Doorstop, Vanuatu
16 January 2019
PRIME MINISTER: Well g’day everyone. I’m glad you could join us, it’s tremendous to be here in Vanuatu. Last year I announced our Government’s ‘step up’ programme, our Pacific ‘step up’ programme and when you step up, you have to show up. You have to turn up and that’s what we’re doing right here. In this first visit here to Vanuatu and the first of many I hope, of Pacific Island nations who we see absolutely as family and as friends. We’re interested in their independence, in their sovereignty, in their prosperity, in their development, in their protection. To ensure they can have stability and a peaceful place in which to live their lives and their futures. For 40 years Australia has been here and in 2020 Vanuatu will celebrate 40 years of independence and they have come such a long way and there is so much more to be achieved. We’re very pleased to be a partner with them and an equal partner with them. So today, whether it’s the announcements that we’ve made regarding progressing the security treaty, to the investments we’re making in community policing, upgrading police stations, ensuring that we're investing in the roads and infrastructure they need and wide-ranging discussions on everything from trade to our support for the Pacific - and in particular Vanuatu - in terms of resilience on climate change.
All of this has been well received. We very much appreciate the direct and friendly and engaging partnership we have with Vanuatu, as we indeed have with all of our Pacific Island family and partners.
So, very pleased to be here and progressing that with my wife Jenny and looking forward to the rest of the programme.
JOURNALIST: Just on climate change, it’s obviously something we’re dealing with, with Vanuatu, we’re going to be helping them out with projects here. Were they concerned we're not doing enough back at home to combat climate change?
PRIME MINISTER: That wasn't raised with me today. These have been issues that the Prime Minister has expressed - particularly when he was at APEC - more generally. It's obviously an important issue to Vanuatu, as it is to Australia. Australia is not only keeping all of our commitments, but we’re making sure that the investments that we're making to combat climate change particularly in the Pacific, is going to be done directly; not through third parties, not through global climate funds. Directly, in direct investments on projects with individual Pacific Island nations. Those nations themselves have known the frustrations of dealing with large international bureaucracies. We're getting rid of all that. We're just going to deal directly with Pacific Island partners on the projects that make a difference to them and support their programmes to combat resilience on climate change.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, nations in the Pacific have made it clear they’d like to see more ambition when it comes to cutting emissions. Is that something that Australia is willing to contemplate under your Government?
PRIME MINISTER: What the response I have had is, they welcome the fact that Australia makes and keeps its commitments. We've made our commitments and we're keeping our commitments. We’re the ones who have kept the commitments on emissions reduction, not only on Kyoto 1 and we will on Kyoto 2. We will also meet - as I’ve said - at a canter, our commitments out to 2030 with the programmes we’ll ensure are in place in future. So Australia doesn't talk about this stuff, we do this stuff. When we say we’re going to work with the Pacific, we’re not going do it through, you know, departments and committees of international agencies. We're going to do it as friends and partners here in the region direct. Because we understand each other and we're genuine about our concern for the things that trouble them most.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on the security treaty you mentioned, Ralph Regenvanu the Foreign Minister has made it clear he wasn't in favour of it only yesterday. Do you believe it’s still a live option in that circumstance?
PRIME MINISTER: Absolutely. It's been announced that we're progressing it as a security treaty and I think today has been a good opportunity, I think, to further outline and build understanding about what we're seeking to achieve here.
This is about everything from dealing with illegal foreign fishers and drug-traffickers to the most basic of community policing and security arrangements that make Vanuatu a peaceful place. This is a broad ranging agreement, and I think coming here personally and having the opportunity to talk through specifically what we're seeking to achieve, has ensured, I think, a very positive breakthrough here. Which means that we - not just here in Vanuatu, but in countries throughout the Pacific - will be looking to put those arrangements in place, because it's good for our region, good for our family region.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you talk about Australia being Vanuatu's partner of choice for security and economic development. The other partner they have though is China. What are you saying to Pacific Island countries, not just Vanuatu but others as well, that will warn them off making China their partner of choice?
PRIME MINISTER: Well it’s not about that. We're here because we’re for the independent sovereignty and prosperity of Vanuatu, because they are our Pacific neighbours and family. That’s why we're here. Our objectives and our motives here I think are very transparent to our family and friends here in the Pacific, particularly here in Vanuatu.
