Media Releases
Record funding to reduce domestic violence
5 March 2019
Prime Minister, Minister for Women, Minister for Families and Social Services
Combating violence against women and children remains one of the Morrison Government’s top priorities, as part of its plan to keep Australians safe.
The Prime Minister said his Government would deliver the largest ever Commonwealth investment of $328 million for prevention and frontline services through the Fourth Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022.
“Our Government’s first priority is to keep Australians safe. To hear the accounts of survivors, and see the statistics, it’s just not good enough,” the Prime Minister said.
“That’s why we are investing $328 million for the Fourth Action Plan to fund prevention, response and recovery initiatives.
“This is the largest ever Commonwealth contribution to the National Plan.
“To stop violence against women, we need to counter the culture of disrespect towards women.
“A culture of disrespect towards women is a precursor to violence, and anyone who doesn’t see that is kidding themselves.
“That’s why we are investing so heavily in prevention with $68.3 million to stop violence before it begins.
“This is about changing attitudes to violence, and helping those who think violence is an option, to stop.
“We will also develop Australia’s first national prevention strategy to stop domestic and family violence and sexual assault, and continue our work to change the attitudes and beliefs that can lead to violence.”
The National Plan connects the important work being done by all Australian governments, community organisations and individuals so that Australian women and children can live in safe communities.
The National Plan and the Government’s investments are the product of extensive consultations with frontline workers and survivors ahead of the release of the Fourth Action Plan 2019-22 in mid-2019.
Minister for Families and Social Services Paul Fletcher said the Commonwealth would invest $35 million in support and prevention measures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and $78 million to provide safe places for people impacted by domestic and family violence.
“We will act against the different forms abuse can take, including preventing financial abuse and technology-facilitated abuse, and we have included specific measures targeted to address the risks faced by women with intellectual disability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women,” Minister Fletcher said.
The Commonwealth commitment will also fund targeted prevention initiatives to reach culturally and linguistically diverse communities and people with disability.
“Domestic violence is a risk that all women face - but we recognise that specific groups may have particular vulnerability, which is why there are specific targeted measures included in this package.”
“Today’s announcement brings Commonwealth investment in this space since 2013 to over $840 million,” said Mr Fletcher.
The Commonwealth’s commitment also provides $82 million for frontline services, including investments to improve and build on the systems responsible for keeping women and children safe, such as free training for health workers to identify and better support domestic violence victims, and the development of national standards for sexual assault responses.
The Coalition will invest $64 million in 1800RESPECT to support the service, which has rapidly grown in scope as more Australians find the courage to seek help and advice.
Minister for Women Kelly O’Dwyer said all women and children have the right to feel safe, and to feel supported to seek help when they need it.
“The statistics on this issue are shocking – one in six women have experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or former partner since the age of 15. This figure increases to nearly one in four women when violence by boyfriends, girlfriends and dates is included,” Minister O’Dwyer said.
“The safety of women and children is vitally important. Our Government has zero tolerance for violence against women and children.
“Whether it’s at home, in the workplace, in our communities or online, all women and children deserve to be safe.”
Summary of new measures:
$82 million for frontline services
$68 million for prevention strategies
$35 million in support and prevention measures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities funded under the Indigenous Advancement Strategy.
$78 million to provide safe places for people impacted by domestic and family violence.
1800RESPECT will receive $64 million to support the service.
The Coalition has taken strong action already to protect women and children, including:
introducing a minimum standard for domestic violence leave for the very first time;
banning the direct cross-examination of women by their alleged perpetrator during family law proceedings;
extending early release of superannuation on compassionate grounds to victims of family and domestic violence;
expanding Good Shepherd Microfinance’s No Interest Loan Scheme to 45,000 women experiencing family and domestic violence;
providing over 7,046 visas for women and children needing safe refuge through the Women at Risk program;
extending funding for Specialist Domestic Violence Units and Health Justice Partnerships including funding for additional financial support services;
funding support for an additional 31,200 families to resolve family law disputes quickly through mediation;
continuing advertising of the award winning Stop it at the Start campaign;
further funding 1800RESPECT, the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service;
investing an additional $6.7 million in DV alert;
prioritising women and children who are escaping family violence in the $7.8 billion housing and homelessness agreement; and
establishing the eSafety Commissioner in 2017, expanding the scope of the Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner.
About the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children (2010‑2022) (the National Plan)
The National Plan aims to connect the important work being done by all Australian governments, community organisations and individuals to reduce violence so that we can work together to ensure each year, less women experience violence and more women and their children live safely.
The Commonwealth Government is leading the development of the Fourth Action Plan 2019-2022 of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022 (the National Plan) in partnership with state and territory governments.
The Fourth Action Plan is the final action plan of the National Plan and is due for implementation from mid-2019.
For further information on the National Plan, visit https://www.dss.gov.au/women/programs-services/reducing-violence/the-national-plan-to-reduce-violence-against-women-and-their-children-2010-2022.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visitwww.1800RESPECT.org.au.
Doorstop, Penrith NSW
4 March 2019
MELISSA MCINTOSH, LIBERAL CANDIDATE FOR LINDSAY: Hi, I’m Melissa McIntosh, the Liberal candidate for Lindsay. We’re here on the beautiful Nepean River in Penrith at the Nepean Rowing Club. Thank you for joining us on this beautiful Autumn day.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, it’s fantastic to have you here for a special announcement this morning. Our Environment Minister, Melissa Price, was here last week, so it’s an absolute joy to welcome you back to this very important river – it’s the heart of our city. To Marise Payne who is our Senator for Western Sydney, who knows and loves this location so much. And to my colleagues Sarah Richards, who’s a Liberal candidate for Macquarie. Thank you to our rowing team, our elite women’s rowing team who use this river every day and they’re the ones that told us about the weeds on the river. This is a place that we all love – from families, kids in sport, to our elite rowers. We all use and love this place.
