Media Releases
Doorstop - Sydney, NSW
2 November 2018
PRIME MINISTER: Well I want to thank you all for coming here today and Glen and Tech2, thank you for welcoming us to this fabulous business here. Twenty years strong, twenty years strong just recently, congratulations on everything you’ve been able to achieve.
It’s good business to employ veterans. It’s good for businesses, it’s good for veterans, it’s good for our economy, it’s good for our community. That’s what Tech2 understands and that’s what all the companies today understand who are signing up to our new commitment to ensure that we can see more veterans make that transition from their life of service, to their civilian life and their role ongoing in the Australian economy. I want to thank all the companies today that have come along and signed up here. I want to particularly thank you George for your leadership in bringing this initiative together. But here today we have Boeing, we have Westpac, we have JP Morgan, we have CanPLAY, we have a range of businesses here who are taking on this commitment and working with us.
The veterans employment commitment is part of the compact that I began speaking about last weekend. It’s this compact where Australia has a tremendous, tremendous culture of respect for our servicemen and women and our veterans. It is our culture of respect, to say thank you for your service. But it has to be more practical than that. That’s why on the weekend we announced the new initiative of the veterans card. The veterans card which provides an accredited process for companies large and small, all around the country to say thank you for your service to veterans in any walk of life, in any form of business and for that to be a constant recognition. That builds and continues to nurture the culture of respect. What we’re doing today is adding to that by the veterans’ employment initiative and you can go to veteransemployment.gov.au.
What this process is about, from the measures I announced in this year’s Budget, is to give the support to companies to register, to be able to proudly proclaim - like Tech2 is, who employ 120 ex-servicemen and women throughout their company today out of an employee roll of about 500, now one in five employees or more here at Tech2 are ex-servicemen and women - for them to be able to proudly say; “We employ veterans. We support our servicemen and women.” I think that is a very proud thing for any Australian company or any company that is operating here in Australia to be able to say. In talking to the employees here today, what I have heard from them - like with Shannon who is here - the tremendous value-add that is put into these businesses. The culture, the training, the discipline, the ability to deal with difficult situations, the adaptiveness. All of these things are adding serious value to the businesses.
Now, it’s a transition when you go from a life of service, whether it’s on the HMAS Adelaide or other forms of service in the military, the Defence forces and the Army, the Navy and the Air Force and coming into a commercial civilian environment. There is a bit of a pathway there. But the more veterans that are able to do that, the more businesses support those veterans in that transition, the more veterans there will be in those companies who can help their fellow veterans make that adjustment. It’s very different from, you know, being up at Lavarack one day, up in Townsville and then turning up to Tech2 the next fortnight and that’s an adjustment. This program is all about assisting our veterans to make that adjustment.
Now, Trooper Mark Donaldson is here today, he knows all about being very innovative and adaptive and he has made a tremendous transition from his exemplary service in our armed forces into the civilian and commercial life that he is now engaged in. And they are the role models, they are the exemplars for our veterans going forward.
So our men and women who join up, who spend years in service, can then know that on the other side of their service, they will be able to go forward. They will be able to start small businesses, as we learned today. They’ll be able to go out there and employ fellow veterans and they’ll be able to make their way.
That’s how we keep our Defence forces strong; by ensuring that they know when they’re finished with their service they’ll be able to continue their success in their civilian life. Our veterans, our servicemen and women, make many sacrifices, particularly being away from their families. And when they finally make the decisions to move on from the Defence forces, they want to get on with those lives like the rest of us are able to every single day.
So I want to commend you, Darren, on the tremendous work you’ve done in pulling this programme together, and Glen and to all the other businesses who’ve signed up today and made that commitment. I know you’ll be joined by thousands of business all around the country. So I’m very pleased that we are putting veterans first and we’re ensuring that we’re dealing with not only memorialising those who have fallen but we are serving those who are living. Darren?
MINISTER FOR VETERANS’ AFFAIRS, THE HON DARREN CHESTER MP: Well thank you Prime Minister, I’m glad I didn’t prepare a speech because you have said it all. Thank you so much and a couple of other thank you to you George Frazis for the team at the Industry Advisory Council. Your work has been fantastic, we really appreciate that. To you Glen for inviting us out here to Tech2 today and also to your staff, many of whom have served and I want to say thank you for your service. In that same vein can I recognise Mark Donaldson VC for your service but also for the great work you’re doing now Mark in promoting a very positive message among the veteran community that there is life after the Army, the Navy, or the Air Force. That this is the next stage of your life where you can achieve great things. I think it’s a very important message Mark and I thank you for doing that.
There’s only two points I want to make. When it comes to the issue of veterans’ employment, there is a challenge for Government to make sure we’re doing the right thing by our serving men and women during that transition phase. That we look after them during their Defence force service, we provide them the skills, the training opportunities, so that one day they can transition successfully into civilian life. On the other side of the equation, we have to make sure the corporate community, the business community, understands the transferability of those skills. So there is an educational process for us to do there as well, and that’s what is so important about this veterans commitment and the companies who have signed here today. You’re recognising the opportunity for your business, that is going to be good for your business, to look at the ADF ex-serving personnel and find roles for them within your business. So the challenge for us as a Government is to make sure the ADF personnel are well prepared, but challenge also on the civilian and the corporate side to make sure you’re a welcoming organisation and you recognise how those skills will transfer.
So it is a great occasion, I thank you again George for the work you have already done. But perhaps more importantly, thank you for the work you’re going to do on our behalf in continuing to sell that message that hiring a veteran is good for your business and there’s great opportunities for the Australian corporate sector to work with the ADF on making sure that transition, that transfer of skills moves through as positively as possible. So thank you very much and I introduce George.
GEORGE FRAZIS, CEO CONSUMER BANK DIVISIONS WESTPAC: Thank you Minister and can I start by thanking you Prime Minister for your passion and not only the passion but the concrete actions in terms of helping veterans. If you look at the recent research between Linkedin and Westpac, of the 12 capabilities that organisations are looking for, veterans rate above average on all 12 capabilities. An absolute spike on things like leadership, change management and strategy. So as an ex-Royal Australia Air Force engineer, I know the challenges veterans have in terms of the transition. But I also know the huge value they can provide to organisations big or small. From my perspective this is a win-win-win. It’s a win for veterans, they get meaningful careers. It’s a win for the organization, having access to this huge pool of talent. And it’s a win for our nation because we’re giving back to those servicemen and women who have sacrificed so much for our standards of living and our freedoms. I encourage all organisations to sign up, every little bit helps. Basically, together we can make a meaningful difference to the lives of veterans and their families.
I have to say, Glen, congratulations for being among the first to sign up to the agreement, so well done Glen.
GLEN POWYS, FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, TECH2: We’re honoured to have done so and thank you for your service.
PRIME MINISTER: Good on you Glen, thanks George, well done. Thanks, congratulations. Now why don’t we take some questions on the initiative and obviously there’s been a number of initiatives and announcements this week in terms veterans, including not only the service that we’re providing to veterans themselves but it was obviously a big day yesterday down in Canberra around the War Memorial as well. All of this fits together, so happy to take questions on that and we can deal with politics after.
JOURNALIST: Have you got any veterans on your team?
PRIME MINISTER: On my team? No I don’t believe I have directly, but we obviously have a lot of people right across the public service and right across the Government staff themselves. I have the great advantage of having Angus Campbell as my Chief of Defence Force giving me regular advice, as well as having Greg Moriarty who is the Chief of the Ministry of Defence, who has also served. So there’s no shortage of servicemen and women and veterans’ advice that comes to the Prime Minister in my daily engagements.
But you know I look right across at my team, my parliamentary team, whether it’s the member for Canning or Stu Robby up there in Queensland, of course Jim Molan, a retired Major General. I mean our ranks are strong when it comes to those who have served our country.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister how concerned are you about the hacking of Defence contractor Austal?
PRIME MINISTER: Let’s just stay with the veterans announcement first and we then we’ll move to other matters. Questions for the companies perhaps?
Well, I’m pleased to see you’re as excited and passionate about supporting veterans as I am. Because I am massively passionate about this, we have to do the right thing by our veterans. I’ll ask my own question then, when it comes to what we’re doing to support veterans otherwise. One of the things we’re very proud about, is over the last five years, we’ve cut the processing times for veterans claims in the Department of Veterans Affairs from 120 days down to 33 days. Every single veteran in this country, regardless of whether they’ve served one day or decades, get access to free mental health for life. That’s an important commitment. We’ve indexed Defence force pensions with an additional commitment of $1.4 billion to make sure they’re getting a fair go. Supporting veterans is a huge priority of my Government, our Government, and has been since we were first elected in 2013 and we will not rest on this. We will keep going because we want to honour their sacrifice and we want to honour their services.
Okay, with that said, I’ll say to George and Glen, fellas, thank you, thank you very much for being here today. We appreciate everything you’re doing. Okay happy to take some political questions.
JOURNALIST: On Austal, how extensive was that breach there?
PRIME MINISTER: The matters have been referred to the AFP and the Cyber Security Centre. Those matters are now being assessed. I think it’s a reminder of why it has been so important to continue to invest so strongly in Australia's cyber security. That is not a 100 per cent foolproof guarantee that breaches cannot occur and Mr MacGibbon will be preparing and leading the Government's response to these issues. We are still working through to determine the precise facts about these things, but it’s a constant reminder about the need for vigilance. That's why our Government has been so committed to bolstering our commitment in that area.
JOURNALIST: Is the leak contained to that company?
PRIME MINISTER: I won't be going into those matters. I think you would be surprised if I did.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister do you think science teachers should incorporate Aboriginal culture into their lessons?
PRIME MINISTER: I think it's great that science teachers want to enliven students about science and I think they should be using every resource available to get our kids passionate and interested in science. If that involves using the stories from Indigenous culture to help them engage kids with science and help them understand science, I'm for whatever tool they need to help kids better understand science. Science teachers are teaching science and they will draw examples from all walks of life. To the extent that that involves drawing examples from Indigenous culture and Indigenous practice more specifically - I mean, for example, examining the physics of whether it's a spear or a boomerang in older times - that helps kids understand science and how good is that?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Victorian MP Chris Crewther, is he, is it your understanding that he is at risk of falling foul of section 44?
PRIME MINISTER: No I don’t believe that. No I'm not concerned about that. Look, these stories they come and they go and I frankly think the Australian people are completely over all of that.
JOURNALIST: Have you talked to him about it?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, I have.
JOURNALIST: Will you refer Chris Crewther?
PRIME MINISTER: The Australian people are completely over it and I have no concerns over that matter.
JOURNALIST: If he is in breach of section 44?
PRIME MINISTER: I have no concerns on the matter.
JOURNALIST: A by-election Dunkley would be a problem.
PRIME MINISTER: I have no concerns on the matter.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, what do you make of Labor’s plan to scrap Work for the Dole?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm not surprised. Labor is about taking people out of work and putting them on welfare. So why would they be supportive of Work for the Dole?
What we’ve done as a Government is we’ve got people off welfare and into work. We have a record level of employment, not only in a given year for all Australians - over 400,000 Australians getting a job in just one year - we also have the record for the strongest year of youth employment in 2017/18, over 100,000 young people getting a job.
Now, that's what our policies are delivering and Work for the Dole is part of that. It’s always been part of that. It has always been part of our compact, our commitment, our agreement I think, with Australians; that in return where people are in the position where they are taking Newstart, then in the appropriate circumstances, there’s an opportunity for them to give back and to participate. There are extensions of that program which Labor also oppose, in the youth PaTH project. Remember, that was the project which was ensuring that we got young people who had been unemployed for quite some period of time, that we got them the training to mean that they could walk into a business - a business just like this one - actually walk in and participate through an internship program where they would continue to get an elevated Newstart payment, during that period of effectively orientation and training. Then they could go onto an actual job where they could got a youth wage subsidy of up to $10,000 over a 6 month period and then move onto an actual job. So this is Work for the Dole that is actually leading to real jobs and there’s almost 30,000 young people who have got a job through that program. Labor opposed that program tooth and nail, tooth and nail.
So we're for jobs.
Labor is just for welfare.
I heard the other day they were thinking of increasing the Newstart payment. Well, I've got to tell you, if I thought I had the money to do that, I reckon I would be doing it for pensioners first.
JOURNALIST: What’s your relationship like with Malcolm Turnbull? There’s talk in the papers of a spat. Have you had a conversation with him in the last 24 hours, is it going okay?
PRIME MINISTER: I dealt with all those issues yesterday. Okay, thank you.
Jobs for Veterans
2 November 2018
Prime Minister, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Minister for Defence Personnel
Thousands of ex-service men and women across Australia are set to benefit from a new initiative to connect them with employment opportunities.
Building on the success of the Prime Minister’s Veterans’ Employment Program, a new Veterans Employment Commitment will be rolled out to businesses that want to benefit from the skills and experience of Australia’s veterans.
Australians have enormous respect for the service of our veterans. Many employers already recognise the value of the skills and experiences of our veterans.
We want to translate Australia’s culture of respect for veterans into action. Simply put, hiring a veteran is good for business.
The Veterans Employment Commitment will clearly identify businesses that provide career opportunities to veterans, that upskill and mentor them and that are focused on how to retain them.
Our government has heard the calls to help our ex-service men and women when they transition from the defence forces into the civilian workforces.
By connecting veterans to employers we can make the transition that bit easier.
Businesses that sign the Commitment will be listed on the official veteransemployment.gov.au website, have their details shared with veterans looking for work and through networking events, as well as be able to use the Commitment logo to advertise their support.
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs will ensure businesses meet their obligations set out in the Commitment and businesses will be asked to recommit every two years.
The Veterans Employment Commitment forms part of our government’s suite of measures to recognise and respect veterans as we mark the conclusion of the Centenary of ANZAC.
The Commitment, combined with the new Veterans’ Covenant, Australian Veterans’ Card and lapel pin, are all designed to bring governments and businesses together to support the veterans of today and tomorrow.
We want to translate Australia’s culture of respect for veterans into action.
Employers across the country are hunting for the sorts of skills and experience our service men and women gain through their service.
Our government has heard the calls to help our ex-service men and women when they transition from the armed forces into the private and public workforces.
By connecting veterans to employers through this initiative we can make the transition that bit easier.
Q&A Asia Briefing Live
1 November 2018
QUESTION: Prime Minister, it’s such a pleasure to have you here at Bloomberg and in conversation with the Asia Society today after what’s been a great day of debate and conversation. I want to pick up on, you started off your speech talking about the importance of the traditional allegiance and Alliance with the United States for Australia.
As you head into summit season at ASEAN and at APEC there’s going to be one elephant in the room which is the absence of President Trump. Does that disappoint you, the sort of perceived lack of engagement or pivot away from Asia that Washington is demonstrating, by not being there?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I wouldn’t agree with that assessment. I mean, given what is occurring in the United States with where things are at in terms of their own calendar of events, in relation to their midterms and others, I’m not drawing that conclusion. I’m not encouraging others to draw that conclusion either and I’m looking forward to seeing Vice President Pence. He’s demonstrated I think, a keen interest and commitment to the region and I think that will more than demonstrate I think the US’s keen interest with their allies and partners in the region, but I think their longer term interest.
QUESTION: Does there need to be a more robust presence from the United States demonstrated in this part of the world, given that you’re thinking about perhaps a more, retreat in Washington versus a more outwardly assertive and aggressive Beijing?
PRIME MINISTER: Well again I don’t think I’d agree with the analysis there. I don’t think it’s about them retreating at all. I think in the remarks I’ve just made it is about continuing to encourage their engagement. I mean we all have our spheres of direct and first responsibility engagement. What I have sought to set out today is that one of those for us, is absolutely the Pacific. When I think of our neighbours in the Pacific, and say PNG, I mean we are the single largest provider of ODA to PNG and have been for a very long time. We have a special relationship there and a special responsibility. But not far from there obviously in Indonesia, we’re still committing each year $300 million a year in ODA, $1.2 billion over the forwards. So we are exercising our responsibilities and our friendships and partnerships in a way we believe we should and that can plug in with whether it’s the States or others, who we’re partnering with in the region.
QUESTION: In our geopolitics panel this morning we spoke a great deal about this idea that one of the panellists said; we’re about 10 per cent into the new Cold War between China and the US. Is Canberra forced to make a decision to take a side about our most important trading partner or our traditional ally? How does Australia navigate these trickier waters?
PRIME MINISTER: Well the short answer is no, we don’t. We don’t feel like that at all and it’s one of those old maxims in politics; things are never as bad or never as good as you think they are. And I think that that summarises these issues as well.
I think we sort of have to often look beyond the immediate operations and look to, I suppose the broader long-term objectives. Does the United States want to have, at the end of the day I think an open, more free trade environment where they can engage in the global economy? My honest answer to that is yes. Does China equally want to see prosperity in the region and the prosperity of their people? Of course they do. So you start there and you work back from that.
QUESTION: I think it was former prime minister Kevin Rudd who said; “We need to find, for Australia, a strategy on China that’s somewhere between kowtowing to Beijing and complete conflict”. Do you think you’ve managed to strike that balance? What’s the strategy?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I think Australia has been doing this for a very long time. The reason we’ve been able to do it is we know where we live. I think it was Ryan Stokes was once asked this question, that was the time when the Stokes family had that significant interest in Caterpillar, they had the Caterpillar franchise up in China. He was asked a similar question and the question was: “Is China a friend or a foe?” And he said: “Well to me, they’re a customer”.
