Media Releases
Interview with Deborah Knight, Today Show
25 February 2019
DEBORAH KNIGHT: Scott Morrison joins us now from Melbourne, good morning to you.
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning Deb.
KNIGHT: Now you’ve gone in hard over the past fortnight to try and discredit Labor on border protection. This Newspoll though shows things haven’t shifted. Why do you think your message isn’t cutting through?
PRIME MINISTER: We’re just doing the right thing for Australia’s borders. That's why we are doing this. We have always been strong on this issue, and I take great issue, whether it is the Labor Party, the Greens or anyone else, who want to undermine the strong border protection that we have put in place. That's why I acted on it, Deb, and that's why I will always act on it.
KNIGHT: You have been accused of scaremongering on this issue. Do you think that that’s not cutting with voters?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I know what the accusations are. I was accused of that when the boats were turning up thick and fast when we were in Opposition and people said I wouldn't be able to, as a team, turn it around. But we did. So that was an important thing for us to do as a nation. So I don't get swayed by those sort of criticisms. I just do what's right for the country and what’s right for our borders.
KNIGHT: Now, you are taking the fight to Labor on the issue of climate and your Party we know has been tearing itself apart on this for years. It has brought down leaders on both sides of politics. How do you come up with a united policy on climate change when some within your own ranks appear to doubt that it is even real?
PRIME MINISTER: We have one and we have been achieving it is. It is a right thing to do for future generations. The plan that we have been working to has taken where we inherited a 700 million tonne deficit on carbon emissions for the 2020 targets and we are now going to beat that by more than 400 million tonnes. And the core of that success has been the Emissions Reduction Fund and we are putting more money into that over the next decade to meet our 2030 targets. But it is not just that, it’s the work we are doing on hydro, whether it is Snowy Hydro 2.0 or down in Tasmania with the Battery of the Nation project where I was last year with Will Hodgman and I met with him again this week and we have been working on how we can bring that project to life.
And all the work that has been done on energy efficiency, whether it is on people's roofs or within their businesses, this is what will get us to the 2030 target. And what I'm announcing today will make sure that we can do that. We are already over achieving on our targets and with our plan we will continue to meet those targets which is what matters at the end of the day. Are you getting the job done? And when it comes to climate we are getting the job done on the targets that have been set and they are responsible targets as well as real and credible targets.
KNIGHT: Because I guess that would make people why we need to spend another $2 billion to get there, because you have said in the past as you have said now we will meet those Paris targets by 2030, and you used the language in a canter, so why do we need to do this spending?
PRIME MINISTER: And we will, Deb. Deb, I always knew we were going to put these policies in place and I was very clear about that all the way through and these are the policies that will continue to get us there in 2030. And they are built on the success of what we have achieved to date and they carry that success through to make sure we can achieve it by 2030. Now, we won't be do it by buying foreign carbon credits using taxpayer's money. Other countries will be doing that. New Zealand just confirmed to me last Friday that's what they will have to do. We will be reducing our missions on our side of the line, but we’ll be doing it without putting a wrecking ball through the Australian economy. I mean, Labor's 45 per cent emissions reduction target will cost everyone’s wage $9,000 a year. That's what the independent assessment came out and said last week. That's a carbon tax on steroids. We won't be doing that. Our target reduces the intensity of emissions by two thirds by 2030 and emissions per capita by over 50 per cent. We will achieve all of that. We will be doing our bit but keeping the economy strong at the same time.
KNIGHT: We know how crucial credibility and authenticity is in politics and you were the Treasurer who came into Question Time with a lump of coal talking up fossil fuels. I guess the big question for voters is how can they trust you to turn things around on climate policy?
PRIME MINISTER: Because our policies have been working. We need to draw our energy from all sources, Deb, all sources. And we need reliable power, as well as renewable, and in many cases, like with hydro, it is both and that's why we are investing in those areas. But I'm not going to join the Labor Party who sees the global market for our biggest mineral export facing some real problems as being wonderful. The Labor Party has said to 55,000 people who work in the coal industry that your jobs don't mean anything to us. Now, I know that would be a terrible message for people to hear up in Townsville. They are already dealing with the floods, and now they have got a Labor Party who wants to take their jobs away.
KNIGHT: All right, Prime Minister, time is unfortunately against us as always. There is lots more to talk to you about. But we hope to have you back on the show again soon. We thank you for your time this morning.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, Deb.
Accelerating a second Bass Strait Interconnector
25 February 2019
Prime Minister, Minister for Energy
The Morrison Government is backing the next step to make Tasmania the battery of the nation with $56 million for the proposed second interconnector with the mainland, after the Tasmanian Government released a feasibility study highlighting the business case stacks up.
The report finds the business case for a 1,200MW interconnector will unlock new generation and storage in Tasmania helping lower prices and increase reliability in the National Electricity Market, as well as boosting the Tasmanian and Victorian economies by $1.6 billion and creating 1,400 jobs.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the interconnector would mean more affordable and reliable electricity for homes and businesses and the Government’s $56 million investment would accelerate the delivery of the Marinus Link.
“After a summer of blackouts, the interconnector will mean more reliable power at lower prices for homes and businesses in Tasmania and on the mainland,” the Prime Minister said.
“Tasmania has the potential to be Australia’s battery to keep the lights on and running costs down and we’ll be there backing them to get there.”
Energy Minister Angus Taylor said approximately 400MW of available dispatchable generation cannot currently be delivered to the mainland, due to constraints on Basslink, the first Tasmania-Victoria interconnector.
“A second interconnector and new dispatchable generation and storage will help alleviate the significant supply and demand pressures we saw across the NEM over summer,” Minister Taylor said.
The Morrison Government will continue to encourage investment in the new generation and storage needed to provide more affordable and reliable power to Australian families and small businesses.
The additional funding builds on the $20 million already invested by the Australian and Tasmanian Governments, through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and Tas Networks, into the initial feasibility report.
Importantly, new reliable renewable generation and storage unlocked by the second interconnector is expected to deliver up to 25 million tonnes of emissions abatement by 2030.
More information, including the initial feasibility report, can be found at: projectmarinus.tasnetworks.com.au/initial-feasibility-report/
Interview with David Koch, Sunrise
25 February 2019
DAVID KOCH: Prime Minister, good morning to you.
PRIME MINISTER: G’day David.
KOCH: Given this poll out today, are you disappointed with that, that you haven’t had a bounce in the polls? Because you made a big thing of the difference between your policy and also the Opposition’s in terms of Medivac and asylum seeker boats.
PRIME MINISTER: We stand by all of that because that was about the policy. We don’t want to see Australia’s border protection policy weakened and that's why we took the step we did. The polls will be the polls. West Coast was behind at half time too, David, as you’ll recall. So the hooter goes in May, at the end of the session. And so we’re focused on whether is our stronger economy plans, our stronger national security plans, and today of course, outlining how we will meet our 2030 emissions reductions target through the Climate Solutions Fund.
KOCH: So you honestly think you can win the next election?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course I do.
KOCH: Is it right Bill Shorten has written to you advising the Opposition front bench will be having meeting with senior public servants in the next couple of weeks to ensure a smooth transition of power?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I know that… yes, that have, they tried the same thing back in 2016. They are getting ahead of themselves. The hubris we’ve seen from Bill Shorten thinking he has already won an election I think has risen to new levels. We will follow all the normal protocols that are associated with elections and he is trying to actually over-assert what his entitlements are in this area. But that is because he is overconfident about the next election and is approaching it, I think, quite arrogantly.
KOCH: Australians though are seeing all of these colleagues of yours resigning, Julie Bishop the latest one. A lot of women resigning from the Party. A lot of Australians are thinking wow, have they have seen the writing on the wall? Are they are getting out early and getting new jobs before the inevitable?
PRIME MINISTER: No and Julie Bishop said exactly the opposite, as did Kelly O'Dwyer. And yesterday, we preselected Dr Katie Allen. She is a paediatrician who is also a medical research scientist working on children's health. Her victory yesterday, a very substantial one in the seat of Higgins, I think demonstrates the vote of confidence that people of real talent, women of real talent, are putting in the Liberal Party. And so they are joining our team, just as many others have been to take up these positions and in fact the retirements are no different than what happens at most elections, David. They’re consistent with that and Labor have had many women retire as well.
KOCH: But you are, you have got to admit, you are pretty short on women in your ranks. Are you looking at bringing in quotas? How are you going to rectify that, because it is not a great look.
PRIME MINISTER: Well since I became Prime Minister, we’ve has I think now 19 women selected in key roles. Whether it’s Bridget Archer down there in the seat of Bass or Jess Whelan in the seat of Lyons. We have got women coming in to the Senate replacing men who have gone out of the Senate, so we’ve seen quite a number come in over these last few months. But it is certainly an issue the Party will need to address in the future, but I’m pleased at the number of women who have stepped forward in the last six months to take on these roles, and they are high-quality and they are great candidates and they are there absolutely on merit.
KOCH: OK. Let’s talk about climate change. You're unveiling your plan to tackle climate change today, including allocating $2 billion over ten years for practical solutions to reducing emissions and making sure we meet our Paris Agreement target in 2030. You can understand people get a bit confused about the Coalition’s climate change policy. Are you a climate change believer?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes. Three things. First of all, we owe it to future generations to address this issue, and we have been addressing this issue. Our record, when we came into government, we had to make up for a 700 million tonne deficit on carbon emissions when we came to government. The policies we have put in place to meet our 2020 targets means we will now beat that by 400 million tonnes. The policies we have put in place are working, they are hitting our targets. There are very few countries in the world that can say that they will not only meet our 2020 targets but exceed them.
KOCH: So why are you spending an extra $2 billion if you are reaching the target comfortably? Are you going to set new lower targets?
PRIME MINISTER: No, the 2020 targets are the one we're going to meet by over 400 million tonnes. The 2030 targets will require this additional investment in the very programs that have been…
KOCH: So you are a bit behind on that?
PRIME MINISTER: No, no, we always knew that there would be more that needed to be done and I have said that on several occasions and I said we’d be announcing that before the election. And today, I’m making those plans clear. These are responsible targets, David. I believe that you can meet your emissions reduction targets, address climate change and not put a sledgehammer through your economy. That is why our targets are balanced. They will reduce per capita emissions by more than 50 per cent by 2030 and our emissions intensity by two thirds. Now, that is one of the best targets in the G20. Countries like Canada won't meet that. Countries like New Zealand will not meet that same level of result and they will have to buy carbon credits from overseas. We are dealing with it on our side of the line, making sure we are taking the action that is needed.
KOCH: So this Climate Solutions Fund is the renamed the Emissions Reduction Fund?
PRIME MINISTER: No it’s more than that, because there is the work being done on Emissions Reduction Fund, there is the investment that will be going into Snowy Hydro 2.0 and also the Battery of the Nation project, another pumped hydro very significant project in Tasmania. It also deals with electric car strategy and on top of that, continuing with the energy efficiency measures whether it's in households or businesses. So it’s a comprehensive package.
KOCH: It sounds like you like renewables and renewable energy has a real place in this?
PRIME MINISTER: Well of course it does. So does reliable energy. I mean, I don’t… as my predecessor used to say, these things don't have moral qualities, they just produce energy that people need to use, so I don't get hung up on personal affections for one or the other.
KOCH: Your colleagues slammed South Australia for their batteries and renewable energies.
PRIME MINISTER: I just want stuff that works, David. That’s what I want to do. My plan will do that, it’ll meet our targets and it won’t put a sledge hammer through our economy. Labor's emissions reduction target of 45 per cent will cost everybody's wage $9,000 a year. $9,000 a year. That's a carbon tax on steroids.
KOCH: OK, Prime Minister, thank you for talking to us this morning. Appreciate it.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks David, good to be with you.
Meeting our climate commitments without wrecking the economy
25 February 2019
Prime Minister, Minister for the Environment
Australia will meet its international climate targets without wrecking the economy and driving power prices sky high.
The Morrison Government today announced a $3.5 billion Climate Solutions Package.
Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, said Australians recognise climate change and the importance of protecting the environment.
“We will meet our global commitments, and do what is right for our environment, without taking a wrecking ball to the economy.
“We have an obligation to preserve the environment for our children. We also have an obligation to hand over a strong economy, where our kids and grandkids can get jobs.
“We will meet our commitments in practical ways by working with land holders, farmers, businesses and indigenous communities.
“There will be further announcements ahead but as part of the $3.5 billion Climate Solutions Package, we will invest a further $2 billion in the Climate Solutions Fund.”
The Climate Solutions Fund will build on the success of the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) which has contracted 193 million tonnes in emission reductions.
The Minister for the Environment, the Hon Melissa Price MP, said that Climate Solutions Fund will ensure the ERF delivers a further 103 million tonnes in emission reductions to 2030. This will make a key contribution to us meeting our 26% emissions reduction target under the Paris agreement.
“We are working with people on the ground to reduce emissions and lead real environmental change.
“The ERF is investing in our farmers to help them revegetate degraded land, to protect existing forest areas and to increase habitats for our native species.
“We are working with businesses to invest in the adoption of energy efficient business practices that are reducing costs and working with waste managers and with recyclers to reduce waste emissions.
“We are working with indigenous communities in projects such a savannah burning where traditional land care practice is blended with modern environmental science.”
For more information visit:
https://www.environment.gov.au/climate-change/climate-solutions-package
Doorstop - Gippsland, Victoria
24 February 2019
THE HON DARREN CHESTER MP, MEMBER FOR GIPPSLAND: Well first of all, it's great to welcome the Prime Minister here today along with my colleague David Littleproud, the Minister for Agriculture, Danny O’Brien the Member for Gippsland South and Melina Bath, Upper House and State MP as well. While it's great to be here, it's obviously a very sombre topic for us here in Gippsland. The drought is starting to bite very deeply for a lot of our dry land agriculture and the farmers we met with today make it very clear to us all that they are going through some pretty tough times. For some of our farming communities, this is the worst drought that they’ve experienced in a hundred years. So we need to keep working with them. And I've got to say I'm very pleased with the way Minister Littleproud and the Prime Minister have been responsive to the concerns I've raised about making sure we try and reduce the amount of red tape around farming household allowance and making sure we work with our local government members to try and get more infrastructure into our regional community and also work with the farming families themselves about how we can help their properties be more sustainable in the longer term.
We all know it's going to rain again. When it rains again, we want to make sure that our farmers can be viable in the longer term. So today's about listening to our farming families, getting a better appreciation of beyond the ground impacts of the drought and what are the steps we might need to take in partnership with both state and local government to try and reduce some of those cost structures and make sure our farming families are here for a very long time. So with those words PM, it's great to have you here in Gippsland. I would have preferred you had brought nice grey skies and a couple inches of rain but if it can’t rain it might as well be beautiful like today.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks Darren. And that is the purpose of my being here today. It doesn't matter what corner of the country you are in. If you’re being affected by drought I’m listening, whether it's here at Gippsland, whether it's in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, doesn't matter where it is. Our Government is keenly interested in the plight of our rural communities. Of course those on farm, but also those who are in the towns who depend on the agricultural sector to provide the livelihood that exists right across Australia and in rural and regional centres. So it’s been a good opportunity to come here today and have a listen. It doesn't matter where I might be. The stories are different. The challenges are often different. The country is different and that means always you've got to have a very local response. And that's why a big part of our response is to work with the local shires and councils. The support that can be provided through those councils, that immediate support we've put in through our drought recovery program. That is, we know, providing some of useful support, but it's not everything. Whether it's the farm household allowance or the other measures that we've put in place, this is all important, but every single part of the country does need its own response. It does need its own plan. And that's why I’m pleased to come here today and meet with so many.
And I'll be meeting with more later on this afternoon. I'm meeting with Premier Andrews tomorrow, we’ll be talking about a large number of topics, but this will be one and there's been some feedback here for me today, but there's also been some important feedback here today for the state and I’m sure they’ll be interested to hear my firsthand relaying of that to the state government. I know the Victorian agricultural minister has been out here and would have got it firsthand too, I imagine, got some fairly direct feedback. So we'll have those discussions when we meet together tomorrow.
But there have been some announcements today, but I'm not overstating what they are. Some of them relate to parts of this district, but others don't. And what's most important is that we ensure that how we're responding to the drought is as useful here as it is in other parts of the country. And that's principally why I've come along today. I'm going to ask David to talk a bit about some of those particular announcements, but I do stress that they don't directly impact particularly where we're standing today, but in other parts of the district they do.
THE HON DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND WATER RESOURCES: Well thanks PM. Can I firstly say, last week we saw the lowest political act in this nation's history when the Labor Party and Kerryn Phelps voted against the Future Drought Fund. To politicise the misery of these people is something I never thought I'd see in this nation. They become irrelevant to this debate. Every Australian should be ashamed that they would vote against a future fund that goes to protect regional and rural Australia, make sure that we're prepared for future droughts. For them to vote against that is the lowest political act I've ever seen.
But we're going to get on with the job as the PM has said, and we're going to be agile, continue to be agile, we're going to come and listen. You don't want Canberra solutions, you want local solutions. So today we're proud to announce $31 million for the Macalister water project here to get greater efficiency. A project that was started 80 odd years ago and to be able to make sure we get greater efficiency to make sure there's more water available during the dry times. And so we're proud to be able to partner. We would ask the state government to consider kicking the tin with us, but we're also not just looking at irrigation. We're looking for those farmers that are out there doing it tough that don't have access to irrigation. We're also announcing on-farm order measurements, measure efficiency programs up to $25,000 or 25 per cent the Federal Government will kick in and that will allow farmers to desilt dams. To get in there while things are dry now and desilt those dams or put in pipes and troughs to get greater water efficiency. And I’d also reach out to the state government and ask them to kick the tin as well. In other states they're doing it. This'll be a real, tactile program that will give real results to farmers on the ground while they have the opportunity to do it now. But while cash flow is tight, it will be an opportunity to help them make these strategic investments in the here and now.
PRIME MINISTER: I'm happy to take some questions and we’ve got others who can field some of those questions as well. Let's just talk about what we’re here today about. I’ve already done a press conference early in the day on broader matters. I can take one or two on that if you insist, which I’m sure you will. So why don't we deal with the issues we’re here to talk about today and Darren and David and others can jump in.
JOURNALIST: What was some of the feedback you received?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I think one of... there were two key thing that seem to be really impacting at the moment. There’s obviously an impacts on cash flow and there the fodder transport and fodder subsidies that are being provided by state governments elsewhere aren’t being provided in Victoria. And that's a real issue of concern. Rate relief as well is another big issue. And again, that's an issue that is a state matter. Look, so I’ll pass those on to Dan tomorrow. I'm sure he's quite aware of those. He would have got the same big feedback when his ag minister was out here over the course of the week. We'll do the things that we can do and David is, as I think just set out what they are.
I mean two of the biggest areas of success in providing relief that we've found in our response to the drought. And this was also backed up at our Drought Summit last year. And then the follow on from that has been the support we've put in the councils and the support we’ve put on for the on-farm infrastructure. These two things have, as we've got the feedback from farming communities all across the country, they have been working well. Now, they are being rolled out here as well now. And the other issue is how long will this go on for? And I think there is a natural and understandable anxiety about what you're planning. How long is a piece of string, you know, in parts of the country they've been a drought for seven years. We're not down that far down the road here compared to those parts of the country.
So I think there's a natural anxiety about how much you can do and what you're trying to prepare for it. So you know, the farm household allowance, we didn't get a lot of feedback on that today, but we've got the rural financial counsellors, they’re the support people if you need that. I think David can update on how many people…
THE HON DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND WATER RESOURCES: About 380.
PRIME MINISTER: About 380 in this part of the world who are getting support on that and if others need it then the rural financial counsellors can come and assist you with that. Darren's office can support you in making sure you get access to that. The other thing we put in is support for the mental health services locally. Again, that has to be driven locally, that I would only ask all of those in the district to keep an eye out for each other. That's very important. It doesn't matter what time of the country you’re in, people tend not to volunteer how they're feeling about this stuff. That's, you know, it's, people are tough and they certainly like to be seen that way. But know that people are there to support you and help care for you and these services can just help you deal with a really tough time. So we're putting additional supportive of that but it's not the whole solution. It's just part of the support network that’s needed.