See, this question is put to me all the time. We don't have to choose. We just have to work cooperatively together. So, we will continue to do that, I have made that very clear in my engagements with, you know, the great powers in the region – there’s more than one, there are many - we engage with all of them. But I think the difference for Australia and indeed New Zealand is that this is where we live. This is our family area and we work together as equals. We’re very much about the success of all the Pacific Island nations, which is why I'm here.
JOURNALIST: We have heard several references now to family, the Pacific family. Yet, the vast majority of ni-Vanuatu don't have ready access to travel to Australia, to and from Australia or New Zealand for that matter. But right now, it's easier for any ni-Vanuatu person to travel to Europe than it is to their next door neighbour, to Australia. Do you see any grounds, any opportunity here to make travel to and from Australia easier for the average ni-Vanuatu?
PRIME MINISTER: Well there are three programmes, two of which were existing. One is the new Pacific Leaders Program that will provide for more regular access and more facilitated travel for those who have quite frequent interactions with Australia. That’s part of the new Pacific ‘step-up’ initiative. But in addition to that, the Seasonal Workers Program and the Pacific Labour Program are very important programs - not just for Australia, by the way - and they’re very much appreciated particularly in our agricultural sector. But they’re also appreciated programs across the Pacific and particularly here in Vanuatu, where another team of workers who went just towards the end of last year under that program and the remittances that flow to that and back into our economy.
Australia has always had a universal visa program. That has been one of the key points of architecture of our immigration and border protection system and it's not something we're changing. But we have particularly arrangements, whether it’s with Pacific Island countries, or others, that for more frequent exchanges then we have been able to provide some facilitated arrangements.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Vanuatu's Foreign Minister says the country is considering suing companies and countries responsible for emissions that lead to climate change. On that specifically, legal action, taking this issue to court, do you support Vanuatu and other countries that might be considering similar action?
PRIME MINISTER: Our support for Vanuatu is demonstrated in the practical things we do here and that speaks volumes. So $50 million to be here and support the recovery from Cyclone Pam. I mean Vanuatu doesn't doubt our friendship, they don’t doubt our partnership status and they don't doubt our commitment.
But Australia in terms of our commitments, we make them, we keep them. We show up, we turn up every time and that's what's valued.
JOURNALIST: But if they take legal action, they’re going to need other countries to support them.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that’s a matter for them.
JOURNALIST: Just on another issue if that’s alright? Superannuation, would you consider using the Future Fund as a default super fund as Kelly O’Dwyer has suggested?
PRIME MINISTER: I’m aware of that proposal, but talking about superannuation what I would simply say is Bill Kelty had called Bill Shorten out, on superannuation. He has basically said that he is an errand boy for the unions and the industry funds.
I mean, these proposals that came forward from the Productivity Commission - and they’re very sensible insights - best in show, these types of things, I think what it has highlighted is the real weakness that is there in the system, which is being built up by the power-grab of the unions when it comes to managing Australians’ money. As the Productivity Commission showed, that is costing Australians.
So we’ve done the work on that, we’ll carefully consider the Productivity Commission’s recommendations. I’m aware of that proposal, it’s not Government policy. What I have been more struck by with the Productivity Commission Report on superannuation is, it has totally called out how ordinary Australians’ savings are being undermined by a closed-shop mentality coming to manage where people’s money goes.
I mean, the fact that workers’ money can just, default, be siphoned off into a non-performing fund and that gets three cheers from Bill Shorten on behalf of the industry funds pulling his chain, well, I don’t think that’s good enough. I don’t think that’s a good enough explanation from Bill Shorten.
JOURNALIST: Back to the region, there’s a ‘stepping up’ by Australia in this region, can you say hand-on-heart that this ‘stepping up’ would be happening, if China’s presence wasn’t being felt here?
PRIME MINISTER: We’re here because we believe in the region and always have. We’ve always been here. We will always be here supporting our friends and family and partners in the Pacific. We have done it for decades. In fact we’ve been here for forty years, right here and we will continue to be here because we believe in the peace and prosperity and stability and independence and sovereignty of our region. That’s what creates a stable region for Australia. That’s what I think does the best for the people of the Pacific and the people of Vanuatu.