QUESTION: Very transactional isn’t it?
PRIME MINISTER: I thought that was, well he was in the transactional business. But my point about it is that the relationships with the countries are different. I mean, John Howard used to talk about the relationship with the United States and the UK as one which was very much centered in those deep values that I spoke of. That’s true and our relationship with China is different, but it is strategic, it is important, and we seek to meet on the common ground where we can share those interests and the prosperity and stability of our region are things that I think we hold very much in a consensus.
QUESTION: What will be your priority in the conversations you will have President XI in the coming weeks?
PRIME MINISTER: I think it is to assure to provide a confidence that Australia and China can get on with business as usual. That the way we run our show is, we have clear rules. We welcome investment. I mean, there is no country in this part of the world that has a more liberal and open investment environment than Australia. You cannot invest as an Australian in the rest of our region like the rest of our region can invest in Australia and we do that not just because we’re charming and welcoming. But we do it because it’s in our interest to be like that. We have been an open trading nation for thousands of years, going back before European settlement in Australia, to modern Australia, that has always been our way. So we want that to continue. But I think what is important in managing that relationship is just that we’ve got to be really clear about where the lines are, where the rules are, how we make decisions and do that, I think, in a very courteous and engaging way.
QUESTION: There’s not a great deal of consensus, it seems, when it comes to finding a regional answer to that on how to deal with China, where the lines are. I’m talking about the pod group, India, Japan, the US and Australia. The talks have been sporadic, kind of stop-start. Why do you think it’s so difficult to get a regional collective sense of how to approach this?
PRIME MINISTER: Well it’s complicated. I think that’s the honest answer and you have countries and nations coming at this from different interests with different stakes. That’s why I think in many cases what you’ll end up getting is the amalgam of their individual responses. Now whether they can overlap and align in these forms, well, well and good, I think that’s excellent. But these fora are good and important and we participate in them, but they’re not a leave pass to actually engage in these questions and work out your own answers as individual nations.
QUESTION: Are you worried about smaller countries in particular in the region being forced or really being obliged to accept aid and infrastructure rollouts from China?
PRIME MINISTER: I think we have an important responsibility in forums, say the G20, where we will be in a few weeks’ time and where I have had quite an involvement previously as Treasurer because the G20 as you know was originally set up as a finance ministers meeting and the leaders got invited later. And the treasurers and finance ministers still feel very parochial about their forum I can assure you. But one of the things we talked about when I was last there in Buenos Aires was we talked about ensuring greater transparency about the rules and the reporting around how finance and debt was being placed in a lot of smaller countries. I mean, we don’t want countries who are in these sort of early to mid phases of their development getting caught in the debt trap. We want them to be able to make conscious, positive decisions and understand what they’re getting into and for there to be many options and for there to be transparency around these things. So I think there is a lot of work that we can do to ensure that countries don’t find themselves in a compromised position.
QUESTION: To that end, should Australia be redirecting more funding toward some of these big-ticket Chinese projects like [inaudible]?
PRIME MINISTER: Well on the AIB we were a founding shareholder and partner and we are on the board and continue - that’s why we got into that project and our Government initiated our participation in that. Where there are projects that are consistent with our interest we’ll be involved with them. Otherwise we have our own sort of program of investment, and whether that’s through ODA or whether that’s through infrastructure plans or indeed other financial arrangements we’ve entered into with countries, particularly within our part of the world from time to time which previously included some significant financial arrangements with Indonesia.
QUESTION: In the panel this morning, there was an overwhelming - in our audience poll actually - the audience overwhelmingly voted not to push back against Beijing when it comes to it’s attempts to create more military strategic influence in some parts of the world such as the South China Sea and some of those activities. Should Australia be rethinking the way that it uses its’ foreign aid budget to create more of a presence given that Beijing is trying to?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I’m a bit of a purist on this. This is why I said while I want to see us have a more effective relationship with the Pacific, because they’re family, we should be doing it for those reasons. And we are, I believe, the preferred partner, whether on security, or the economy or any other set of measures, with our friends in the Pacific and I believe with many ASEAN countries as well. We’ve been there a long time. I mean, people I’m sure know but you think on Myanmar. Australia is the only country to have consistently had a diplomatic presence in Myanmar for that entire period. Everyone else left. We were there the entire time, and remain there. We stick at things. We stay around and we do it because of not some short-term transactional opportunity, we do it because we just think it’s the right thing to do.
Our record is looking to the long-term and sometimes you don’t know how that’s going to play out. But that’s why your interests and your values and your beliefs keeps you in those roles. So yes, there are these things that have to be considered and contemplated. But first principles. You know, why are we getting in this arrangement with the partners? I mean, it’s been a long-standing relationship between us and PNG and these areas, going back over decades and decades. So it’s just a natural, I think, extension of what we’ve been about for a long time. It does play, I think, into some of the issues you’ve addressed but first principles is what has to drive our decisions.
QUESTION: In your speech before you spoke about the importance of open markets and the Liberal-National Coalition is traditionally known as being business-friendly. There’s been some, I think you could say uncharacteristic interventions in the markets. Restricting LNG exports, forced divestiture of energy assets just to name a couple, does that line up or does that align with the ethos of what the Party is meant to be all about?
PRIME MINISTER: Where we have indicated I think a more interventionist approach, it’s been very targeted. I remember last time I was here with my Treasurer’s hat on, we talked a fair bit about this and in the energy markets - as indeed in the banking and financial sector - these are heavily regulated parts of the Australian economy. Long before I turned up or others did, that is an ongoing position of consensus that people can expect to be there. But the problem is, when you’ve seen the regulation operating like that in particular sectors for so long, then it can produce some quite uncompetitive, anti-consumer behavior. So what you have to do as a Government is seek to have interventions which try and reproduce what you’d want to be there at the initial competitiveness effect. Which has clearly been lacking when you look at the outcomes for customers, it’s clearly been lacking. So whether it’s been the financial sector or indeed the in the energy sector, you won’t find me having those sorts of conversations in other areas of the economy where there is, I think a pretty fair dinkum market economy operating. In those places where those other distortions are not already built in, then our Party has always been about ensuring that they should be able to get on with it and we should be able to get out of the way.
QUESTION: You’re about six months out from a federal election, does policy paralysis worry you, about Australia being able to get anything done before then?
PRIME MINISTER: No because we keep getting things done. Last week we were able to legislate – sorry, week before, we didn’t need two weeks, we only needed one – small business taxes cut down to 25 per cent and legislated. That was done within weeks of it coming through our own Cabinet. So we are constantly identifying and moving on issues and that will happen all the way up to the next election and you’ll continue to see legislation passed, you’ll continue to see new initiatives taken whether it’s in the areas that you’ve talked about today which have been very significant commitments that we’re making up in PNG and there will be others to follow.
I talked about what would be happening with the [inaudible] report. Defence, I mean I was at the commissioning of the HMAS Brisbane just on the weekend. You know, the ships will keep rolling out and the military equipment will continue to be invested in and built, largely here in Australia too which has been a critical success story for us in transitioning our economy say from the vehicle industry, which for market reasons obviously wasn’t sustainable. But what we have seen is a transformation in our economy which is seeing manufacturing jobs created in new parts of the economy. Our medical industry is incredibly exciting and the research investment that we’re putting in, the research infrastructure for our medical industry will see jobs in that space, whether it’s in aged care, human services, these are the big job creating areas in our economy now and they’re also becoming important parts of our service exports. I mean one of the most exciting things about the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement was I think, the deal that was done which means we can run aged care facilities in China and we’re good at them. I know we have a royal commission into residential aged care, that’s not because we’re not good at it, it just means that we’re always wanting to do better and I think that’s recognized from both a service delivery point of view as well as a training point of view.
QUESTION: [Inaudible] push is actually quite interesting because I was looking at some numbers earlier and even though we all know as part of a narrative, Australia is part of the Asia Pacific and that’s certainly what we kind of grow up with, less than ten percent of Australian businesses actually invest beyond our borders. Is that a problem? And how do you as a Government encourage more engagement and willingness to –
PRIME MINISTER: Well I think that’s an astute observation. When I was in Indonesia recently I was talking to [inaudible], the Finance Minister Mathias Cormann is up there with him all this week. I know that’s one of the frustrations for Indonesia, in seeing more Australian investment go into Indonesia. Part of it is an understanding of systems, part of it relates to how contracts and rule of law operates in the legal system and there’s some uncertainty around those things, or the communication and educational issues that has to occur with Australian investors, that can occur whether it’s Indonesia or other parts of ASEAN. They’re things that we need to be that we need to demystify because we do see investment – whether it’s going out or coming in – as a mutually beneficial exercise. I think whether it’s the Asia Society, where we are here today, or the many other different forums that exists, the APEC business forums, all of those groups, I think that’s their task; is to try to demystify and smooth the movement of capital between them, across borders.
QUESTION: As Treasurer I think we had this conversation [inaudible] Australia has gone 26 years without a recession.
PRIME MINISTER: 27, but who’s counting?
[Laughter]
QUESTION: Is that good fortune or good policy?
PRIME MINISTER: I think it’s both because you know, there are plenty of countries who have plenty of luck and they’re not in the position we are. I think it has been the product of good policy and taking advantage of our good fortune through good policy. This is something we can never ever take for granted. It has been a hard road for us over the last five years. The global financial crisis was not the economic shock to the Australian economy, it was the comedown of the top of the mining and investment boom. That ripped $80 billion out of our of the Australian economy. The global financial crisis, because of the strength of our banking and financial system, enabled banks to continue to lend through all of that. It wasn’t the economic crisis it was in the northern hemisphere and the North Atlantic. It was quite different here and we were well situated on the uplift, going into the mining investment boom at the time of the GFC and also China’s own boom. So there were a lot of things that cushioned those effects at that time, but when, you know, the music stopped at the end of the mining investment boom and we saw that massive dislocation hit our economy, we kept growing. We kept growing through that period and that was I think, when we faced our toughest financial test and we not only kept the growth and the job creation occurring, but we also maintained our AAA credit rating. We’re one of only ten countries to do so anywhere in the world with all three major agencies. So the answer is the good fortune helps, but the good policy is what delivers.
QUESTION: Is the good policy now more important that ever? Given that a big chunk of that good fortune which has been the rise of China, is seeing a structural slowdown as well as by virtue of however this trade war turns out? Is Australia going to get caught out or will we somehow spin this to be a beneficiary?
PRIME MINISTER: Well the sort answer to the first part of your question is “yes”. Of course it’s important, it’s more important than ever before. In times of uncertainty you need consistent, trusted economic management and economic policies. Otherwise it all goes pear-shaped pretty quickly, we’ve seen that before and we have to avoid that. That’s basically the argument that I and Marise and Josh Frydenberg and the whole team will be arguing to the Australia people at the next election; a strong economy cannot be taken for granted and a strong economy is not an end in itself. A strong economy is the reason that you can invest $200 billion in your Defence Force capability. It’s the reason why you can have a Medicare system which you can pay for. It’s the reason you have pensions, it’s the reason we have affordable medicines. That is what the strong economy delivers and if you take that for granted then you risk those other essentials that Australians rely on.
QUESTION: As you brought up the election –
[Laughter]
Zero to 100, how do like your chances of forming a government?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I’m already leading one. But on the other side of the election, I believe at the end of the day Australians will exercise some common sense judgement about what the strength of the economy means to them. I think they will exercise judgement about the beliefs that we hold as a Government, as a Party, that have I think been so essential to that economic success and the things that they rely on. At the end of the day people want to know what you believe. They know where our record is. We’ll be back in surplus next year, one year ahead of schedule and we’ve turned the corner on debt last year. We continue to have record investment in schools and hospitals and all of these things . We’ve protected Australians, we’ve kept Australians safe. We’re keeping Australians together, but all of that happens because of what we believe. I think this election will be very much about some of those core beliefs. A key one for us is you don’t bring people up by pulling other people down. That’s not how we see it. That very much goes against our beliefs and our policies. Fairness is about everyone doing better. It’s not about trying to even out a score across a whole population, trying to level everybody out. We want to see everyone achieve, just like we want to see all the countries of our region achieve.
QUESTION: [Inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER: You’ve probably heard most of it.
QUESTION: [Inaudible] common sense [inaudible] is that what happened in Wentworth?
PRIME MINISTER: Look Wentworth was a pretty unique set of circumstances when you have a very popular member who went through what was a very, very dislocating set of events. Voters were very angry about that. That was a very high transaction cost for our Party.
QUESTION: Yes, [inaudible] really?
PRIME MINISTER: No I didn’t say that.
QUESTION: Where are you going to be focused on at this upcoming election campaign?
PRIME MINISTER: What, which seats?
[Laughter]
QUESTION: Where are you putting your resources?
PRIME MINISTER: Look we’re putting them right across the country and the reason for that is, I think, the message that we have and that is that we want a stronger economy. We want a safer Australia and we want a more united Australia. Strong, safe and united, I think that’s what Australians want to see. They don’t want to see Australia go back to the time of conflict and they don’t want to see a return to the sort of industrial divisions that once crippled our economy. They don’t want to see that come back. They don’t want to see the parents of kids that go to non-Government schools, non-state schools, being pitted against the parents of kids who go to state schools. They don’t want to see employers set against employees, they don’t want to see one Australian set against another because they earn more or they earn less. They don’t want to see that, Australians very much have an ambition towards harmony as a people. That is why we are the most successful immigration country on earth. I mean we do it better than anyone else in the world and sure, we’re not perfect. We’re not, but our commitment I think, to that harmony and that cohesiveness is what Australians want to see. That’s what I’ll be presenting to the next election on behalf of our Government.
QUESTION: Do they want to see kids out of detention and a coherent climate change policy as well.
PRIME MINISTER: They do and so do I and that’s what I’m delivering.
QUESTION: Would you care to elaborate on that final point?
PRIME MINISTER: Well our Government took 8,000 children out of detention. We closed 17 detention centres. We have had no one put into detention now since 2014. Under our predecessors, they were turning up at the rate of thousands every single month. The number of children in detention now is less than 40, some weeks ago or some months ago, that figure was over 100. So, we’ve been getting about this quietly. We haven’t been showboating about it. We’ve been doing it consistent with our policies. There has been no change to our policies whatsoever, we’ve just been doing it consistently with our policies and our alliances. As you know, we have an arrangement with the United States and so we’ve been doing that. That’s exactly what we’ve been doing.
On climate solutions, we have our commitments, we’ll meet those commitments. We’re a country that keeps our commitments. We smashed Kyoto 1 and we’ll beat Kyoto 2 and as I keep saying, we’ll beat 2030, I think in a canter.
QUESTION: Prime Minister it’s been a pleasure.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much.
Joint Statement between Australia and Papua New Guinea
1 November 2018
The Prime Ministers of Australia and Papua New Guinea recognise the critical importance of our bilateral relationship. Our two countries share a long history of close cooperation underpinned by common interests and deep community links. Our 2013 Joint Declaration for a New Papua New Guinea-Australia Partnership committed us to strengthening ties, deepening cooperation and working together to grasp opportunities and tackle common challenges. We are equal partners with a contemporary economic and strategic relationship.
In that context, we are today lifting our enduring partnership to a new level through the establishment of an annual leaders’ dialogue to drive the next era of cooperation between our two countries.
We have also committed to two new initiatives which will strengthen our existing cooperation on strategic and economic issues. These initiatives will build on past cooperation but point to a closer partnership in the future.
Australia and Papua New Guinea have a proud history of working closely to address common security challenges. We will continue this cooperation through a new joint initiative at the Papua New Guinea Defence Force’s Lombrum Naval Base in Manus Province. This initiative will further enhance interoperability between our defence forces, and deepen our maritime security cooperation, including through increased Australian ship visits over time.
It will also contribute to Australia’s strong partnership with the PNG national government and Manus provincial government to support economic development and create economic opportunities for Manus Province. Officials will soon conduct detailed discussions on options including infrastructure development, mentoring programs and tailored training.
Our joint initiative at Lombrum will complement our cooperation through the Pacific Maritime Security Program. It will also support closer regional collaboration – as decided by Pacific Island Forum leaders on 5 September in the Boe Declaration – and improve our ability to respond to regional challenges including illegal fishing and transnational crime.
The Australian Federal Police and the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) have worked closely together for more than a decade to enhance the RPNGC’s capacity and capability, most recently through the PNG-Australia Policing Partnership. Our cooperation in the lead-up to APEC demonstrates our natural partnership in this area. Building on that close relationship, we are announcing today that the AFP will continue to support the RPNGC after APEC through a long-term police development program. The program will support the RPNGC to improve community level service delivery, enhance RPNGC policing capability, and increase support to the Bomana Police Training College.
Telling the Stories of Our Service Men and Women
1 November 2018
Prime Minister, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Minister for Defence Personnel
Our government is backing plans for the Australian War Memorial that will honour Australians who have served in our armed forces, and those men and women who serve today.
Our $498 million investment in the Australian War Memorial’s redevelopment will help them tell new stories in new ways.
It means the Australian War Memorial will be able to display more of their collection and proudly tell the stories from recent years in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Solomon Islands and East Timor.
We want to recognise the service of our Australian Defence Force members and safeguard a place for history to present and communicate those stories not yet written.
The redevelopment will increase visitor areas by 83 per cent or around 10,000 square metres to expand the exhibition and public program space which is currently at capacity. The Australian War Memorial will be able to better tell the stories of current and recent conflicts, operations, peacekeeping, and humanitarian missions.