JOURNALIST: The Victorian Farmers Federation, the Wellington Shire Council and the East Gippsland Shire Council have all raised concerns that the criteria with the federal grant funding is too restrictive and it's not going to things that are actually helping farmers on the ground. What have you got to say to those concerns?
PRIME MINISTER: Well one of the biggest things that Wellington done has been doing water cartage, which has had a great response and that was one of the pieces of feedback that we've had. Remember that the million dollars we give to the council is not there as the entire response to the issues facing farmers on the land. That's where the on-farm infrastructure incentives, that's what they're there for. That's what the farm household allowance is there for. It is not the only thing. The principle role of those funds that go into those councils is to ensure that there is money circulating in the local economy. It's as much to keep local jobs, whether they are people who previously might have been working on a farm and now can’t because the farm isn't doing the work that it was doing before, and now they can be working in other areas. I mean, we've got people in Queensland doing it with dog fences. We've got others upgrading amenity blocks, we've got some that are doing roads, others are doing water cottage. So around the country the response has been that the parameters have been quite good and the important thing is it's giving local communities the decision making about how they spend the money.
JOURNALIST: The feedback we’ve had from many farmers and councils is anger and frustration. We've got the Wellington Shire Council spending $500,000 in upgrading the sale yards and the East Gippsland Shire Council is spending $700,000 on resurfacing car parks. Farmers are wondering how does it actually help them on the ground battling the drought?
PRIME MINISTER: I'll let Darren respond to that. But again, the million dollars to the councils is not intended as a farm subsidy. That's not its purpose. It was never designed that way. It was about understanding that all the towns [inaudible] drought affected communities, because those towns will not be getting the income from the ag sector coming in and spending in the towns. That won't be there. There'll be a cash drought in the towns because of the drought that is occurring on the properties. And so that's its purpose. And so there are many things we have to do and that's just one of the things, but Darren might want to comment. And the decisions are made locally, not by the Commonwealth.
JOURNALIST: But you approve them.
THE HON DARREN CHESTER MP, MEMBER FOR GIPPSLAND: Well thanks. And to clarify as the Prime Minister was saying, the infrastructure grants that local governments are being provided is intended to improve the infrastructure to boost local funding. I mean, I don't want to defend the East Gippsland Shire and Wellington Shire in that regard. The money they are spending is going to improve agricultural facilities for the long term. This is money that we need to spend anyway. If the council had to find it from their own rate revenue, it would be money taken from local roads, it would be money taken away from facilities. So the council, I think, has made responsible decisions to invest in their agricultural industries for longer term. We have a rich and a proud heritage in agriculture industries in Gippsland, but we also have a great future and part of that great future is having world-class lifestyle facilities for the sale of stock, making sure that we meet the animal welfare standards. And meet the expectations of the buying and the selling public. So I congratulate both councils for investing in the longer term, notwithstanding the fact that there's still more or what we can do with local state governments to address some of those social, economic and environmental issues on farm. And that's why we've been here today listening to farms concerns.
PRIME MINISTER: So what we’ve also done as we’ve rolled this program out, and Senator McKenzie has been, I think, very agile in listening to the feedback on the program. We've made a number of changes, as I have in terms of disaster payments in places that have been stricken by floods. And then one of the first things that we did in response to the Townsville floods was to pretty much straight away remove some of the paperwork requirements for people accessing those monies. And enabled us to get about $40 million out the door in about a week. So the Government, I think, has demonstrated an active ear when it comes to how these programs are rolling out on the ground. Frankly, that's the reason I'm here today. It’s to listen to some of those concerns that have come back and if the program needs to be altered, then we'll make those calls.
JOURNALIST: I have a question for Minister Littleproud, if you mind. So some of the feedback we've been having from local contractors, so for example hay cartage contractors, say that we were talking about the red tape around the rural financial household allowance. They say despite, you know, relying on the land for their income, they don't qualify as a farmer per se for the legislation and therefore are missing out on some assistance that could really help him. Is this something that you'll take away from these meetings and maybe reconsider redrafting the legislation?
THE HON DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND WATER RESOURCES: Well, look, obviously we are here listening and in fact I ordered a review into the farm household assistance program which was started in 2014. So it was long overdue. The reality is I've got to be honest, that is a safety net. It's a safety net for social security for people. It's not an entitlement. I have to be honest with people, but we are working through with an FHA review team to see whether we can streamline it, in terms of not only the application but in terms of how some of the income is treated so that it does in encompass an understanding of the agricultural sector better. But let me say, we'll continue to work through that and we're putting more rural financial counsellors on the ground. There was 116 RFCS staff, but I've put another 39 and we're continuing to go and listen. If there is a need for more rural financial counsellors on the ground, we'll put them in. We've been agile, the PM cut a cheque straight away when we needed an additional 39 and we'll continue to do more.
But we're not going to make it a Canberra-based solution, it has to be a local solution. If we're asked for that, then we'll look for that.
JOURNALIST: Can I ask you about on Aussie Farms, you wanted to revoke the charity status of Aussie Farms. What process is that at now?
THE HON DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND WATER RESOURCES: That's totally incorrect. I have not asked for any charity to have their charitable status revoked in terms of drought. I have written, I have written... Oh, sorry.
JOURNALIST: I’m talking about Aussie Farms, the organisation that published the locations of numerous farms.
THE HON DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND WATER RESOURCES: So obviously that's sent through to the Charities Commission. Under the provision of the Charities Commission that is something that isn't made public and I understand they're working through that process as they speak. It's not something that they would refer back to the Agriculture Minister. I understand they're working through that process, but I would hope that they would look very carefully at that. Because what this group has done is effectively putt and attack map on farmers and their homes where children. It is abhorrent. I don't think any Australian would say that is what a charity would do it. So I'll leave it to the Charities Commission. They're a reputable organization in terms of trying to sort this out. But I'd expect some action. I know everyone else would.
PRIME MINISTER: Let's do a couple of them, then we've got to get on the road.
JOURNALIST: Are you disappointed that a female wasn’t selected for Stirling?
PRIME MINISTER: Well it was a good field and the grassroots of the party made a decision after Michael's departure. I was in Tasmania this morning and, you know, down in Tasmania, whether it's in Bass or in Lyons or in our Senate ticket and just recently replacing Senator Bushby, I think there's been about 17 or 18 now, female candidates that have been selected both for the National Party and the Liberal Party since I became Prime Minister. Whether it's the seats like Lindsay or Macquarie in New South Wales and as I’ve already mentioned the ones in Tasmania. So look at, these are issues that will continue to work on as a Party. But at the end of the day, our Party rank and file make the decisions and that’s what’s happened on this occasion our candidate there who was selected yesterday, he’s an ex-serviceman. He’s served overseas in peacekeeping missions, he’s served his country. He used to work on Julie Bishop's staff, in fact. So look, we had some excellent choices to choose from yesterday and the Party rank and file have done that for Western Australia.
JOURNALIST: The Liberal Party still has to fill seats vacated by senior MPs, including some women. How difficult is that task?
PRIME MINISTER: It’s the same task as filling any of these seats. There’s the selection in Higgins and there’ll be a selection in Curtain as well. The Party will go through its normal processes to make their selections in each case. Now I tell you one thing that won’t happen, they won’t be picked by unions. They won't be big union vote blocks just coming in and telling our Party who our candidates should be. That's how things roll in the Labor Party. That's not how it works for the Liberal Party.
JOURNALIST: Potentially thirteen weeks from here until the election, how do you feel?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're just focusing on the things that matter to Australians. That's why I'm here today. We are focused on ensuring our economy is strong so we can support essential services that Australians rely on. As I said earlier today, today we have said that from the first of next month, first of April I should say, there will be access to heart checks for all Australians under the Medicare system and it's unlimited, I should stress. The Labor Party's put a cap on how much can be done, ours is uncapped and that will be available to all Australians, uncapped. We're announcing today more listed medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. This time dealing with leukemia, taking a drug that would cost around $8,000 I think down to just a 40 bucks, just over 40 bucks and $650 if you’re on a concession.
Now you can't do these things unless you're investing in having a stronger economy. You can't turn up and provide support, whether it's in the flood-riven communities of North Queensland or drought savaged communities of Victoria. If you don't have a strong economy, I mean you're dipping into an empty bucket and that's what the Labor Party will offer - an empty bucket. The only time there'll be anything in that bucket is if they put their hand in your pocket and take more taxes from you.
So running a strong economy enables us to support these important programs, whether it's in the drought affected communities, flood affected communities, essential services like on Medicare. I mean, we have the highest level of bulk billing for Medicare on record. That's what we've been able to achieve by running a strong economy and supporting essential services. So you asked me how I feel? I feel we're doing a great job focusing on the things that really matter to Australians - their economy, their security, their safety, their future, and for standing by them when they're going through stuff, which is really tough. Like they are here and like they are in many parts of the country and I think they know, all those quiet Australians out there. They don't get around being advocates, they don’t get around, you know, shouting and going to marches and all this sort of thing. They're just trying to keep their farms going. Keep their small businesses going. They're taking their kids to school and raising them. They're doing the best they can, running their lives and having their aspirations and they know I can hear them and I know exactly what they're saying and I'm totally on their side. Thanks very much.
Doorstop - Hobart Airport, Tasmania
24 February 2019
SENATOR THE HON ERIC ABETZ: Today's announcement is exceptionally exciting for southern Tasmania, but indeed all of Tasmania. It builds on the good economic management that has been delivered by the Coalition Government over the last few years. The Premier and I still recall the 2013/ 2014 period when this state was in recession, was going backwards, and as a Federal Coalition, we promised to turbo charge the Tasmanian economy.
The Coalition was elected federally, shortly thereafter the Liberals were elected in Tasmania. And we have worked hand in glove ever since to ensure that we deliver good economic management to Tasmania. And the statistics are there for all to see. The Premier and his Treasurer have a great trade record for Tasmania, as we do federally. Unemployment down from 8.1 per cent to below 6 per cent. These are the sort of things that are transformational for this state.
And it's very apt that today, with the signing of the Hobart City Deal, we are here at the Hobart Airport. In 2013, as part of our policy to turbo charge the Tasmanian economy, we agreed to extend the Hobart runway. That has been delivered on time and I might add below budget and as a result, we are able to make these further announcements today. As a Tasmanian Liberal Senator along with my colleague Senator Jonathon Duniam, this really is a very exciting moment to see all this hard work after the past five years come together in this Deal which now allows us, if I can borrow a term from you, Premier, to take Tasmania to the next level. And with that, allow me to introduce the Premier.
WILL HODGMAN, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Thanks, Eric. Prime Minister and federal colleagues and to Treasury Government and our state team and also to the Lord Mayor and our local governments colleagues as well as many other distinguished guests, it's an appropriate moment to celebrate the culmination of a lot of hard work, but I think a really great example of all levels of government coming together to plan strategically for growth, to deal with challenges that come with a growing economy, and most importantly to invest in ways that will turbocharge not only the City of Hobart, but also our state.
I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge the mayors and the work that they've done. This is a really important collaboration and they inform part of this greater Hobart that is really a different place now that it was just a few years ago. Tasmania's economy, now one of the strongest performing in the country. We’ve seen strong levels of population growth, a lot of business investment, and we need to match that with government investment and infrastructure.
This is a wonderful way to capitalize also on our great competitive advantages. Our role and our status as the nation's gateway to Antarctica will be enhanced by this extraordinary deal. And that will further lead to growth in that important sector and at this airport for Tasmania's exporters, for our tourism industry, for those of us who need to travel out of Tasmania. And to those we welcome here in increasing numbers, to have this airport restored to international status is something that's been a dream of mine and this government for many years. This is a massive investment that will secure Tasmania's international status and we really welcome that.
In conclusion, I just want to take the opportunity to acknowledge my Treasurer and Minister for Local Government Peter Gutwein, who's not only been pivotal in ensuring that Tasmania's budget is in such great shape, our economy is firing on all cylinders, but has put in aa power at work into this City Deal. He's been the lead minister for the state government, so thanks very much to you and for your efforts working very closely with Alan Tudge and I'm delighted to again, welcome the Prime Minister back to Tasmania very swiftly after his last visit. I know we'll see a lot more of you over the coming weeks. But great to have you back PM.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Premier. It's wonderful to be back here, Premier, and to be back in the turnaround state. I've said it many times and you are taking it to the next level. And I can also extend my good morning, because it is a beautiful morning here in Hobart today, to my federal colleagues, my state colleagues, and those from local government as well. This is a partnership which we're announcing here today. We have signed it here today.
You can do a lot when you've got a strong economy. If you don't, you can't. That's the lesson, I think, whether it's in Tasmania or Australia, when you've got an economy which is strong, you can do a lot of things. And today we're announcing the Hobart City Deal, which we'll sign here today. But today I can also say because of a strong economy, we're announcing that from the first of April of this year, any Australian will be able to get their heart check-up and they'll be able to do that on Medicare and there is no cap on the amount of money that we'll put on it. It's unlimited. That's what our commitment is today. You do that because you've got a strong economy.
We’re also announcing today that we are listing further drugs on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, in this case that will be the pharmaceuticals associated with leukemia and leukemia-fighting, life-saving drug. These are the things you can do, taking a $7,000 drug down to a $40 drug and $6.50 if you’re on a concession. And that's to fight leukemia. That's on top of what we've done with lung cancer and breast cancer and ovarian cancer. All of these incredibly important things.
Today we're also announcing more than $200 million in research to fight heart disease in Australia. This is what you can do with a strong economy. And it's also what you can do here in Hobart with this City Deal that we’re announcing today. I share the Premier's joy and enthusiasm in terms of particularly what this Deal is doing for Hobart International Airport. It has been the dream of the Premier and one we've been very pleased to partner with him on to realise. This is great for Hobart. Make no doubt, but it's great for all of Tasmania. Whether it is Jess Whelan who is here with us or Bridget Archer up in Bass or anywhere across the state, this is a good deal for the state. It's just not about Hobart down in the south. It's about all of Tasmania and I know that's why the Premier is also so committed to this project because it is a gateway and enables all Tasmanians to benefit.
The project encompasses our environmental commitments and our research and capability that is based here on the Antarctic and the Environment Minister Melissa will say a bit more about that in a minute. It deals with everything from affordable housing through the busting congestion in our cities. It's great to see the turnaround not only in the economy, but the population of Tasmania and that requires us to invest and that's exactly what we're doing.
So it is a landmark day for Tasmania, for Hobart, and for Australia and I'm very pleased to be here with the Premier and all of our other colleagues of local, state, and federal government to get this done. Thank you. I'm going to pass you on to Alan Tudge, the architect of the Deal from the Commonwealth's point of view. Thank you.
THE HON ALAN TUDGE MP, MINISTER FOR CITIES, URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND POPULATION: Well, thanks so much, Prime Minister and Premier and colleagues and mayors. This is a Deal worth waiting for. It is a really transformational Deal for Hobart and for Tasmania. On Friday, we announced the details of the social housing package that is going to be $30 million, 100 new public houses for Hobart, which will assist the most disadvantaged in our community, including those who have escaped from domestic violence.
Yesterday was congestion busting day. We announced hundreds of millions of dollars for projects across the greater Hobart region. And that included $461 million for the Bridgewater Bridge, the single largest investment in Tasmania's history. And today we're announcing the rest of the deal and obviously with the two leaders signing it. And that's the most important elements of the deal itself is exactly as the Prime Minister said. And that is the opening up of this airport behind us to be an international airport.
Now that comes about from many things. We've already extended the runway thanks to $38 million which we put in a couple of years ago. We're investing in the gateway coming into the airport. But today we're announcing $82 million to be able to put the security in place, the migration settings in place, for people to be able to come in as an international airport. Now this means that from 2020, it'll be open for business.
Now when you look at other airports, and just recently we did this to the ACT Airport, it has led to in the ACT, a 20 per cent increase in international travellers in just two years since we opened up international airport there. And so the possibilities for Tasmania are exactly the same. And we hope that this will mean more international visitors are able to fly directly into Hobart and visit the whole of Tasmania and add to the tourism economy there. Overall that will add, we estimate, at least 680 jobs in the process.
The other key component that we're announcing today as well is the enormous contribution, which we've along with the Tasmanian government will be making towards creating what will undoubtedly be the world's best Antarctic and Science Precinct down at Macquarie Point. And that is an unbelievable vision which the Premier has articulated and we are joining him on that today. And that's going to be complemented by a $450 million investment in Antarctic research and work, which we've done in part with the University of Tasmania. And Melissa will say a couple of things about that.
Can I just conclude, though, in just in thanking the Tasmanian government, in particular Treasurer Gutwein for his work in working so closely with me along with the mayors, the four mayors involved in this. It has been a long journey, but it's been worth the wait. And it's been great cooperation across the three levels of governments and when you have the three levels of government working closely together as we have to produce a Deal like this, it's just amazing what you can achieve. So thank you so much to the Premier, to Treasurer Goodwin, and to the mayors for all the work that they've done here as well.
THE HON MELISSA PRICE, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: Thank you. Thank you. Good morning, everybody. And can I just say first thing, happy 50th birthday to Casey Station. It's great to be here. It's wonderful to have an invitation to Tasmania. Complementary to the Hobart City Deal is the $450 commitment over ten years to Australia's Antarctic presence. The key infrastructure, whether it's water, whether it's power, improving communications, improving research facilities, improving administration. This is in addition to our existing commitments to the Antarctic, including a $1.9 billion icebreaker which due for delivery in 2020 and also other key infrastructure like an all-weather airstrip.
This is good news clearly for Tasmanian businesses, the local people of Hobart, but all around Tasmania and this just shows us what we can do with a strong economy. So I'm thrilled that we've got $450 million commitment to improving our Antarctica facilities, good for Tasmanians, good for Australia. Thank you. I'd like to introduce the Lord Mayor of Hobart.
ANNA REYNOLDS, LORD MAYOR OF HOBART: Thank you, I’d just like to introduce the other three mayors that are involved in the greater Hobart area, Doug Chipman from Clarence, Kristie Johnston from Glenorchy and Dean Winter from Kingborough. The four mayor of greater Hobart are really pleased to be signing this Deal today. And most see this Deal as the start of a really important journey that's going to be occurring over the coming few years. Because implementation of this kind is the really important next step. There are many projects in this plan that we need to work out how we're going to continue to fund and implement and build and deliver. But all of the really key projects that are important for Hobart's future are in this plan. We're excited about that.
I personally am very excited about the investment in Antarctic science because any investment in Antarctica is good for Hobart. Hobart is the capital of Antarctica and it is great to see this investment in Antarctic science. It's the beginning of the journey. We've got a lot more work to do. And we’re really keen for the first time as four mayors to be working much more closely together, but also working closely with the state and federal government and they're very supportive of the concept of city deals because it is about all levels of government working very closely together. The community wants to see us working together. They don't want to see division. They want to see collaboration for the community. And so city deals are a good project and a good initiative from that perspective. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Lord Mayor. What I suggest we do is why don't we address if there are any questions about the City Deal itself and there's quite a cast that can take those questions from you today and we'll direct those to the appropriate place. And if there are other matters, I suspect others who are already directly associated with the City Deal, we'd be happy to excuse them and I'm happy to deal with any other matters of the day. So, the topic.
JOURNALIST: Is there any investment for UTAS’ STEM building to come to the city?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I’ve got to say, we've got the Vice Chancellor, and I’ve got to commend UTAS for the tremendous work they've been doing. As you know, UTAS was the beneficiary of $150 million as part of the Launceston City Deal. They have also made a tidy profit [inaudible]. And they receive around $400 million each year when it comes to Commonwealth payments. And they've got over $1 billion of capital of which they can leverage and pursue. There are many opportunities, which I have no doubt the Vice Chancellor will be very expert in opinions of. So that is not something that is part of this Deal. We think that's something that obviously, though, they'll be able to pursue in their own capacity and they've been significant beneficiaries of the deals we've already done.