JOURNALIST: Can I ask, just back to Australian issues as well?
PRIME MINISTER: It’s like a tennis match.
[Laughter]
All inspired by the Australian Open.
JOURNALIST: Richard Di Natale has promised to send his MPs around the country to hold citizenship ceremonies in Councils who have been, don’t want to hold them. Can you prevent that or will you look to address that?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, this is a stunt from Richard Di Natale. I think it is disrespecting the very serious issue of citizenship and is just a further attempt to try and undermine Australia Day.
Now, Australia Day is Australia’s national day. It’s not good enough to say that you just won’t change it. You’ve got to stand up for it and I’m standing up for it.
Bill Shorten will let it fade away, Australia Day. He won’t stand up for it, he’ll be dragged by the Greens, he’ll be dragged by those members of his own Party. You know he’s happy to mouth the words when it comes to Australia Day, but when it comes to actually stepping up, maintaining standards, making sure that the one day where a new citizen of Australia, a new Australian, should be able to get that great privilege and honour, should be on our national day.
My view is if you’re not prepared to hand out a citizenship on Australian Day, well you shouldn’t be allowed to hand one out at all.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, we’ve seen Theresa May - can we jump to Britain now - suffer a heavy, heavy defeat in the Commons over Brexit. What’s your view, can Theresa May’s Government stand in these circumstances and what are the prospects of any sort of workable Brexit?
PRIME MINISTER: Well a couple of things from Australia’s point of view. We have been working assiduously now for several years since the Brexit vote to ensure that we are addressing both our market access now in terms of the EU - which obviously still includes Great Britain under the current arrangements - but also to envisage how we would engage in a post-Brexit world as well, the circumstance of that are quite obviously unclear at the moment.
But Australians should feel very reassured that a safe and steady pair of hands has been managing what is a very uncertain and unstable set of arrangements. So we have continued to pursue Australia’s interests in all the scenarios. The second point I would make it while the uncertainty that is the immediate shock of what’s happening in terms of the issues with Brexit is there, the direct economic impacts on Australia - I know from my days as Treasurer - is limited.
But it does highlight the impacts of global uncertainty in the economy. Now, we’re already seeing some real tensions when it comes to trade and I have had plenty to say about that, particularly last year. In 2019 the global economy is facing more uncertainty than it was this time last year. At a time of increasing uncertainty in the global economy - largely things that Australia and indeed the Pacific or any other nations have no direct ability to influence one day or the other - it's very important that you manage your own economic affairs very tightly, that you ensure your economy remains strong. That's why I think the proposals that have been put about by our opponents to increase taxes by $200 billion over the next ten years - I mean, there’s never a good time to do that, in my view - but to do it at a time of global uncertainty, when the housing market has had a soft landing, but under what Labor is proposing, they could certainly turn it into a crash landing.
JOURNALIST: On trade, we’ve had an announcement of a pilot program to get a product into Australia, kava, coming in. Can you run us through why this was so necessary?
PRIME MINISTER: Well this is important to Vanuatu, it’s been raised for many years. We have to be careful about how we proceed on this because what we don’t want to see is the importation of kava into Australia create other challenges, particularly in Australian Indigenous communities. That has been the long-standing reservation that Australia has had, but I am confident that we can work together to come up with a programme which both protects Australians from any of those risks, but at the same time allows for the cultural experience and exchanges that would take place with Pacific peoples can continue at a much greater level.
I mean, there are currently import restrictions for personal use. It’s a very modest amount that can come in, which is hardly going to manage one family gathering I think in Western Sydney. I think we’ve just got to be practical about this, we’ll work up the details, we’ll be careful about how we proceed. But why is it important? Because it’s important to Vanuatu and it’s important for their industry. We’ve already helped Vanuatu in terms of trade and market access when it comes to kava in other markets around the world. It’s important here and we want to see them succeed. That’s why we want to do it, because we want to see them succeed and we want to remove unnecessary obstacles to their success. And that’s why we’re here; you step up, you turn up.
Thanks very much.
[ENDS]