It will include a new temporary exhibition space, improved visitor orientation, wayfinding and amenities, areas for respite and reflection, new education facilities, and a theatre and functions space.
Our ex-serving organisations which play a vital role in supporting our veterans and their families will also be recognised along with the proud communities throughout Australia whose loved ones never returned.
This funding builds on our new Australian Veterans’ Covenant, Veterans’ Card and lapel pin, as well as the $1.4 billion we’re investing for fairer indexation of defence force pensions, free mental health care for all veterans and our veterans to work program.
Whether it’s respecting and recognising our veterans and their families, record investment in defence force capability or building a place where we can proudly tell their stories for generations to come, our government is committed to putting our service men and women and veterans first.
Interview with Alan Jones, 2GB
1 November 2018
ALAN JONES: The Prime Minister is on the line, good morning.
PRIME MINISTER: G’day Alan. Yeah it was a great afternoon. Josh Philippe, 57 runs off 53 balls. He had a great innings.
JONES: Do you know a bit more about cricket than you know about sheep?
[Laughter]
PRIME MINISTER: Maybe just a bit. But I’ll tell you what, George Bailey is a great guy. He is a terrific bloke, he knocked up his 50 on the last ball with a boundary which took the game. It’s the first win the PM’s XI has had in five years.
JONES: Well if your predecessor could pick up the phone and bully Cricket Australia as he did the ABC and others, to have these people suspended for twelve months when in fact the International Cricket Council only suspended the Captain for one test, fined Cameron Bancroft and didn’t suspend David Warner at all, I wonder if you could pick up the phone and suggest to Cricket Australia that the game is up, time to let them back into the game?
PRIME MINISTER: Well they’ve got a big job, Cricket Australia, to restore trust. But I mean, Steve Smith and Dave Warner will be playing down at Coogee Oval I think, this weekend.
JONES: But people want them playing for Australia, don’t they?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I’m looking forward to that happening.
JONES: Well pick up the phone and say: “Listen, time to put, time to abandon this ridiculous punishment.”
PRIME MINISTER: Look, I’ll let Cricket Australia run their own show. But what I think Steve and Dave and the others affected I think Australians will want to see them back there playing. But yesterday the PM’s XI did a great job, a great team of youngsters and it shows the real depth and strength of Australian cricket.
JONES: Now look, to the serious stuff. I’m not going to dwell on the polls but can I just ask you, what you are going to do - because people are very concerned about this - to bring back the Liberal Party members, Let’s face it, it was not so long ago that the Liberal Party won a landslide election, in a massive vote. To bring them back all back into the tent? Because you’re not just captain of the team, you’re the coach of the team. Isn’t it important that you fight on a narrow rather than a broad front? There’s a story there to sell; of low unemployment, significant tax return, you’ve talked about work ahead of welfare, border security. The magazine The Economist said this week: “Australia boasts the world’s most successful economy.” Is everyone singing off that sheet of music and prosecuting that case?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah in my team in the Parliament they are. And it’s important that we do just that and also for members right across the country. I’ve been tremendously encouraged over the last nine weeks with members coming back to the Party. We’re seeing that particularly up in Queensland. We’re seeing it right around the country and I appreciate that. Because what I’ve been saying to the Party, from that very first moment when I said: “We’ve got to go back to those beliefs, those values upon which our Party was based”.
One of the key differences between us and Bill Shorten and the Labor Party is, we don’t think you have to bring people down to raise others up. We think if you give people a go, they’ll take that, they’ll get on with their lives, they’ll run successful businesses, they’ll employ young people, they’ll work in their community, they’ll raise their families, they’ll make the choices that make our country stronger. That’s why the Liberal Party was formed. And as I refresh and get us back to those values, I’m finding the Party membership responding very strongly.
JONES: Okay. You’re going to announce today a $500 million nine-year expansion of the Australia War Memorial. He is an outstanding Australian, Brendan Nelson. I have to say, he has given you and Mathias Cormann a big wrap. He said: “Scott Morrison, Mathias Cormann have been a rock on this. Bill Shorten has been supportive.” He’s been struggling for this for some time and no Government has listened. You have. Briefly, what is it about?
PRIME MINISTER: What we’re doing is we’re spending just under $498 million and that’s to ensure that the War Memorial - which has always been a memorial that recognises and memorialises service of all Australians in all conflicts - what this will enable us to do is ensure that the more recent modern conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, in peacekeeping missions, in the Solomons and recognising what happened in East Timor - this means that all of these stories can be told.
Now it’s a shame that we have to actually expand the Memorial because of all of these things we have had to do serving the country over many years now. But that’s what the Memorial was always designed to. It opened in 1941 and it was originally intended just to be a memorial to the Great War. But even in 1941 when, you know, the darkest days of the war were still ahead of us in the Second World War, they then understood that this was going to be a memorial for where Australians served forever.
We’re honouring that pledge and that promise that was made at the time of the opening and we’ll be expanding that. But you’re right, this has been going for several years. What Mathias and I and the whole Government was keen to do, is we also had to ensure we were doing the living memorial to our veterans now.
JONES: Yes.
PRIME MINISTER: And over the last few Budgets we’ve been investing particularly in veterans’ services. We’ve got the call, the waiting times for processing veterans’ applications on their claims down from 120 days down to just 33 days. We want to take it down further. But we’ve been investing in the services for veterans first in our Budgets and now we’re in a position because of the strength of the economy and the Budget coming back into balance, that we can invest this money to ensure our War Memorial honours all of those who have been serving in these conflicts.
JONES: Yes, yes indeed, that is most laudable. I mean, you had members of your frontbench last week saying and I quote Darren Chester who said: “I have said before in this place and in many ways, the home front has been as important as the frontline throughout our history in caring for our Defence Force personnel.” Can you then place yourself in the boots of Ben Roberts-Smith, who apparently is a victim of Defence leaks to the media and a scarifying attack which has ended up in the courts over a Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith? How does that fit with caring for our Defence Force personnel?
PRIME MINISTER: Well those who are responsible for that, I mean they’re just not showing any of the values that Ben Roberts-Smith -
JONES: Well my understanding is the leaking has occurred from within the Defence Department.
PRIME MINISTER: Well you know Canberra. You know the Canberra bubble too Alan. Those things deeply disappoint me when these things happen. I mean, there are processes for dealing with serious issues but they’re not processes that should be run in newspapers. Everyone should be treated with respect, particularly those that have served our country so valiantly.
JONES: Absolutely, I agree with you.
PRIME MINISTER: And you would have noticed on the weekend that we announced a new programme that is getting a tremendous response from businesses around the country where we’ll put this veterans’ card in place. That means that businesses all around the country can be offering discounts and services and offers to our veterans. That means we can honour our veterans every single day and the response from veterans’ groups and veterans has been fantastic. I had a young veteran come up to me last night at the cricket and he just said: “Thanks.” And I said: “Well mate, thanks to you.”
JONES: Absolutely. Just for the benefit of our listeners, those changes to the War Memorial will increase the exhibition space by over 80 per cent and Brendan Nelson talked about it as being part of a ‘therapeutic milieu’. That is for young men and women who have served in the last twenty years to be able to see their stories proudly told in the national Memorial.
Prime Minister can I remind you though, this probably is a bit of a nightmare that your predecessor, in Indonesia said: “The conclusion that I took and my government took after the very careful and considered advice is that a policy that is well over 40 years old or 50 years old, should remain exactly the same as it is”. This is in relation to where the capital, where the embassy in Israel should be, Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. He said the President expressed to me as he has done to Mr Morrison, the very serious concern held in Indonesia about the prospect of the Australian embassy in Israel being moved. There is no question were that move to occur that it would be met with a very negative reaction in Indonesia.” Then we got the lecture on Indonesia, we’ve got to be clear-eyed, we’ve got to take account of Australia’s national interest.
As a person that is allegedly an emissary or was, of the Government, have you pulled Mr Turnbull in and indicated that you don’t support his repetition of the pronoun “I” and he was there to represent the views of Government? The views he represented were in contradistinction to your own views as Prime Minister of Australia.
PRIME MINISTER: Well I got the report back from his visit, he was there to actually attend an oceans conference, the issues of trade and other things of course were not really part of the brief. But that said, look Alan, my view, our Government’s view about these issues are clear. They’re our view that’s what we’re pursuing and I’m always going to act with respect towards previous prime ministers, regardless of who they are. But I do think the exemplar of previous prime ministers, about how they go about things post, on our side politics is obviously John Howard and on the Labor Party side is Julia Gillard. Now I don’t think there’s a lot of profit in me continuing to go over these issues. All I know –
JONES: Will there be more missions for this man to be able to go to and sprout his own discredited views?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JONES: Right, are you aware of the “like” that he entered on the Twitter account goes to votes because a tweet was put up which was laughing at the fact that in the latest opinion poll you had fallen, your ratings had fallen and your predecessor “liked” that?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah I’m aware of it but I just brush it off Alan.
JONES: Good on you. Now can we just go to this business about Nauru. Can you confirm what is missed, the argument that Immigration officials are secretly shifting asylum seeker families from Nauru to Adelaide as part of an operation to remove children? If so what is wrong with the facilities in which children live on Nauru including the children on Nauruans?
PRIME MINISTER: Well you make a good point about the children on Nauruans. I mean one of the things that I’ve expressed a fair bit of concern about in the last week or so is, I think people need to be very respectful of our neighbours in Nauru. Because it’s where their children live, this is where their –
JONES: Correct.
PRIME MINISTER: This is where they go to school, this is where they have businesses, this is where they have their lives. I think the denigration on Nauru and Nauruans I think is very un-Australian and I think it’s very disrespectful not just to Nauruans but to our neighbours more generally. I’d make that point first. Secondly, there are more medical professionals on Nauru, than there are children.
JONES: Yeah, 65.
PRIME MINISTER: Now, children have been transferred off Nauru, that’s been happening for some time. I haven’t been showboating about it, I haven’t been drawing attention to it. It’s been done in accordance with our policies, our existing policies and I obviously don’t go into the operational arrangements of where they –
JONES: I’m sorry to interrupt you, can I just say, on your first comment –
PRIME MINISTER: I’ll just finish - that arrangement has been an important part of what we’ve been able to achieve.
JONES: Yep, sorry to interrupt you. Just in relation to your first comment though, this is almost insulting to Nauruans whose children live in the same circumstances as the children of refugees. Now Tony Abbott has been there, Peta Credlin has been there. They said: “This is not a hellhole, they’re well looked after.” He said: “I’ve been there.”
PRIME MINISTER: I’ve been there probably more than any of us.
JONES: There you are. Well, you’ve seen this. Now 65 health professionals. What is the message therefore and the urgency, of saying, Kerryn Phelps in Wentworth: “We must get these people off Nauru”? What is the danger to the children? Can someone tell me, I don’t understand?
PRIME MINISTER: Well people on Nauru are also not living in detention.
JONES: No.
PRIME MINISTER: They haven’t been in detention for years. I mean our Government is the government that got people out of detention.
JONES: Correct.
PRIME MINISTER: Not sending children to Nauru. I mean you don’t get children off Nauru by putting more on by having weak border protection policies. This is why the Labor Party are so dangerous on this and we’ve got to focus on them. I mean I have no doubt that if Bill Shorten were sitting around the National Security Committee with Tanya Plibersek, if they had to implement again, because of the boats starting again under a Labor government, what I with Tony Abbott and others had to do five years ago – they wouldn’t be able to do it. They’d say; “Oh well, we’ve changed our policy, we did it down at the conference.” Well, the floor of the Labor Party conference is not the meeting room of the National Security Committee. It’s a very different thing and as someone who has been there, done it, had to make the calls, I know they’re not up to it.
Now on Nauru we provide the services, we provide the facilities. It is our policy that if any vessel were able to get to Australia, they would go to Nauru.
JONES: Okay, you’ve just –
PRIME MINISTER: Offshore processing, temporary protection visas, turning boats back, that’s our policy.
JONES: Well people are tired of listening to this stuff, I’ve got to tell you. You know, it’s an insult to Nauruans.
PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
JONES: An insult to Nauruans, they’re living with their families and our refugee children have the same access to facilities as do the children of Nauruans.
As always, look, in the couple of minutes that are left, can I just ask you something because you mentioned the ALP policy. Now this social platform, the general Labor Party platform is out. They’re going to have, in that they mention “transgender” 36 times, “bisexual” 33 times, there are all sorts of references to all of those issues. However amongst the 64 mentions of “sexual orientation” 59 of “intersex” and so on, policies for all of this, they go on to have a new Commissioner for Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status Issues. Does this stuff worry you?
PRIME MINISTER: Well it does at a number of levels. But the main one is, why aren’t they talking about small business? And family businesses? Why aren’t they talking about getting taxes down and electricity prices down? Why aren’t they talking about those issues? I mean they’re obsessed with this stuff I honestly don’t understand.
JONES: Remove gender from birth certificates?
PRIME MINISTER: I mean that was yesterday, that’s what they’re going to debate at the Labor Party national conference apparently. That is “the” issue. Not what people are having to pay for electricity or -
JONES: Right so let’s get down to nitty gritty. So, Israel Folau decides today that he identifies as a woman, that he feel like a woman. So under the Labor Party policy, he should be allowed to play women’s sport and he should not have to participate in any kind of test as to whether or not he’s a woman.
PRIME MINISTER: It’s ridiculous, just simply ridiculous.
JONES: Well who is prosecuting that? To tell the electorate that it is ridiculous?
PRIME MINISTER: Well me, I did yesterday as did a number of my colleagues who were up saying exactly this. And at two levels; a) it’s ridiculous, but b) that just shows a betrayal of the objectives and the priorities of the Labor Party. I mean you see, the Labor Party, that’s what they’ll be talking about –
JONES: Okay, we’ve got to go. I’ll give you a warning, I want to talk to you next time, I want to ask you why we’ve got, we’re the world’s biggest coal exporter but haven’t built a coal-fired power station for 11 years. That’s for another day.
PRIME MINISTER: Sure.
JONES: Thank you for your time.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks Alan and congratulations to the PM’s XI. Great.
Interview with Katie Woolfe, Mix 104.9 Darwin
31 October 2018
KATIE WOOLFE: The Prime Minister Scott Morrison is on the line, Scott Morrison how are you?
PRIME MINISTER: G’day Katie how are you?
WOOLFE: Very well, thank you. So, over the weekend you announced a suite of initiatives to recognize Australian veterans including a discount card and lapel pin. We know here in the Northern Territory we’ve got a massive Defence contingent and we wanted to find out a little bit more about the announcement. Can you tell us exactly what the initiative means for veterans, specifically those in the Northern Territory?
PRIME MINISTER: Well and all those still serving at Larrakeyah and Robertson and up at the RAAF base at Darwin and Coonawarra, I mean those who will be veterans. What this is, is a compact. The compact we will have with the veterans is this; we’ll provide a recognition through an accredited card, which a veteran would have and they would have a lapel pin but the card would mean that any company anywhere in the country that wanted to provide discounts or other special offers and services in recognition of the service of our veterans, would be able to do so and there would be that accredited card which mean that those who were entitled to receive that support and that recognition, would be able to receive it. So over the balance of this year, we’ll be working the details of that up, getting the system in place so next year that can come into effect. Now already we’ve had groups like Bunnings, Target and Coles and motoring organisations like down in New South Wales the NRMA and others, already saying that they’re keen to be involved in this. I was at a clothing store the other day down in Canberra called On The Go and they do sports apparel and they’re signing up. So it’s about just a really simple way, whether it’s just buying a cup of coffee, to buying a car, it’s up to the company or Australians, to say “thank you for your service, we really appreciate what you’ve done.” After you’ve served our country, we want to recognise you and give you that extra acknowledgment and help.
WOOLFE: Of course another part of that, like you mentioned, is the lapel pin. The aim of this I guess is to make it easier for all Australians to recognize and respect the unique contributions that veterans have made in Australia. I mean how important is it in term of recognition for our veterans? And what are they telling you?
PRIME MINISTER: Well they actually were suggesting this in our engagement with them. I mean we’ve been doing a lot of work with the veterans community since we came to Government. Over the past five years we’ve reduced the processing times for veterans claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs from 120 days down to just over 30 and as you know, we now provide free mental health services to all veterans, regardless of whether they spent one day or many decades in service. So we’ve been working closely with them and this was another initiative. It’s part of that compact that was raised and it’s about that culture of respect that you speak of. We’re pretty good compared to other countries when it comes to this but we can’t take it for granted. We’ve just had the Invictus Games down in Sydney and what a lot of the other athletes who came to the Invictus Games noticed was just how, in Australia, there is this attitude of respecting our veterans and honouring their service. But I don’t think you can take that for granted, you’ve got to keep building on it, you’ve got to keep sowing into it and that’s what this is about. I mean we can never take that for granted.
WOOLFE: Yeah I agree, there is no doubt we’ve got to make sure that we recognize the amazing work that our veterans have undertaken. It is such an important thing to do. Prime Minister, as I mentioned, we haven’t spoken to you since you took the top job and well, there were a couple of announcements for the Northern Territory which were imminent when Malcolm Turnbull was ousted. One of them was the long-awaited cities deal for Darwin. Is this going to happen or are you going to keep us holding on until the federal election is called?