JOURNALIST: Similarly, there's a concern there's no real commitment to light rail, which many see as the key to unlocking Hobart's traffic congestion.
THE HON ALAN TUDGE MP, MINISTER FOR CITIES, URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND POPULATION: Well I addressed this point yesterday, I don’t know if the Premier or the Treasurer wants to add anything.
WILL HODGMAN, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: I might invite Treasurer Gutwein to make some comments
THE HON ALAN TUDGE MP, MINISTER FOR CITIES, URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND POPULATION: I addressed this point yesterday, in terms of it was a huge congestion busting package which we announced, including $25 million to go into the northern corridor. And what I mentioned was that really this Deal is the first step in having better public transport solutions for that northern corridor. And there's a commitment to investigate what the best option is going to be going into the future, knowing that we need to activate that corridor, do the better planning, have the development options on the table, get rid of the red tape, and do all the pieces along the way as well.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible]
PETER GUTWEIN, TREASURER OF TASMANIA: Obviously there's a congestion busting piece to this [inaudible]. More importantly, what this also provides in the Deal is the first steps to be taken respectively with all the planning that needs to occur that could unleash hundreds of millions of dollars of urban development on those transport corridors. So it's the first step, the first stage, but importantly, there's $25 million under the Deal that will enable us to do that.
JOURNALIST: How much of the $1.43 billion or whatever it is actually budgeted for now?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I’ll tell you, it’s all in our forward estimates. It’s all in there. This isn't a promise. This is an actually funded commitment. It's actually in place. When it comes to commitments that are made around the election, they will be made at the time of the election being called and subsequent to that. Everything that I'm announcing all around the country, as I have been since becoming Prime Minister last year, all of that is fully committed in the budgets and in the forward estimates. So that's real money. So it’s a fair question, I suppose, to put to our counterparts. Will they reverse the funding that we’ve put in place? I would certainly hope not. But my plan is to ensure they aren't given the opportunity.
JOURNALIST: This airport is getting busier and busier. We will have the AFP here any time soon?
PRIME MINISTER: As soon as there's international flights, yes.
JOURNALIST: So that's a definite?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
JOURNALIST: Do we know when there will be international flights?
PRIME MINISTER: Once the international flights are here, that's what actually brings the two together.
WILL HODGMAN, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: And it's anticipated that by 2020, we'll be able to have international flights coming in and out of the state. Obviously there are the investments that we are talking about today that Hobart's airport also needs to undertake the master plan upgrade to also accommodate not only for the investments that are part of the city deal, but also to make sure that we have the capacity to welcome the large numbers of visitors, to get our freight exports out to the world. We've had the highest rate of growth in international tourists of any state. We've had the highest rate of growth in exports of any state over the last year. So this is a response to that growth, but we're expecting that international carriers will continue to have an interest in our state and its progress with flights expected to commence in 2020.
PRIME MINISTER: There's about $80 million that is going, or just over that actually, going into Border Force and Immigration and those types of other services that enable the Hobart Airport to be Hobart International.
JOURNALIST: Just to be clear on that, is that new money or are you taking that from somewhere else in those budgets?
PRIME MINISTER: Everything we're announcing here today is new money.
JOURNALIST: And Premier, just on the flights, we're talking about scheduled passenger flights and scheduled freight flights, is that the intention?
WILL HODGMAN, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Yeah.
JOURNALIST: So how far down that path are you, because you've had discussions already?
WILL HODGMAN, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Yeah, well and those discussions are ongoing. We do have high numbers of passenger movements. We've got more exporters wanting to get their product into markets right across the globe. So we're certainly building a strong case to put to international carriers and whenever we're able, we continue to keep them engaged and interested in Tasmania. We just need the infrastructure, it will take some time to deliver that. But by 2020, we expect to have those international routes coming into our state and out.
JOURNALIST: Where do you think... where will they be coming from and to?
WILL HODGMAN, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Well there are... the opportunities abound us really and we've got strong growth in key sectors that very much have Asia at the forefront at a lot of what we're doing. But our closest neighbours where the Prime Minister's been just this week, I think, will be an obvious opportunity for us, but no doubt right across the globe.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Labor has a pledge to create…
PRIME MINISTER: If there are no other questions on the Hobart City Deal… those who wish to remain are very welcome to remain but otherwise I’m happy to go to those other matters. Is that the case from the journalists? OK, why don’t we do that.
JOURNALIST: So Labor has pledged to create a new shipping fleet to enhance Australia's national security if they win government, will the Coalition consider doing the same?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what I find surprising about Labor'sannouncement today is that when they were in government, they didn't commission one naval ship. And they seemed to be more interested in doing what the MUA tells them to do, the Maritime Union, than what the Australian people wanted them to do and that was to actually commit to our Navy and to build our defence forces. I mean, we have the biggest naval ship building program going on since the Second World War. That's where our commitment comes to these investment and that is not only ensuring that our defence capability is back where it needs to be. I mean, the number of consecutive starts to these programs is almost unparalleled even in the United States, anywhere in the world. That is the scale of our commitment when it comes to our naval ship building. And while I can only observe from the ALP is when it comes to issues of boats, whether it's building naval ships or stopping illegal boats coming to Australia, the only thing they're interested in is what the MUA tells them to do.
JOURNALIST: Labor is saying that our Australian flagged vessels have shown that [inaudible] during times of global instability. Do you share that concern?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JOURNALIST: Is it pure coincidence China is delaying our shipments of coal through their northern harbours or do you think it’s political?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I think the Chinese Minister said very clearly yesterday that’s not what was occuring. And I said on Friday when I was in New Zealand that leaping to those sorts of conclusions is very warranted and that the Chinese government has actually pointed that out. From time to time, there have been decisions made in local ports. And we're talking about ports here which actually represent a very small proportion of our coal exports to China. And so I think it’s very careful how they characterise these events. I don’t think… I think the great risk of that is inviting concern, particularly in our mining and resources sector.
I was pleased to be here last weekend for two great events. One was of course the Tasmania Achievement II launch up in Burnie, which was tremendous. But also we were here to announce our forestry hub here in Tasmania. We're very committed to our traditional industries, whether it's our agricultural sector, whether it's our forestry sector, and mining for resources sector. I mean, you have the Labor Party saying it’s wonderful that the market for our biggest export is having difficulties. What does that say to people, not just get mining jobs, but in forestry jobs. What does it say to the forestry workers of Tasmania that if Labor thinks it's okay for the global market for our biggest minerals export to be going through some tough times, then how do we know they didn't feel the same about the forestry industry for the same reasons? That's why you just can't just trust Labor on jobs.
JOURNALIST: Yesterday it was published in the Australian alleging that historic child sexual abuse claims against the Tasmanian Liberal MP who was a key minister at a federal or state level. How concerning are these allegations?
WILL HODGMAN, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: I'll make some brief comments in relation to this matter, which is a serious one and obviously given the nature of it, it needs to be dealt with appropriately. I can advise that I have written to the Tasmanian Police Commissioner to draw to his attention the article and to request that the Tasmanian Police take any appropriate action as is necessary.
JOURNALIST: What will the Liberal Party be doing to follow up these allegations?
WILL HODGMAN, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: That's the appropriate course. I'm not able to provide any further commentary in relation to this matter at this time.
JOURNALIST: To what extent are you concerned that the alleged victim in this case says that she contacted police in 2014 and made the allegations then and she heard nothing back from the police?
WILL HODGMAN, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Well again, it's a matter that I've referred to Tasmanian Police to give consideration to obtaining the appropriate action as is required. That's what I expect will occur. And it's appropriate for that matter to be followed up through those channels.
JOURNALIST: How long have you been aware of this issue?
WILL HODGMAN, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Since the report yesterday.
JOURNALIST: Have you spoken to the person who it’s referring to?
WILL HODGMAN, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Again, I've outlined the course of action, the appropriate course of action that I've taken and it is on the basis of advice I've received as well in relation to it. And that's the course of action underway, the step that I've taken.
JOURNALIST: Did you receive [inaudible]?
WILL HODGMAN, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: I take advice from appropriate offices and respond accordingly.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, thank you very much for your time. It's been great to be in Tasmania.
Drought support for Gippsland
24 February 2019
Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources
More support is on the way to help Gippsland farmers and families cope with unprecedented drought conditions and to help drought-proof the region for the future.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in addition to the $1 million already locked in for each of the East Gippsland and Wellington Councils to help with local projects to boost jobs and the economy, his government would invest in additional mental health services and short and longer term water infrastructure for the region.
“Help is on the way for Gippsland farmers and families,” the Prime Minister said.
“I can’t make it rain but we’re working closely with the local community to ensure the right supports are in place and that we have the water infrastructure needed for the future.
“I’ll also be meeting with the Victorian Premier tomorrow to discuss what else all three levels of government can do to cooperate and get Gippsland through this drought. Like the farmers, families and businesses trying to cope with the drought across other parts of the country, supporting Gippsland is a priority for my Government.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals Leader Michael McCormack said the new water infrastructure projects were key to helping drought-proof the region for the future.
“Having spent time on the ground with drought-affected farmers earlier this month, we understand the importance of immediate and meaningful assistance for Gippsland’s farming families,” Mr McCormack said.
“That’s why our Government is putting in place immediate and long term measures to provide relief for those people who are doing it tough.
“The up to $31 million we’re putting on the table for the Macalister Irrigation District project as well as the On-Farm Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate Scheme are about the short and longer term future of Gippsland farming.
“Throughout Australia it’s water projects like these that may sound small in the scheme of things but have huge positive potential.
“We also understand the impact on local business in times like these which is why our $25,000 Instant Asset Write-Off and accelerated depreciation measures for new water infrastructure and fencing are so important to help keep incomes flowing.”
The Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester said he had spent the past fortnight in Canberra working to secure extra help for his community.
“Drought conditions across the region have worsened considerably over the past two weeks,” Mr Chester said.
“The drought is having a huge social impact on communities across Gippsland in areas like Giffard, Stradbroke and McGaurans Beach; Briagolong, Bengworden and Meerlieu to Orbost, and into the high country in places like Ensay, Swifts Creek and Dargo.
“Gippsland has now secured an extra $2.5 million for extra mental health services that will be distributed through the Gippsland Primary Health Network. That funding will be available immediately so farmers will have someone to talk to and discuss their situation.
“While it won’t turn paddocks green overnight, we’re also backing local water projects to ensure farmers are better prepared for the future.”
Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources David Littleproud said the centrepiece of the government drought response would be the $3.9 billion Future Drought Fund, which passed the House of Representatives this week, would provide a sustainable source of investment for climate adaptation, drought resilience, preparedness and recovery.
Minister Littleproud said Labor opposed the Future Drought Fund last week which made it the lowest point of this parliament.
“For Labor to politicise the misery of Australian farmers is a new low I didn’t think even they would reach,” Minister Littleproud said.
“I’m pleased to announce Victorian farmers will now have access to the $50 million On-Farm Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate scheme so drought-hit farmers can claim up to 25 per cent on new farm water infrastructure costs.”
Additional support already available from the Commonwealth Government includes $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, as well as $225,000 for ReachOUT to raise awareness of counselling services in drought affected communities.
The Government has also committed $30 million for selected charities to continue their important work of supporting farmers, farm workers and farm suppliers who are facing hardship arising from drought with through cash payments and vouchers to be used to meet basic needs such as food, personal products and utility bills.
City Deal to open Hobart up
24 February 2019
Prime Minister, Minister for Cities Urban Infrastructure and Population, Premier of Tasmania, Treasurer of Tasmania
Federal, state and local governments have come together on a landmark agreement to bust Hobart congestion and back the fast-growing tourism and science industries that are key to Hobart and Tasmania’s future.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the 10-year $1.43 billion Hobart City Deal would open the city up by tackling congestion bottlenecks, boosting tourism and making the airport a true international gateway, driving scientific investment and creating an extra 720 jobs.
“Our Hobart City Deal will open the city and Tasmania up for locals and for the world,” the Prime Minister said.
“The $1.43 billion investment going into the Hobart City Deal is about driving investment into the city to make it an even better place to live and work, but also to drive benefits well beyond Hobart for all Tasmanians, whether in the north or the south, especially through the investment in the airport.
“With ink on the page on this landmark second City Deal for Tasmania, the state will be in prime position make the most of its tourism drawcards and its potential as a science hub.”
Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population Alan Tudge said the Hobart City Deal relied on productive collaboration between all three levels of government.
“The Deal will make sure we get ahead of the curve on population growth, bust congestion and address housing affordability issues,” Mr Tudge said.
“We want to get Tasmanians home sooner and safer, so we will undertake the single largest Tasmanian transport infrastructure project – the $576 million replacement of Bridgewater Bridge.”
The success of the Launceston City Deal demonstrates the benefit of governments coming together, agreeing on a vision for the city and then aligning our policy and investments to achieve that vision. Together the City Deals have attracted over $1.8 billion in investment in Tasmania.
That is on top of other transport infrastructure investments from the Morrison Government including:
$400 million over 10 years to upgrade and improve safety on the Midland Highway
$400 million for Tasmania through the Roads of Strategic Importance (ROSI) intiative with initial commitments of $60 million for Bass Highway upgrades from Marrawah to Wynyard, and up to $10 million for Murchison Highway upgrades
$119.6 million for the Tasmanian Freight Rail Revitalisation project which will improve freight transport links to key domestic and export markets
$38 million for the recently completed Hobart International Airport Runway Extension and $24 million for the Hobart Airport Interchange project to improve traffic flows to and from the airport.
The Hobart City Deal includes;
An international gateway - $82.3 million for border services including immigration, customs and biosecurity at Hobart International Airport.
A hub for jobs - the Morrison and Hodgman Governments will continue to work together to realise the full potential of Macquarie Point as a major scientific, tourism and cultural hub, and the Commonwealth will provide more than $450 million for the upgrade of Australia’s Antarctic research station network and supporting infrastructure as part of our ongoing efforts to back Hobart as the gateway to Antarctica.
Busting congestion - An extra $25 million from the Morrison Government and $105.5 million from the Hodgman Government for projects including the Kingston bus interchange, easing traffic congestion in the Kingston area and activating the northern suburbs transit corridor, on top of the $576 million replacement of the Bridgewater Bridge, funding for a fifth lane on the Southern Outlet and setting up a Derwent River ferry service
Affordable housing - Boosting the supply of community housing across the city with a $30 million investment from the Morrison Government for projects in partnership with community housing providers, delivering over 100 new dwellings.
Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman said as Hobart continues to see positive economic and population growth, the investments under the Deal would be a game-changer for the people who live and work in and around Hobart.
“Through collaboration between all three levels of government, the City Deal secures $1.43 billion of investment and a long term plan to help facilitate growth, create jobs and improve livability for our State’s capital,” Mr Hodgman said.
“The Deal creates the right conditions to protect our enviable way of life while, enhance Hobart’s natural amenity, and secure its reputation as a vibrant, liveable and connected city.”
Treasurer Peter Gutwein said the City Deal will further enhance Hobart’s reputation as the preeminent gateway to Antarctica by building on past investments with the development of a world-class Antarctic and scientific precinct at Macquarie Point.
“Macquarie Point is one of the most attractive, centrally located capital city development sites in the entire country. By taking full advantage of the site’s potential we can unlock millions of dollars of investment, create hundreds of jobs and deliver a hub that will serve the community for generations to come.”
The deal will also see the City deal partners activate the Northern suburbs transit corridor through transit-oriented development that underpins urban renewal and improves housing supply and affordability whilst reducing congestion.
Joint Statement by Prime Ministers the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern and the Hon Scott Morrison MP
22 February 2019
Prime Minister, Prime Minister of New Zealand
Prime Minister the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern and Prime Minister the Hon Scott Morrison MP met in Auckland on 22 February 2019 for the annual Australia-New Zealand Leaders’ Meeting. Prime Minister Ardern and Mr Clarke Gayford warmly welcomed Prime Minister Morrison and Mrs Jenny Morrison to New Zealand.
The trans-Tasman relationship is unique and precious. It is underpinned by two centuries of shared history, values, open borders, free trade, and joint endeavour. It is a relationship of family, of whānau.
Trans-Tasman Cooperation
The Prime Ministers welcomed the role that Closer Economic Relations (CER) and the Single Economic Market (SEM) agenda play in growing both economies, driving prosperity and creating jobs. The trans-Tasman trade and economic relationship sets the benchmark for economic integration. The Leaders committed to making sure the SEM agenda continues to meet the day-to-day needs of trans-Tasman business and remains ambitious and responsive to new opportunities and challenges such as the future of work, the growth of the digital economy, data and emerging technologies.
The Prime Ministers welcomed the Australia and New Zealand Productivity Commissions’ joint report on “Growing the trans-Tasman digital economy and maximising opportunities for SMEs”. They directed officials to consider the Report’s findings and proposed actions, including on improved digital delivery of government services; digital financial services and open banking; possible areas for the expansion of trans-Tasman data sharing; and the alignment, standardisation and streamlining of the collection and use of data, including from importers and exporters.
The Leaders welcomed the Report’s focus on addressing domestic barriers to digital trade. They committed to strengthening trans-Tasman cooperation on e-procurement (including electronic invoicing), payment practices, digital identity for citizens and businesses, and company director identification. Leaders took particular note of the Report’s finding that the mutual recognition of verified digital identities is a foundation for growing the digital economy, and directed officials to seek opportunities to align our processes to drive growth in the digital economy by increasing citizen and business confidence in the digital marketplace. They agreed to promote global digital trade rules.
The Prime Ministers welcomed the significant progress on e-invoicing since 2018. They announced the creation of the Australia and New Zealand Electronic Invoicing Board (ANZEIB) to help drive an estimated A$30 billion in savings over 10 years in Australia and New Zealand. They also announced the two countries’ intention to jointly adopt the Pan-European Public Procurement Online (PEPPOL) interoperability framework for trans-Tasman e-invoicing.
The Prime Ministers directed officials to maximise the opportunities and manage the risks of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, block chain and quantum computing.
The Prime Ministers met the co-Chairs of the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF) and other business leaders to consider further improvements to the trans-Tasman small business operating environment, including a trans-Tasman mediation mechanism for SMEs. They welcomed the ANZLF’s championing of the economic partnership and direct business input into the SEM agenda. Business leaders welcomed the Prime Ministers’ announcements on data settings, digital identities and the future of work, and committed to collaborate with government on streamlining payment practices to improve SME cash flow and viability, and on implementing e-invoicing.
The Prime Ministers recognised further efforts are needed to ensure policies and regulations are inclusive, and in this context welcomed the ANZLF’s launch of the Indigenous Women’s Business Network and announced Viet Nam and Malaysia as the preferred destinations for a joint indigenous/Māori business mission in 2019. Leaders also announced an inaugural Women in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) bilateral dialogue.
The Prime Ministers reiterated their commitment to a more streamlined and secure trans-Tasman travel experience, noting that both countries have now removed departure cards, and remained focused on more efficient passenger clearance processes through the better use of more timely data, and of digital and x-ray technology, including digital options for arrival cards and passports. Leaders also welcomed joint efforts to improve trans-Tasman movement of goods, through joint trialing of a secure trade lane for low risk cargo, and improving processes for border clearance of online purchases sent by mail.
The Prime Ministers recognised that this year trans-Tasman collaboration will expand into marine biosecurity through a unified approach and commitment to consistency in ballast water and biofouling management requirements. New cooperation activities will include building marine biosecurity capacity in the Pacific.
The Prime Ministers welcomed the five-yearly review of the Australia New Zealand Government Procurement Agreement and looked forward to practical outcomes that maximise opportunities for Australian and New Zealand suppliers and reduce costs of doing business for both government and industry.
