Doorstop - Princetown, Victoria
29 October 2018
Prime Minister, Minister for Cities Urban Infrastructure and Population, Minister for Education, Assistant Minister for Social Services, Housing and Disability
HON. DAN TEHAN MP, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: I’d like to welcome you all here to the wonderful electorate of Wannon and in particular here to the Twelve Apostles. I think the most beautiful coastline in Australia, the most beautiful coastline in the world and two million people vote with their feet and come here each year to appreciate the great view that is behind us. Can I say Prime Minister it’s wonderful to have you here with us today for this very important announcement. Can I also acknowledge my parliamentary colleagues Alan Tudge and Sarah Henderson. Sarah it’s wonderful to have you here because as you know, the announcement today won’t only benefit the region here, but right along the coastline as far as Geelong. So it’s terrific that you’re here and part of this. Can I also acknowledge my state colleagues Richard Riordan and Roma Britnell who are great, strong advocates for this region as well.
But today’s announcement will be a game-changer for the region, a game-changer for tourism and in particular, a game-changer for jobs - and tourism does drive jobs. I made an announcement yesterday, further along the coast at Port Fairy yesterday, where the Federal Government had invested money in the wharf. And the person who is managing that said after our investment, that he had a young kid who was 18 come along and say: “Can I please get a job following the redevelopment,” and they have taken him on and he said to the fella who is running that, he said: “Thank you, I’ve got a three month old baby at home and I want to make sure that I’ve got a job as I bring my child up so that he knows that he has to contribute to his community through working and then volunteering in the community.”
That is what this announcement is all about today, so Prime Minister, wonderful to have you here and I’ll hand over to you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks Dan and thanks to all of those who came along today on this beautiful day, and it doesn't get a much better backdrop than that, if at all, to be making an announcement like we are today.
Our Government is about jobs. I'm about jobs and I know that tourism generates jobs all around the country. It's one of our nation's biggest economic generators of jobs in foreign exchange and economic activity. A strong tourism industry makes our economy strong, I've always known that, I used to work in it myself.
What I also know is that in tourism, you cannot rest on your laurels. It’s not enough to have one of the world's best views. It’s not enough to have the best beaches. It's not enough to have - whether it is the Reef or the Rock or the Opera House or the Kimberley or wherever you go around the country, the beautiful rich wilderness of Tasmania - what you have to do is, you've got to invest in the infrastructure and the services and the experiences that visitors have to these regions. It's not good enough that when you go on to the various sites and you find out that people think our visitor facilities should be better. That's why we're investing. Investing in the jobs that will bring the tourism businesses here. Investing in the jobs through infrastructure, services and visitor facilities.
So, we're spending $153 million on these facilities from Geelong all the way out here through the Shipwreck Coast with $58 million specifically here for the Shipwreck Coast, for everything from the visitor facilities, the homestead, the information services that are being provided to guests, the facilities that they can use while here. Even down to the road safety messaging that will be put in place to ensure that when people come and drive along this stretch of road - where we've already put $50 million into that road as a government - that people will be safe when they come here and they have this wonderful experience.
A strong economy is what generates the revenue we need for the essential services Australians rely on. So, by investing in infrastructure here along the Shipwreck Coast, or in Geelong, in the heart of Geelong, what we're doing is creating the stronger economy that backs Medicare, that backs affordable medicines, that backs schools funding. That backs all of these things and in turn, actually backs the investment we make back into our economy, like here to improve the visitor facilities and services.
So tourism is a great jobs generator. It's a great jobs generator for young people. Our Government has the record of the strongest year of youth jobs growth of any on economic record in Australia, in the last financial year. Over 100,000 jobs for young people created and you don't do that just by sitting on your hands. You do you it by investing in the things that generates those jobs. That's exactly what we're doing here.
Now, I'm going to ask Alan Tudge to take you through some of the details of the plan from Geelong all the way through. But this is a comprehensive deal which both Sarah and Dan and the whole team here led by Alan, drawing together the City Deal here which encompasses this whole region, is going to make a big difference to the future of the Victorian economy. Thanks Tudgey.