PRIME MINISTER: It will happen and Alan Tudge who is the Minister – he was just putting things back to the Chief Minister last week on some of these arrangements so you know, we’re getting close to an announcement in that area. That work has continued and obviously Kathy Ganley, who is our CLP candidate for Solomon up there, she’s been very interested in all this as well, I have no doubt. She has a good track record of working in Government up there and has been a deputy coroner as well. So we’re advancing that. As Treasurer I was very supportive of the Territory, as people know, $260 million I ensured went directly to the Territory because of what I thought was a pretty bad outcome of the GST arrangements for them in that last round. That’s going to get another top up of over $60 million in the forthcoming year. So I’m no stranger to understanding the challenges that the Northern Territory faces. I’ve been very forthcoming when it comes to my earlier roles and that will continue as Prime Minister. The Commonwealth Government has, I think a very unique relationship with Territorians, it’s different to all other states and territories. I think we do have special responsibilities there, it’s one of the other reasons I committed to half a billion dollars for the remote Indigenous housing when I was Treasurer; because we have a special responsibility to Indigenous Australians in the Territory and I know Jacinta Price, our candidate for Lingiari is a big supporter of what we’ve been doing there for remote Indigenous housing.
WOOLFE: Prime Minister at the moment, I’m not sure if you’re aware but we have had a really rough patch, especially when we talk about our CBD. Businesses are shutting up shop in the city. Commercial vacancy rates are high, the Northern Territory Government, well, they’re trying to roll out projects in an effort to keep things moving but there is a lot riding on this deal. Can you assure us today that this is indeed going to go ahead and when?
PRIME MINISTER: I can assure you it is going to go ahead and I think you’ll see that before not too long. I mean we’re pretty close to landing that.
WOOLFE: With respect though, we have been waiting over 500 days.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you won’t be waiting much longer, I can tell you that.
WOOLFE: Will you announce it when you’re in Darwin?
PRIME MINISTER: Well as I keep telling you, it’s going to happen, it’s not far away. We’re onto the final details now with the Chief Minister as they know and we’ll be looking to do that soon.
WOOLFE: So you are here though of course when Shinzo Abe is here.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah we’ll be meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister Abe when we’re up there, that will be very soon. That’s in between the APEC meeting up in Moresby as well as the East Asia Summit. So I will be up in Darwin soon, I’m no stranger to Darwin as the Northern Territory News has often reminded me. I’ve always enjoyed their front pages on my visits to the Northern Territory.
WOOLFE: So can we expect the announcement to happen then?
PRIME MINISTER: You can expect it to be soon.
WOOLFE: Oh!
PRIME MINISTER: You can expect it to be soon.
WOOLFE: ScoMo you’re keeping us hanging mate. You’re really keeping us hanging on.
PRIME MINISTER: Not much longer.
WOOLFE: We know, there, as I say, I really can’t reiterate just how important it is to Territorians and indeed to Darwin residents at the moment. We are, like I mentioned, we are going through a rough patch and we’ve got a lot riding on this. We are really hoping that this comes through and you know, not just a sign-off but that commitment to funding. Will it be $100 million as was leaking in documents not too long back?
PRIME MINISTER: Katie, again, when we’re ready to make an announcement, I’ll make the announcement with all the dollars that are attached to it. But I can tell you already $260 million is what I put into the Northern Territory as the Commonwealth Treasurer. So I’m no stranger to backing up the Territory when the Territory needs us. I understand how important this deal is. That’s why we continue the pace of landing it. These things have be agreed between the Northern Territory Government and the Commonwealth and so that’s a process which hasn’t yet finished. There are two parties to an agreement, but I think the discussions with Michael and Nicole have been very positive. I know people would like me to be announcing it right here on your program Katie, I’m sure you would like that too. But what I’m saying is we’re very committed to it and we’re not far away and we won’t leave the Territory hanging.
WOOLFE: Prime Minister I know one of the other things that you have had discussions with our Chief Minister about is Kakadu. Can we also expect some commitment at some point in the near future when it comes to Kakadu?
PRIME MINISTER: We’ve been working through a number of issues particularly with the Park and some of the issues out in Jabiru as well and Nigel Scullion has had a big role to play in all of that. I would really like to see Kakadu continue to be realised in terms of its tourism potential for the Territory. It’s always been one of the big ticket items in Australian tourism. As you know, I used to work in tourism before I went into politics many years ago. I was just down in another part of one of the great icons of Australian tourism, the Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles in Victoria where we put some investment in there. So I get that our natural assets are not only great, wonderful things we have to protect from an environmental perspective, but they’re the livelihood for many Territorians and so Nigel and I will continue to work together on how we can best utilise and best manage that asset for both purposes.
WOOLFE: Prime Minister one of the things that I’ve heard you are a bit of a fan of – and correct me if I’m wrong – is the Northern Territory Government’s plan to try and attract more people to the Northern Territory?
PRIME MINISTER: A good plan.
WOOLFE: Yeah well I think it is a good plan and you have certainly flagged changes to migration in your effort to boost the population in regions, especially regions like Darwin. How soon can we expect some of those changes to come into play?
PRIME MINISTER: Well we’ve been working through some of the visa arrangements as a Government now for the last couple of months, about how we can back in the population plans of the state and territory governments. This is what I like about what Michael has done - and other states like South Australia have done this also, I know the New South Wales Government is going down a similar path – I mean our immigration intake has to reflect what the population policies are as state and territory governments. So they’re deciding where the schools are going to be and where the roads are going to be and where the services are going to be and how many more people they want to accommodate. Now once they do that and they set that out for us, then we can adjust our migration programmes to ensure that people go where we need them to go. Now permanent migrants to Australia can live anywhere in the country there’s no restriction on that. That’s how the law runs, but for those on provisional or temporary visas then it can be a condition of those visas that they are in particularly states or territories or even particular areas. So what we’re looking to do is ensure we match that type of a programme with the population plans of in this case the Territory Government who have shown a keenness and a willingness to want more. But I do know in the southern states, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne, that they want a few less.
WOOLFE: Yeah.
PRIME MINISTER: I get that.
WOOLFE: And it seems like a no-brainer I guess.
PRIME MINISTER: You have sort of one big national immigration figure and that’s what the discussion is about, I think that does Territorians a great disservice because all that ends up happening is you get the same number of people going to Sydney and Melbourne and no one ends up coming to the Territory.
WOOLFE: Well –
PRIME MINISTER: So I want to make sure the Territory gets their fair support, for what I think is a really good population plan that they’ve been pursuing.
WOOLFE: It seems like a no-brainer I guess if you’ve got some of those major capital cities, you know, like Melbourne and Sydney struggling with the population growth, yet we here in the Territory need that population and need to fill different types of jobs, it does seem like a no-brainer to me?
PRIME MINISTER: Well it is common sense. Look, it’s like “average rainfall”, it means nothing. If you’re in a drought-affected area you’ve got naught. If you’re in parts of the north, well it’s quite different to that. The average of both places means absolutely nothing and population growth is the same. So I think Territorians, South Australians, Western Australians and North Queenslanders, people in rural and regional parts of the country, Tasmania, they’re all saying they want more people. But in the major eastern seaboard cities, they say they want less. So I want to make sure we’ve got a migration policy and a population arrangement that hears all Australians on this, not just those in the major capital cities.
WOOLFE: Well, Prime Minister Scott Morrison I know you’ve got an incredibly busy schedule, we really appreciate you taking the time to have a chat to our listeners here on 360 this morning. We are very much looking forward to having you in Darwin to hopefully announce that City Deal.
PRIME MINISTER: Well I’m looking forward to coming Katie and looking forward to making a few of those announcements when we’re in a position to do that. As I say, won’t be too long now. Good on you.
WOOLFE: Thank you so much. Scott Morrison there of course, the Prime Minister of Australia.
Australia Ratifies the TPP-11
31 October 2018
Prime Minister, Minister for Trade Tourism and Investment
Australia has today ratified the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP-11) trade agreement giving our farmers access to more markets, greater opportunities for our businesses, more jobs and increased investment.
Australia is the sixth country to ratify the agreement, meaning it can now enter into force on 30 December this year. We join Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and Singapore as part of the first group to ratify.
Our ratification means we are guaranteeing maximum benefits for our farmers and businesses, with the bonus of two tariff reductions within 3 days - one on 30 December and another on 1 January 2019.
The TPP-11 is one of the most comprehensive and ambitious trade agreements in Australia’s recent history. It will help support Australian businesses to grow and see annual benefits of up to $15.6 billion to our national economy by 2030.
Australian farmers and businesses will particularly benefit from new high-quality free trade agreements with Canada and Mexico, our first ever with these two of the world’s top 20 economies.
For example, the Agreement will provide new access to the Canadian market for our grains, sugar and beef exporters. It will open up the growing Mexican market for our pork, wheat, sugar, barley and horticulture producers.
Australian exporters of industrial products such as iron and steel, leather and paper products and medical equipment, who currently sell $19 billion worth of products to TPP-11 markets, will be able to grow their businesses without facing a tariff disadvantage.
The TPP-11 also improves our market access into Japan for our beef, wheat, barley and dairy exporters beyond the bilateral Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement.
It’s hard to believe Labor would have walked away when the US walked out on the TPP rather than staying and getting the best possible deal for our farmers and businesses.
More concerning is that in recent weeks we’ve also seen Labor yield to union demanded policies on trade that will substantially weaken if not completely eliminate the capacity of any future Labor government to get better market access for our exporting farmers and businesses.
Our Government’s record speaks for itself and only we can be trusted to deliver agreements that open new markets for Australian exporters, create certainty for Australian businesses, strengthen our economy and create more jobs.
Doorstop - Mitchell, ACT
30 October 2018
PRIME MINISTER: Well good morning everyone, it’s great to be here in Canberra. It’s great to be here with On the Go Mick, and can I congratulate you on the tremendous success of your business. This is another great small business in Australia, ten-fold growth, just really innovating, employing people. They're benefitting obviously from the changes we've made to reduce taxes and to support small businesses become larger businesses and they have been growing the number of employees they have had here. That is why the number of people employed in Australia has been growing so strongly. That is why we have had record employment growth amongst young people, over 100,000 last financial year. The strongest year last year of calendar employment growth on record in Australia. Employment growth, people getting into jobs, people getting off welfare and into work is being driven by small businesses, family businesses, all around the country and it's tremendous to see On the Go really achieving that here in Canberra and also in other cities and expanding their business with a very dynamic business model.
But the other thing that's great about Nick’s business here is they honour and support our veterans. On the weekend you’ll know I made an announcement pursuant to the compact that the Government is releasing for veterans. It is an opportunity, an opportunity for businesses large and small, to show their honour to veterans, to say their thank you to veterans. On behalf of all their customers, on behalf of them and their families, by offering veterans a discount on the services and the goods that they provide. And we've had a tremendous response to this over the last couple of days. Businesses large and small, as I said on the weekend, businesses as large as Bunnings and Coles are those getting involved. NRMA and On the Go here, a small business here in Canberra, who also want to give veterans a go. But they are not just giving veterans a go in signing up and wanting to be part of the veterans card and veterans lapel pin initiative to honour their sacrifice and service. Mick is also here employing veterans as well. I'm joined by Chris, who served our country, and we thank you for your service, Chris. And what Chris has been able to bring to this business has been something very special. The cultural champion of the business they call him. His skills, his innovative skills, his adaptive skills, everything he picked up in the Defence Force has been a real value-add to this business.
In this year's budget, I announced $8 million support veterans get jobs. I’m all about jobs, our Government is all about jobs. Whether it is jobs for young people, whether it's jobs for mums coming back into the workforce, whether it’s jobs for dads. Whoever the job's for, particularly for our veterans, we want to support their transition when they leave service and go back into the workforce and that $8 million has been investing in supporting them with how they put their CVs together working with Jobactive. We have got thousands of jobs now that are being advertised specifically for veterans and so, you know, we've got to nurture this culture of respect for our veterans. We can't take it for granted. It was on display during the Invictus Games, it is on display every time we get to Armistice Day, or to Anzac Day, or the Battle of Australia Day, or the many days of memorial that we have in this country. But what we are doing with this new veterans' compact is providing the opportunity every day, every day, to honour our veterans and say thank you for your service and to provide them with practical support. Whether it is through the position of discounts, or it's through the practical support of what we've been doing in the Department of Veterans’ Affairs where we have reduced the time to process veterans' claims from 120 days down to just over 30. With the big investments we've put in our systems or whether it's ensuring that every single veteran in Australia, whether they have served one day or decades, all get access to free mental healthcare. That is the absolute least we can do as a country.
So good on you, Mick, for your success in your business. Good on you, Chris, for your service and that service continues here with On the Go and we are looking for more companies to engage with us over this program. It will be starting in the New Year, and we are putting it altogether now, consulting with veterans' communities. I want to thank all those businesses who have registered their interest but I also want to thank all the veterans' organisations. Whether it is Soldier On, or all the others… which is one of your clients. Or any of those organisations for the great support that they want to show to this program as well. It is great to have you here as well Zed and supporting this initiative. I know you’re pleased to see the great work of small businesses here in Canberra, them succeeding, but also their ability to actually engage our ex-service men and women, of whom there are a large number here in the ACT. So happy to take questions on the program of getting veterans into jobs and honouring their service through the program.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, can you update us on the level of interest from the small business sector after your announcement on Saturday?
PRIME MINISTER: Well there has been literally hundreds and hundreds of calls coming into my office, coming into Darren Chester’s office. We’ve been registering all of those and that’s obviously a great reservoir of initial support that we’ll be able to plough into the program and provide immediate contact. There is also a website that people can go to which can support this initiative as well and this all assists our veterans get immediate access when we have this system up and running. I think it’ll very quickly get to critical mass. Whether you’re buying a uniform or kit for your local netball team or whether you’re out there looking for discounts on any number of other items around the country.
JOURNALIST: What prompted this initiative? Do you think our veterans were doing it tough or do you think there was a lack of respect for our veterans? What prompted this?
PRIME MINISTER: It came from veterans organisations themselves and it was raised with us some time ago and we’ve been working up that model, also talking to the states and territories. And we’re now in the position to take it to that next level and work with those organisations to put the practical scheme in place. Eligibility, all of those sort of practical things, getting access to the card, the pin. We’ve also, when you work with the businesses, particularly with the larger ones, they need to get a good understanding on how many people potentially would be eligible for these discounts so they can work that into their business plans and they can give the best possible deal to our veterans.
JOURNALIST: How will it work, will it just go to the veterans themselves, will their immediate families be able to access it, wider families? How does it work?
PRIME MINISTER: Well the plan is for veterans themselves to have the card. But you know, if there’s two kids in the back and well they’re all buying the same stuff. So it is there for use by the veteran, that is the plan, and the lapel pin obviously is just there to let people know and it is a card which has an eligibility criteria around it. That means that the business themselves which has some authenticity to that card. So we’ve got to make sure that it can’t be taken advantage of or abused. That would be a disrespect to veterans but it would also be I think, a disrespect to the businesses who are showing good faith and want to support this programme.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister just on small businesses, now that those accelerated tax cuts are locked in, what other measures can we expect to see from the Coalition to support small business?
PRIME MINISTER: I’ll be having a bit more to say about that between now and the next election. We are 100 per cent committed to small businesses and family businesses. We’ve demonstrated that over the last five years. We cut their taxes. We’ve reduced their paperwork. We’ve ensured that they can access more of the incentives that are in place for small businesses. I mean five years ago, a business in this country was only called a small business if it had a turnover of up to $2 million. We changed that to $10 million and that gave those businesses access, just like On the Go have access here, to things like doing GST on a cash basis, accessed to pooled depreciation, all of these things make a big difference to the cash flow of small business. So every single day we constantly look at ways we can better support small and family businesses in this country. Cutting their taxes has been a big deal and we got that legislated on our last change in just one week. We’ll continue to do things to support small and family businesses and I’ll have a lot more to say about that between now and the next election.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull says if you do move Australia’s embassy in Israel that there will be a very negative reaction in Indonesia. Are you still considering it and are you willing to damage the relationship, the diplomatic relationship with a key partner?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Australia will always make our decisions on our foreign policy based on our interests. We’ll do that as a sovereign nation. We’ll consult and we’ll listen to others, but at the end of the day Australia will always make decisions about our foreign policy on our terms and in our interests. I have always put our interests first and that’s how decisions will be made.
JOURNALIST: Senior diplomats today are quoted as saying the reaction has been so strong [inaudible]? Are you willing to do that?
PRIME MINISTER: I will always act in Australia’s national interests. My views haven't changed. We will follow a proper process before making any decision on this matter. I stress a decision has not been made on this matter. We will follow a proper process. But let me stress, Australia decides what our foreign policy is and only Australia.
JOURNALIST: Do you think the comments have undermined you?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JOURNALIST: Do you regret raising the issue?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JOURNALIST: How is this review actually being carried out? Is it something that will be discussed tonight in Cabinet?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I don’t go into what’s discussed in Cabinet, as you know Airlie. What we have already initiated is the without-prejudice review on the Iran nuclear deal, that commenced last week. So that is underway. When I'm in a position to be announcing further how we are proceeding on the other matter, I will make those comments at that time.
JOURNALIST: Can I ask you on Huawei, are you concerned that it could damage relations, banning them from doing work with our 5G network?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister a poll shows that the majority of Australians want children off Nauru. If the New Zealand option isn't on the table, are you still considering third party options, third country options?