The Prime Ministers welcomed the announcement that the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission will work closely with its Australian counterparts to progress the integration of the two countries’ infrastructure markets. Leaders also welcomed the trans-Tasman “Cities Symposium” in Sydney on 25-26 February and looked forward to its outcomes on tackling urban development challenges.
The Prime Ministers welcomed the expansion of collaborative activities under the Australia New Zealand Science, Research and Innovation Cooperation Agreement, including the launch of a trans-Tasman cyber security research programme; completion of the groundbreaking Satellite-based Augmentation System (SBAS) trial; and investigations into the feasibility of developing a shared trans-Tasman SBAS service.
Prime Minister Ardern welcomed Australia’s 2018 budget initiative to reunite people with their lost retirement savings and Prime Minister Morrison’s support for this initiative to be extended to New Zealanders who have worked in Australia.
Leaders welcomed New Zealand’s application to become an international member of the Australia’s Meeting of Cultural Ministers (MCM) as a way to strengthen collaboration on arts, culture and heritage. New Zealand and Australia will collaborate on the repatriation of ancestral remains, and a joint 18 month project on cultural indicators.
The Prime Ministers celebrated the depth of the trans-Tasman defence alliance and its roots in ANZAC mateship. Leaders welcomed the forthcoming annual Defence Ministers’ Meeting on 28 February, and consideration of our respective capability requirements, investment plans and opportunities for collaboration. They highlighted the valuable work of the joint Australia-New Zealand Building Partner Capacity mission in Iraq, our respective deployments in Afghanistan and elsewhere, and support for our Pacific partners.
The Prime Ministers agreed that the prosperity and security of the Pacific was of fundamental importance to Australia and New Zealand. The Leaders welcomed the strong alignment between New Zealand’s Pacific Reset and Australia’s Pacific Step-Up, and agreed to strengthen their partnerships with Pacific island countries and territories, the Pacific Islands Forum and other regional institutions in support of the Blue Pacific.
The Prime Ministers welcomed the Boe Declaration, including its recognition that climate change remains the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the peoples of the Pacific. The Prime Ministers commended the target set by Pacific signatories for the entry into force by 2019 of the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus (PACER Plus) and invited Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and the French Territories to support PACER Plus. The Prime Ministers committed to increasing labour mobility opportunities, and looked forward to New Zealand’s hosting of the 2019 Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting.
Leaders recognised the trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement as a key pillar of the Australia-New Zealand relationship, and committed to working closely on ongoing implementation of the unique pathway to citizenship for New Zealanders who are long-term residents of Australia. They acknowledged the importance of the sensitive management of visa cancellation decisions, appeals and removals of New Zealand citizens who have been convicted of crimes in Australia, and committed to continue working together.
Regional and Global Trade, Security and Environment
The Prime Ministers reaffirmed their steadfast support for an open, rules-based global trading system and agreed that Australian and New Zealand citizens benefit from a global trading system that creates jobs, delivers opportunities, and lowers costs for consumers.
Leaders reaffirmed the World Trade Organization (WTO) as the pre-eminent global body for the development and oversight of multilateral trade rules, and the settlement of disputes, and committed to working together to ensure the WTO is modernised and strengthened, including to resolve the Appellate Body impasse and conclude meaningful disciplines on fisheries subsidies in 2019.
The Prime Ministers welcomed Papua New Guinea’s successful hosting of APEC 2018, the pre-eminent regional forum for promoting regional economic integration, open trade and investment, and sustainable and inclusive growth. They looked forward to New Zealand’s hosting of APEC in 2021 as an opportunity to advance shared economic interests in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Prime Ministers agreed that the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will provide significant benefits to its members both individually and collectively. The CPTPP is open to other economies that can meet its high standards. Leaders committed to concluding negotiations in 2019 for a modern, comprehensive, high quality and mutually beneficial Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
The Prime Ministers affirmed their commitment to work together in support of a region that is open, prosperous, secure and inclusive, in which disputes are resolved peacefully in accordance with international law and without the threat or use of force or coercion, and where freedom of navigation and overflight are upheld.
Leaders welcomed continued close cooperation and alignment on the full range of global and regional security issues, including cyber security, countering violent extremism and the return of foreign terrorist fighters, and the deterrence and disruption of people smuggling networks. Leaders shared views on foreign interference, and agreed that New Zealand and Australia would continue to share information and work together closely to address this issue.
The Prime Ministers welcomed positive developments on the Korean Peninsula, including the upcoming summit meeting between the United States and the DPRK. They shared their concerns over the DPRK’s ongoing violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions and agreed on the importance of enforcing sanctions. Both Leaders remain committed to working with the international community to encourage the DPRK to take concrete steps towards complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation.
The Prime Ministers expressed concern with the continuing militarisation of the South China Sea and urged all claimants to take meaningful steps to ease tensions and build trust, including through dialogue. They acknowledged work towards a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea and supported conclusion of an effective Code that is consistent with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and that does not prejudice the interests of third parties or the rights of all states under international law.
The Prime Ministers recognised that the Paris Agreement on Climate Change marks a global commitment to taking climate action. They welcomed the rules and guidelines adopted in Katowice, which bring the Paris Agreement to life. Australia and New Zealand congratulated Fiji on completing its successful Presidency of COP23 and for introducing the Talanoa Dialogue to the international climate change process.
The Prime Ministers expressed their support for the protection of marine biodiversity in the Southern Ocean, including through the Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area and the proposed East Antarctica Regional System of Marine Protected Areas. The Prime Ministers expressed their disappointment at the continuation of commercial whaling, and called on relevant governments to cease this practice.
Australia-New Zealand Leaders' Meeting
21 February 2019
I will travel to Auckland, New Zealand on 22 February 2019 to participate in the annual Australia‑New Zealand Leaders’ Meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Australia and New Zealand share deep economic and security links and our two countries have a history of generations of cooperation.
Few countries share such a similar outlook as Australia and New Zealand. Our countries benefit from our Closer Economic Relations free‑trade agreement and trans‑Tasman single economic market.
Prime Minister Ardern and I will discuss how we can integrate our economies more deeply, improve our business environment, and create jobs and growth on both sides of the Tasman.
We work together to maintain the rules-based international order that has served the world so well since 1945, be this through our strong advocacy for a liberalised and open trading system or as we serve together to promote peace and security in Afghanistan and the Middle East.
Australia and New Zealand have also worked closely with our Pacific partners to build a stable, prosperous and resilient region. I look forward to working with Prime Minister Ardern to take forward our shared priorities for our region in partnership with our Pacific neighbours.
As allies and family, our relationship is as important today as it has ever been. I look forward to this opportunity to capitalise on the opportunities such close ties offer both our countries and people.
Retirement of the Hon Julie Bishop MP
21 February 2019
Julie Bishop is a giant of the Liberal Party and she has been a ground breaker for women in public life.
Julie has been a good friend. I have valued her judgement, appreciated her insight and admired the tireless way she has served the Party, the Parliament and Australia.
On behalf of the Government and the Liberal Party, I thank Julie for her great service to Australia for nearly two decades.
Julie was Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party from 2007 – 2018 and played a critical role in our election to Government in 2013.
As the first woman to be Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and the first woman to be Australia’s Foreign Minister, Julie’s place in the Liberal Party pantheon and in the history of the Howard Government and this Government is secure.
There are many achievements from her time as Foreign Minister in which Julie can be proud: the New Colombo Plan, the establishment of the DFAT innovationXchange and strengthening Australia’s relations throughout the Pacific.
However, I believe her greatest achievement was her work in the days after flight MH17 was brutally felled. Julie’s judgment, determination and energy helped secure a United Nations Security Council resolution that ensured Australia and its partners could repatriate the victims of that terrible crime. Australia has not forgotten those terrible days and still waits for the perpetrators of that crime to be brought to justice.
Julie was one of Australia’s truly great foreign ministers. In the Liberal Party she will take her place alongside the greatest foreign ministers of our history: Casey, Hasluck and Downer.
Julie is enormously popular with party members across Australia and for more than a decade, in addition to her travels as foreign Minister, Julie has hit the highways and byways of our country in support of our Members and candidates.
On behalf of the Party and the Government, I wish Julie well in the next chapter of her life. I have no doubt it will be a roaring success.
National Principles to keep our children safe
19 February 2019
Prime Minister, Minister for Families and Social Services
Keeping children safe from harm and wrongdoing while they are in the care of organisations is the focus of a new set of national principles unanimously endorsed by the Australian Government and its state and territory counterparts.
As part of the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, a new national approach has been developed to assist institutions foster and maintain cultures that prevent harm to children and young people.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Council of Australian Governments was unwavering in its support to endorse the National Principles to give effect to Royal Commission’s recommendations.
“I am pleased to announce the National Principles have now been endorsed by all Australian governments,” the Prime Minister said.
“This is a reflection of how important the safety and protection of children is to all levels of government.
“Everyone has the right to be safe – particularly our children and young people who are more vulnerable than most.
“We want our children to be free from harm and wrongdoing and we want parents to be confident that their children will be safe and looked after when not in their care.”
Minister for Families and Social Services Paul Fletcher said: “The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations will help institutions across the country develop the safe, loving and caring environments Australians expect for their children.
“From leadership to governance and culture, the Principles offer organisations clear guidance to ensure they are set up to protect children from harm.
“The National Office for Child Safety will work with governments and non-government sectors to promote the National Principles and to support their implementation across all sectors.
“I know many people and organisations contributed to the development of the principles and I want to thank everyone involved in this important work.”
Further information on the National Office, the National Principles and resources to support implementation of the National Principles are available through https://pmc.gov.au/child-safety.
Statement to the House of Representatives on the 70th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations with Israel
19 February 2019
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Mr Speaker. On indulgence, I rise to acknowledge the 70th anniversary of Australia’s formal diplomatic relationship with the State of Israel and affirm our deep friendship with the people of Israel.
In doing that I welcome the Ambassador here with us in the Chamber today.
In any long friendship, there are moments that matter.
And moments never forgotten.
For Australia and Israel, it was in 1947, and it was at the United Nations.
There was, at that point, no nation of Israel.
Instead, there were broken and scarred Jewish people scattered around the world.
Places like Auschwitz-Birkenau, Dachau and Buchenwald, though they no longer existed as state-sponsored machines of death, they seemed more real, than a permanent home for the Jewish people at that time.
It was as if darkness and hopelessness had covered the Jewish people as the true extent of the Holocaust became known.
Maybe it was for such times that the Book of Joel spoke of “Young men seeing visions and old men dreaming dreams”.
And ‘the age old dream’ in the words of David Ben-Gurion was ‘the redemption of Israel’.
It was in this setting, that Australia chaired the 1947 UN Committee that voted in favour of dividing the territory of Mandate Palestine.
And on 29 November 1947, at the United Nations General Assembly, Australia joined 32 other nations in successfully voting for the Partition Plan.
Looking back across seven decades, it might seem that was a simple thing to do, an obvious choice to make.
But it was neither of those things.
But Australia made, in Doc Evatt’s words, who was instrumental in this recognition, an “inevitable and just” choice to stand with the Jewish people of the world and their vision for a Jewish state — and a place of sanctuary where they would never again, and should never again, face persecution.
Australia extended official recognition to the new State of Israel in January 1949.
In May that same year, Australia was proud to preside over the vote which formally admitted Israel as a member of the United Nations.
As that new nation formed, the Jewish people arrived, in the words of David Ben-Gurion, with “the dew of dreams still moist in our hearts”.
Our small part, Australia’s part, is a legacy of which we are proud and one we hold dear today as we mark this anniversary.
In the words of our then Prime Minister, “The new nation of Israel will be a force of special value in the world community”, and its recognition was “fair and just”. And so it has proved to be.
Today, Israel’s light is now a beacon of democracy in the Middle East.
Ours is a 70 year long friendship between two peoples which share a commitment to democracy and the rule of law; have a multi-cultural character, committed to science and research, to a free press, to prosperity for our people and to innovation to overcome the challenges of our often hostile natural environments.
My Government is resolved to ensure our commitment to Israel remains as firm today and in the future as it indeed was 70 years ago for Australia.
That is why our Government has acted for Australia to now recognise West Jerusalem—the seat of the Knesset and many institutions of government — as the capital of the State of Israel.
And we look forward to moving our Embassy to West Jerusalem when practical, in support of, and after the final status determination of a two-state solution.
And in the spirit of a two-state solution, we acknowledge the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a future state with its Capital in East Jerusalem.
My government is also currently establishing a Trade and Defence office in West Jerusalem to enhance and support our deepening collaboration on trade, defence industries, investment and innovation.
Just as it was 70 years ago, it remains in our national interest to see Israel continue to flourish as a liberal, participatory democracy in the Middle East.
And, now as then, Australia continues to strongly support Israel’s right to exist within secure and internationally recognised borders.
But my Government won’t just proclaim these words and these sentiments. We will continue to act on them and not step back from or shrink from our commitments. And this includes standing by Israel in the face of biased and unfair targeting of Israel in the UN General Assembly.
The UN General Assembly is now the place where Israel is bullied and where anti-Semitism is cloaked in language about human rights.
Think about it: a nation of immigrants; with a free press; parliamentary democracy; financially prosperous; the source of innovation in the world; and a refuge from persecution and genocide, is somehow now the centre of cruelty in the world, according to some in the UN.
That is intellectual fraud.
Last year, there were 17 UN General Assembly resolutions critical of Israel. This compared with a total of five covering all other countries, including Myanmar, the Syrian Arab Republic, and Russia’s actions in Crimea and Ukraine; Iran and North Korea.
This year, the UN Human Rights Council passed six motions condemning Israel, compared to a total of 14 across the rest of the world.
Last year, at my direction, Australia opposed six resolutions that attacked Israel in the UN General Assembly. These included the ‘Jerusalem’ resolution, which contains biased and one-sided language attacking Israel and denies its historical connection to the city, and the ‘Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine’ resolution, which confers on the Palestinian Authority a status it does not have.
In the past, we had abstained on these resolutions. Not anymore, and not on my watch.
My Government will not turn a blind eye to an anti-Semitic agenda masquerading as defence of human rights in the UN.
This has also extended to calling out those who would seek to wipe Israel from the map.
Again at my direction, last year Australia supported a UN General Assembly resolution to condemn the egregious and ongoing violent acts of the terrorist organisation Hamas.
Hamas are violent extremists. Terrorists who use the Israel-Palestinian conflict as an excuse to inflict terror.
They should have no friends at the UN.
The failure of the resolution to pass with the requisite majority was an indictment, I think, on the UN.
Australia condemns Hamas’ activities in the strongest possible terms.
Now of course, our partnership has always been underpinned by the people of our nations.
Australia’s Jewish community began with those who arrived on the First Fleet.
Though persecuted in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Australia has been, to quote the words of the Member for Berowra, a land “almost uniquely in human history, good to the Jewish people”.
Though numbering about one hundredth of our population, Australians of Jewish heritage have made a remarkable contribution to our national life and our story.
We are the nation of John Monash, of Isaac Isaacs, Sir Zelman Cowen, Governor Linda Dessau, Frank Lowy, Harry Triguboff, and Joan Rosanove and thousands more who in their own way, have all sought to be light unto the nations, performing the mitzvot or good deeds according to the law of Moses.
Mr Speaker, Australia has been a steadfast and loyal friend to Israel since its very creation.
And I can assure the House and the people of Australia and our friends in Israel that the Liberal and Nationals Parties will never walk back or shrink from the recognition that Australia now affords Israel and the commitments and support for the state of Israel, whether in the General Assembly of the United Nations or elsewhere.
We know this about Israel, they are a steadfast and loyal friend.
Seventy years on, this Parliament re-states our commitment to Israel, to its people and to the deep friendship between our nations.
We are friends who have always stood with each other – and may that always be the case.
Radio interview with Neil Mitchell, 3AW
19 February 2019
NEIL MITCHELL: Prime Minister Scott Morrison, good morning.
PRIME MINISTER: G’day Neil, good to be with you. I’m sorry we couldn’t catch up the other day.
MITCHELL: Thank you, I understand you were ill. Thank you for your time. This cyberattack - the head of ASIO says it's an unprecedented threat, the damage will last for years. Can you rule out China as the main suspect?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I'm not commenting on where it might come from other than to say the sophistication, as I said in the Parliament yesterday, has led agencies to advise that this is a state actor but I'm not...
MITCHELL: What does that mean, what’s a state actor?
PRIME MINISTER: Well it means it’s a government. But we're not in any position to attribute that to any particular nation.
MITCHELL: So we don't know who did it.
PRIME MINISTER: We're not in a position to do that.
MITCHELL: Sorry but who do you know who did it or not?
PRIME MINISTER: No what I'm saying is you don't go and make those claims wildly.
MITCHELL: I'm not asking you to say.
PRIME MINISTER: I'm not suggesting you are. So we don't have any information, I don't have any information that would enable me to make that claim.
MITCHELL: So you don't know who did it?
PRIME MINISTER: I've said what I've said, Neil. That's a very specific wording I've used.
MITCHELL: Well clearly you've got suspicions.
PRIME MINISTER: Well it's not up to me to have suspicions and share them, it's up to me to to speak to the facts as we know them and what we can be very confident of.
MITCHELL: Can you give us a list of likely suspects?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
MITCHELL: China says media speculation on this is heightening tensions between the two countries, is that right?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I'm not responsible for the media.
MITCHELL: No, no, but are tensions being heightened? Are tensions with China heightened?
PRIME MINISTER: We work constructively with China. I've met with [inaudible] as well as the President and we have a very important relationship with China and I'm very positive about particularly the economic growth of China. I mean, there's some suggestion that Western countries don't want to see and want to frustrate China's growth. We don't share that view. We want to see China do well. I've just been down in Melbourne recently for, you know, Chinese New Year celebrations. I think this is one of the key points - we celebrate their prosperity. And you know we've got one point two million Australians of Chinese heritage in Australia. And we celebrate those links and they’re positive.
MITCHELL: Prime Minister, I take from what you said that you've got a fair idea who's responsible and you don't want to say it, is that right?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm not going to get into a discussion on security matters.
MITCHELL: But once it is established, will you make it public?
PRIME MINISTER: Well again, whatever we might say would be a matter that I would consult with the National Security Committee of Cabinet.
MITCHELL: Fair enough. What… what have they got on us? Whoever did it and whoever did it, what information they got now?
PRIME MINISTER: Well yesterday Alastair MacGibbon I think sort of went into that and it's not clear what the precise purpose of this is at this stage. But those investigations continue and there is no suggestion that there is any, any at this point, any greater access to information. But these things are concerning, as I said yesterday...
MITCHELL: If they've hacked in, there must be access to information.
PRIME MINISTER: Well I mean, people can make all sorts of suppositions. But I've just deal with the information that I have.
MITCHELL: Is there any is there any evidence or suggestion that could have been an attempt to interfere with our democratic process?
PRIME MINISTER: No, and I said that. There's no evidence to suggest that at this point.
MITCHELL: Why else would you be hacking into the Parliament?
PRIME MINISTER: Well that’s supposition, that’s speculation. And what I said in the Parliament yesterday… see, as Prime Minister I've got to stay on the facts
MITCHELL: I understand, I understand.
PRIME MINISTER: The facts say that there is there is no evidence of that. But clearly one of the general areas of risk, not specific to what I'm, you know, I've identified in the Parliament yesterday is that we need to make sure Australia is protected from this. This is why we introduced the foreign interference laws into the Parliament and...
MITCHELL: But wasn't there a warning to upgrade the system in 2015, three or four years ago?
PRIME MINISTER: Well we did and have been.
MITCHELL: The political parties as well?
PRIME MINISTER: The political parties do this under their own steam, just like any company or business does. And that's why all all businesses, all political organizations. You know, even 3AW’s website and systems. I mean, everybody is responsible for their own security on their own sites just like they are for protecting their own home.
MITCHELL: But would I be correct in saying the area that's been hacked has a lot of personal details and on a lot of voters?
PRIME MINISTER: That's not clear. I've heard that being suggested, but there's nothing to suggest, at least in front of me, that has occurred.
MITCHELL: So it's possible, we don't really know.