HON ALAN TUDGE, MINISTER FOR CITIES, URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND POPULATION: Well thanks Prime Minister. This Geelong City Deal will be the fourth City Deal that we conclude. Each City Deal is quite unique in terms of it’s theme, we had the Western Sydney City Deal which was largely built around creating a whole new precinct if you like, for 200,000 jobs, 500,000 people, built around the Western Sydney Airport. The Launceston City Deal was largely built around the University. We’ve got the Townsville City Deal largely built around events management and this one here, the theme is the tourism economy. Because where we are right now, in this region, is the most popular tourist destination outside of Melbourne in Victoria. But what we know is that of the 6 million people that come to this region, about two thirds literally just come down for the day and go back to Melbourne or elsewhere. We want to change that equation so that people are spending more time in the area, investing their money, perhaps staying overnight, eating at the local pubs and restaurants and the like.
What this Deal overall involves is $58 million spent right here in this region. That’s going to include a brand new visitors experience centre which will be built just a few hundred meters away. It’s also going to include the refurbishment of the Glenample Homestead, which is a very special homestead, a couple of million dollars will be going towards that. I think I’m most excited actually about the Gibson Steps, which is going to be upgraded and there will actually be a tunnel which will be built through the cliff, so you’ll go through the cliff down to the beach. So when people come here, they’ll get to be here – there will be a new amphitheatre here to stop and have your lunch all weather, there’ll be Visitor Experience Centre, you can go to the homestead, you can go down to the Gibson Steps and hopefully spend some money and spend some real time down here.
Further down the coastline $27 million is going towards the Surf Coast Redevelopment, the three main aspects of that is an upgrade to Apollo Bay, an upgrade to the Lorne Grey Point Precinct and importantly $5 million going towards a new walking and bike track from Apollo Bay connecting all the way up to Skenes Creek and then eventually feasibility money to continue going all the way down to Lorne from there. So that’s really exciting as well. As you go further around, you get to Geelong and in Geelong is the remainder of the money. A brand new Convention Centre will be built there, the State Government is the lead funder on that one but we will be a minority funder as well as some money around those precincts as well. Then of course finally, $10 million going towards the Queenscliff Ferry Terminal, another important piece of tourism infrastructure. So this is an fantastic deal, built around supporting the tourism economy because we know that tourism brings jobs, brings wealth, it brings opportunity for people and that’s exactly what this Government is about.
HON SARAH HENDERSON MP, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, HOUSING AND DISABILITY: Thank you very much Prime Minister, Dan and Alan and to all of you here. This is an absolutely great day for this coastline, including of course in Corangamite, all the way through to Geelong. Thank you Prime Minister for your support for our region. We understand how important tourism is both here in Wannon and in Corangamite, all the way through to Geelong. This is a fabulous package of commitments, projects all along this magnificent road, this iconic road that brings people from all around the world. At the moment 875,000 international day-trippers travel here and that’s fantastic. But we want to slow them down and that’s why the investments in Apollo Bay, in Skenes Creek, in Lorne, in Kennett River, all the way through to Geelong and Queenscliff, another gateway of tourists for our region and all so important.
So this, as I say, is a wonderful day. It is an absolutely game-changer and it’s been delivered by the Morrison Liberal Government and we’re so proud. Thank you.
[Applause]
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks Sarah. So we’re happy to take some questions on the City Deal and as usual if there are other topics, political topics people are going to raise that’s fine but lets deal with what we’ve announced here today first.
JOURNALIST: Most of the visitors that come down here are on the bus, organized tour trips. What is being done to help those operators [inaudible]?
MINISTER FOR CITIES, URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND POPULATION: So there’s going to be brand new Visitors Experience Centre which will be built over near the Glenample Homestead. That will become the primary place where people park. At that Visitor Experience Centre, there will be opportunities there for cafes, to purchase other goods as well. Then from there you’ll be able to either walk down to here and get one of the shared bikes, there might even be a shuttle bus down here or down to the Gibson Steps et cetera.