PRIME MINISTER: We are exercising third country options now. The United States arrangement was put in place and in the last nine weeks, the number of children on Nauru has halved. So we've been getting about this quietly. We haven't been showboating about it, we haven't been doing any of those things. We have just been getting on and dealing with these issues in the appropriate way in accordance with our policies. Policies that not only have reduced the number of children on Nauru, but has ensured that no children are going to Nauru. That’s what our Government always does. We have been acting, we will continue to act, we will continue to do it in accordance with our policies. The numbers have been coming down. Remember it was our Government that closed 17 detention centres and got all the children out of detention in Australia. There are no children in Nauru living in detention, they live in the community like Nauruan children do. Nauruan children live on Nauru, children live on Nauru and I think it’s important that when we consider this debate - as I said yesterday - that we show respect to our Pacific neighbours. That is the home of Nauruans, their children live there, their families live there. They go to school there, they run businesses there, they work there. Their life is there and I think we should be tempered in our discussion about the nation of Nauru and I think we should treat them with respect.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister do you need to take a big stick to petrol companies?
PRIME MINISTER: Well as you know, last year the ACCC acted to prevent one of the big mergers with BP and that was done in the interests of ensuring that there wasn’t too much market power being concentrated in the petrol companies and with fuel prices in the fuel industry. I know it’s tremendously frustrating for Australians, it’s tremendous frustrating to me and I want to see some more transparency. I think what the ACCC does in ensuring that people have a better understanding of where they can get the best deal, I think is really important. But I get it that it’s very, very frustrating when Australians see the petrol prices move as they do. So the Government will always be considering ways that we can put more pressure on petrol companies to do the right thing by customers just like we are doing with electricity prices.
Now in the electricity sector, I think there’s no question, there’s no issue when it comes to we need to put much greater pressure on the electricity companies to ensure that they bring electricity prices down. We’ll be bringing forward a big stick legislation package into the Parliament which will be doing just that. That’s how we’re going to get electricity prices down. We’re not going to cop electricity companies charging what they have been charging and pocketing what they’ve been pocketing when they’ve been ramping up prices on families and businesses all around the country.
Just yesterday I was down in Warrnambool and I was at one of the big dairy processing areas. I was talking to the dairy farmers yesterday and their electricity prices have been suffering the same thing. So that’s why I’m taking action with the big electricity companies so we have the big stick which can force those prices down. I expect them to respond. Now, I expect fuel companies to respond too and the Government will consider any number of measures but it’s in the hands of the fuel companies to do the right thing by their customers and the ACCC and I will be watching very closely.
JOURNALIST: Just quickly on Cricket Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes?
JOURNALIST: What do you make of this review which found that our national cricketing team is “arrogant” and that there are bullying allegations? Has this organisation lost its way?
PRIME MINISTER: I think the report is very sobering reading. I think for cricket fans all across Australia, I think they’ll be very disappointed, I mean it’s one of our nation’s great loves, our cricket. Young boys and girls look up to their cricket heroes and they aspire as a result of what they see out there on the field. It’s been that way in this nation for generations and that imposes a very heavy responsibility on Cricket Australia, to ensure that they’re upholding the values of the great game and that they’re ensuring that they work across the game on every pitch around the country. Now it’s not for me to tell them how to do their job but as an Australian, a fellow Australian, I think we all know what our expectations are of their need to restore trust, to restore credibility, to restore faith in our great game. The PM’s XI this week will be another opportunity for that and I’m looking forward to that. The PM’s XIII did pretty well the other day in PNG and I’m looking forward to a good outing by the PMs XI this week in Canberra.
Thanks very much.
Interview with Lu & Matt, Triple M The Border
30 October 2018
MATT: Scott, good morning.
PRIME MINISTER: G’day Matt, g’day Lu, how are you boys?
LU: Um I’m a girl but hi.
[Laughter]
PRIME MINISTER: There you go.
[Laughter]
LU: That’s all fine. A lot of people make the same mistake.
PRIME MINISTER: It’s a gender neutral term.
LU: It really is and it doesn’t matter.
MATT: Now Scott, talk us through these three new initiatives.
PRIME MINISTER: Well what we’re doing at the moment is ensuring that the veterans can get recognized in the community and we’ve got a compact which will ensure that a veteran’s card and a veterans pin. That means that companies all around the country, large and small, will be able to provide discounts to veterans because they’ll be able to recognise those veterans when they come in. So you know, it could be on their fuel, it could be on their dry cleaning, a cup of coffee, their groceries. And we’ve had a really great response early from groups like Target and Coles and Bunnings and the NRMA and so on. So we’re also starting now to see a lot of smaller businesses getting in contact with the Department and with my own office saying they really want to be part of this. Now this doesn’t surprise me, and I’m sure it doesn’t surprise any of the guys out there at Latchford or Gaza Ridge or Wadsworth because they know people respect them. And we’ve got to continue to foster this culture of respect for our servicemen and women, we saw it in the Invictus Games up in Sydney over the last week. It was just absolutely amazing and so that inspiration inspires all other Australians so this program of the compact, the veterans card and the veterans pin I think will really go to that. Also back in the Budget, I put money into a program which was designed to support veterans get into jobs and that program is helping those veterans with everything from how they craft their CV and make sure they can particularly show the real skills they’ve been able to learn and develop while they’ve been serving in the Defence Forces. And working also with the jobs active network, that means we’ve had some 2,000 jobs specifically advertised for veterans of the Defence Forces. So getting them the jobs is really important, getting them the recognition they deserve and giving them a bit of a saving on the cost of living as well as thanks for their service from business large and small I think all adds up to a good package.
LU: Absolutely, I don’t think anyone is going to disagree with you there. Certainly for us, New South Wales and Victoria combined have the majority of the 300,000 veterans that are registered so it’s something that is very close to our heart here on the border.
PRIME MINISTER: Well we are working with those state governments as well, already have. They’ve been aware of this program so where they might want to act individually as state governments as well they will have that opportunity to review the services they provide as well. But what is just tremendous I think about how Australia works with our servicemen and women is we get the pressure that is put not only on them but on their families as well. On the weekend I announced that we were putting more money into a great program called Kookaburra Kids
MATT: Yes.
PRIME MINISTER: That’s a program which provides respite camps for children in families that have a parent or someone else in the family who suffers mental illness. Because the kids who live in those families also come under a lot of pressure and we worked up the program a few years ago specifically to run these camps for kids of veterans where they suffer from PTSD. And the stories I’ve heard from those kids, you know they talk about how dad has come home but has never come home, he wasn’t the dad that went away. And what this means is these kids can get together with other kids going through exactly the same thing with a lot of support around them and it helps them work through what they have to work through. So we remember our veterans but we’ve got to remember their families too, because their families have also sacrificed, in some cases you know, the ultimate.
MATT: Yeah absolutely, and there’s also a Soldier On accommodation facility as part of the initiatives as well. So I think we can all agree…
PRIME MINISTER: That’s right yeah, Michael Fussell.
MATT: That it’s a great package.
PRIME MINISTER: It’s named after him. Yeah that, just sorry, there is that initiative and that one is the one for family accommodation adjacent to the Concord Hospital where Solider On had a lot of the people they helped go there for treatment and that means their families will be able to join them. A bit like, you know, the Ronald McDonald House type of thing.
MATT: Yes.
PRIME MINISTER: That exists elsewhere for kids.
LU: Absolutely. Now what’s the timeline for the card and for the pin that you’re talking about for…
PRIME MINISTER: We expect that in the first quarter of next year, early on next year. There is a lot of sort of consultation we need to work through with the veterans community, as well as with the businesses so the businesses can get a good idea of, if they are offering discounts, they can price them and work out what it means. And so there is a lot of that work to be done. That’s all being kicked off now and I look forward to having that in place early next year and I just think it’ll be a shot in the arm that a veteran will get just by walking in, you know, if they get I don’t know 50 cents of a cup of coffee. It’s just a nice thank you, it really I think will boost their confidence and particularly those who might be doing it a bit tough since they’ve come back. I think that’s just a nice encouragement that Australians can give.
MATT: Yeah I agree. Now I know you’re obviously a very busy man Scott so we don’t want to take up too much of your time. But we do have a tradition where high-profile politicians go on our 60 second griller, where you have to…
PRIME MINISTER: Ok.
MATT: Now this is 60 seconds of hardcore questions just fired at you, Scott Morrison, and you’ve got to fire back answers as quickly as possible. Only under extreme circumstances can we stop the clock. Are you ready to take the 60 second grill challenge?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh I’ll have a crack.
MATT: Alright here we go, the Prime Minister of our great nation, the griller is on. First question, do you approve of the nickname ScoMo?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
LU: Question two. Tomato or barbeque sauce?
PRIME MINISTER: Barbeque.
MATT: Question number three. Fast rail in regional Australia, will it ever happen?
PRIME MINISTER: I believe so.
LU: Number three. Tim Tam or mint slice?
PRIME MINISTER: Tim Tam.
MATT: You have to share a lift with either Bill Shorten, Julia Gillard or Kevin Rudd. Who do you choose, or do you take the stairs?
[Laughter]
PRIME MINISTER: Julia Gillard.
LU: Ok number four. Cap or Akubra?
PRIME MINISTER: Cap. A Sharkies one preferably.
MATT: Final question. A V8 engine or one of those boring hybrids?
PRIME MINISTER: I couldn’t hear, the phone dropped out. Sorry, go again.
MATT: V8 engine or one of those boring hybrids?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh V8.
MATT: Oh thank goodness.
PRIME MINISTER: Preferably with Mark Skaife driving.
MATT: I saw you had a trip with Mark Skaife around Bathurst. That must have been sensational.
PRIME MINISTER: It was awesome, my daughter in particular loved it.
MATT: You have conquered the 60 second griller.
LU: And beautifully, might I add.
MATT: Very beautifully, we didn’t have to stop the clock.
LU: No, not even once. And I feel confident now that we can say ScoMo. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, thank you very much for chatting with us.
PRIME MINISTER: It was great to be with you, thanks for the opportunity to share this great news. Cheers.
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.
Geelong City Deal a Major Economic Boost
29 October 2018
Prime Minister, Minister for Cities, Minister for Cities Urban Infrastructure and Population
More jobs, investment and tourists are headed to Geelong and Victoria’s Great Ocean Road with the Liberal and Nationals Government announcing a contribution of $154 million to the Geelong City Deal.
The landmark deal will unlock the economic potential of the region’s tourism industry, revitalise the Geelong city centre and boost emerging businesses.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison today announced the Federal contribution to the Geelong City Deal package - which includes a complete transformation of the Twelve Apostles precinct and the Shipwreck Coast.
“This deal will be a game changer from Geelong all the way along the Coast,” the Prime Minister said.
“When it comes to tourism in Australia it doesn’t get much more iconic than the Twelve Apostles and the Great Ocean Road.
“Every year, more than six million people drive along the Great Ocean Road and two million visit the Twelve Apostles. But we don’t want people just day tripping from Melbourne, we want them staying the night at a local hotel, eating dinner at the local pub, and buying coffee in the morning at a local cafe.
“Our significant investments in Geelong infrastructure will mean more jobs and a better quality of life for hard working families giving local businesses a real boost.”
Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population Alan Tudge said the investment would support the continued transformation of Geelong by leveraging the strengths of the city and region.
“This commitment will transform the Geelong city precinct and make it an even better place to live,” Minister Tudge said.
“City Deals represent a genuine partnership between all three levels of government to align planning, create jobs and stimulate urban renewal.
“Geelong will benefit from a new state of the art convention centre at the Geelong waterfront along with public domain improvements, and infrastructure investments to revitalise and redevelop the city centre.”
Federal Member for Wannon Dan Tehan said the $58 million investment in the Shipwreck Coast Master Plan would be a game-changer.
“Focusing on updating tourist infrastructure at the Twelve Apostles, Glenample Precinct and Gibson Steps, this funding will support the area’s visitor economy, helping to better manage large numbers of tourists and enhance the visitor experience, while generating hundreds of local jobs,” Mr Tehan said.
“It will improve access and safety, reduce congestion at key tourist sites and lay the foundations for private sector development, such as quality accommodation. It will also help disperse visitors throughout the region and shift the perception of the Great Ocean Road from a day trip destination to an overnight and multi-day visitor experience. The construction of a new Visitor Experience Centre at Glenample is central to this vision.”
Federal Member for Corangamite Sarah Henderson said today’s announcement followed the Government’s commitment of $3.5 million to the Geelong Safe Harbour Project, improving public access to the Geelong waterfront and supporting tourism, community activities and major events.
“Today we are delivering almost $100 million to the Geelong region and Great Ocean Road communities in the Corangamite electorate in this beautiful part of Australia,” Ms Henderson said.
“It includes a commitment of up to $8 million to go towards the redevelopment of public spaces at Point Grey in Lorne, up to $12 million to upgrade Apollo Bay Harbour and up to $10 million to help fund a new ferry terminal at Queenscliff, an important tourist gateway to Geelong and the Great Ocean Road.
“Apart from $5 million for a new coastal walk connecting Apollo Bay with Skenes Creek, our City Deal includes funding for a feasibility study to link Skenes Creek via Lorne to the Surf Coast Walk. We recognise the need for world class tourism infrastructure to support one of Australia’s most iconic tourist destinations.”
The Great Ocean Road region attracts over six million visitors a year – more than double the Great Barrier Reef and a million more than the Blue Mountains - and generated around $1.3 billion in tourist spending in the year ending June 2017. Visitor numbers are expected to increase by up to 50 per cent by 2025.
The City Deal will build on existing investments, helping to deliver the shared long-term vision for the Geelong region.
The Liberal and Nationals Government will work toward finalising the deal with the Victorian Government which outlined its commitments earlier this year.
More information on the Geelong City Deal is available at https://citydeals.infrastructure.gov.au/geelong
Interview with Tom & Sarah, K Rock 95.5
29 October 2018
SARAH MAREE CAMERON: We’ve just had a mighty big announcement for our region.
TOM LEWIS: That’s right, Scott Morrison joins us on the line, good morning.
PRIME MINISTER: Hey guys, how are you doing?
TOM: Really good.
SARAH MAREE: Wonderful.
TOM: You’re in Geelong today?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah we’re coming down your way. We’re announcing the Geelong City Deal which is a very big deal. We’ve got significant investments going into the Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Deakin University Future Economy Precinct, the Revitalizing Central Geelong plan. All of this. I mean I used to be in tourism and I know that if you invest in the infrastructure, then the people will come and they enjoy the city. Then the jobs come and that’s what it’s all about, all about jobs.
SARAH MAREE: Well people have definitely been coming down to Geelong, we had the latest Census figures come out not too long ago, just talking about how much the population has grown here and how many people within that age bracket moving down, workers. They’re contributing to the economy so we really do need that infrastructure here. So this announcement is much-needed.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah well it’s also about supporting the population growth you’re seeing in Victoria, that’s making places like Geelong a continually better choice, by ensuring that the services and facilities are there. We’re doing up the waterfront, we’re doing up the laneways, we’re making the city an even better place to live and be about in. So I think that’s all about addressing what those key needs are.
But the jobs that will come from this and the infrastructure that’ll be there for the future, I think is just great for the city of Geelong and also going all the way down the coast. We’re investing a lot down there, all down at the Twelve Apostles and all along the Shipwreck Coast. So it’s a great package for jobs in Victoria, particularly in the south.
TOM: Prime Minister, this timing of this announcement, it doesn’t do any damage to our mate Matthew Guy either, with the state election coming up. Have you timed it to help him a little bit there?
PRIME MINISTER: Well this will be a joint project with the state government doing all of these things. But I think the person who has really championed this more than any is Sarah Henderson. Sarah has been an absolute (inaudible) on this and ensuring Geelong and the whole region gets the economic attention it deserves from the national Government to make sure that those jobs are there and the opportunities are there. Because it’s a growing area that needs the infrastructure. We’re backing that in, we’re backing Sarah in with her plan.
SARAH MAREE: Well we found out a couple of months ago that there was a $150 million pledged for the region, but everybody remained very tight-lipped on what the money was going to be spent on. We made numerous phone calls and we even had Sarah Henderson in here just days before that money was announced and no one could tell us what was happening. Why now?
PRIME MINISTER: Well you work these plans through and you work them through with state governments as well. You work them through to work out what the most important priorities are. But you know, everything from doing up the waterfront through to what I’m particularly excited about which is the Deakin University Future Economy project. Because this is about future jobs, technology, it’s about making the link between business and what is a great asset in the university. I mean this is where more and more jobs are going to come from. So I think it’s a smart plan as well as being a big plan. That’s why we’re coming down today, to encourage people and say: “You guys are on the right track, you’ve got great plans for your city and your area.” My Government’s plan is to back you in and just keep backing you in.
TOM: Waking up this morning though, not the best morning to be rolling out of bed. You’ve been Prime Minister for a couple of months now and for the first time ever, Newspoll have your disapproval rating is higher than your approval rating. How do you feel about that? Did you see it coming? How are you going to turn it around?
PRIME MINISTER: Well you just get up and you hit it every day, I mean you do the things that you believe are important for the country every day. These things will bounce around and that’s the case for all politicians, but it just doesn’t distract me from the job I have. When you become Prime Minister in the way that I did, I wasn’t sort of planning for that to occur at that time, but when you have to step up into leadership as I did, then you just get on with the job and you focus on the people you’re trying to help. Don’t frankly have the time to get distracted by those sorts of things. I’ve only got the time to really focus on getting decision like this made and getting the projects moving.