PRIME MINISTER: Well anything's possible but that doesn’t mean it happened.
MITCHELL: OK. Border protection. Isn't the problem that you've been campaigning about and saying the weakening of the borders, isn't that fixed now? Nauru's tightened the laws.
PRIME MINISTER: Well what Labor did last week was weaken them.
MITCHELL: But hasn't Nauru fixed it now?
PRIME MINISTER: Well it's not quite clear what they've done and how that will play out. I think what's happened in Nauru is a good example of what happens and how Labor didn’t think through what playing around with border protection laws will do. I mean, there are consequences.
MITCHELL: The reports are in Nauru though, limited medical evacuations and stopped remote assessment by doctors. Is that right?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I'm still getting reports in of exactly what they've decided to do and what the legal force of that is. But look that's a matter for them and it's a reminder that it's their country.
MITCHELL: But if they have done that, it certainly reinforces the strength and undermines your argument that it's weakened, doesn’t it? If they have done that?
PRIME MINISTER: What Labor did was weaken our border protection.
MITCHELL: And now Nauru has tightened it again.
PRIME MINISTER: Well what Nauru has indeed done and, that it is legally able to be done, well we’ll make our assessment on that. But there's no leave pass here for Labor. Labor weakened the border protection laws last week wilfully, wilfully.
MITCHELL: ASIO also says the leak on their advice was incorrect and you were in part using that leak publicly to convince us the boats were coming. Are the boats still coming?
PRIME MINISTER: They were always at risk of coming. That never changes.
MITCHELL: But are the increased risks still there?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course there is. There's always that. When you weaken the border protection laws, as was said last night by Mike Pezzullo the Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, that always increases risk. Now I have taken actions on the advice of these agencies, particularly Home Affairs, to take a number of step which has included the reopening of Christmas Island, which was recommend to us by the Secretary of Home Affair. And to strengthen what we were doing with Operation Sovereign Borders and that included everything from our strategic communications through to posturing in terms of where our assets are and what they're doing and that's what we’ve done. We had to strengthen it because Labor weakened it.
MITCHELL: Is it correct the US has refused entry to 265 people from Nauru who wanted to go there?
PRIME MINISTER: They were always not going to accept everybody, that's their own.
MITCHELL: And why have they rejected them?
PRIME MINISTER: Well for reasons that would suggest that they weren't welcome in the United States because they'd be concerned about who they were.
MITCHELL: So what, matters of security?
PRIME MINISTER: They’re matters for the US and not for me to comment on.
MITCHELL: But I mean I'm worried that the situation. The US could say these 265 people are not coming here but do they end up in Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: Well not under our laws, but they can under Labor's.
MITCHELL: So under these changes they could still come to Australia? Rejected by the US for security reasons, you’d assume.
PRIME MINISTER: That’s exactly right and this is the point we're making. Because in a lot of these cases, these people they won't have serious criminal convictions. But they may well be facing charges for such convictions and not have been sentenced and what Labor did to the laws means there is no ability for us to stop those transfers. The other group, Neil, is the group that have been found not to be refugees.
So they're there because they refused to go home. They're not refugees, they’re living in the community in Nauru and they can also be brought to Australia where they can, you know, engage the court process and play the system like always happens.
MITCHELL: Prime Minister, I know you short for time.
PRIME MINISTER: Oh no, we’re good, we’re good.
MITCHELL: Oh good. Why should we trust Border Force? I mean, they have mucked up this footballer, Hakeem al-Araibi. He spent two months in jail in Thailand because some bloke forgot to send an e-mail. Told him it was OK to travel there. At the very least he's owed a pretty serious apology isn't he?
PRIME MINISTER: Well you know I'll be taking that up with Border Force. There had been a review into these matters internally. But it was my job to get him home and I'm very pleased that Hakeem has come home, and it was great to meet him and his wife recently in Canberra.
MITCHELL: But he wouldn't have been there of Border Force had done their job properly.
PRIME MINISTER: No I don't... I think that is actually a bit of a leap, Neil. There are many other ways that Hakeem would have been kept in (inaudible) other than just that incident. But I'm not suggesting that incident was not something that needs to be addressed. But it would be wrong to assume that other than for that that wouldn't have occurred. I don't think that’s correct.
MITCHELL: A couple of minutes prior, are you happy Mathias Cormann, your Finance Minister, took a junket, free tickets for a family holiday from a company that had just won a billion dollar contract? Is that… it doesn’t look good.
PRIME MINISTER: Well that is not what happened.
MITCHELL: But he did he take free tickets, didn’t he?
PRIME MINISTER: Well no he didn't. He thought he was paying for them.
MITCHELL: Who paid for them?
PRIME MINISTER: He has paid.
MITCHELL: He has after he got caught.
PRIME MINISTER: Because he wasn't aware. He wasn't aware.
MITCHELL: He wasn't aware and he wasn't paying for the tickets?
PRIME MINISTER: No that's the statement that he's made and he had nothing to do with the issuing of the contract, by the way, that had been issued prior and Ministers aren’t involved in those decisions. There's a clear separation that minister… any suggestion that the two were linked would be complete rubbish.
MITCHELL: Bit it is not a good look, though.
PRIME MINISTER: Well that's why he's cleaned it up.
MITCHELL: After. I've just robbed a bank but I'll give the money back.
PRIME MINISTER: No I think that's a bit unfair to put it in those terms.
MITCHELL: It probably is.
PRIME MINISTER: There was that oversight which had been identified and he fixed it up. I mean what more can he do?
MITCHELL: He could not have taken the free tickets in the first place.
PRIME MINISTER: But he didn't take free tickets in the first place.
MITCHELL: Well they paid for his tickets.
PRIME MINISTER: He was fully… they were going to bill him and he didn’t get billed and that was drawn to his attention he paid the bill.
MITCHELL: Well what about another case, a former Minister and a Minister Michael Keenan and Michaelia Cash refusing to cooperate with the police investigation. That's outrageous.
PRIME MINISTER: That’s not true.
MITCHELL: Did they refuse to give an interview?
PRIME MINISTER: They were written to and they were asked to respond which they did and they provided responses and the police have not sought any further statement from them. So they have cooperated.
MITCHELL: It's reported today they refused to give statements to federal police, is that right?
PRIME MINISTER: They provided a response and the police have accepted that response and they haven't sought any I'm advised, any further statement.
MITCHELL: So the police didn't want a statement, so they...
PRIME MINISTER: Well I'm just saying that cooperate with the investigation and nothing's been sought from them. And remember what this is about. This is about the alleged…
MITCHELL: A political leak.
PRIME MINISTER: Misuse of union funds by the AWU, Bill Shorten’s union. There was a raid because the police believe they were destroying evidence that may have suggested that the Shorten’s union was sending money, allegedly, to GetUp! and even to his own benefit. So that's what this is about. So Bill Shorten should cooperate and actually provide the minutes of meetings and the other things that are necessary for the police to do their investigation. I think he's the one with the questions to answer and obviously to be cooperating.
MITCHELL: Well I thought everybody should cooperate. You would hope, that didn’t happen here in Victoria.
PRIME MINISTER: They should, you’re dead right Neil. People should cooperate with police investigations and my Ministers have.
MITCHELL: OK speaking just quickly of Victoria, a three billion dollar cheque you us for a road down here. Are we going to get it?
PRIME MINISTER: I will continue to work with the Victorian government. Let's just be very clear. What there is, is a contingent liability in in the Budget. What does that mean? That means if the state government had chosen to trigger investment in the East West Link, then the Commonwealth would have raised that money to support that project. So it's not like there's three billion dollars sitting actually there to spend on the road. That money would have to be added to the bottom line of the Budget and that would have to be allocated, so it would have to be new money. But I can tell you, we've already put in the last Budget there was over seven billion dollars we invested in Victorian infrastructure, we’re investing in busting infrastructure all over Melbourne and I'm keen to do more and I'm keen to work with the Victorian Government to achieve that. And we've got a Budget coming up in April and we'll have a bit more to say that then.
MITCHELL: Prime Minister, you've come back in the polls. Is that the message you're getting from the ground, you’re back in the fight?
PRIME MINISTER: Look all I've been doing Neil is [inaudible], showing Australians what our record is on national security, on the economy and that's what guarantees essential services. People I'm finding when I when I'm relating this to them, are responding well. I think they're focusing very much on the future and what it all means for them. I think, you know, the Canberra Bubble and all the noise here which people go on to, they're telling me very clearly that they're not interested in, there interested in what's going ahead in the future to the extent that is being well received, I welcome it.
MITCHELL: I assume you're confident about being re-elected.
PRIME MINISTER: Of course. I mean, I didn't take the job on to, you know, to do anything else but that. I took the job one because I believed it was essential that the Liberal and National parties will return to this next election because the Labor Party will change it all. The retirees tax, the housing taxes, busting the borders - all of this, Labor will change it all.
MITCHELL: If you are re-elected, given the history of the party in recent years, can you guarantee to stay Prime Minister for three years?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
MITCHELL: How?
PRIME MINISTER: Because our party resolved that last year. An elected Liberal Prime Minister will now have the security of that arrangement over the next term. That's what we saw last year.
MITCHELL: Well if you’re not re-elected do you want to be opposition leader?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm not contemplating that situation. I'm contemplating being re-elected and ensuring that we continue to keep Australia safe, secure borders, and keep our economy strong.
MITCHELL: Well they’re both hypothetical
PRIME MINISTER: Not in my mind. I’m dealing with the reality. You know me, Neil. I’ll leave nothing on the field.
MITCHELL: So what emoji are you going to put on your number plate?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh a big smiley face, mate. A big smiley face. You know me, I’m that cheery. How about you? I'd love to know what yours is.
MITCHELL: Might be grumpy.
[Laughter]
Thank you for your time.
PRIME MINISTER: Good on you Neil, cheers mate.
Statement to the House of Representatives on cyber security
18 February 2019
PRIME MINISTER: Australia’s democratic process is our greatest asset: our most critical piece of national infrastructure.
Public confidence in the integrity of our democratic processes is an essential element of Australian sovereignty and governance.
While we will vigorously argue over many issues in this place, we are all united in our commitment to democratic principles.
Members will be aware that the Australian Cyber Security Centre recently identified a malicious intrusion into the Australian Parliament House computer network.
During the course of this work, we also became aware that the networks of some political parties - Liberal, Labor and the Nationals - have also been affected.
Our security agencies have detected this activity and acted decisively to confront it. They are securing these systems and protecting users.
I do not propose to go into the detail of these operational matters.
But our cyber experts believe that a sophisticated state actor is responsible for this malicious activity.
Let me be clear though – there is no evidence of any electoral interference. We have put in place a number of measures to ensure the integrity of our electoral system.
I have instructed the Australian Cyber Security Centre to be ready to provide any political party or electoral body in Australia with immediate support, including making their technical experts available.
They have already briefed the Electoral Commissions and those responsible for cyber security for all states and territories. They have also worked with global anti-virus companies to ensure Australia’s friends and allies have the capacity to detect this malicious activity.
We have acted decisively to protect our national interests.
The methods used by malicious actors are constantly evolving and this incident reinforces yet again the importance of cyber security as a fundamental part of everyone’s business.
The Australian Government will continue to take a proactive and coordinated approach to protecting Australia’s sovereignty, our economy and our national security.
That is why the Government has invested in cyber security, including strengthening the Australian Cyber Security Centre by bringing all of the Australian Government’s cyber security capability together in one place (July 2018).
Our political system and our democracy remains strong, vibrant and is protected. We stand united in the protection of our values and our sovereignty.
The Government has chosen to be transparent about these matters. This in itself is an expression of faith by our Government in our democratic system and our determination to defend it.
Thank you Mr Speaker.
Radio interview with Alan Jones, 2GB
18 February 2019
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning Alan.
ALAN JONES: Thank you for your time. Could I just begin by saying that politicians rarely get praise. I have been speaking to farmers during the course of the weekend. You went to Julia Creek. They asked me if I'd thank you for going there. They believe you should know that you were fair dinkum and compassionate, and they wanted to say thank you because that opportunity isn't available to them. Can I just ask you, having been there and witnessed this devastation to listen, you're talking to people all over Australia. What was your reaction?
PRIME MINISTER: It was heartbreaking. It was devastating, not just there but also over Cloncurry. In both places and talking to a lot of the graziers, the property owners and other small business owners, the trucking companies. This is devastating, personally to families but also obviously the local economy. Obviously we're going to have to play a very big role in rebuilding the cattle industry in North Queensland. I can't imagine Australia without a cattle industry in North Queensland, it's not the same place. That’s basically what I said, it's a way of life, but it's also intrinsic to the success.
JONES: It's the fourth biggest export market.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah it is just … so we're there, that's the commitment I made. The reconstruction effort, it’s going to be significant and it's going to take a long time. It's not, you know, an announcement today or next week, it's the next two, five, ten years.
JONES: Can I come to that in a moment, just on basically what you saw. I mean, how long did they tell you… I know the military have got about 150 personnel on the ground. My own view from talking to people is that - I don't know how many people you can have on the ground - it wouldn't be enough. I mean how long did they tell you it would take to clean up? This is all they will be talking about at this hour of the morning; bloated animals which are littering the landscape. I mean there are kangaroos as well as cattle, 30,000 sheep. The infrastructure has been wrecked. The Flinders Highway east of Julia Creek is still cut as I said last night. There were travelers and trucks stranded. The railway track from Mount Isa to Townsville was completely buckled. How does Mount Isa get its copper, lead and zinc for export to Townsville? These are massive logistical problems.
PRIME MINISTER: They all are. Look, the way I'm looking at it, there's three stages to this. The first stage is the immediate response and that's everything from mental health support to immediate cash assistance too. Just the physical, immediate response. That's been underway now as you know, with Brigadier Jobson and the $1 million we've put into each of the councils, the $75,000 that’s going to reach the producers. That’s just to deal with the most immediate reaction to what is happening there.
The second stage is really doing what you've just mentioned. It's the rail line, it's the road, it's the disposal plan that is now being enacted up there to remove the carcasses, to have them buried safely. Now, what the station owners, what the producers told me is they very much want to control that process.
JONES: Yes, they don't want the councils. They're worried about the council, it’s separate from the graziers.
PRIME MINISTER: They're supporting them in it but they just don't want, you know, people just stomping all over their properties. They know how to do this, they're getting the support through both the safety equipment and the protective gear, which you need because I tell you, you smell this stuff long before you see it and it has to be done.
JONES: And it stays with you.
PRIME MINISTER: The Queensland Government is working with us on that. The military are directly involved. But also I've got to say the mining industry up there, Glencore in particular, have been fantastic with their help. Because their equipment that they have there, their heavy equipment is suited for those conditions. So they are marshalling all of the heavy equipment they have up in that region to support that role of disposal and they're focusing on things like clearing the Flinders and Landsborough Highways. That's as important for morale as it is for safety and getting these carcass out of the way. But Alan, they still don't know the extent of the losses. I mean, I was on one station and they hadn't been able to venture too far out from the homestead because of where the waters had been and so they were guessing. They were -
JONES: There’s still an area the size of England underwater. There’s still an area the size of England underwater.
PRIME MINISTER: There’s an inland sea. I saw it was making its way down through the Gulf. So you know, this is a long way from over in terms of the immediate impact. But the third phase of course is there is the reconstruction and what I was incredibly impressed by, was the will to rebuild. A mate of yours, you know Phillip, I spoke to Phillip at the Gannons Hotel in Julia Creek. I thought he put it best; “We don't want people -
JONES: Just stop there for a minute, just stop there for one minute. There’s a lot of people out there that know this bloke, Scott Morrison. He's brand new on the block. New Prime Minister, people don't know about him now. I - and I can tell them this - I texted the Prime Minister on Friday to just say; “Look, there's a farmer up there who really would like to say something to you. If you get the chance at Julia Creek, could you see him?” And I sent the mobile number. The Prime Minister rang the farmer, which to the farmer was virtually like, you know, God arriving, that someone of his status would ring. Rang the farmer, had a beer with him, stuck a cap on. Scott Morrison, you have no idea what that meant to those people there.
PRIME MINISTER: Well they were very encouraged and it's great to be able to do that as a Prime Minister. Because what they really want is the plan to go forward.
JONES: They do.
PRIME MINISTER: They want to rebuild and they know it's not going to be easy. And it's different station by station, Alan. I mean, you can't just drop a whole bunch of cash from the sky on this thing. That's not going to work. What they need is a reconstruction plan, property by property by property, because they're all different. I mean, one of the stations I went to that is basically the top of the breeding cycle for Australia's herd. They have been genetically, you know, supporting their herd up there for generations now. You can't just go and buy cattle from the Northern Territory to replace those. They took generations to breed in and that's going to take a lot of time. So the value of those cattle is extremely high. You've got others which is at the other end. So every case is different. Their debt is structured differently. Their capacity to borrow is different. Some have lost 30 some have lost 95 per cent.
JONES: You said you'd cut red tape so that small business operators – this is at the bottom end of the market - could get $25,000 disaster relief payments. Philip Alexander, the supermarket owner, told you that no one fitted into the category and he said I can't handle this paperwork. You said leave the paperwork to me. What does that mean?
PRIME MINISTER: Well it means I'm working on that now. One of the things I brought back - I'm going to be working Michaelia Cash and the Queensland Government over the course of this week - my first priority was to sort out the paperwork on the $75,000 for the producers, for the graziers. We got that sorted before I even got up there on Thursday night and that was well received, I can tell you, at the Cloncurry Bowling Club. I'm pretty happy about that. So now we need to apply ourselves to sorting out how that's going to work for the small business owners. I've got to say, in Cloncurry it was a bit better than Julia Creek. In Julia Creek, they really were hit very hard there. Because I mean, over at Cloncurry, you've also got the Henry mine so you've got you know the mining sector there as well. It's a bit more divers. But for some of these other smaller towns it's all about the cattle industry.
JONES: Can I just raise this with you - and I wrote to you about this - but you have said quite a few times since Friday, you've talked about a 10 year rescue plan. PM, many of these people won't be here in 10 years. I was asking you on behalf of the farmers, whether the Cabinet would consider giving a 100 per cent compensation for losses, so that the farmers and the businesses can immediately continue to employ - because those employed continue to pay taxes and they won’t go onto welfare which will cost the taxpayer a fortune - can build the infrastructure, the roads and railways lines, the fences and the sheds and can buy materials and work from the locals which will rebuild the community and the families together.
I hate to inject a negative point in here, but they keep saying to me that there wasn't a 10 year plan to give $444 million dollars to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
PRIME MINISTER: Well they’re completely different things. I mean the Great Barrier Reef Foundation that's money to actually apply over that period of time Alan and it's being done through one organization, so that wasn’t just today, that was for many, many years to come. So I think with respect, the two things are quite different.
JONES: Okay well what do you say –
PRIME MINISTER: What we’re talking about here, up in north Queensland
JONES: They’ve got no money, no income.
PRIME MINISTER: I understand that and this will cost hundreds of millions of dollars if not more.
JONES: It will, it will.
PRIME MINISTER: It's going to require a reconstruction plan, property by property. It's going to require dealing with existing debt. It's going to have to deal with future debt. It's going to have to deal with subsidies for how you rebuild your stock. So this is what we're putting in place.
JONES: But you see, the date today Scott, the date today Prime Minister, is the 18th February 18. Come March 1 the mortgage payments due.
PRIME MINISTER: No but they won't be Alan. That's the thing, the banks are already –
JONES: But for the workers, it’s due for the worker as well, it's due for the small businessman in Townsville.
PRIME MINISTER: Exactly and that's why we'll work on those 25,000 payments and their extension. That's why we've put the 1 million bucks into every single council.
JONES: Where does the money come from, to go out and buy the fence posts, to be able to start fencing hundreds of miles that have been destroyed?