On top of that though – and this is important too – there’s $23 million for a business investment fund and what that basically means is that it’s money to support the underpinning infrastructure so that businesses can then be created. It’s water, it’s sewerage, it’s electricity and telecommunications. Once you’ve got that in place then other private businesses can start up.
MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: I might just add too that we’re already starting to see that happen. So people might only want to come down just to see this site, they’ll want to stay and the Federal Government has also invested in the Grampians [inaudible] so we’re hoping they’ll go and have a look at that. There’s also in Ballarat, we’ve got Sovereign Hill which continues to attract tourists as well. So what we want to do is make those bus travellers understand how wonderful this whole region is, so they’ll come down, they just won’t do this but they’ll also go to the Grampians, they’ll also go to Ballarat, they’ll go to Geelong and there’ll be a whole regional experience. The more money we can bring in, the more they’ll stay, the more they’ll stay nights and the more they’ll generate jobs. That’s what this Deal is all about.
JOURNALIST: Surely for many international visitors though, they’re not actually aware of this down here, they rely on tour operators to bring them down here. So is any talks being done with those companies directly?
PRIME MINISTER: One of the things that Tourism Australia does, I know from my time there, is when you’re investing in these facilities, the work that is done in briefing those operators and the tour companies is a big part of what their job is, that’s why we fund them every year. One of the things I know is, every time there was a big investment in infrastructure and new product here in Australia, that was always a key point of interest for those tour operators. They go: “What’s new in Australia?” and so as they’re going into next year, they’ll be able to see what the Government is doing, they’re investing in a whole range of upgraded victor facilities down there on the Great Ocean Road and out into the Twelve Apostles. That sheer investment is what gets TripAdvisor talking and that’s what you want. You want TripAdvisor talking up what’s happening here and you know, when TripAdvisor comes and they say: “You know, the visitor facilities could be a bit better,” well, that’s what we’re responding to. We know what visitors want here, they want the facilities to be upgraded. And when they’re upgraded, you know, then you’ll see more and more people come because they’re getting a better experience. You’ll see those stars click up on TripAdvisor.
ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, HOUSING AND DISABILITY: And may I also add that right along the coastline we’re investing in really important local infrastructure. Believe it or not, toilet blocks are really important and that’s a big part of our investment in Kennett River, in Apollo Bay, in Lorne, to make sure that those travellers on the busses get the facilities they need, the restaurants, the places to stop that it’s a tourist destination, not just a top over.
JOURNALIST: What sort of timeframe are we looking at for these works?
MINISTER FOR CITIES, URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND POPULATION: So the next step is obviously to sign the agreement with the State Government then we’ll be developing the implementation plans which will be outlined early next year. Those implementation plans will document the sequence for each of these projects over the next few years.
PRIME MINISTER: look the bottom line is this; we’ve put the money in. I just want them to get on with it. There’s a lot of work to be done and there’s processes to be followed and there’s work to be done with the State Government as well. Obviously there’s an election going on in Victoria and once that’s done, I just want them to get on with it. I think visitors want them to get on with it. The local community wants them to get on with it and so my encouragement to those putting it in place is; get cracking.
JOURNALIST: Speaking of the election Prime Minister, Matthew Guy had his launch yesterday. You weren’t there, were you not invited?
PRIME MINISTER: No I was. I was in Sydney yesterday, I was spending the weekend in Sydney for the closing of the Invictus Games. That has been a very big deal up there in Sydney as you know over the course of the past week. I wish Matt really well, we’ve got some of Matt’s colleagues here today. He’s out, I understand, in regional Victoria, talking about how he’s going to cut payroll tax for regional small business. How good is that? I think that’s a great announcement, well done Matty. Great announcement. Love to see more of it.
JOURNALIST: Will you be on the campaign trail with him during this next few weeks?
PRIME MINISTER: I imagine our paths will cross over that time, I have no doubt.
JOURNALIST: Has he invited you to join him on the campaign trail?
PRIME MINISTER: I’m sure we’ll be getting together over the course of the campaign, I have no doubt about that.
JOURNALIST: He’s in Ballarat today, would you stop by and see him?