TOM: Good answer. I enjoyed that.
SARAH MAREE: Tom is very pleased. You’re a good Prime Minister, well done. So, you’re coming down. When are you actually going to hit Geelong?
PRIME MINISTER: We’ll be there today and we’ll be making these announcements. We’ll also be along the Shipwreck Coast where we’re making some big announcements there as well. Which I think is really going to support the whole region and last time I was down that way, it was opening our investment in the Avalon Airport as well. So we’ve been putting a lot. I mean every time we’ve been down there I can just see where all the new projects are going and why it’s so important to get that new infrastructure in. So we’re getting ahead of it with Alan Tudge, who is basically the Minister for busting congestion. Geelong has a big role to play for that in Victoria. I mean it is a city, a big city and a future city as well – or it always has been frankly, going back a very long way – but it’s really coming into it’s own. Last time I was there I had a good look around that waterfront area and I’m pleased to see how we’re going to make that a really, even more vibrant place. I think it’s just one of those great spots.
TOM: Prime Minister, you’re coming to Geelong, you’re going down the Great Ocean Road, you’re going to be racking up the K’s and you’re going to be burning a lot of petrol. I know that there are a lot of people that live in Geelong and they commute to Melbourne for work. Petrol is a massive issue for them, prices have been awful for a long time now. Were getting less and less of the downward pricing in the cycle and lot more of this peak $1.60 plus gear. What do you have in store for us, how are you going to fix it?
PRIME MINISTER: Well this one is a really tough problem because we’ve got a lot of issues pushing the prices up which are outside Australia which are things outside our control. But the variations and the things that have frustrated us forever – and I want some answers out of the ACCC, I mean they are the cop on the beat, they’re the ones we fund to go out there and monitor why prices are moving up and down and how they’re timed. That’s their job and that’s Rod Sim’s job, to make sure that all these petrol companies, fuel companies do the right thing by customers. So if they’re not, he has the powers, he has the resources, to investigate them and I expect him to get on and apply the pressure. That’s why we have an ACCC it’s to actually deal with that precise issue. There are some things we can’t control; what’s happening with international oil prices and things like that. I mean they’re outside of what any government can do, but we can ensure that the people who are selling it here behave. When I was Treasurer, I gave him more powers actually, to go back behind the pump all the way to how they’re setting prices in the boardroom. So I’m expecting some action.
SARAH MAREE: Well we would like to see that action as well.
TOM: Yes.
SARAH MAREE: So fingers crossed that happens ASAP. Speaking of applying pressure Prime Minister, if you could just maybe pop in a couple of phone calls and make our trains run a little bit more reliably and on time? That also might help as well.
PRIME MINISTER: Well I could look at that. As you know, in the Budget before last, we announced money for the Waurn Ponds line down that way. So you know, our rolling investing in Geelong and all the districts around Geelong has been happening for some time and again, that’s because of Sarah. If it wasn’t for Sarah you wouldn’t be seeing this.
SARAH MAREE: Oh, I thought you were thanking me there. I was like: “You’re right, I have done a lot of work. I have been working very hard.”
[Laughter]
PRIME MINISTER: I’m sure you’ve been helpful. I’m sure you’ve been very helpful to Sarah Henderson as well as her campaign.
TOM: Okay Prime Minister Scott Morrison I have one last thing to ask you before we let you go and get in the car and come down to Geelong – and look I hope you have a wonderful day – we have a situation, it’s a dire here at the station. We have the Christmas Party coming up and it was set for a certain date which we then blocked out in our diaries and unfortunately they then changed the date. Now I am unable to attend our work Christmas party and so we – Sarah Maree and I – decided that we are going to run a rebel Christmas party.
SARAH MAREE: And we very much need our bosses to foot the bill for this, because there is their fault because this is a scheduling issue. We thought that maybe if we had the backing of the Prime Minister then we could take that to our boss, then surely they will foot the bill for our very own rebel Christmas party?
PRIME MINISTER: Do you wear different coloured shirts or something at the “rebel Christmas party?
TOM: Not red ones, that’s for sure.
[Laughter]
PRIME MINISTER: Where are you planning to have it?
TOM: Ah, we’re not … we’ve got to –
PRIME MINISTER: Do I get an invite?
SARAH MAREE: Yes!
TOM: Oh my god, yes, you can come to the party for sure. We’ll work out all those details later, we need to know we’re going to get budget obviously and what we’re working with but I feel like it will get us over the line if we can just get you Prime Minister Scott Morrison to say: “Hey Prime Minister Scott Morrison here and I support Tom and Sarah Maree’s rebel Christmas Party”
PRIME MINISTER: “The rebel Christmas Party has the strong backing of the nation”. There you go, on board.
SARAH MAREE: Oh no, we need -
PRIME MINISTER: I’m on board, ScoMo is on board.
SARAH MAREE: We need you to say, like; “Hey, this is the Prime Minister,” we’ll back off the mike –
TOM: Like, official.
SARAH MAREE: Very official like you were doing one of those big, like, Australian announcements.
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, okay. “This is the Prime Minister speaking and I’m here to advise that our government is 100 per cent behind the rebel Christmas party for 2018.”
SARAH MAREE: Yes!
[Laughter]
TOM: Thank you Scott Morrison! Hope you enjoy your time in Geelong today, really appreciate your time.
PRIME MINISTER: Good on you guys, take care.
Doorstop with the Minister for Defence and Minister for Veterans' Affairs
27 October 2018
Prime Minister, Minister for Defence, Minister for Veterans' Affairs
PRIME MINISTER: Well here we are again at the Invictus Games and I think it has been just an amazing week here in Sydney. From the opening last weekend and through all the courage and the wonderful events we’ve seen out here over the course of the past week. I want to thank again Prince Harry for the incredible job he has done in creating this movement, this movement which is just testimony to the valour and the courage and the spirit of servicemen and women all around the world. They’ve come here together all champions. Before they even took to the field, they all came here as champions. And we celebrate them, and a few more events this afternoon before we have the closing ceremony tonight.
But in honouring our veterans, we can never do enough. We can never do enough for the service and sacrifice, that service and sacrifice which doesn’t end when people come home, it continues. And as a Government, over the last five years, we have really put our shoulder to the wheel on this. Whether it was amping up for the big decision early on for defence force superannuation indexation to make sure that was fair. A fair indexation, that was $1.4 billion we’ve invested as a Government to make sure that veterans and superannuants from the defence forces were getting a fair deal. We’ve also put a lot into our systems. You know, the investments we’ve made over the last few years in our systems, the waiting time on veterans claims, going from 120 games down to 33. That makes a big change, a big change. We’ve got more work to do, a lot more work to do, but we are making big progress with the practical things.
But the other thing we’re doing is making sure that all veterans, whether they’ve served a day or decades, that they get access to free mental health care that they deserve. And that is another thing we have done as a Government. But today, we’re announcing some more measures that continue to honour the sacrifice and service of our servicemen and women. There are three initiatives that I want to take you through. The first of those is to honour Lieutenant Fussell through Soldier On. His mother is with us today, Mrs Fussell, and Michael was the seventh Australian soldier killed in Afghanistan. And together with Soldier On, what they have proposed is we will be building a family facility here at Conchord so families can come and support our veterans, helped by Solider On where they are receiving treatment. That’s a big commitment, we’re working with the NSW Government to deliver that and it demonstrates that we are there to support families and to honour families of those who have fallen.
The second area that we’re announcing today is something that I have had a lot more association with and that’s Kookaburra Kids. You know, kids around Australia, whose mums and dads who have physically come home but have never come home. And can you imagine what that is like for the kids, and can you imagine what it is like for those kids just to battle through every day just trying to understand why dad or mum is not like they used to be before they served our country. And so what Kookaburra Kids does is pick up on a program, which I must say was Shire grown originally, helping other kids suffering in families with mental illness. And it provides them with respite camps and those respite camps are now being rolled out across the country, specifically for children from families who have suffered from mental illness, PTSD from their time in service. That means we’re going to go from just around 600 kids to 1,800 kids who are going to get the support through respite camps. It’s about honouring their families and the service of those who went and did what we believe in, what they believed in and they’ve paid a heavy price for it.
And the other thing we’re doing today as part, and I’ll let Darren Chester talk a bit more to this, and that is the Covenant. The Covenant that we will have will veterans that we are working with the State Governments and others on. But a key part of that is to ensure that we have a defence veterans card, a card and a pin. Now we all know we all see the medals on Memorial Day, on Anzac Day, on Armistice Day. Our veterans proudly wear those medals and their families wear them as well on the other side. But this is a recognition system which veterans have been raising with government, which means they can have that card, and we will be working with the corporate sector from the smallest business to the largest business to make sure that they can offer them discounts on everything from car insurance to a cup of coffee to their dry-cleaning to grocery bill to their fuel. And I want to thank particularly groups like Target and Bunnings, Coles, who have already come out and have told me, when I have spoken to them, that they really want to work together with the program. The NRMA have said they want to work with us on the program. This is just a really simple way for businesses, who really I do know honour and value the service of our veterans, just to say thanks. Here is 5 per cent off. Here is 10 per cent off. Or whatever it happens to be. Here is an extra cup of coffee for your mate who you’ve got there with you today. We've got a great culture of respecting our veterans and our servicemen and women, and these measures we have announced today are all about continuing to honour their sacrifice, not just when it is made on the field, but when the sacrifice means they are still hurting when they are coming back and supporting their families. So that's what we are doing. We are getting on with it, we are supporting our veterans and we are very proud to do it. Darren, did you want to say anything?
MINISTER FOR VETERANS AFFAIRS, THE HON DARREN CHESTER MP: It is dangerous of me to be in front of my senior minister. Thank you, Prime Minister. Can I say, as I look around this venue, and see the men and women in uniform that are gathered here with several veterans, can I simply say to you thank you for your service. Thank you for your service to our nation. We greatly appreciate it. I am proud to be part of a government led by Prime Minister Morrison which is putting veterans first and putting veterans' families first. What we are announcing today is in some ways quite a symbolic measure, with a veterans Covenant, but also practical measures to help veterans and their families.
It is great honour to be standing here beside Ms Fussell because she has been a veteran of the Invictus Games over the last week or so, doing great things here herself, but to have a facility named after your son is something which is quite magnificent and I know it means a lot to you. But it is also going to mean a lot to some our veterans, to be able to receive treatment at Concord and have their families with them and get the best possible care they can get. To the Kookaburra Kids crew, I had a conversation with you here today and your plans for expansion to offer more facilities, more opportunities for young people around Australian which is also very exciting.
In relation to the Veterans Covenant, I just want to say where this has come from. This has come from our discussions with veterans and their families right around Australia and it is about making sure that we keep our promise, we keep our pledge to veterans and their families that we will look after them when they return from service or when they finish their military careers. We do a great deal here in Australia. We provide more than $11 billion a year to support our veterans and their families. But there are things we can direct a community and on a business level that will also help veterans and their families. I think the Veterans Covenant, underpinned by the veterans card and lapel pin, is a practical and tangible measure where, not just on Anzac Day, not just on Remembrance Day, we can support our veterans every day of the year.
MINISTER FOR DEFENCE, THE HON CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Just briefly, because it is not my day today, it is the veterans' day and the Kookaburra Kids day and the Fussell family day, Soldier On’s day. I would just add to what my colleagues have said. The reason the Government can afford to make these kinds of measures is because we are managing the Budget. Because we are growing the economy. When you have a budget surplus coming back in a year or so's time, you can afford to do things like small business and family business tax cuts. Income tax cuts. New measures that certainly cost money from the taxpayer, but they are for a good reason. And so the announcements today in the veterans' space are a continuing demonstration of the Government's economic management and budgetary management that allows that to happen. So I think Darren has done a tremendous job as the Minister for Veterans' Affairs in a Government led by a Prime Minister that prioritises the service of others. Only because of the veterans do we live the free lives full of liberty and democracy that we enjoy here in Australia, and it is tremendous to be able to acknowledge that with practical measures, as Darren said, that will improve their lives.
PRIME MINISTER: John, did you want to say anything from Soldier On?
CEO OF SOLDIER ON, JOHN BALE: Thank you, Prime Minister, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Minister for Defence. Ladies and gentlemen, for veterans here today this is a phenomenal announcement, obviously something that is very close to my heart. I went to school with Michael Fussell, who joined up to the army and unfortunately Michael was killed on November 27 2008. Almost ten years to the day. So to have something that will not just carry his name, but also supports so many families when they come to Concord Repatriation General Hospital and get the support that they deserve. It means so much not just to me personally obviously but so much to those families and to the veterans of Australia, and this is a great announcement that we look forward to supporting as an organisation so that we can make sure that we provide our employment services on site, we can help with some mental health support, and also ensure that we can provide the social activities that reduce social isolation and also work closely with our good friends at Kookaburra Kids who are doing fantastic work for the the young’uns, the really young ones who have the affected by their veteran father or mother who have unfortunately suffered mental injury from their deployment overseas. So thank you so much, Prime Minister, Minister for Veterans Affairs, Minister for Defence, thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: I am also the Parliamentary patron of Kookaburra Kids. So I'm very proud of what they do.
KOOKABURRA KIDS, DANIELLE MCGLOIN: This is great for us. We have been able to extend our reach in the last 18 months with the support of the Government and to be able to now go to Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia in the next two years is phenomenal. We already have children on our waiting list from these states waiting to come to a camp and come to an activity day. I just cannot thank the Government enough for this. It is just an amazing initiative. Our whole team has put this together. There are 33 of us that have worked tirelessly on this each day, so thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Great stuff, thank you. Well, happy to take questions on our veterans announcements, and if there are other questions we might excuse all those who have joined us, they don't have to sit through that.
JOURNALIST: Just in terms of the card, how will you ensure that there are substantial benefits? How many businesses have you got assurances from that we they will come on board?
PRIME MINISTER: Over the next few months this will come into effect early next year, so over the next few months what Darren will do with his team is consulting with all the veterans' organisations, but I've got to say, we made a few calls and the response has been fantastic. I’ve already mentioned some of those companies, and other groups, they will be coming out and making their own comments, I think, in the not too distant future. It doesn't surprise me. Australians honour their veterans. I think the Australian business community, from the smallest retailer, from the biggest shop there is, are going to want to do this. They’re going to want to get behind it. What this does for us is enables them to know who they can recognise and who has that eligibility, and that’s what we do as a government, but I think it will be up to all of them to make their own decisions. I think it will be well received. We will spend the next few months consulting, getting it right, and we look forward to that and that means businesses will have the opportunity to think through their response. They’ll know how many people are involved in this program. They’ll be able to work out their pricing and be able to tailor their offers. So when it gets off the ground in the first quarter of next year, early next year, we will hit the ground running.
JOURNALIST: How much money will the federal government spend on the Card and where will that come from?
PRIME MINISTER: We have allocated just over $11 million to put all this system in place, and that can be taken into the Budget and it has been dealt with through the normal Budget process.
JOURNALIST: How can those people who want to get involved? Is it a sign up, an application process?
PRIME MINISTER: That is what is being put in place now through the consultation program we’ve had with veterans service organisations over the next few months. What’re we’re announcing today is the commitment of funds to do that and to get on about it and to make sure it’s up and running early next year.
JOURNALIST: Have you consulted with the states and territories on this?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes we have been.
JOURNALIST: Have they been supportive?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course they have, yeah. Why wouldn't you be supportive of this? This is a no-brainer. Honour our fets, get on board. Excellent.
JOURNALIST: On to other issues…
PRIME MINISTER: Onto other issues, people are free to stay with us or they can go and watch the [indistinct]. Good on you.
[Laughter]
Thank you in particular to the Fussell family for joining us today, it has been very special.
JOURNALIST: Is there an update on the number of children on Nauru that are being held?
PRIME MINISTER: We are constantly getting briefings on their status and as we reported to the Parliament it is just over 50. That has come down by 30 over the last four or five weeks. So those numbers have been coming down and we will continue to work on that, but we will get about it in a quiet way. The way to deal with these issues is not to showboat or grandstand. It is to deal with things compassionately based on medical advice and to work carefully through the program.
JOURNALIST: Sorry so does that mean there are now about 20?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I am saying that over the last four to six weeks we have been able to reduce the numbers by that amount, and that has been based on medical advice. That is something we have just been getting on and doing. And we will just continue to get on and do that quietly and consistently with the Government 's policies.
JOURNALIST: There is growing consensus they have been there for too long, including from members of your own party. How much longer [indistinct]?
PRIME MINISTER: Well we are very sensitive to this. That is why we have been acting. Over 200 children have been removed from Nauru under our government, and no children have been put on Nauru under our government which is an important point. You have got to manage both. You do not get children off Nauru by doing things that put children on Nauru.
We have been quietly getting on with this job, reducing the child population on Nauru. You've got to remember, I remember it five years ago, the Labor Party put pregnant women and children on Manus Island, for goodness’ sake. That is what the Labor Party did. We've closed 17 detention centres, got 8,000 children out of detention in Australia. Our record, our form as a government has been the compassion of stopping the boats and getting children out of detention. That's what we've been doing on Nauru as well, we haven't been going around blowing our trumpet about it, we have just been getting on and doing it like a responsible and compassionate government should.
JOURNALIST: Can you provide a rough timeframe for when the children…?
PRIME MINISTER: We’ll continue to work on the program we’re working on. We’re working closely with the United States, as you know. We will keep getting on with the job.