PRIME MINISTER: Well that's what we'll do, property by property by property. One thing I'm not going to do is rush to failure on this. I am acutely aware of the urgency. I've spoken to people directly about it on the ground and as Phil said to me in the pub of the Gannons Hotel he said; “What we want is reconstruction not compensation”. So they want us to partner with them to rebuild every single one of these stations. It’s my plan for them all to be there in 10 years and I'm going to do that working with every individual station.
JONES: Okay just a couple of things before you go. Kerryn Phelps has been in Parliament for five minutes, we now face 2008 revisited, when Labor abolished the Pacific solution.
PRIME MINISTER: And temporary protection visas.
JONES: And temporary protection visas. That cost us 16 billion dollars. Now, where do you think we stand, in a realistic sense in relation to this, what is your intelligence telling you now - Home Affairs, security, ASIO, all these people and your contacts in Indonesia - about boat people?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it says we need to firm up Operation Sovereign Borders, which is exactly what I did the day after, and on the day of the vote I convened the National Security Committee. We put those measures in place. We've engaged in direct messaging into the region that, you know, that may have happened, but frankly I'm still here, Peter Dutton is still here, the Government is still here, the one that stopped the boats and we won't let you in.
I mean I didn't want to have to reopen the Christmas Island detention centre a week ago, I didn't have to. I do today and that's going to cost about half a billion dollars.
JONES: That was recommended to you by Home Affairs.
PRIME MINISTER: By Home Affairs, exactly. So you've got the Labor Party out there saying; “Oh, we will always follow the advice of agencies on this”. Yet they're describing the decision to reopen Christmas Island as ridiculous.
JONES: What is the problem with Nauru? I don't understand what the problem with Manus is, I mean there’s 64 professionals there, half of them are doctors.
PRIME MINISTER: If you had anywhere in Australia the ratio of medical professionals to people –
JONES: One to seven?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah one to seven and 14 – 1 for mental health services. I mean, there's nowhere in the country to my knowledge that that's it's that concentrated, not even in Wentworth for goodness sake with the number of doctors they have there.
JONES: You should open a detention centre there. What's the point of going to the polls, if in fact migration policy and refugee policy is going to be determined by doctors?
PRIME MINISTER: That's what Labor have done. That's exactly what they have done, taking it away. But you're right the medical professionals are there. The children are off. So what this is about - let's make no mistake - is about shutting down offshore processing. That's what it's about. That's what Labor voted for. They did it with their eyes wide open. They had the declassified advice and the classified briefings from ASIO and from the head of the Defence Force and the head of Home Affairs and Sovereign Borders. And when we'd gone and implemented that advice, they said; “Oh what did you have to do that for?” Well, we told you what was going to have to happen if you voted for that bill. He has decided to take a cheap vote in Canberra to play to the Canberra bubble, rather than understand that Australians expect political leaders to stand up for border protection, which is what I’ve always done.
JONES: I will just confirm, you already have, sorry - it was last week, before this rubbish was passed – a Transitory Persons Committee don't you? I think within the Department of Home Affairs and they meet once a month?
PRIME MINISTER: Medical professionals.
JONES: That’s right, they assess the needs and seek urgent medical care, the mechanism is in place and there have been transfers from the Papua New Guinea or Nauru since July 2016.
PRIME MINISTER: There have.
JONES: That's already being done. So basically, this is a heap of humbug.
PRIME MINISTER: They sought to solve a problem that didn't exist.
JONES: Yep.
PRIME MINISTER: And as a result - you know, what I should be focusing on, only frankly, at the moment is dealing with these issues in north Queensland not having to reopen a detention centre on Christmas Island because Bill Shorten the Labor Party wanted to go and crash border protection in this country.
JONES: And implement a policy –
PRIME MINISTER: The money I’m going to spend on Christmas Island, I would very much like to be spending all of that up in north Queensland. That's where the rubber hits the road.
JONES: Well if the Labor Party - and this very political, I know he’s pretending it’s not –
PRIME MINISTER: Just on North Queensland, let me be clear, I'm still going to make sure that’s happening. But you can imagine my fury and frustration.
JONES: And I think the public feel that way as well and it is political. He’s saying; “Oh, get the politics out of it.” It is political. But if the Labor Party in Opposition will reject the advice from the Department, from ASIO and from security and intelligence people, what chance do any of us have when they are in government?
PRIME MINISTER: Well that's right and they say they'll still turn boats back. Well, really? really? Tanya Plibersek sitting in the National Security Committee with Bill Shorten? “Trust us, we’ll still turn boats back”. They’ve got no idea what's involved.
JONES: Good on you.
PRIME MINISTER: I know, I did it.
JONES: Yes, I know. Well listen we thank you for that, we'll talk again and we'll keep you posted on the feedback from the farmers as well.
PRIME MINISTER: Can I just say one last thing Alan.
JONES: Yes?
PRIME MINISTER: Sisters of the North; they have done an amazing job in raising funds for people up there and there's a bloke up there, Tim Pratt who runs a trucking company.
JONES: Yes, the cap.
PRIME MINISTER: He was the one, I wore a cap of his and people sledged me for the hat.
JONES: The cap on, good on you. Good on you.
PRIME MINISTER: But he's got a thing called Gumnut Designz and they're selling hats to raise money for Sisters of the North which is supporting those local charities up there. In about 24 hours they'd raised 120 grand, when I got there on Thursday night. It's awesome.
JONES: Leave it with me.
PRIME MINISTER: I'll send you the details.
Doorstop - Burnie, TAS
17 February 2019
JOHN MULLEN, TOLL GROUP EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN: I would just like to welcome everybody here. This is a momentous occasion for the company, and I think also for Tasmania and Burnie. A real vote of confidence in the future of the economy here and trans-Tasman trade. Well we're really excited to be launching the ship and to have a very distinguished guests the Prime Minister, the Premier and many others with us this morning.
WILL HODGMAN, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Morning. Thank you. Thanks John. I might now take the opportunity to welcome the Prime Minister to Burnie and to be here with state and federal colleagues and most importantly to acknowledge this extraordinary investment by Toll in Tasmania and indeed Australia's economy. Tasmania's economy is one of the best performing in the country. We've had the highest rate of export growth of any other state and we've seen five consecutive years of growth and last year we had a record year. So Tasmanian products are in demand and as a result we're seeing that demand met by great businesses such as Toll. This is an extraordinary investment in our state. It's a sign of great confidence, not only have Toll put these ships on the Bass Strait which services 99 per cent of our trade but they've also partnered with state and commonwealth governments to invest in the infrastructure here in Burnie to make this port capable of servicing larger ships more frequently.
I want to also take the opportunity to acknowledge the Coalition Government. The Federal Coalition Government led by Scott Morrison has been an extraordinary contributor to Tasmania's economic prosperity. And when you look at this port and travel and trade across Bass Strait, the Federal Government has done so much and it's largely been driven, not only by the Prime Minister but Scott Morrison as Treasurer, that saw additional investments into this port which were matched by state contributions and Toll as well, but also in ensuring that our rail network is revitalized, opening up links across our state and the freight equalisation scheme has turbo-charged to Tasmania's export industries. So this is very much another important partnership and it has been delivered through a Coalition Government working very closely with the Tasmanian Government to deliver what is one of the strongest performing economies in the country and it's our plan to keep it that way.
And just in conclusion again to acknowledge the extraordinary contribution of Toll. They're not only putting new ships on the Strait, investing in the port infrastructure, they're employing around 600 Tasmanians. And with our economy strong and more Tasmanians in employment we have a great partner in Toll that are not only meeting current demand but also have an eye on the future. So this is a true demonstration of a state that's powering ahead and this is a fantastic day for our state, for the nation and for Toll. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks Will, it's great to be here with Will in the turnaround state that is Tasmania under Will Hodgman’s leadership. Will’s just going through I think the stunning performance of the Tasmanian economy under his leadership and what we're seeing today are the fruits of what happens when you run a strong economy. People want to come and invest in it and Toll made this decision two and a half years ago. They could see where that state was going. They could see where our national economy was going and they’ve come and they've invested and they've invested big. Not only in our shipping industry, they've invested in the primary resource producers of Tasmania. They've invested in our forestry industry here in Tasmania, they've invested in our ag industry, they've invested in the manufacturing industries of Tasmania because they have seen the strength and the turnaround that is occurring here as people are coming back to Tasmania making this their home. Where they're starting businesses and they're being successful in those businesses. We've got growth running above the national average here in Braddon as Gavin Pearce will know, the Liberal candidate here and Braddon. He will know that unemployment has come down from where we were first elected to over 9 per cent here in this seat to just a bit over 6 per cent today. And I'll tell you what, we stick with this national economic plan and the economic plan that Will has here for Tasmania and that number will keep coming down. Because it's going to happen because of these investments and continuing to back in our traditional industries here in Tasmania as well as those new industries that are occurring right here in Tasmania as well.
So again, it's just all about jobs. More jobs for Tasmanians which makes our economy stronger which means that we can guarantee essential services that Australians rely on, whether it's Medicare hospitals and schools. These are all the dividends of happens when you have a strong economy. OK, happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, is it ironic that you’re launching a boat today on a day when you’ve released a video about stopping more boats?
PRIME MINISTER: Well this is one boat I want to start, this one. And this is one boat that we have had a keen hand in supporting it starting because it's driving jobs and growth here down in Tasmania and right across the country. But the boats I can assure Australians I'm going to stop are the ones who are going to carry those who would seek to illegally enter Australia. The Labor Party made it quite clear that they're happy to trade votes in the House of Representatives to undermine our border protection. But I make this point as well. Why are we so strong about border protection? Well first of all it's to stop the deaths at sea occurring again. I remember it only too well. And secondly what the Labor Party has done in the Parliament bears no resemblance to the facts on the ground. There are 60 medical professionals on Nauru for 420 people. If you had that ratio of medical professionals to people here in Burnie… I mean, you wouldn't be able to move for the doctors and medical professionals. So the suggestion that there is not medical treatment being provided is a lie. And thirdly it's ensuring that always the Government is the one who can ensure the protection of our borders and it should never be traded away for cheap deals in the House of Representatives for politics in the bubble.
JOURNALIST: Do you think the video you’ve released has much impact on people not getting on the boats?
PRIME MINISTER: It did last time. I've cut one of these videos before when I was Immigration Minister and it's to send a very clear message. This Government, the one I lead, is in charge of the show. And you've tried to get past me before and you failed and you will fail again. Our Government will be doing everything within our powers - despite what the Labor Party have done to undermine our border protection regime - to ensure these boats don't come. That is why we have taken the recommendation of the Department of Home Affairs to reopen Christmas Island. That's what we've done. That was not our suggestion. That was the recommendation of the Department of Home Affairs that this is what was necessary to address what has occurred in the Parliament by the Labor Party voting to weaken our borders. So, the one thing standing between boats coming to Australia again and Australia, is my Government.
JOURNALIST: Can you tell us what developments there will be tomorrow on a disability Royal Commission?
PRIME MINISTER: Well tomorrow the motion that will come from the Senate will pass. It won’t be opposed by the Government and was not going to be opposed by the Government. I think this was one of another of the cruel lies that was put around last week. As Prime Minister I've never opposed such a Royal Commission. My priority has been to establish the Royal Commission into aged care which I have done and to conclude the Royal Commission into the banking and finance industry which I initiated which I commissioned, which is just recently completed. So these were my priorities. We need to do everything we can to support Australians with a disability. And I'm disappointed that on Thursday the Labor Party chose to play politics with this issue. There was no suggestion that the Government was not going to support that motion that afternoon in the House of Representatives and the motion was not going to even come to the House of Representatives that afternoon. And so to suggest other things I thought was disingenuous and dishonest.
JOURNALIST: Does this enquiry need the support from the states and the Premier might like to indicate whether Tasmania has what position that?
PRIME MINISTER: You raise an important issue about the specific terms of reference that would have to be established. Now, the Labor Party has been talking about this for two years and hasn't even produced a terms of reference. So they say they want a Royal Commission but they don't know what they want the Royal Commission to be into. So as usual, the Government will do the proper work of consultation, liaising with the States and Territories as appropriate, liaising with those advocates in the disability sector by working with those who work in that sector and rely on services in that, to ensure that we get the right way forward as to how we can address the issues that will support people with disability. So we will do that work. I will do it in a bipartisan way just as I have on the other Royal Commissions and we will just do the work and ensure that people with disability can get the support they need.
JOURNALIST: What steps has the Government already make towards a Royal Commission?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I've already had some discussion with advocates already. But when we are working through the issues of the Royal Commission into aged care there was already some work being done around those issues. As you know, we included young people with disability living in the residential aged care sector into that Royal Commission. See, when you have a Royal Commission, you've got to be quite specific what you talking about. You've got to give your Royal Commission very clear guidelines as to what you want them to do. Otherwise it is just a general conversation, which runs the risk of not landing at any quite targeted recommendations that you can act on. And so we want to make sure that anything further we do in this area is done with that well considered terms of reference and directions. To ensure that it can do its job.
JOURNALIST: Just back on border security, how much is the Government actually spending on these videos you’re transmitting?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh it's all included in the Operation Sovereign Borders budget. And these videos have always been a part of the strategic communications of Operation Sovereign Borders. It's part of what they do.
JOURNALIST: What evidence do you have that these videos are effective…
PRIME MINISTER: No boats turned up.
JOURNALIST: But do you have any evidence it’s effective aside from the boat turnbacks?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes I do and it's contained in our own intelligence reports which I obviously aren't going to go into. But you asked me ‘what is the evidence that the Government's border protection policies work?’ There have been no boats. And I remember before the 2013 election that they told me that turnbacks wouldn't work. And I told them they were wrong and I implemented them and they stopped the boats. I told them I could fix the offshore processing arrangements that Labor had put in place recklessly, in a way that was underfunded. And I fixed them and I ensured that the temporary protection visas, which is what denies people that come to Australia illegally, denies them a permanent visa which is what the Labor Party want to return to doing giving them permanent visas. They said I wouldn't be able to get that into the Parliament but we did. We implemented all of our policies. We closed 19 detention centres. Labor opened 17 because of their failures. And I regret the fact that we now have to reopen the Christmas Island detention centre, which will have a real significant cost. About half a billion dollars is the estimate at the present over the next two years. $1.4 billion over the next four years. Now that is not money I had to spend a week ago, but because of the actions of the Labor Party and Bill Shorten, we now have to reopen that detention centre when there are serious calls on the public purse, particularly up in North Queensland and indeed here in Tasmania. Will, we have been talking just today about how we’re going to be working together to put a recovery and reconstruction package together here to support tourism operators here in Tasmania post the fires. So these are the things that really need our attention. But because of what Labor has done to our borders in the Parliament for a cheap vote in the Senate, they are now seeing resources pulled away from those tasks. Now I'll ensure that they will still get the support they need. But honestly I cannot tell you how disappointed I am in the priorities of the Labor Party that put forward, overwhelming and undermining our border protection regime rather than prioritizing the need of North Queensland cattle grazing.
JOURNALIST: From Adelaide, federal Labor is promising to extend the lease of Adelaide Zoo for Wang Wang and Fu Ni pandas if they come to government, will your Government be doing the same thing?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I've been talking to Steven Marshall about this and we'll have more to say about this an appropriate time and as will he. But I'll simply say this - my priority at the moment, actually with all due respect to people in South Australia and pandas -is cattle lying dead upon properties in North Queensland. That's where my focus is right now. If the Labor Party wants to focus on pandas that's fine. I'm focused on dead cattle on the ground in north Queensland.
JOURNALIST: Will further Government support be available for fire affected areas in Tasmania?
PRIME MINISTER: At this stage we're still working up plans together and Will might want to speak to this as well. But after I was here with Richard last time we were down the Huon Valley and with Will and we were touring the area, we basically said right at the end of that visit ‘we're going to have to work together on how we can support the tourism industry’. And I say to Australians - get yourself to Tasmania. It's, you know, all the places you want to go, you can get to and you can enjoy. Whether it's a Wineglass Bay down at Coles Bay there which is I think actually one of the most, probably my favourite parts of Tasmania. Or it’s up in Cradle Mountain or the Walls of Jerusalem or down at Salamanca Place or wherever you want to go. It's all open the coffee is good, everybody's just as friendly. And the scenes and the sights there are a lifetime of memories.
JOURNALIST: There's been reports up to 300 people, refugees and asylum seekers, are seeking medical advice in detention centres. Are you able to clarify those numbers?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm aware of those reports and we're preparing to deal with that sort of a caseload and remembering people don’t have to be sick. They just have to be seeking some further assessment.
That's all it requires. And as the Attorney was I think explaining really, really well this morning. I mean, they can drive a truck through the supposed protections Labor said they put in place. All I know is last week Labor weakened our borders. What I'm doing today is to strengthen them but importantly what I'm doing here in Tasmania is to stand with the Premier and all of our team to acknowledge and recognise the great strength of the Tasmanian economy, and there's no greater indicator of that than when you get Toll Group turn up and invest the millions and tens and hundreds of millions of dollars that they are investing here in the future of the Tasmanian economy. But the plan that the Hodgman Government has for the Tasmanian economy which works hand in glove with our plan for a stronger economy, which will be supporting all Tasmanians. In particular as I know Gavin sees, all of those here in northern Tasmania and Braddon. Thanks very much.
Doorstop - Somerset, TAS
16 February 2019
GAVIN PEARCE, LIBERAL CANDIATE FOR BRADDON: Good morning all and welcome to Somerset on the north west coast of Tasmania on this humid day where we can almost hear the trees growing. We are here today at the Forico nursery right in the heartland of Braddon on the North West Coast of Tasmania, I’d like to, on behalf of all present today and all present in Braddon today, alongside of Senator Richard Colbeck, Minister Sarah Courtney, our nominated candidate for the Senate, Claire Chandler, in welcoming the Prime Minister to today’s facility and to have a bit of a tour of what is happening here in Forico.
I’m also joined today by some of the heavy hitters in the industry, people like Shawn Britton up the back there who runs one probably one of the best operations anywhere in the world right here in Smithton. Welcome Shawn.
I’m sure that the PM will glean from you a lot of your knowledge you’ve picked up along the way.
Bryan Hayes the CEO, welcome Brian and good to see your presence here this morning.
Andrew Jackson, chief technical officer. Andrew Moore, been showing us around has done a fantastic job, PM, this morning.
Sean Britton, along with Craig Jones, and some of the forestry heavy hitters like I said before, like Ross Hampton, ACTA, chairman, altogether we’d like to join together – please give a big welcome for the Prime Minister in this very pertinent place, right here in the centre of Braddon.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks Gavin. It’s great to have you here. I’m here because of jobs. The forestry industry carries about 70,000 jobs; 20 billion dollar industry. I’m interested in growing more trees and growing more jobs. It’s a simple as that. And what we are here to announce today is all about how we are going to continue to foster the growth and sustainable development of this industry. Not just for a little while, but for a long while.
The Tasmanian economy, the north-western and northern economy of Tasmania, the economy of Australia depends on the success of this industry. And as a government, my government, we’re not going to allow that industry to not have the opportunity to further develop and further grow and create more and more livelihoods for Australians – whether it’s here in Tasmania and everywhere else right across Australia. And so it has been a great opportunity this morning to come and see right at the start of the supply chain here this morning. And how it all begins. And to see how this sector has developed a technology and a capacity to support a growing and thriving and sustainable industry.