PRIME MINISTER: I’ve got, I’m heading back to –
ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, HOUSING AND DISABILITY: We’re going to Geelong.
PRIME MINISTER: To go to the big cheese.
MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: To Cheese World.
PRIME MINISTER: Cheese World, that’s right and then we’re going from there back into Geelong and then I’ve got Cabinet meetings tomorrow so I’ve got to head back up to Canberra. So anyway, I look forward to spending some time with him over the next few weeks and wishing him and all of his colleagues the best.
JOURNALIST: On Nauru, Tony Abbott was on the radio today saying; “It’s not a hellhole, it’s quite a pleasant place to live.” Would you agree with that?
PRIME MINISTER: I’ve been there probably more times than anyone standing here today and I remind you that there are 10,000 Nauruans who live on Nauru. That’s their home and that’s been their home for generations, I must say for those Nauruans who live there, I do know that they get frankly a bit offended about the way people talk about their home. I think people should bear that in mind actually. I think we should be showing a lot of respect to our Pacific neighbours. That’s where they’ve made their home and that’s where they’ve chosen to live and they feel very proud about their home and their children grow up there. Over the last few weeks and in fact over months now, we’ve been reducing the population of children who are on Nauru. That’s fallen by over 30 in just the last few weeks and the number is now to less than 50. We’ll continue to work progressively on that. But we’re not going to do it by showboating and grandstanding. We’re just methodically putting our policies in place, managing people on the best medical evidence we have available to us. We’re very focused on this, we’re very sensitive to the issue and sympathetic to the issue but we’re doing it in a way which will ensure that also, we won’t compromise the important border protection arrangements we have in place.
Look, you don’t get more children off Nauru by putting more children on, by failed border protection policies. So you’ve got to do both of these issues sensitively and carefully and that’s what our Government is doing. So when there’s more information on that, we’ll only be too pleased to update at the appropriate time.
But I want Australians to be very assured that we’re very aware of this issue. It’s our Government that closed 17 detention centres. It’s our Government that got 8,000 children out of detention all around the country that we inherited from the Labor Government’s failed policies. It’s our Government that has got every child that was on Nauru – put on Nauru by the Labor Party – no longer living in detention on Nauru but living in the community like Nauruan children do. But I would ask on behalf of our friends and neighbours in the Pacific that we be I think, respectful in the way we talk about their home.
JOURNALIST: On Tony Abbott, he’s called the Party to unite behind you. Do you appreciate his support?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course I do and I appreciate his support and all of the support that has come right across our Party, right across the country and also in our parliamentary ranks. I mean we’re a team which is focused on doing the job. We’re just getting on with the job and today is another great example of how we’re getting on with the job.
On the weekend I was pleased to be able to announce our initiative to support our veterans.
Last week I was pleased to host that Drought Summit in Canberra on Friday, which is delivering a Future Drought Fund which is ensuring that on farm water projects are getting increased support. $30 million is going to charities like the Country Women’s Association to ensure that the desperate and urgent relief that is needed in acute areas of need across drought-affected Australia are going to get that support.
In the last fortnight we saw the unemployment rate come down to five per cent.
We’ve announced our policies to take and put in place a big stick to ensure electricity companies do the right thing by Australians.
That’s what we’re getting on with, that’s our focus and that’s my focus.
JOURNALIST: You’re here today ten minutes away from a dairy farm that I grew up on, our farmers are feeling that very drought that you speak of, the effects from New South Wales. You talk about the funding package that’s going towards helping that, you were talking about a repurposing of the NDIS funding. I am also a mother of a child with autism. Is that, can you explain a little bit more about where that funding is coming from?
PRIME MINISTER: This lie that somehow the NDIS is being taken from to support our farmers is rubbish. I think it has created needles anxiety amongst parents and families with children and others who live with disabilities. The NDIS is 100 per cent fully funded, 100 per cent. Every last dollar, every last cent, it has been one of my biggest commitments both as a Treasurer and as Prime Minister. The suggestion that somehow we’re taking from disabled children to support our farmers is shameful.
ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, HOUSING AND DISABILITY: It’s disgusting.
