what's been so pleasing about what we've been able to do is they are getting the best of services and integration into the Australian community. We're going to see them working in Melbourne. I was able to visit members of the Afghan community who are gaining employment in critical skills shortages. We now have people from Ukraine. They'll be able to work, they'll be able to study, they'll help us meet our shortages and integrate well into Australia. But also we're able to help in these very difficult humanitarian crises that we face in Afghanistan and in Ukraine. And of course, in this Budget, you'll see a return to a Liberal National mix of immigration and a long line of immigration ministers, a strong skills mix which will see our ability to meet those short shortages. We're backing the regions where doubling the regional visas. We want people from the community to migrate here and go to our regions and live. There are great jobs there, there is great accommodation there. There is a great life for people in the regions and the Government's Budget, our Budget, the Liberal National Budget, is backing people to get to the regions and we'll get them the work and that integration they need.
Prime Minister: OK, well let's get to some questions.
Host: Thanks PM and Minister Hawke, the first question is from Dinesh Malhotra from Bharat Times. Go ahead, Dinesh.
Journalist: My question is regarding the cuts to fuel excise. How are you going to monitor, is triple ACCC is the only tool that you have to to see whether that is being passed on to consumers.
Prime Minister: The right tool Dinesh, that is the powerful tool that we have, it's backed up by strong laws and stiff penalties for those who would not be passing those halving of the tax on fuel, halving of the excise on to consumers. We didn't do this to line the pockets of fuel companies. We did it to ensure that Australians could keep more of what they earn by halving the fuel taxes in this country for the next six months. That is longer than double what we've seen in New Zealand. We've done that as a temporary responsible measure, and we expect to see over the six months the oil price fall to more normal levels over that period of time. And so while they remain elevated because of the war in Ukraine, then we're providing this temporary relief. So yes, the ACCC is the cop on the beat and when it comes to these issues, they do have the powers and they do have the penalties to be able to enforce that.
Journalist: Thank you Prime Minister, thank you Minister.
Host: The next question is from Cecil Huang, 1688 Group, go ahead Cecil.
Journalist: Prime Minister, staffing shortage continues to be a big issue within our community. What's the government's position on increasing the intake for skilled migrants?
Prime Minister: Well, I'll let the Minister go into the specifics, but in the program itself, there will be increased planning levels for the skilled intake, and that's really important. It is going to take some time as we're coming out of this pandemic, and immigration levels have obviously pretty much been reduced to almost zero that we build this program up again and the wheels of it get moving again. And that's what the Department of Home Affairs is very focussed on doing and getting the processes moving and getting people on planes and getting them here. The planes are there again and to see that build up. But I'll ask the Minister to address that.
The Hon. Alex Hawke MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs: Yeah. Thanks PM and thank you Cecil that question. Skilled migration is one of the key questions labour shortages that we're getting as a Government around the country. So far since we've opened the borders. We've seen about half a million people return under our temporary visas in our programs and that's a good number. We're still about half a million people short in our economy, but the Government's put incentives in place. We have a rebate scheme for students that's provided some very strong student numbers in recent weeks. We've seen in some weeks up to 15,000 students coming a week. We have working holiday maker rebates. So for our backpackers, you get you get your money back, that's seen working holiday makers coming in about 1,400 a week, and now we're seeing about 4,000 skilled visas coming every single week. So as the Prime Minister said, we are committed to the economic recovery. We know it's going to take the whole year for us to get back. That's why we're supporting that with rebating visa fees. I'm increasing the caps in this Budget. So for backpackers will now have an 11,000 additional places internationally so people can come, more backpackers will be able to come to Australia and be here, and that's a very significant increase in that. And as I've said, we've returned to a traditional Liberal National skills mix, which is two thirds of the program will now be skills visas for the year ahead in recognition of this fact that we have these skills shortages. So that'll be about 110,000 visas will be skilled visas in the migration year ahead under a Morrison Government, and we're very committed to seeing those skilled people get visas and come here and fill those shortages at the same time, the Government is seeing unemployment hitting now, low rates historically low rates and youth unemployment as well. And the Prime Minister has committed will continue to take unemployment down to three per cent for Australians at the same time as increasing our skills migration program.