JOURNALIST: Can I just ask you quickly about Prince Harry and Megs being here? A little bit light hearted. They’re leaving tomorrow-
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah I know, we’ll miss them. He loved Jenny's pav. He smashed it.
JOURNALIST: [Indistinct]. How much of a boost has their visit been for the Invictus Games in particular?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh look, it is hard to estimate. They are such a lovely couple. And, I mean, we were there last Saturday night at the opening and his presentation was truly inspiring. Particularly the guys and girls who are here competing. His ability to just recognise people and see people, I think is a gift. For him to bring that gift here to Sydney and to Australia and just really honour what they have achieved to be here, and he has spoken to so many athletes over the years and here in Sydney again, you know, both Prince Harry and Meghan have brought a real gift to Sydney and we really thank them for being here and we hope to see them again soon.
Thanks very much.
Recognising and Respecting Our Veterans
27 October 2018
Veterans and their families are at the centre of a fresh package of initiatives from our Government to recognise their vital role and service to Australia.
We understand the home front is just as important as the front line.
Our Government will develop an Australian Veterans’ Covenant that will be enacted in legislation so the nation can recognise the unique nature of military service and support veterans and their families.
Like the United Kingdom Armed Forces Covenant, the Australian Veterans’ Covenant is for the Australian community to recognise the service and sacrifice of the men and women who commit to defend the nation, and pledge their commitment to support veterans and their families.
As part of this Veterans’ Covenant, a new Australian Veterans’ Card and an Australian Veterans’ Lapel Pin will make it easier for all Australians to recognise and respect the unique contribution that veterans have made to Australia and for our veterans to reconnect with others who have served.
As we have seen throughout the Invictus Games and in the lead up to the Centenary of Armistice, Australians want to acknowledge and show respect for our veterans who have given so much in their service.
Businesses, government and community organisations can also play their part in recognising and respecting those who have served. The card and the pin can help these organisations identify veterans when they aren’t wearing their uniform or medals, so they can offer discounts and extra support.
The new Card and Lapel Pin will for the first time enable everyone across the nation to recognise and acknowledge the unique nature of military service and support the more than 300,000 veterans in Australia and their families. The Prime Minister will be writing to businesses and communities to urge them to recognise the service of our veterans.
In addition to the record $11.2 billion annual support our government delivers for veterans and their families, we will invest $11.1 million in these measures to deliver a national approach to recognise veterans and will further consult defence and veterans communities in coming weeks.
We will also deliver $6.7 million to develop the SoldierOn Fussell House accommodation facility to be co-located at the Concord Repatriation Hospital in Sydney that the NSW Berejiklian Government is investing more than $340 million to rebuild. This includes the National Centre for Veterans Health – an Australian first, state of the art centre for specialised health care for veterans.
Named for Lieutenant Michael Fussell who was serving with the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan when he was killed in action by an Improvised Explosive Device detonation, the facility will house up to 40 veterans and their families at a time and will especially benefit those from regional and rural areas when veterans are getting treatment.
Our Government will also invest $7.6 million for the Kookaburra Kids Defence Program to boost their targeted support to children of ex-serving defence force members who are experiencing mental health issues due to their service.
The Kookaburra Kids Defence Program was first supported by our government with a $2.1 million injection in a pilot program in NSW, the ACT, Queensland and the NT for 569 children, and this extra investment will see the program expand into Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia for 1,750 children.
As a country we can always do more to recognise and back in our veterans. Our government is committed to setting Australia up to support the veterans of today and tomorrow.
HMAS Brisbane Commissioning
27 October 2018
Prime Minister, Minister for Defence
Australia’s national security has been significantly strengthened today with the commissioning of the second Australian-built Hobart class guided missile destroyer, HMAS Brisbane.
The commissioning is an important milestone in the life of the ship, and a special occasion for the thousands of Australians who worked on the Air Warfare Destroyer program, as well as the Royal Australia Navy.
Brisbane enters service at a significant time in Navy’s history.
The destroyer brings a level of flexibility and lethality to the role of protecting Australian and multinational task groups operating in an increasingly complex region and beyond.
The Hobart class of ships, commissioned by the Coalition in 2007, are among the most potent warships at sea today, forming an important part of the defence of our nation.
Brisbane’s Commanding Officer, Commander Josh Wilson, leads a proud ship’s crew that is well-placed to progress the new warship through the test and evaluation period and then integration into the fleet.
Brisbane has a distinguished history in the Navy and with the motto, Aim at Higher Things, all who sail in her will realise the incredible capability she represents.
The new destroyer forms part of the largest regeneration of the Royal Australian Navy since the Second World War and complements our $90 billion commitment in the 2016 Defence White Paper to further enhance Navy’s capabilities with the Offshore Patrol Vessels, Hunter class frigates, and 12 regionally superior submarines, to be built in Australia, with Australian shipbuilding workers.
More information on HMAS Brisbane (III) is available at http://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-brisbane-iii
Imagery of Brisbane’s commissioning ceremony will be available at https://images.defence.gov.au/S20183322
Interview with John Laws, 2SM
26 October 2018
JOHN LAWS: OK. Nice to talk to you. We’ll get on with it because I know you’ve got other things to do. Could you tell me what’s the purpose of this federal drought coordinator, this retired Major General Stephen Day? Because he doesn’t seem to have a clue about the drought and which areas are the hardest hit. It’s a bit embarrassing, I think.
PRIME MINISTER: Well I don’t agree with that, John. But one of the keys things that he’s been doing is trying to get what in the military they refer to a common operating picture. What does that mean? It means we’ve got to get everyone on the same page about where the need is and that is what we’ve been doing over the last eight weeks. You know, working with the Bureau of Meteorology, working with the farming communities, working with the banks, working with the charities, so we can better coordinate where all the support and assistance goes.
LAWS: OK. How many places would you say he’s visited during the drought?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh gosh. In the last eight weeks, it’d be countless. I mean, he sends me a text every day. He’s been in South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, down in Victoria. He’s even been over in places like the west and where there is no drought but how they can be better supporting the efforts on the east coast. So, mate, he’s been everywhere. Rural towns, major cities talking to the ag ministers. He’s been very, very active.
LAWS: OK well that’s a good thing because the farmers need all the help they can get at the moment and it’s really been very, very tough. As part of this future drought fund, the Government is providing almost $4 billion of seed funding. You know, at a time of long-term deficits and things like that, and I don’t want to be negative for the entire interview, but where does that money come from?
PRIME MINISTER: Well there have been… this is coming out of the Future Fund so we are putting aside $3.9 billion in capital and that will go into the Future Drought Fund, and that will earn, as these funds do, and that will grow to $5 billion. And that is also after we’ve been taking some of the earnings, about $100 million a year, and investing that in longer drought resilience projects across the country which can include everything from stuff happening on farm or more broadly. So that is putting money away for a non-rainy day and ensuring that we are addressing the longer-term resilience because the three things we have to do with the drought is: A; get the relief to the people who need it now and that’s why we’ve been doing that with additional financial assistance and supporting people with mental health counsellors and financial counsellors and ensuring we are supporting the charities and coordinating their efforts now. But then there’s the recovery, getting back on our feet. That’s where we’ve got support for investing in silage infrastructure and things like that. And longer-term, you need that bigger drought proofing and making sure we have the resources in the future to support our drought efforts over a longer-term.
LAWS: OK will you then scale back other benefits paid to farmers during times of drought?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
LAWS: You’d leave them the way they are?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah.
LAWS: Well that’s a very reassuring answer. Can you guarantee that we’ll see electricity prices go down by the start of 2019?
PRIME MINISTER: That’s the plan and the way you do it is by taking the big stick to electricity companies and having the legislation and the powers to… [INAUDIBLE]. I mean, our electricity… there are big companies, it’s heavily regulated, too often that regulations have worked in favour of the big companies not the customers so we are going to even up that score. A bit like a number of years ago when I was the Treasurer and we changed the competition laws to even the rules up for small business, which I know you were a keen advocate of at the time.
LAWS: You bet.
PRIME MINISTER: So it’s the same sort of thing but we’ve got to put more power back in the hands of the customers and less in the hands of the big energy companies. But I was surprised, I’ve got to say John, and disappointed, the Labor Party aren’t going to back us on this legislation.
LAWS: Why?
PRIME MINISTER: I’ve got no idea. They want to… they’re not going to take a big stick to the energy companies but they’re going to take a big stick to people’s home prices with abolishing negative gearing as we know it and increasing capital gains tax by 50 per cent. So, they’ve got a big stick but it’s going to go and whack people’s home values.
LAWS: OK, they’ve got to get elected before they can do any of that though haven’t they?
PRIME MINISTER: Well that’s what I’m working to stop but also to ensure that we can keep doing the things that we know are, you know, driving the economy forward. I mean, last week unemployment came down to 5 per cent which is great news for Australian job seekers and good on for Australian businesses for putting people on.
LAWS: Yeah well what’s your feeling about former prime ministers remaining involved in our country’s politics? Good idea or not a good idea?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I think they all have a role to play because former prime ministers have things to contribute. And particularly internationally because of the relationships that they’ve formed. I mean, just this last week Julia Gillard was down in Canberra for the National Apology for the victims of child sexual abuse in institutions. Now she initiated the Royal Commission and I thought she did a great job this week…
LAWS: Yeah so did I. She was terrific.
PRIME MINISTER: … she was supporting victims and survivors. And so she can do a great job there, others can do a great job… I mean I had Tony, he’s still in the Parliament, but Tony’s out there working with me in indigenous communities looking at how we can get more indigenous kids in school. And of course, eight weeks ago, many, many weeks ago, we’d arranged with the Indonesian president, President Widodo, he’s got this big conference on oceans, and Malcolm was always going to go to that previously. I can’t go and the Indonesian president, with whom we have a very important relationship, very warmly received the offer that he might attend. So I know that upset a few people but it’s got nothing to do with Wentworth, it’s just got to do with putting people where they’ve got the skills to go and do a job.
LAWS: You can understand people being upset though?
PRIME MINISTER: I can. I can, John, and I get that. But, you know, we’ve got to move on. There’s just too many personalities in politics. People like politicians, they don’t like politicians, they don’t like this one or that one, and that’s what it’s about. What it’s about is what we are coming together today to do and that is to make sure we are backing in farmers and rural and regional communities and particularly the towns. I mean you know this, you know this better than anyone, when the drought hits it’s not just the farmers who cop it, but it’s the towns. So we are putting a million bucks into every single shire in a drought affected area so they can bring forward projects, they can do road works, they can fix up the toilet block at the local pool or they can do some records management. And that’s putting money into the towns for local contractors, for local staff and that keeps the town churning. We are going to expand that program today and reach more shires because sadly in places like South Australia and Victoria the drought is moving into those parts and it’s getting dryer. So we are keeping on top of that and we are making sure we are delivering the support.
LAWS: Who’s going to be in charge of that fund?
PRIME MINISTER: Well there’s a range of them. That one is actually run by Bridget McKenzie and she’s the Minister for Rural and Regional Services. She is the minister responsible for that fund. On water infrastructure projects, that’s the Minister for Agriculture, David Littleproud. And on the road projects, that’s Minister Michael McCormack, the Deputy Prime Minister.
LAWS: OK there have been reports today that you were against dropping the pension the age to seventy. I was a bit surprised about that. Don’t you think…
PRIME MINISTER: Well so was I, John.
LAWS: Oh OK.
PRIME MINISTER: I was the one who abolished it so actions speaker louder than words. I mean, I think since the 2014/15 Budget it hadn’t been revisited really. It’d been there and then when I became Prime Minister I said I think we should get rid of that, and we did.
LAWS: Do you think our pensioners are well looked after?
PRIME MINISTER: We can always do better. But one of the things we do have in this country, whether it’s affordable medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which really does support senior Australians. I announced the Royal Commission into residential aged care a few weeks back to make sure we build a culture of respect for senior Australians. That’s really important to ensure they get the care they need. We’ve increased the support for in-home aged care places by about 20,000 places in the last twelve months. So we are doing all that, but I tell you what we are not going to do, John. We’re not going to take away their dividend imputation credits they get from their investments in Australian shares.
LAWS: Good thing.
PRIME MINISTER: Now the Labor Party, that’s their policy. It’s going to whack Australians, particularly senior Australians to the tune of just under $5 billion a year. So as much as what we are putting into this future fund on drought…
LAWS: They’re going to take out.
PRIME MINISTER: … they are going to whack that out of the pockets of retirees all around the country. And for what purpose? Just to splurge money around.
LAWS: You blamed an administrative error for your Government’s decision to vote in favour of Pauline Hanson’s “it’s OK to be white” motion. What was the administrative error?
PRIME MINISTER: There was a miscommunication between… with the Senate and they stuffed it up and they shouldn’t have and I was pretty angry about it and they fixed it.
LAWS: OK but you’re quite right they shouldn’t have stuffed it up.
PRIME MINISTER: No they shouldn’t and, you know, they shouldn’t. And so I think they came pretty clean on that and it was a fair cop. I wouldn’t have voted for that and I said the next day and I know the Leader of the Government in the Senate was very apologetic about how that had happened. But you know what happened down here John? I mean, you know this. It’s the Canberra bubble. You know what happened in the Senate? It turns into a bit of a high school debating society. They put all these motions up, day after day after day after day. There not Bills, they’re not things that actually pass laws or change anything. It’s just a lot of people grandstanding in Canberra, pontificating, and what I’m about is getting more support for farmers, more support for rural communities, more support in residential aged care and in-home aged care places, getting unemployment down to five per cent, passing laws to reduce taxes for small and family businesses, which we did last week down to 25 per cent. The new big trade deal, the Trans Pacific Partnership 11; I mean, that is going to enable all of us, including our farmers to reach half a billion customers. We’ve passed that through the Parliament. So that’s real stuff. The other fluff and bubble that goes on in Canberra, frankly I think most Australians just turn off to.
LAWS: I agree with that. Listen, this group calling itself Pride in Protest wants to ban members of the Liberal Party from the Mardi Gras parade and they want to move a motion tomorrow saying that you are, and any party you lead, are homophobic. Are you homophobic?
PRIME MINISTER: No, not at all John. Not at all. I think all Australians should be treated with dignity and respect and they shouldn’t be discriminated against for who they are.
LAWS: OK why would these people say such a thing if it’s so clear to them, and it’s obviously not, that you’re not homophobic?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I’ve got no idea. People do stupid things from time to time.
LAWS: Yeah I know you hold very strong Christian views but you’re certainly not homophobic…
PRIME MINISTER: Well my faith teaches me to love everyone, John.
LAWS: And do you?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, I do. Sometimes, mate, as you know, it can be a bit hard to like all the time. I suspect it’s a bit hard for them to like me all the time too, but that’s just life. But I think we’ve got to treat everyone, each other, with dignity and respect and one of the things that I said when I became Prime Minister is yeah I want to keep Australia strong, our economy strong, so we can afford all the things that matter, you know the pension, health care, schools. We’ve got to keep Australians safe, on our boarders but also in our schools. This week we had the National Apology to the victims of child sexual abuse in institutions and I was there with hundreds and hundreds of people earlier this week and it made it just… it just breaks your heart what happened to them.
LAWS: Yeah, pretty moving isn’t it?
PRIME MINISTER: I’ve never met… I’ve never been in a room, John... I could actually feel my body just quivering at the level of hurt that was in that room. It was quite overwhelming. So we’ve got to keep our kids safe because we didn’t keep those kids safe.
LAWS: No we didn’t. We neglected them very, very badly.
PRIME MINISTER: It’s our national shame and I thought the Apology was a great way to acknowledge it, and a number of people have said to me, look thank you. They want to see the action and we are following through on the action but just the acknowledgement of it. Because for so long their tears were never seen.
LAWS: That’s true, very well put. What have you got planned for the weekend. More work?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah there’s always plenty of work. But I’m getting home later tonight but I’ll be out at Invictus for the closing ceremony and how good has that been?
LAWS: Absolutely fantastic and I think the response to it has been really, really solid.
PRIME MINISTER: I think so. Australians and Sydney-siders have got out, not just supporting our own athletes, but they’ve supported the courage and the victory whether they came first second or at the tail-end of the field, everyone is getting cheered on because they’re all champions and they’ve all demonstrated something that’s just a unique testament to the human spirit.
LAWS: I agree and they’re very, very brave people.
PRIME MINISTER: They are. So I’m looking forward with them. Jen and the girls went out and saw a lot of the events this week while I’ve been down here in Canberra and they were telling me just how good it was and how encouraged all the athletes were and how they all cheered. It’s just awesome.
LAWS: It certainly is. Well whatever you do, I hope you have a nice weekend and I hope you do spend some time with your family. That’s got to be getting a rarer and rarer thing in your life.
PRIME MINISTER: Well it is, John. But your family… my family has always been the mainstay for me and they believe in what I’m doing and whatever we do, we always do as a family.
LAWS: Good thing. It’s lovely to talk to you; it always is and I hope you have a wonderful weekend with your family. Send them all my best wishes and our listeners send their best wishes as well and I thank you very much for your time, Scott.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, John. All the best, see you soon.
LAWS: OK, Prime Minister. Bye.
Interview with Sabra Lane, ABC AM
26 October 2018
SABRA LANE: Thanks for joining the program.
PRIME MINISTER: G’day Sabra.
LANE: How will you ensure that this money is spent wisely on making farmers more drought resilient instead on money going on general things like fencing?