Today we’re here to announce the specifics of our regional forestry hubs. I’m going to ask Richard Colbeck to go into more detail about how this works but we are seed funding $12.5 million to support these hubs right across Australia and for their initial 3 to 4 year operation. The hubs we announcing today are of course here in the North and North West of Tasmania, North East of New South Wales, the green triangle as it's known in South Australia and Victoria, as well as in South West Western Australia. They are the first four pilot hubs that are being established and we've put $12.5 million in for establishment of that initial operation. A further five hubs will be established in 2020. That's in Gippsland, in Victoria, the south-west slopes of New South Wales, the Central West of New South Wales, South East Queensland, and in North Queensland. What these hubs are about is ensuring that government is working together with industry to clear things out of the way that stops those industries from progressing and developing and creating more jobs. It is pretty straight forward, just working together to ensure that the industry that has a plan for its future, a sustainable plan for its future can get on with it create those jobs and provide a prosperity and way of life and living for Australians all around the country. So we're very pleased to be doing It is all part of a much broader forest industry plan that I really want to commend Richard Colbeck for championing. He has done extraordinary work, not just recently on these issues, but over a very long time in his public life and his role in the Australian Senate and within the Liberal and National Parties as part of our Coalition for a long time, so this really is a coming together of many, many years of Richard has put into pulling this plan together and a mark of Richard's work is how closely he works with community and how closely he works with industry because he understands, as I do, that for this to work, you’ve got to have all of these three working together. It doesn't matter whether that's here in the Tasmanian forestry industry or indeed where I was yesterday with the North Queensland cattle industry which my thoughts are very much with at this time, and I'm sure all Australians are, but we can cover that off on in questions if you like. Richard, come and share with us your vision here because really is what you've been driving, and this is an exciting day for the Tasmanian forestry industry but more broadly for the Australian forestry industry. It has the future, a plan and the backing of a government who gets it and believes in it, thank you.
ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND WATER RESOURCES SENATOR THE HON RICHARD COLBECK: Thanks, PM. When we launched our national forest plan in September last year, we had a number of actions in it. And this is one of the first of those actions which is the announcement of our initial forestry hubs. We are announcing four initial trial hubs today and a further five in other parts of Australia, and the whole concept behind that was one that came from industry actually in the first instance, so thank you, Ross, for that, which was to identify areas which are forestry areas within Australia. Those that had existing infrastructure, those that had sawmills, existing timber industries that were working hard, and see what we could do to build those industries in those regions. The forest plan that we launched seeks to plant a billion new trees by 2030. That is a huge task. And we need to make sure that the regulatory frameworks, the logistical frameworks and the employment and labour available in local communities for us to achieve that, and it will have a significant impact and this is about growing a stronger Australian economy and the jobs that go along with that, which are very important. So, PM, thank you for the announcement of those first four pilot hubs. We would be happy to talk to any state, territory or community about expanding this process because we know that at this point in time it hasn't covered all forest communities, and we will continue to work with them for the development of this industry plan and so this is clear action off the back of the launch of the plan last September.
While I'm here, I also want to launch the National State of the Forest Report. The State of the Forest Report says that we have 132 million hectares of forest across Australia. We have around 2 million hectares of plantation. The concern in the plantation sector is that that estate has reduced by about 44,000 hectares over the period from the last forest report, and so if we are going to meet a projected quadrupling of the demand for forest and forest products globally by 2050, we need to put more trees in the ground and we need to start doing it right now and that's the focus of our national forest plan. A stronger forest community contributing to a stronger national economy. So any of you who want to talk further about either the forest plan or the State of the Forest Report, we can talk about that with questions later. Thank you.
TASMANIAN MINISTER FOR BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION AND RESOURCES THE HON SARAH COURTNEY MP: The Tasmanian Government welcomes today's announcement from the Australian Government. We know that forestry is an important part of the Tasmanian economy and today's announcement clearly recognises the competitive advantages we have across north and north western Tasmania. This region has access to ports, has access to labour, it has access to trees, and we want to see forestry employing more Tasmanians. We know already forestry in Tasmania employs directly and indirectly around 5,700 people, many of those in regional areas. It also directly contributes around $700 million to our economy, so the Tasmanian Government is very welcoming of today's announcement which will further consolidate our reputation of being a grower of trees of choice and be able to showcase the forestry industry in Tasmania and ensure that it continues to have a sustainable future.
ROSS HAMPTON, CEO AUSTRALIAN FOREST PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION: Just a couple of quick words, PM, Sarah, Senator Colbeck. PM, this is about jobs, it is indeed, but it is also about the ultimate renewable. The great thing about today's announcement from our position is that it ticks all the boxes - regional jobs, but also helps our carbon accounts in this country and it’s also going to ensure the development of the right trees in the right places. We have been working with the Government on this for a number of years because we knew that in order to meet those targets that Senator Colbeck laid out to try to be at least try to be self-sufficient in our soft wood, for example, for our housing frames for our own homes that we had to start to grow the estate, but it had to be done in a way that was manageable by the community, that was sustainable.
So the right places is where forestry is already very well accepted and where we can work with communities, particularly farmer groups, to make sure we grow in a sustained and careful way. There are three elements really needed to grow forestry in this country and that's the right places, we can tick that box today, but the right trees at the right scale is still where we have work to do. So we are really looking forward to going forward with the Government and those involved on the ground in these places that have been identified to try to work out what the mechanisms are that are going to allow us to help the government meet that huge call, terrific goal, of another billion trees for Australia to meet its needs.
PRIME MINISTER: I'm happy to take questions, Tasmania's forestry workers, I think, are in no doubt and should be in no doubt about my government’s support for them and their future. Not just today, but for their kids as well. This is an intergenerational industry, particularly here in Tasmania. I think Tasmanian forestry workers learnt that very well from John Howard or those years ago, and we are right there in exactly the same way, we will continue to back those forestry workers. Yes, I want to see new industries grow in Australia, of course do. I want to see the medical and technology sectors grow. It's exciting and it's great. But our traditional sectors, in forestry, in agriculture, in mining, in all of these places that generate so many jobs and support the livelihoods of regional communities in particular, all over the country, I’m there and backing them in as well. That's part of our national economic plan that Richard was talking about. We’ve generated 1.2 million jobs already as a government over the last five and a half years. Over the next five years, my pledge is to create another one and a quarter million jobs. One of the ways we are going to do that is ensuring industries like the forestry sector have a big future. Let’s take some questions on what we announced today, particularly with the others who are joining me here. Happy, as always, to move onto other issues, and then we might excuse those who don’t have a direct involvement to leave us.
JOURNALIST: Is this an election promise or is the money going to be spent now?
PRIME MINISTER: It’s in, done, it’s not a promise, it is a decision of the government. It’s in place and it is happening.
JOURNALIST: Where will the hub exactly be located?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm going to let Richard explain how this works. It's not so much a physical hub as…
ASSISTANT MINISTER COLBECK: So this is an identification of a region that is strong in forestry, we recognise there might need to be some work on boundaries that might need to be done in conjunction with local communities, the industry and state governments. We are not being prescriptive in that sense but we are working with industry, state governments and communities to define the sorts of things. This is the commencement of that process. We start when we launched the plan, in September last year. That's why we started with four pilots so that we can work our way through the process and make the process for the following areas and regions of Australia, and I said we haven't identified them all. So that we can then smoothly work through the rest. It's about making sure, as Ross quite rightly said, if we grow the right trees at the right scale in the right places. With have set ourselves an objective of one billion trees by 2030, that’s a lot of trees that is about 400,000 hectares, we have seen previously, and we are sensitive to the fact that when you see land conversion, it creates issues in the community. We're sensitive to make sure we manage that properly. That’s why we are going through that process.
JOURNALIST: Do we have land available to be converted or spare land that can be put under trees?
ASSISTANT MINISTER COLBECK: I think there is, I think there is a lot of it. We will also be working very closely with the farming community, in fact, this process has engaged the National Farmers Federation, all the way through its development. We see enormous opportunity as part of the development of the plan and growing the trees, to work with farmers in agriforestry, and in fact at a forestry meeting yesterday in Melbourne, that was one of the key things that we talked about. There are some inhibitors in the current framework around the growing of trees on farms, one of the things we said in the plan we would do, is to review those, we are doing that and looking to take those regulatory hurdles out of the way. If we are going to meet that projected quadrupling of demand by 2050, that's only 30 years, it's shorter than the life cycle of some plantation trees. We are going to have to start putting trees in the ground now. Getting the regulatory inhibitors out of the way, is going to be really important in doing that.
JOURNALIST: The hub in the north west, is it going to be an office, is it going to be dispersed public servants assigned to work on this issue? What is it going to be?
ASSISTANT MINISTER COLBECK: It's a recognition of a region, it will include work on looking at infrastructure needs, working closely with state governments, local councils and communities, what are the infrastructure needs, what are the employment needs that are required, making sure that we put the resources into actually managing those things that facilitate the growing of trees. We don't necessarily a bureaucratic infrastructure.
PRIME MINISTER: It’s not a desk, it's not an office, it’s not a building.
ASSISTANT MINISTER COLBECK: Shawn Britton, Forico, these guys can do all that. But what we need to do is make sure that the inhibitors that exist around the country to growing trees, to meet the growing demand for trees, and timber products, can be met. For example just up the hill here at Highclere, we are looking at the development of a new cross laminated timber plant. That is a new technology that will take up demand for timber that has previously gone in to other things. We need to be able to meet that demand. You've got down in the Derwent Valley, where Norske have just in recent times, in fact the day we launched the National Forest Plan, fermented the first batch of product called Cyrene. That is a replacement for petrochemical products to go into a whole range of downstream things like pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. All of these sorts of things are starting to come online, creating new demand for timber and timber-based products. We need to make sure that we have the resource to meet that demand.
PRIME MINISTER: So it’s a hub for the growth of trees and jobs. That’s what it is, in a concentrated area. And these hubs all around the country provide hubs of prosperity in all of these regional communities and combined together, they will lift the overall contribution of the forestry industry to Australia's national economy.
JOURNALIST: I assume there will still be some restrictions on turning prime agricultural land into plantations, however?
ASSISTANT MINISTER COLBECK: So farmers will be left to make their own decisions about what they grow on their own lands. That's I think a really foundation principal. But we’re not going back, for example, to the days of MIS. We are very cautious to make sure that’s not where we go. Bearing in mind that the MIS rules still exist, they haven't gone away. So we’re not and don't have to create a new MIS system. What we’re doing is looking to work with landholders, and to grow trees, and from conversations that I had with forestry ministers yesterday, I am certain that there are very creative ways that we can encourage farmers, for example, to put windbreaks on the land which won’t reduce the productivity. In fact it will increase their productivity and it'll give them another revenue stream.
PRIME MINISTER: We just saw some of those trees over there.
ASSISTANT MINISTER COLBECK: That’s exactly right Prime Minister, we just saw some of those trees. So they can get a revenue stream out of growing trees for timber, they can get a revenue stream out of growing trees for carbon and when you bundle those things, they actually have a rationale to plant trees where they don't have trees now and I've seen properties where up to 20 per cent of the property has been put back into trees with zero reduction in productivity from an agricultural perspective. These are the things that we can do. As part of that process, that billion trees will contribute up to 18 million tonnes of CO2 storage as part of that process. So we're ticking a lot of boxes here from an industry perspective, from a jobs perspective, from an environmental perspective and working closely with communities including the farming community so that we can give them another revenue stream for their properties but also create jobs in local communities.
JOURNALIST: And Richard, do you know what Labor’s policy is for the north-west in forestry and do you expect it to be different to yours?
ASSISTANT MINISTER COLBECK: I don’t think anybody knows what Labor’s policy in respect of forestry nationally is. They been very quiet. In fact, my opposite number Joel Fitzgibbon has made almost zero comment on forestry, except to deny that the policy that Tony Burke pushed through their National Conference which is to go back to the disastrous sham Forestry Deal that they proposed here and devastated Tasmania's forestry industry a few years ago. Which along with the Hodgman Government, I am pleased to say, we have said is dead, that has been put to bed. Because we are about growing a sustainable industry and ensuring that this industry has the resources it needs to create jobs in local communities and continue to make a significant contribution to the Australian economy.
PRIME MINISTER: I can tell you the Labor Party won’t be determining what their policies are on forestry. That'll be determined by the left-wing and the activists and the Greens and everyone else. They won’t be deciding what their policy is. They will have their chain pulled by everybody else, and we’re seeing this across so many policy areas today. Bill Shorten is not in charge of his own economic policy. He is being pushed to and fro on his national security policy, for that matter. Who knows what the Labor Party policy will be. All I know is that Bill Shorten won’t be the one deciding what it is.
JOURNALIST: And Prime Minister, why have you decided to come to Somerset today and why do you believe the forestry industry is so important to the north-west?
PRIME MINISTER: What I just said a few minutes ago, I want to make it very clear to Australia that whether it's the forestry industry, whether it's the agricultural sector, or it’s the resources sector, that my Government is very focused on seeing all of these sectors go forward in a sustainable and prosperous way. Richard has done an outstanding job on the forestry plan and these hubs, as he said at the first instalments of that plan.
We have a very clear view about how this sector will continue to grow, working in partnership with community and with industry. So it is an important part of my national economic plan. I've talked in that plan about taking all industries forward. Not just the brash, exciting ones with people wandering around in skivvies and all the rest of it. That’s great, good for them, and they're doing a great job for Australia too - just don't ask me to wear the skivvy. But I want to see the forestry industry grow, I want to see the agriculture sector grow. And particularly in part of the country like in North Queensland at the moment, where they have been devastated by these terrible floods and we will be there with them every step of the way to get them back on their feet to see the great prosperity in Australia's north that the cattle industry has always provided and will again. So that’s why I’m here. Whether it’s in North Queensland, in Tasmania, in Western Australia, in all the areas which Richard and I have worked on to have these hubs, it is about seeing that occur.
JOURNALIST: Can we move on to other questions?
PRIME MINISTER: If there are no other questions on those topics, I’m... I should stress I've nothing against skivvies, OK?
[Laughter]
The skivvy industry is important as well.
JOURNALIST: The Wiggles, the Wiggles.
PRIME MINISTER: Exactly, they did wonders for skivvies.
JOURNALIST: Sorry Senator, have you got any comment about training?
ASSISTANT MINISTER COLBECK: Well look, obviously as the forest industry in Tasmania has recovered, one of the things we’ve seen is a demand for people, which is fantastic. We had a really tough time here about five or six years ago, and it is good to see the industry come back. We will work closely with industry as part of the hub development process, as I said earlier, around making sure they have the right people with the right skills to be able to assist the industry to grow. We’re going to have to do some new things, as we move into more agroforestry, for example, we’re going to have to have probably more defined skills around how trees are a) put in the ground, managed and then harvested. And I can say through the conversations I have been having with industry through the Forest Industry Advisory Council, they’re actually doing some homework for me at the moment and coming back with some potential models on how that works. So we’re not looking to try and dictate in this space, we know that there will be new developments. In fact, if you look at how trees like this used to be planted to how it's done now, it's completely changed in its process. So we'll be working closely with industry to do that, and if you consider where we were here in Burnie just a few weeks ago where we have a new welding training plant where it is all done with technology, they’re not physically doing welds, they have got equipment there that uses gaming technology to simulate welding. Gav’s not a bad welder by the way, he passed his test. There's all of those sorts of new things that come on, and we have to be sensitive to that, and we need to working with industry to facilitate that.
PRIME MINISTER: Great. OK, we might move to others, thank you to other guests who have been with us today, and partners, thank you very much. Happy to take other matters.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, LNP support has dropped 3 points in Queensland according to the latest News Corp poll. Is that consistent with your tracking?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, I'll allow others to commentate on these things. I’m just focused on a stronger economy, keeping Australians safe and secure, and keeping Australians together. And I’ll continue to make that case, that's why I’m here in Tasmania. That’s why I was in North Queensland yesterday, it’s why I’ll be here again tomorrow. I’m focused on the things that make Australia stronger, and my opponents are going to do things that make Australia weaker. And I will continue to make the case from now until next election, and Australians will make their own decision then. But we’ve seen just this past week just how prepared Bill Shorten and Labor have been to make Australia weaker, for some cheap political exercise in the Parliament. I mean, they’ll do it again this week. They’ll come down there, they’ll chuck their toys around and they’ll carry on and say it means this and that and everything. They’ll play their juvenile games in the Australian Parliament. What I’m going to be focused on in this week is some of the things I've already raised with you. We’ve got a serious… I can’t tell you how serious this issue is up in North Queensland, and that has my focus. Last week in Parliament, we were focused on the Closing the Gap Report and the announcements we were making to boost educational support for young indigenous Australians all around the country. That's what we were doing last week. We were protecting our borders last week. What the Labor Party was doing last week was just showing how they’ll trade anything away, and if they’re given the opportunity, they will make Australia weaker. Our economy weaker, our national security weaker. They can’t be trusted.
JOURNALIST: Are such comments just baiting people smugglers?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JOURNALIST: If the Government supports the motion to support a Royal Commission into the abuse in the disability sector, is that about sparing the Government from another humiliating defeat on the floor?
PRIME MINISTER: No. We were prepared to allow that motion to go through on Thursday afternoon. The simple fact was the motion wasn't coming back to the House of Representatives on Thursday afternoon. Were it coming back, it would have passed through the House and on Monday when it comes it will also pass through the House. The Government will make any ultimate decisions about Royal Commissions, that's who makes decisions about Royal Commissions, but even today I've been in contact with disability advocates about this issue.
My first priority was to initiate the Royal Commission into the aged care sector, which I have done. At no time have I ever said that I didn't think there wasn't a need for a Royal Commission in the disability sector. I just had the priority of dealing with winding up one Royal Commission which I had initiated, initiating another when it came to aged care and that is under way now, and that now leaves us in a position to how we might consider dealing with this other challenging issue. But I would simply say this - I'm not going to play politics with disabilities and I thought the way that issue was used on Thursday afternoon was very disappointing, as I expressed in the House. I'm going to be focused on dealing with the needs of disabled Australians and their families. I’m not going to be playing politics with it and I would encourage others who are participating in this space not to do that either.
JOURNALIST: So will you pre-empt a vote and announce a Royal Commission?
PRIME MINISTER: The motion will go through on Monday and the Government will continue to work through the issues associated with how we address that issue.
JOURNALIST: I understand you're going to Hobart next week. Will you finally announce this deal?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah we will be announcing the Hobart City Deal then, when we have the opportunity. We've been able to come, I think, to a final position on all of that. It's just a matter of logistics now. We have made great progress on that and I want to particularly thank Will Hodgman and the great he’s been doing there. But today my focus is on the north, very much on the north of Tasmania and tomorrow and there’ll be the opportunity to have a focus on the south another day.
JOURNALIST: Will you move asylum seekers currently on Manus and Nauru to Christmas Island?
PRIME MINISTER: We will comply with the law of the land and I want to make something very clear about Christmas Island. It was the recommendation of the Department of Home Affairs that Christmas Island be reopened. Now, I have seen some comments by Shane Neumann, the Shadow Minister - who many of you won't know - but what he said was outrageous. He said this was reckless - this was the recommendation from the Department of Home Affairs. We have simply acted on the recommendation of that Department. Now, it should come as no surprise to him because prior to him voting for this Bill to weaken Australia's borders he was not only briefed on this, but the advice that was provided to us by Home Affairs had been declassified. And so he was well aware that if the Labor Party voted to weaken Australia's borders, as they did this past week in the Parliament, then we would have to reopen the Christmas Island detention centre. That will cost us, in the next couple of years, we estimate, half a billion dollars and $1.4 billion over the next four years.
Now, I can't describe to you the fury that is within me that I have to now go spend money on opening a centre that I didn't need to open a week ago, when the farmers and communities of North Queensland are crying out for our support. Now, if you want to know how much the Labor Party cares about what’s going on in North Queensland, look what they did in the Parliament this week, forcing us to reopen the Christmas Island detention centre because they voted to weaken our borders. I have not seen such an act of reckless disregard for the advice that was received by the Government, by Bill Shorten. He knew what the recommendations were. He knew what the advice from our security agencies were, and he disregarded it and pressed ahead anyway. It was an act of weakness that I have seen from few people in our Parliament. Very few, and certainly not many leaders. And he counted himself not a leader this past week because he simply doesn't have the ticker, the mettle, to hold to the strong border protection arrangements that we have. Look, we saw it today. I mean, the Fairfax - even the Fairfax press - reported this today. The people smugglers know they won't get through me and Peter Dutton, they know our resolve. They won't try it on with us. Because they know what they'll meet. But they certainly know they're going to have a crack at Bill Shorten if he ever becomes Prime Minister and they are preparing to do that as we speak. Now, that's not me saying it. That's them saying it. That's people smugglers going all the way back up the chain to Pakistan. We have got other people who are ready to put boats again out of Indonesia talking openly about it. They know my resolve. They know my Government's resolve. But they know that Bill Shorten is weak as when it comes to border protection and you don't have to take my word for it. Look at how he voted in the Parliament this week.