Host: The next question is from Jai Bharadwaj from the Australian today. Go ahead, Jai.
Journalist: Thank you. My question is the Minister for Immigration. Thank you for increasing the number for parents visa. However, the partner visa numbers have been reduced and is a big concern. I have talked to a lot of community people ,they are saying is a significant reduce of 32,000 places and migrants are very young and not being able to bring their partner is a big issue for them.
The Hon. Alex Hawke MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs: Yeah, thank you for that Dinesh, so the reduction is only about the last year, so we had a record year in Australian migration history on partners so what the Prime Minister asked me to do and what we were able to do while the while the pandemic was on was increase the family program. So for two years, we've had a record level of family visas processed and most of those are partner visas. The challenge we've got and it's a good one to have is partner visas are surging. We have a huge demand for the partner visa program. So this year we still have a very strong number higher than pre-pandemic levels and we intend to meet it. But of course, we are prioritising skills as well. So we were able to do both in this year's program and we'll keep working it through. Partners will be the priority in the family program.
Prime Minister: A very important point, Alex. Through the pandemic, there were many things that were done differently and they were done for temporary reasons and they were never intended to be permanent, and the opportunity to provide additional partner visas was a good one. But it was never going to be a permanent one at those levels. And so the fact that we've now started to normalise the program again but have pattern partner visa levels, as you said, higher than it was in the pandemic. I'd say very, very plainly to you that that means that it isn't a reduction, it's actually an increase on the normal levels that we've seen from pre-pandemic levels. Yes, there has been a few years from the pandemic where we used that space in that time and that opportunity to keep bringing people in. And that was a great opportunity and we're glad we've been able to do that and reunite so many couples.
Host: The next question is from Keith Tan, Australian Chinese Daily.
Journalist: Prime Minister, well, as you've touched on, just with regards to unemployment, we are really looking at the unemployment data being.
Prime Minister: Try again.
The Hon. Alex Hawke MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs: Yes, sorry Keith we can't hear you.
Prime Minister: Now he's got, he's right, he's right, Yes, we can go ahead.
Journalist: Yeah. Yes. So with regards to unemployment rate and it been better than [inaudible] did. And on top of what was already answered before. What are, what are the measures? Are the Government prepared to do to continue to promote and improve on unemployment within Australia?
Prime Minister: Well, where we're heading to unemployment with a three in front of it, that's a 50 year low in Australia where we haven't seen and we're currently in an equal low. Going back to the early 70s, you know, when I was about six years old, we haven't, you know, we've seen it at about that level before on other occasions, but it's an equal low. And that's going to keep driving down because we're driving the economy, we're growing the economy and you're absolutely right. The improvement in the Budget position of a more than $100 billion over the forward estimates is a function of getting more people into work. It's a pretty simple proposition. People go from receiving welfare payments to paying taxes that turns your budget around. And that has been significant in what we've seen in the Budget last night, which is what has enabled us to responsibly in a very targeted way pay for this targeted cost of living support in the Budget. But the additional measures investing in skills, Australians need more skilled workers and not just in the migration program. They need to be training Australians here in more skills. So we have the investments five thousand for each apprentice to the apprentice themselves and $15,000 to the employer to ensure that they will keep taking the apprentices on, keeping apprentices in the training. We've just extended out, particularly over the next three months, to ensure that the apprenticeship programs we've been running at elevated levels during the pandemic extend out another three months so we can get more intake and that be about 35,000 odd more apprentices coming in. Skills and access to skills is the most significant challenge our economy faces right now. There are many other challenges, but ensuring we get the skilled workers, we need to do the jobs that are needed in a growing economy. And they're not just in the traditional trades, they're in cyber technicians, they're in advanced engineering, they're in our manufacturing businesses, they're in our mental health support and in our health sectors. And so Australia needs more and more skilled workers, and we're investing in that. But we've also got $120 billion infrastructure program, and that infrastructure building program is connecting Australia better, which is good for our economy. It's ensuring that Australians have got safer roads and we've got faster rail, the faster rail programs in this Budget. There's also a major intermodal hub that has been built in Victoria, which is improving the connectedness for freight, which also drives our economy. There's lower taxes for small businesses, one hundred and per cent tax deductions for both