PRIME MINISTER: Well Chris is absolutely right, it is about enabling farmers and entire communities to drought proof for the future by supporting them to invest in on-farm water infrastructure and other important infrastructure. And but I’ve got to say, dog fences and pests and weeds and things like that are also incredibly important for farmers to manage drought. I saw that firsthand up in Quilpie.
LANE: They are important but they’re not about making resilient… farmers resilient and communities resilient.
PRIME MINISTER: Well they are. I mean, dog fencing for example also stops the movement of things like kangaroos onto pasture property which can actually gobble up basically all the feed that potentially it’s grown. So all of these things are important, and that’s what’s been relayed back to me and I think Chris is spot on. So what we’re doing is setting up what is basically the drought future fund and it has a capital base of $3.9 billion rising to $5 billion, and out of the earning of that fund we’re investing $100 million back into drought proofing water-based infrastructure around the country. And today I’ll also be announcing measures for on-farm small grant infrastructure projects on farms which can support that. We’ll also be going to announcing more support to go through the charitable sector so we can get the immediate relief funds to rural communities, not just farmers, a lot more quickly. So it’s a comprehensive response.
LANE: What about small businesses in rural areas? Will they be able to access this fund given that they experience downturns too?
PRIME MINISTER: Well exactly, and this is why there are two measures there. The first one is one you’d be familiar with which is the Drought Communities Program and a million dollars going into local shires and drought affected areas…
LANE: But this $5 billion fund, will they be able to access that?
PRIME MINISTER: No, the $5 billion fund is a capital fund that is putting away money for a non-rainy day and to draw down on the earnings, $100 million a year, to invest in longer-term resilience projects. But what I am saying is the drought communities program is putting $1 million into every single shire in a drought affected area and we’re going to be expanding that today. What that is doing is putting money into the towns because councils are often the biggest economic generators in those towns and that’s putting more money in the communities and we’re going to be announcing things today which is supporting charities through the voucher programs and things like that which is keeping the money in the towns and the spending in the towns. On top of that we’ve already, as you know, been acting on rural health counselors, we’ll have a bit more to say on that today. And farmers are also telling us in rural communities that they need better access to information. Now we have the drought buses that have been going around which has been doing that, but there are some great initiatives which have been suggested to us around farm hubs. So there’s a… this is a comprehensive response which is about relief, it’s about recovery and it’s about long-term resilience. That’s why I think in your earlier report, Chris had it bang on and that’s what we’ve been hearing and that’s what we’re announcing.
LANE: You’ve made that point. The money for this new fund is coming from the Building Australia Fund, is that right?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah the $3.9 billion that is there will be transferred by legislation into the new Future Drought Fund and that will enable to earn at a higher level and it’ll be based on what is done with the Medical Research Fund, the MRF, which has been ensuring we build up a capital…
LANE: Sorry to pull you up here, the Budget papers earlier this year said that money from the Building Australia Fund would be used to go to the National Disability Insurance Scheme instead. So it looks like you’re spending it twice.
PRIME MINISTER: No no no, the legislation… that won’t be for that purpose because as I announced when we got rid of the Medicare Levy increase that we were able to fully fund the National Disability Insurance Scheme out of the Budget and I made that announcement back prior to the Budget. So this fund can now be fully dedicated to supporting the future resilience of Australia and Australian rural communities against drought. So this is putting the resources to the applied use here and it’ll be able to earn a higher rate of return because of the way we’re setting it up than it currently is now, which enables us to invest those earnings in drought proofing.
LANE: The weather bureau is now saying there is a 70 per cent of an El Nino in the months ahead, that there’ll be longer, drier months ahead. These events seem to be happening more frequently, Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: Well we’re going to have today the Bureau of Meteorology providing their picture to the Drought Summit and that’ll be important, and one of the things Major General Steven Day…
LANE: Sorry, sorry the point of the question, I just said that the Bureau had…
PRIME MINISTER: Well I’m trying to answer the question, Sabra, if you’d let me just sort of answer the question that’d be great. What I’m saying is the Bureau of Meteorology is providing that information on future weather events we’re expecting over the summer. Major General Stephen Day has pulled together what he calls the ‘common operating picture’. One of the problems we’ve got is that states, territories, charities, ourselves, others involved in drought support are all working off different information. And they’ll be able to work off one, common map which says where the financial hardship is, where the most intense weather problems are, where the issues are in terms of economic performance and the banks will be helping us to achieve that. So we’ve got to work off one set of plans, and that’s what we’re also announcing today and we’ll be running through that. Weather, and the forecasts on the weather, whether it’s El Nino or anything else, that’s part of the picture we’re putting together.
LANE: Your Sydney colleague Trent Zimmerman and others have said one of the reasons voters deserted the Liberals in Wentworth was due to the Party’s inaction on climate change. Tim Wilson says that voters also expect to see how the Party is seriously tackling this issue. How will the Party do that?
PRIME MINISTER: We’ll meet all the targets that we’ve set for ourselves and that’s exactly what we’re doing and that’s our record. I mean we’ve hit Kyoto One and…
LANE: You said that when we talked about this point in the last interview. I asked you to name an independent scientist who backs you on that.
PRIME MINISTER: Well I point to the evidence. Kyoto One, totally beat. Kyoto Two, we will totally beat and when you go out to 2030, then all the information before us and particularly the increased investment in renewables which is happening as a result of common sense and technology. What has been underestimated has been the likely and planned investment in renewable technology, particularly for energy, over the next ten years which is going to significantly to assist us in meeting those targets. But also it’s the change in demand management. I was at an ice cream wholesaler just this week down here in Canberra and the energy management and demand management practices he’s put in place in his own business is one of the key reasons, whether it’s in the business community or whether it’s in the household sector, people have changed their behaviors. And so this is what is making all of these things far more achievable and so you know, you don’t… where we need to put money is in, say in the energy sector, is making sure we’ve got reliable power. But it’s also making sure that the interventions we’re making, so the big energy companies can’t be ripping off customers. I mean renewables are standing on their own two feet. I think that’s fantastic.
LANE: Mr Morrison, the Party had a bad week last week. The Liberals lost Wentworth, something that had been in the conservative hold for 117 years. You’ve become a minority Government, the Coalition senators voters for a motion on “It’s Ok to be white”…
PRIME MINISTER: Which was reversed, Sabra, it’d be fair for you to point out. And they made very clear…
LANE: And they voted for it overwhelming initially. There was a diplomatic blowback from the idea of considering a move from the embassy in Israel, with key figures like the defence force figure told after the media. How can you turn all of this around and become electorally competitive in six months?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I know that’s the commentary coming out of the media bubble here down in Canberra and out of the Labor Party, Sabra.
LANE: Sorry, that’s a reality. This is the reality for you.
PRIME MINISTER: Well Sabra, you know what? You know what people are interested in? They’re interested in lower electricity prices, they’re interested in addressing the drought. I mean, this week we also had the National Apology to victims of child sexual abuse, where we announced measures to ensure that their stories will not be forgotten and that was the other real thing that happened in Canberra this week. The other real thing that happened in Canberra this week and last week is unemployment came down to 5 per cent. We passed the Trans Pacific Partnership deal, we passed laws to reduce small business tax down to 25 per cent. These are the things, Sabra, that are impacting on people’s daily lives and today, we’re talking about providing relief, recovery and resilience for farmers and rural communities affected by the drought. Now people can talk about process issues in Canberra all they like, but what I’m doing is just getting stuff done.
LANE: Prime Minister, I know that you’ve got a tight schedule, thanks for joining the program this morning.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks Sabra, great to be here. Cheers.
Backing Our Farmers and Their Communities
26 October 2018
Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional Services, Sport, Local Government and Decentralisation, Minister for Health
As soon as I took on the job, I made it clear that dealing with the drought was one of my biggest priorities.
That’s why we are establishing a $5 billion Future Drought Fund that guarantees support against future droughts faced by farmers and communities in rural and regional Australia.
The Fund starts with an initial $3.9 billion investment. Each year $100 million in earnings will be available to be used to fund important water infrastructure and drought resilience projects, while the balance is ploughed back into the Fund, so it grows to $5 billion over the next decade.
The challenges of drought vary from farm to farm, district to district, town to town and we continually need to adapt and build capacity – the Future Drought Fund gives us this opportunity.
It will provide community services, research, assist adoption of technology, advice and infrastructure to support long term sustainability in the event of the drought, through capital and ongoing initiatives.
This funding will support farmers and their local communities when it’s not raining.
The impact of the drought is not just felt on the farm. Spending dries up in regional towns as the drought worsens, which threatens the prosperity of local businesses.
Regional communities in drought-affected areas will also receive immediate help with the Drought Communities Program extended from 60 to 81 local governments – giving each of these communities $1 million to stimulate their local economies.
This boosts our total commitment to this program to $81.1 million, helping communities stimulate their local economies through new or upgraded community infrastructure, road upgrades, and water infrastructure projects.
We are also establishing a $50 million On-Farm Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate Scheme to provide financial assistance to primary producers in drought affected regions, assisting them with up to 25 per cent of costs associated with the purchase and installation of new on-farm water infrastructure to provide water for livestock.
The Scheme will provide support for on-farm infrastructure including piping, tanks, bores, troughs, pumps and fittings and desilting and for drought management activities to lessen the impact of drought on animal welfare and reduce grazing pressures on pastures.
Individuals, farmers and communities need fast and easy access to information and support available to them. A new online Farm Hub hosted by the National Farmers Federation will provide a single, trusted point of access to information and services, providing farmers, families and regional communities with access to a comprehensive listing of available support, data and resources.
While drought-affected farmers and communities are renowned for their resilience, the ongoing dry conditions have hit farming families and rural communities hard and extra support is needed.
That’s why we are increasing funding for mental health services by $15.5 million in drought-affected areas across Australia, delivering early intervention and community well-being services.
$11.9 million will expand mental health services at the six existing Primary Health Networks subject to drought, adding two new areas in the Nepean Blue Mountains area and South Eastern NSW.
And we are investing a further $3.6 million to expand Medicare Benefit Services to enable local doctors to offer mental well-being support services via telehealth to rural and remote patients. This is the first time local doctors will be able to offer this service in drought-affected areas to their local patients.
We will also help to take some of the pressure off farmers and their families by helping them to keep food on the table, pay their bills and meet their basic needs.
Our Government will give $30 million to the key charities to provide support to at least 10,000 households facing hardship. This will help individuals and families to get by while returning the money to local communities.
Today we have built on more than $1.8 billion in assistance measures and concessional loans to support drought-affected farmers and communities that we have already rolled out.
I want to thank the continued work of the Coordinator-General for Drought, Major General Stephen Day, and the Special Envoy for Drought Assistance and Recovery, the Hon Barnaby Joyce MP as they work with farmers across the nation.
Interview with Grant Denyer, Ed Kavalee and Ash London, 2Day FM
26 October 2018
GRANT DENYER: The Prime Minister has announced a new $5 billion future drought fund at the National Drought Summit which is happening in Canberra today and he is joining us on the phone right now, Prime Minister Scott Morrison welcome.
PRIME MINISTER: Hey Grant how are you mate?
GRANT DENYER: Really, really good thank you mate, obviously regional issues and drought is close to my heart we live in farming communities and we’ve seen them do it very, very tough a lot of them unable to afford to pay their bills and feed themselves at the moment. This initiative sounds massive.
PRIME MINISTER: Well it is, as you’d know with drought it’s all about getting the immediate relief and we’ve being doing that through increased mental health support, increasing support through the Farm Household allowance and doing things directly to support people where they are right now, but then it’s about the recovery and then it’s about the long term resilience to drought and this drought future fund is basically what it is, is a big fund that will grow over time up to five billion dollars it will start just under four and we’ll be pulling down the earnings of that fund so it will be earning money every year we’ll pull down 100 million each year to invest in things like water infrastructure and supporting farmers on their farm to have better practices and all of these things that help them longer term. You’ve got to do the immediate relief but you’ve also got to think to the future so this is putting some money away for a non-rainy day.
GRANT DENYER: Yeah long terms plans are obviously important when it comes to drought because one really severe year of drought can take five years for a farmer to recover so it’s a great idea, but in the previous government, money that was handed out to our farmers we found that everyone just couldn’t access the money, is it going to be easy for them to access because not one farmer we knew could access the previous government funding that was given to them. It was just too much paperwork sometimes 100 pages of paperwork.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah well and I know, when I was out in Quilpie, it was my first trip I made as Prime Minister up meeting the Tullys up there in Quilpie and I talked to a lot of the farm councillors up there and they relayed the same story now we’ve cut that back by a third just over a third and we’ve put more councillors out there to help them get through all that but the other thing we’ll be announcing today is that we’ll be working closer directly with charities because they like groups like the CWA and groups like that who connect and are out there in these communities all the time and they can get a lot more of this assistance to those farmers and farming communities a lot more quickly cos we also have to remember as you know, it is the famers of course but it’s also the towns as well and the towns go through it tough. Now we’re putting a million dollars into every single drought affected shire in Australia and will be expanding that to some more shires today because sadly the drought is going into parts of South Australia and more parts of New South Wales and into Victoria and so we’ll be extending that support as well and we’ll have a program today which is supporting on farm water infrastructure with some small scale grants, now I know I’m getting into a bit of detail but is a pretty comprehensive plan because we’ve got to deal with the relief now, build for the recovery and have the long term resilience.
GRANT DENYER: Awesome. That’s fantastic news, thank you so much.
ASH LONDON: Hello ScoMo, my name is Ash and I hope you’re having a wonderful day thanks for coming on the show.
PRIME MINISTER: It’s a pleasure.
ASH LONDON: Not only are we members of Australia, but we are all members of planet earth and for me I spend a lot of time instagramming and tweeting you every day I feel like we are twitter best friends with questions about our immigration policy. Now I don’t want to believe and I do not believe until you tell me that you really do have a statue of a boat with the comments “I stopped these” on your desk. So once and for all can you just explain that that is hopefully not true?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I was given it by a bloke in my electorate who was very, very committed to ensuring that when we got elected back in 2013 that human carnage we were seeing at sea stopped and I got to say that was a very hard period to live through, what we were seeing people just turning up and kids face down in the water and it was horrible and it had to stop and our government did stop it and I want to get these kids off Nauru but I don’t want to put more on. So we’ve got to make sure we get that balance right.
ASH LONDON: Can you understand that many people would look at what’s happening and look at the plight of these children it seems they are being ignored and it seems that doctors all around Australia and the world are putting their hand up and saying these children are suffering they are in a gaol this is on our watch, surely.
PRIME MINISTER: Ash, they are not in a gaol.
ASH LONDON: They can’t leave.
PRIME MINISTER: They can’t leave Nauru, that’s true but they live like the other kids who live on Nauru, there’s a lot of kids who live on Nauru. There’s a population of 10,000 people…
ASH LONDON: Can you look at that situation and say on my watch and I am ok with the fact that these kids are suffering they want a better life, you would want a better life for your kids as well.
PRIME MINISTER: I do, Ash we’ve got over 200 children off Nauru and we’ve got more off just in the last few weeks.
ASH LONDON: There should be zero. There should be zero children on Nauru.
PRIME MINISTER: And that’s what we’re working towards and that’s why we’ve got the arrangement with the United States and that’s where many of those children have gone. We are going to keep doing that because I agree, we’ve got to get that down. What I don’t want to see happen is I don’t want to see the boats come back and the children being put at risk and dying at sea and then being put on Nauru if they get here you don’t get children off Nauru by putting more on. And so you’ve got to work both of those issues and it is very difficult, incredibly difficult.
ASH LONDON: Of course it’s difficult but as human beings do you think we need to show more compassion?
PRIME MINISTER: Look we can always do that, of course and that’s why we are doing what we are doing. But in government you have to deal with all the hard issues. And we can potentially go down one area and then you open up the problem again. I mean that’s what happened back in 2007 John Howard had this thing all under control and then Kevin Rudd came in and changed it all and look what happened, I mean how would we feel if that was the product of any of the actions that we took. So we are going to keep getting it right and keep getting the kids off Nauru as we’re going to keep doing that, I mean kids have come off in the last couple of weeks, over 200 have come off. There were 8000 children in detention when we were elected, and in Australia there are no children in detention today. We got them all out and closed seventeen detention centres that’s what happens when you get the bits right.
GRANT DENYER: All right, Scott Morrison welcome to your new job.
ASH LONDON: I’ll keep tweeting you, maybe you could tweet me back one like an emoji thumbs up, thumbs up emoji or I hear you Ash stop embarrassing yourself, something like that.
GRANT DENYER: Give her something mate she’s @ashlondon give her something she needs it.
ASH LONDON: Underscore in there.
GRANT DENYER: Underscore as well. Alright, hey do you want to have a go at the secret sounds, this is not a stich up. We’re giving away $84,000. I may as well.
ASH LONDON: If you win the $84,000 you don’t get it.
PRIME MINISTER: I’ll put it into the drought community for the CWA, how about that.
GRANT DENYER: Ok this is the secret sound.
[Sound plays]
What does that sound like to you Prime Minister Scott Morrison?
PRIME MINISTER: I didn’t even hear it.
GRANT DENYER: One more time.
[Sound plays]
PRIME MINISTER: Oh is it something in a shoe box or something? Like something dropping in a shoe box.
GRANT DENYER: Oh no he’s addicted. He’ll be on the website all day. Scott Morrison we’ll speak to you next time.