JOURNALIST: Could the Government's actions in Parliament last week, including the extended Question Time, could that feed into the public’s perception of the dysfunctional Canberra bubble?
PRIME MINISTER: No, it proves the Canberra bubble is exactly that. The Canberra bubble is obsessed with itself and what happens inside the Canberra bubble. You know, the rest of the Australians are interested in having strong borders. That's what I'm focused on. The rest of the country is concerned about what's happening with the future of our agriculture, forestry and resources industries. That's what they care about because that's where their jobs are. That's what I'm focused on. I'm not focused on the Canberra bubble. They can carry on and do all they like over the next week. And they'll claim it means this, that and any other thing. They look like a bunch of juvenile high school debaters the way they're carrying on in the Parliament at the moment. I'm going to focus on what the country needs me to focus on, which are these very important issues of our economic security and our national security. That's what has my absolute focus. I’m not going to get distracted by Bill Shorten's juvenile games in the Parliament.
JOURNALIST: If you're worried about extra boats and more boats coming, won't your turn back the boats policy sort that out before they arrive?
PRIME MINISTER: Well what I can tell you is this. We have increased the strength, resource and capability again of Operation Sovereign Borders following the decision of the Parliament earlier this week. We have already done that. We have also, as you know, acted on the advice of the Department of Home Affairs to commence reopening the Christmas Island detention centre. So that's what we're doing to deal with that decision. So any boat that does try to come here you can thank Bill Shorten for that.
If we're able to ensure that they don't get here you can thank this Government for that, because people know our resolve on this. They know where we stand. I drew a very clear red line. I didn't care if we lost the vote. Bill Shorten was more interested in winning a vote in the Canberra bubble than he was in telling the rest of Australia that he would stand up for border security. That's the key. That's the key. He's more interested in the politics of the Canberra bubble than he is in the national security of this country, and I do not say that lightly. But this is a bloke who wants to chair the National Security Committee of Cabinet, and if he could be blown over that easily, that quickly, against the clear advice of his own security agencies that if he were Prime Minister he would sit around that table with him. Now I know this. I have served on the National Security Committee of Cabinet for pretty much the last five years so I know what gets discussed there and I know what is required of the person who chairs that committee. You can't trust Bill Shorten to do that.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, sorry I have got a question from our Brisbane office.
PRIME MINISTER: Sure.
JOURNALIST: There are calls for Canberra to appoint a minister for loneliness to address what's called an emerging public health crisis. Is this a proposal you'd seriously consider?
PRIME MINISTER: Well what we need to continue to do is ensure we get the resources that are needed to support mental health across the country. Just late last year, we put an extra $52 million, I think it was, into headspace, particularly to support young people who are facing mental health challenges and a key part of that funding was to deliver assistance into remote and regional areas. But particularly remote areas through telly presence-type support you can do with mental health. It's another key area that we have been focused on with the drought and now with the floods. I put $3 million extra into support specifically in Queensland last week to support additional mental health services to support those regions suffering from national disaster. So our Government will always place a very, very high priority on the mental health of Australians, and particularly when they're confronting nature's worst or economic challenges. That can hit any part of the country at any time. I'm pleased that today I'm in Tasmania on a very positive note to announce what we're announcing here but it was only a week or two ago, a couple of weeks ago, I was here with the Premier and with Richard down the Huon Valley where we were dealing with something very different and very serious. So these issues have a very high priority for me. We have a Minister for Health in Greg Hunt who is absolutely focused on the very issue you're talking about.
I'll tell you another thing we did this week. We had the first meeting of the Small Business Mental Health Advisory Council, an advisory committee that we brought through together as part of our small business package because we understand that small businesses face a lot of challenges. Yes, we have reduced their taxes, yes we’re increasing their access to finance and yes we're absolutely ensuring they're getting paid more quickly, not just by governments at a Commonwealth level, but at a state level and large companies. We have done more for small businesses than any other government in memory. But the other thing they raised with us was the mental health of small business owners. I was at that the meeting during the course of this week, another thing I was doing in the Parliament this week while the Labor Party were playing silly games. We were talking about how we can further support and strengthen the resources and services that are available to small business people who have many serious mental health issues. It comes on because of the stress of running the business. It can come from being sideswiped by any number of events.
So we take mental health incredibly seriously, and I would hope that would always be a bipartisan initiative. That's certainly the way I'll always approach it. But with that it's been good to be here with you Gavin and everyone else and I want to thank you for the opportunity to come and share this announcement and well done again, Richard. This is a very important day for the forestry industry not just here in Tasmania but right across the country. Thank you very much.
Securing the future of our forestry industry
16 February 2019
Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources
Photo: AAP Image/Sarah Rhodes
The Morrison Government is backing the future of the Tasmanian forestry industry with the roll out of its Regional Forestry Hubs, driving investment and jobs growth for generations to come.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the development of nine initial Regional Forestry Hub sites will provide strategic vision for forest industries in Northern Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
“Today in Tasmania’s north-west forestry belt, we are sowing the seeds for the first of our Regional Forestry Hubs under the $20 million National Forest Industries Plan.
“We want Northern Tasmania’s key forestry industries to be even stronger, and today’s announcement will ensure a brighter and more secure future.
“This plan will protect and grow Northern Tasmania’s vital forestry industry, create more jobs, and open up opportunities to build new and improved roads, rail and port facilities.
“Around 52,000 Australians are directly employed in growing and processing our forest products. Tens of thousands more jobs are indirectly supported by a sector that contributes more than $23 billion to the national economy.”
Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Senator Richard Colbeck said the Regional Forestry Hubs were a commitment in the Morrison Government’s National Forest Industries Plan and will support strategic planning of future needs for the industry in the region.
“Timber is the building material of the 21st century and the Morrison Government is beginning the process of creating the initial Regional Forestry Hubs to meet future demand for forest products,” Minister Colbeck said.
“Four trials of nine initial pilot Hubs will be created, and the Government will work with industry, State Governments and Local Governments to deliver maximum benefit from them.
“Our Government has committed $12.5 million to the Regional Forestry Hubs and research and development elements of the National Forest Industries Plan to further grow Australia’s forest industries and set the industry up for the future.
“This Plan ambitiously aims to deliver a billion new trees to meet a projected quadrupling of global demand for timber products by 2050, planting the right trees, at the right scale in the right places.
“The end result will be better returns to business, more investment, more jobs and greater economic prosperity for Australia.”
Through the development of Regional Forestry Hubs and the implementation of the broader set of actions in the Plan, the Government is supporting forest industries as part of our commitment to deliver 1.25 million new jobs over the next five years.
Most of those trees will be in key areas that have clear competitive advantages for forestry, such as access to processing plants, transport routes and a skilled forestry workforce.
The State of the Forests Report released today shows clearly the need to plant more trees to create Australian jobs and increase our access to this truly renewable resource.
Planting a billion trees will also contribute to the removal of 18 million tonnes of greenhouse gas from the atmosphere per year by 2030.
Locations of the pilot Regional Forestry Hubs are:
South West - Western Australia
Green Triangle – South Australia and Victoria
North/North West - Tasmania
North East - New South Wales
Locations of Regional Forestry Hubs that will follow the pilot hubs:
Gippsland – Victoria
South West Slopes - New South Wales
Central West - New South Wales
South East – Queensland
North – Queensland.
Doorstop, Julia Creek, QLD
15 February 2019
BELINDA MURPHY, MCKINLAY SHIRE COUNCIL MAYOR: So firstly welcome, everyone, especially the Prime Minister, to McKinlay Shire and to the Shires of the North West. The support we’ve received from the Prime Minister down over the last ten days, and the State Government, has been phenomenal and we cannot express how much we’re happy to have you out here. As confronting as it is to see on the ground what is going on, we’re really looking forward to the discussions moving forward. We’re very happy with where they’re going at the moment. The Prime Minister has taken time out already to talk to our local businesses. This is beyond the farm gate. This is about the survival of our communities in the North West and I think that’s clearly understood from the top down. We look forward to him meeting with our graziers and continuing today. So, welcome, and also, Deb, thank you very much for coming.
DEB FRECKLINGTON, QUEENSLAND LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION: No worries, Belinda.
PRIME MINISTER: Belinda, thank you very much. John and the other mayors who have been with me here as I came into Cloncurry last night. Those who I spoke to at the Bowl-o last night and then producers this morning, small businesses, Lions Club. Once again, in a scene of a genuine national disaster, we are seeing the real mettle of Australians, we’re seeing the real resolve, the real heart and compassion of Australians, thinking of others first before themselves. This is my number one priority right here, right now. It has been pressing now as the events unfolded here in the space of such a short period of time and I think I’d ask all Australians to be mindful of the level of shock that are in these communities. I know there are people all around the country who are wanting to help and they’re actually even asking, “Why haven’t they got back to us? We’re offering help.” Well, the reason they haven’t is because they’re dealing with a lot here. And there’s a lot going on here now as these communities are getting around each other and they’re working on the immediate response to the disaster that has occurred here.
The disaster that has occurred here is different in all different parts of the regions. It’s affecting small businesses in some towns different to other towns. The producers, the graziers themselves, the nature of their herds and the stock losses is different. The composition is different and right now, the urgent need is to deal with the immediate response, which is why we have provided the Category D assistance to primary producers at $25,000 up to $75,000. We’ve ditched all the paperwork. We’ve provided Category C assistance to those who are eligible for small businesses and we’re looking at the eligibility of that.
We’ve provided them $1 million for each Shire that is affected and we’re looking at extending that, even now as we speak, to those who are affected. Where it’s needed it’s going to happen but the nature of our response is very much being guided by the local mayors here right across North Western Queensland and I want to commend them for their leadership. They have been under an enormous amount of pressure as they have been dealing, in many cases, with the impacts to them and their own families, let alone what’s happening more broadly in their communities, and the leadership they have shown to gather people together, the volunteer effort, to make sure that I, the Premier and others are informed about what the needs are has been excellent. I also want to thank Brigadier Jobson for the amazing work that he’s been doing. And he, like me though, we’re taking our instructions from the local mayors here because they’re the ones who are in constant contact with their community and their graziers and primary producers.
There is a long road ahead here. Of course we need to provide the immediate response and that is occurring as we speak. We then must look to the future and the future requires some key things to be done. First of all, if you look around here, you know, you’ve got to rebuild a lot of this critical infrastructure which is linking all of these towns and linking up their economies. This is very important, we’ll be doing that together with the State Government and the Deputy Prime Minister and with Linda Reynolds – the Assistant Minister for Home Affairs – they’ll be here over the next few days working through some of those issues. But it’s also about restocking, it’s also about the future – the next five and ten years. This will be again one of the most prosperous regions in the country. It is the top of the supply chain in many respects when it comes to our cattle industry and we’re going to rebuild the cattle industry here. That’s my message to the people of North Queensland.
My Government, working together with everyone else, we’re going to rebuild the cattle industry and it’s going to be an area of great opportunity and prosperity into the future but we need to get back to that starting line. We’ve been knocked off our feet here a bit right across the region but we will get back up, we will all get back up together and we’ll get back to that starting line and we will do everything that is necessary to help people do that. There’s issues of debt to deal with. There’s issue of the stock losses. There’s issues of cash flow. We’re aware of all of these things but the other thing we must be keenly aware of is we have to get these plans right. That’s why I’m here. Of course I'm here to provide some comfort and to let people know that the rest of the country that they are here with them as well. But I’m also here to listen about what the recovery and reconstruction plan is and we’re quite advanced in our thinking in these areas and what I’ve been able to do over the last 24 hours, as well as the earlier contact I’ve had with the mayors and the military and others, is to really start fashioning some serious longer term plans.
I’ll have more to say about that when we’ve got it right. But in these situations and in the wake of a natural disaster like this, you don’t rush to failure, you get it right, you listen, you get the facts in, you listen to what all the options are and then you take action on the basis of the decisions you make. That’s what I’ll be doing and, so, I would ask for some immediate patience because I believe, as Belinda and I were discussing – and John and Greg this morning, that’s what they want too. They’ve got to make a lot of decisions locally too. You don’t want to make decisions in the immediate wake of a disaster that you regret in two, three years’ time or even 12 weeks’ time. So, we will get those decisions right, we’ll get them right by working closely together.
But for today, my heart goes out to the people of North Queensland. You know, it’s very upsetting. I mean, you can’t smell what we can smell here today and I’ve got to tell you, it doesn’t smell as bad here as it did where I was earlier today, as I was with families who have been on this land for generations, building up a herd of the finest cattle in the world that are Australian, generations of breeding, and to see that all washed away and lying just in the mud which is turning to dry dirt and the smell is overwhelming. So there’s a lot of healing that has to go on here. We’ve put the additional mental health support into the programs here and I was pleased last night at the Bowl-o to be hearing back from people about how they welcome that. A simple request is that Australians will reach out to you and you will reach out to each other and on the other side, as always, we will be stronger than ever.
JOURNALIST: Do you think the wider Australia understands the scale of this disaster? People that don’t live in this region, they’ve seen pictures but do you think they get a sense of just how big it is?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I don’t and I don’t say that critically. I mean, how can you? You know, I’m a boy from the Sydney suburbs, I’ve been here before actually, it was 30 years ago. I’ve been to Cloncurry more recently so I do know this part of the world maybe a little bit better but they can’t. And what they can’t understand I suppose is that, it’s not just the economic impact of this and the natural impact of this. This is a livelihood, it’s a life, it’s a way of life and we’ve got to make sure that doesn’t get washed out to sea as well and it won’t because none of the people I've spoken to today who can still put a smile on their face and tell you a good yarn, they’re going to stay and they want to stay but they’re saying, “Can you help us stay?” And my answer to them is, “Yes, I will.”
JOURNALIST: In terms of the losses, it is a significant chunk of the beef industry. Do you anticipate that will have a national effect?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course it will. Just like the droughts have. The drought has had a significant impact and I’ve got to say, in preparing our reconstruction plans, a lot of the lessons that we’ve worked on and learnt through what Major General Stephen Day’s been doing as the Drought Coordinator, we can apply here. I mean, frankly, some of the water infrastructure, on-farm infrastructure, write-off programs and things like that will actually come in very handy here. I mean, you can’t just go and put a whole bunch of new stock on these properties tomorrow morning. Fences have to be fixed, turkey’s nest, all this sort of stuff. This all has to be fixed. There’s a lot of work that has to go on to these farms now and so that’s a key part of the plan. And then there’s the restocking. But as I’ve said, the property I was out at today, they just can’t go and just buy the same stock they had before. They built those stocks up over generations and they have to breed that stock back up and that will take many years.
Now, they’ll have other options in the meantime to run a sort of a cash operation to do that but to rebuild that, that won’t happen overnight. But there are others who have different operations and there will be an opportunity. There’s opportunities for adjustment, there’ll be opportunities where there are more drought-affected areas and where some of that stock might be able to come here. So we’ll see. But they’re the plans and the details we’ll have to work on. I also want to thank those who have been carting fodder up here, the fodder drops that have been done over the last week or so. And are now extending more into the Gulfow country where it’s going, that will continue but now we’re getting to the point where we’re over that immediate demand and I’ve got to say to the ADF, who were rescuing people in the middle of those floods, Lindsay and Sally I know out at Longford had to be rescued off the top of their roof and the only offence they took was that they were described as an older couple – with a smile on their face so that shows you the sense of humour that’s still here.
JOURNALIST: PM, you said you don’t want to rush it but any idea of a timeframe on when we might have…?
PRIME MINISTER: I’m not talking months, I’m not necessarily talking days but I’m not talking weeks either. This is an important part of my process and it’s important why Linda and Michael will be here tomorrow and working closely, I’ve got to say, with the State Government and retired Major General Smith. Retired Major General Smith who is the State Coordinator working together with Brigadier Jobson, they are dealing predominately with this immediate response and recovery. What I’m talking about is a five, ten year plan to rebuild the cattle industry.
JOURNALIST: What else outside of the cattle industry, how to rebuild these towns, aside from the industry stuff?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you’ve got to keep the money churning in the economy. That’s what we’ve learnt from the drought. One of the things that has been most successful in our drought program was those $1 million we put into all of these councils, you know, a very large investment, $100 million and more and what that means is that the money, whether it’s been doing up the local amenities block or doing some dog-fencing or things like that, that’s kept money moving around the town. As we were just chatting before, Belinda, with the local small-business people, they’ve got cash flow problems at the moment because the people that need to pay them, they’ve been underwater. And so there’s going to be a bit of a cash crunch here, a bit of a cash drought in the next little while. So our small business programs, and I’ll be speaking to Minister Cash about that, the need to be integrate in with what we’re doing with the primary producers as well. That’s why it’s not a simple answer and I know when there are natural disasters, everybody thinks, “You’ve just got to do this and this and you send them the army and it’s all done.” No, no. This is far more complex. It goes to your question. This issue is far more devastating and far more widespread and it requires a much broader and comprehensive response.
JOURNALIST: The Queensland Government has a new report out into the Adani project which looks like it could be killed off because of the small black finch…?
PRIME MINISTER: I’m happy to take that question in a sec, I’m very happy to take that question but if there are other questions on…?
JOURNALIST: Do we have any idea of the scale of the losses at this stage?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I think that’s the short answer. I mean, I’ve been talking to producers today, they don’t know. The best estimates I’m getting from them is saying 50 per cent, the worst is 100 per cent. Estimates of 80 per cent. So, it’s the worst this district has seen. I mean, in the 70s, there was very severe conditions of drought – for floods then, they’ve had droughts here too but what really snapped this more than anything was the combination of the floods and then the winds. I was at a property this morning, the flooding impact was not actually that significant relatively speaking. What killed their herd was the wind and the exposure. So it was the combination of these two events together which really proved just deadly.
JOURNALIST: On Adani, are you concerned that this ABC report on the black finch could be the death nail for the mine? What’s it going to mean?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, I’m always concerned about jobs and I’m always concerned with people playing games about jobs. We support the mining industry. We want to see mining jobs and we want to be able to see projects stand on their two feet and be given a go on the basis of their commercial realities. We don’t think they should get special legs-up or subsidies or anything like this. But I think the people of Queensland are dealing with enough at the moment without having decisions to take away their jobs.
JOURNALIST: Just one more, will the Government accept Brian Burston’s vote in the Senate going forward?
PRIME MINISTER: How he votes is up to him. We’re not negotiating any votes with him. That’s not how it works. We’re not seeking his vote on things. What he does is up to him. What they all do. You know, you could say the same thing about the Greens. I mean, they all wreak their havoc in one way, shape or form from time to time but last night I was pleased to see that we were able to get some very important legislation passed in relation to superannuation.
JOURNALIST: Do you have a view on the suspension of the parliamentary pass of James Ashby?
PRIME MINISTER: No because I’m not the Speaker and I’m not the President of the Senate. I’m happy to leave those matters to those guys.
JOURNALIST: The Government’s been warning about rapists and paedophiles and murderers being among those brought into Australia under the Medivac regime. Isn’t there a risk that this sort of extreme rhetoric could imperil the US deal to take 1,200 refugees?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I actually met with our Ambassador yesterday and the US deal is fine. I mean, we’re just telling the truth about what’s going on with all that. I’ll tell you one thing, you know, I’ve got to tell you, we’re here trying to put a reconstruction plan together for North Queensland. The fact that I have to go and spend half a billion dollars in the next two years and $1.4 billion over the next four years to reopen a detention centre that I don’t need to open, four days ago, the fact that I have to do it now because the Parliament decided to make a stupid decision, makes me pretty angry because I want to invest that money here, not on a detention centre that I now have to open because of people who made a very bad decision. Thanks very much.