investments in skills training and in addition to that, for investment in taking on new technologies, new data and digital technologies to ensure your businesses is more connected into the future economy. We've got a $21 billion investment in the regions, and Alex makes the great point about regions and for migrants coming to Australia, go to the regions because the opportunities there are significant. We are investing at record levels in regions and particularly those where we're going to see a major wealth unlocking up in the Hunter, up in central Queensland, up in the Northern Territory, the Northern Territory is a great migration state. The Chief Minister up there, more and more people he says, keep sending me more people. I've got plenty of jobs for them and plenty of opportunities, and we'll match them on the services up in the Pilbara. But our regional accelerator program, a $2 billion program which is investing in skills and education and training and infrastructure and medical services that is investing in telecommunications infrastructure. All of this is what drives your economy forward because we're investing in the things that enables our economy to grow. And when you grow your economy, that means you can pay your bills. That means you can continue to have the highest bulk billing rate we've ever had in Medicare in this country. It means that you can invest in the two thousand eight hundred pharmaceuticals that we've been able to put in new and amended listings on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, breast cancer drugs, drugs to deal with cystic fibrosis and other terrible conditions, to do genetic testing for things like spinal muscular atrophy. Now, all of these things may not be aware, you may not be aware of of those particular conditions but there are thousands of Australians, particularly also in our ethnic communities, who suffer from this every day. And Australia has a very strong social program and to support that, we need a strong economy to fuel it.
Host: Thank you. Next question is from Winmas Yu, SBS Cantonese programme.
Journalist: Good morning, Prime Minister and Minister Hawke, my question is sort of build on just a question earlier regarding the partner visa and family visa quota allocations. So we're seeing a reduction in partner visa to make way for the increasing numbers of skilled migrants. Prime Minister, you mentioned earlier that we actually not reducing it, but it's actually higher than the pre-pandemic pandemic levels. So without increasing the total one hundred and sixty thousand planning levels, is the Government able to guarantee like the waiting time for partner visa as well as parent visa applicants, would remain the same or potentially quicker than before? Or if not, how long were the wait be expected to be.
Prime Minister: I'll ask the Minister to address that. Some 50,000 places to support family reunion in the family stream. You mentioned the 160,000 cap. I don't think we're going to trouble that cap in the immediate future because we're gearing the whole system up again. And people, even those who have been visaed are already in many cases, some of them are still having to remain in their home country. And China is a good example of that in Hong Kong and places like that because of COVID. And so it'll take a little bit of time for the migration program to gather its pace again. But those 50,000 places are there, and the Minister can talk to the processing times.
The Hon. Alex Hawke MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs: Yeah, thanks, PM. This is a good question. So in the pandemic, because our borders were shut, obviously, if you go to the website, processing times look large. Since we've reopened, we've been able to bring down week on week those times are falling for people in different programs, including partner visas, depending on different country restrictions and requirements. But the department will be meeting those processing requirements month in and month out. They'll be coming down. You'll see those those reflected in weekly and monthly updates. I just say the partner visa program is very well supported inside the family program. The parent visa program is a whole different program. It's a difficult area of migration, but you're looking at to you looking at a Prime Minister and a Minister, he tasked me originally with the new sponsor parent visa program, which we designed in Government, Coalition Government and implemented so that people could sponsor their parents to come here for three years, five years and ultimately with two visas, 10 years to multiple entry exit. You're familiar with the program. Every country in the world wrestles with its parent program, but we have been innovating and our Government has been innovating to allow for more family groups to sponsor their parents to come here and visit them and stay with them, and will continue to seek those innovations and make sure that's accessible for people's parents to come and go. But obviously, parents are very different to the partner program.
Host: Thank you. The next question is from Rajesh Sharma, Indus Age.
Journalist: Good morning.
Host: We're just we're just having a little bit of trouble hearing you.
Journalist: [inaudible].
Host: Sorry Rajesh, I've got your question in front of me, so I can just convey that to the Prime Minister, if you like, we're having trouble with your connection. With record investment in defence and unstable global security. What roles do you visualise for the Australia India partnership to play? And has Australia invested enough in this relationship from a defence point of view?