PRIME MINISTER: It is shameful and those suggestions should not be made because they’re not true. What we are doing is we’re supporting the NDIS funding fully out of the Budget and its funding is fully assured. Not one family should be distressed about this because we will deliver every last cent. And at the same time, because we have a strong economy, because we do know how to manage a Budget, because our Budget is going back into surplus next year, we’re able to make commitments like we are here as well as supporting our farmers.
This is what is at risk; if you can’t run a strong economy, then you can’t go out there and support the essential services that Australians rely on. It’s just words. What we’ve been doing is bringing the Budget back into balance, growing our economy, getting people off welfare and into work. You know we’ve had over 150,000 people who used to be on employment benefits who are now earning wages and actually paying taxes. That’s why the Budget is turning around.
Under Labor, more people went off working and paying taxes and actually went into receiving welfare. That’s what happens when you change governments.
Under our Government we’re getting people into work and we’re getting them into work because of projects like we’re doing right here. Understanding how you grow the economy. It’s our job to invest in the visitor facilities that supports our tourism industry. That means businesses can be created and take visitors around, take them on tours, have them over and provide meals, take them up in helicopter tours, all of those things. But that doesn’t happen unless you have the visitor facilities around here to create and provide the bedrock for this experience. That’s how you run a strong economy. That’s what we’re doing.
JOURNALIST: At this election, what do you see as the number one issue?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I’m not a Victorian so I don’t pretend to tell Victorians what the issues are in Victoria. That’s why I’ve got Victorians eyes.
ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, HOUSING AND DISABILITY: The regional rail. Matthew Guy’s regional rail commitment of $19 billion is an absolute game-changer for all regional Victorians. That’s why I’m calling on everyone across Victoria to vote for Matthew Guy on November 24.
PRIME MINISTER: I will say this, as a son of a policeman, in what is called the Police Force in New South Wales, it’s one of the things I do know when I come to Victoria; it is the difference when it comes to law and order. I mean I live in a city in Sydney that has all the same if not more of the challenges that big cities face.
MINISTER FOR CITIES, URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND POPULATION: That’s right.
PRIME MINISTER: We have migration in Sydney, we have all the same sort of challenges that Melbourne does. What I can’t understand in Victoria is why the Victorian Government hasn’t been able to put in place the law and order support and policies that has been done in New South Wales, that makes New South Wales a much safer state than Victoria.
MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: PM I’d just add to that, we saw the most extraordinary thing here. We saw the most extraordinary thing here on Saturday. We had a senior Labor Party strategist say that people shouldn’t vote Labor. Now I’ve never seen anything like that before, but they’re actually out, people internally within the Labor Party, they’re so disgusted with what’s going on they’re saying “don’t vote Labor”. So I think Daniel Andrews has some big, big problems.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister can I ask about Newspoll? The latest Newspoll showed that -
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister just quickly on roads, can we get a commitment on that $300 million for the road duplication of the Princess Highway, Colac through to the South Australian border.
PRIME MINISTER: We’ve got a $75 billion rolling infrastructure programme.
ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, HOUSING AND DISABILITY: And already $363 million between Winchelsea and Colac is underway.
JOURNALIST: That’s right. From Colac to South Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: So, we’ve invested heavily in these roads, including the $50 million just here, around this part of the road here. So we will always roll out the infrastructure on a programme which I think is meeting the local needs. That’s what our Government is about. So you know, look, when it comes to the other issues you’ve just asked me about, I haven’t got the time frankly to focus on things going up and down. There’s a big mountain to climb, I said that when I took over the job as Prime Minister. You keep taking your steps forward. I remember some years ago when I trekked Kokoda, you’d get to a peak, you’d think you’re at the top and you knew you had to dip down a bit before going up again. You know what you do in that situation? You just put your head down and you just keep going and know where you’re trying to get to.
I know where I’m trying to get to and our Government is; an even stronger Australia, where our economy is strong so we can guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on. That we keep Australians safe and that we keep Australians together. That’s where I’m heading and I believe the Australian people will come with me.
Thanks very much.