Prime Minister: Thank you. Australia's relationship with India is at a whole new level and the wonderful personal relationship that both Prime Minister Modi and I have been able to forge over these last three and a half years has been very important. And and it goes back to the relationship that Prime Minister Abbott was able to have with Prime Minister Modi and former Prime Minister Abbott, I tasked as my special envoy in that trade relationship with India, and that is that is yielded much and the Trade Minister has been working with his counterpart Minister Goyal, now for several weeks, has been working towards a new economic partnership agreement. I only had our rather extensive bilateral virtual meeting when I was in Brisbane the other day with Narendra, and we worked across the full suite of issues that we've been working on. We have a lot of like minded passions and ambitions, not just for our own countries, but how they're complementary that our policies are complementary, particularly in the region. Australia, together with India, Japan, the United States, we have a very re-enlivened the Quad at a leaders level and that is providing us, I think, with a stronger platform to pursue the bilateral relationships within the Quad and with the India relationship, I have focussed far more, frankly in the first few years on the security and defence relationship to build a platform of trust and strength in that defence and security relationship upon which we can build the economic relationship. I know that there are a lot of suitors to India in terms of wanting to get greater trade access into the Indian market. And I think where Australia has been able to stand out in terms of all of those suitors is one, we're like minded. We're on the same page. We believe the same things. We want to achieve the same things for our region, the level of people to people engagement, particularly with the very strong levels of Indian migration to Australia. The care that we provided for those Indian students that have been in Australia, and Narendra was was very quick to say to me at our meeting the other day how grateful he was for the care that has been provided to Indian students in Australia over the last couple of years, especially during the pandemic. But yes, we are have invested heavily in our defence partnership and I think that has provided a very, very strong platform for a much expanded economic partnership with India, and I look forward to being able to say more about that in the not too distant future. We've been working closely on this now for some period of time, and this will, I think, take our relationship even to a higher level.
Host: Thank you, PM. We've come to time this morning. If you'd like to make some closing remarks before signing off please.
Prime Minister: I might throw to Alex as well, but I do want to thank you for joining us today after the budget, there are many interviews and discussions that we have with media, around the country, but this is an important engagement that I've always been keen to keep every year and to ensure that we're communicating the Budget into all of the many communities around the country. Whether it's specific issues that you've been raising today on on matters of immigration and settlement policy, timing of visa applications. And these are these are the practical things that your readers and your viewers, I know are keen to understand. In addition to the headline issues of the Budget around economic supports, tax cuts and other income assistance that is helping people get through. So I really do want to thank through you, the many communities that make up Australia and our big Australian family, the community associations especially that really keep the vibrancy and support of those communities. And we'll always seek to continue to support them and respect the important role that you play. But Australia is the most successful multicultural immigration nation on Earth. I don't say, arguably because I don't think it is arguably, I think we are. And I think daylight is second when it comes to this because we have achieved a level of social cohesion across so many different nationalities, ethnic and language groups and religious groups that I think we are the, the standard that other countries would seek to achieve. And that is because of the good heartedness and good faith of those Australians who come from so many different backgrounds. Australia is a great country because of the Australian people. It's not just that we're a beautiful country and blessed with great resources to support a wonderful standard of living. It's because Australians are amazing and those who have come from so many parts of the world have made Australia stronger. And that's what I believe this Budget backs in, but Alex.
The Hon. Alex Hawke MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs: Thanks PM, and to support what the PM is saying under the Budget, we have some more good news for multicultural communities that I'll be unpacking with you and through you to all of the communities in Australia. And we're minded as a Government and the Prime Minister as he's moved around Australia, we will be supporting multicultural communities to resume the fullness of, of community life we've seen, you know, churches are not as full, temples, mosques not as full and festivals have been cancelled over many years and I'm announcing some grants through the Budget from the Morrison Government to support community activity. We want communities to get back to as like normal as possible. We know that it's going to need some support around the country, so we'll communicate some of the details there. But let's get some of those great applications in, we want communities to be back and thriving. Holi, I think the PM agrees it was still colourful, but it was the most muted I've seen it ever in my life because of the pandemic. We need to get Holi back. We need to get these great festivals back and the Government will be practically supporting communities with with some resources to do that, right?
Prime Minister: Great, well thank you very much for your time.
The Hon. Alex Hawke MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs: Thanks, everyone.