I’d like to invite the Prime Minister to make a special announcement about the environment. For us in Western Sydney, it’s all about quality of life. Please, Prime Minister, come and make this announcement.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Melissa and colleagues who we’re here with today. To Australia’s women’s rowing team, great to be here and spare a few moments with you this morning. Before I make that announcement, can I just say to all of those who have been experiencing the terrible bushfires in Victoria, our thoughts are with you. I’ve been receiving regular reports over the weekend and the good news overnight is that things did settle down quite a bit. I was talking to Russell Broadbent this morning, our local member down there, and Jason Wood last night. Things have improved but there will be some real losses that will be discovered over the next couple of days in terms of property and homes and just know, the state and federal governments are working closely together. I want to thank all those firefighters. Out here in Western Sydney, we know about that as well and we know the work that is done by the Rural Fire Service right across this state and right across the country. 850 firefighters fighting what was a very ferocious blaze there down in Victoria. I’m pleased to hear that the news is better today, but for some the news will be very bad as they are able to get back into their properties and understand what the damage has been in some specific cases.
Yesterday was Clean Up Australia Day and we were reminded of the great work of Ian Kiernan who we lost last year, and it was a great reminder of the incredible power of local communities working to protect their local environment. Our local environment, whether it’s here along the Nepean River or down along the Hawkesbury or up in the Blue Mountains or down in the beautiful Sutherland Shire where my electorate is, it is the quality of our local environment that makes it such a special place to live. Whether you’re an elite sportsperson like our women’s Olympic rowers here today or you’re just having a dip in the lake or in the river or wherever you happen to be, the quality of your local environment is incredibly important. And what better custodians are there of our local environment than our local community organisations who are out there volunteering all the time to make sure they keep the special way that it is. And that’s why today when Melissa Price, our Environment Minister came forward with I think an outstanding initiative to back in the local environment group, the local community groups with $22 million - $150,000 for every single electorate around the country – to back in local organisations that are undertaking important works. Whether it’s weeds management, whether it’s looking after coastal dunes, whether it’s cleaning up, or any of the local environment projects that are so important.
Here in Western Sydney here particularly, on the Nepean, there are issues around weeds management around the river which I know can be a great frustration to the rowers here when their blades get caught and that tends to interrupt your flow when you’re out there training for Australia. Whether it’s that or you’re just taking a swim in the river, you want the local environment to be the best it can and the Communities Environment Program that we’re announcing today does just that. It addresses those local issues, the projects are identified by the local communities. It’s our government backing in local communities to look after their environment and they have the right answers, they have the right projects, and it’s for us to back those projects. This is very much a locally driven initiative so Melissa, I want to thank you for bringing that together. I know Members of Parliament all around the country, our candidates all around the country, will have a very quick and early list of projects which they know should be supported for next year and we look forward to backing in those projects next year. I’m going to hand over the Melissa who’s going to talk a bit more about the program and then we’ll here from Sarah and Marise, who’s doing a wonderful job as Foreign Affairs Minister. You try and match her passion for Western Sydney and you’ll come up short. She’s been working here for a long time and is very familiar with what these projects mean to the local community. So, Melissa.
THE HON MELISSA PRICE MP, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: Thanks, PM. It’s wonderful to be back in Lindsay – the second time in the last four days, I think. It’s wonderful to be here. We’ve had a pretty good last seven days with respect to the environment. We’ve announced our $3.5 billion Climate Solutions Package only last Monday. We know that we’ll be able to meet our international obligations – that’s what our plan is all about, so I’m very proud of that plan. Today, we’re talking more about cleaner and greener environments and it is wonderful to be here on the Nepean River. I know it looks beautiful but I know there are also some weed problems and I look forward to working with Melissa to be able to find some funding to ensure that we can actually clean up this river once and for good, to be able to help our elite rowers who are here today. Shout out to the lady from Esperance.
This new program is all about identifying local projects, local MPs working with local groups – whether it’s the local Scouts group, whether it’s the local Girl Guides, whether it’s the local council, whether it’s that not-for-profit which ,more often than not, doesn’t actually get the funding. But they are the local community groups that know what’s needed with their environment. I’m very proud of the program. We have a Stronger Communities Program which is quite similar – it works on infrastructure projects in the community – so our local members will know how this works. I’m encouraging our local Members of Parliament to get out there starting talk about what are those local projects. They will probably know what those projects are, so I’m encouraging those scouts groups and also those smaller, not-for-profit groups to start talking to your local members. It really is a wonderful day for the environment. Thanks very much.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, Melissa. Sarah, tell us a bit about what it means for the Hawkesbury and the mountains.
SARAH RICHARDS, LIBERAL CANDIDATE FOR MACQUARIE: Thank you. I’m Sarah Richards, the Liberal candidate for Macquarie, which is the electorate just next door. It is my pleasure to be here today with the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, and the Environment Minister as well as Melissa McIntosh, our fantastic candidate for Lindsay to make this announcement today.
The river behind us actually flows into my electorate and becomes the Hawkesbury River. Environmental issues are extremely important in my electorate of Macquarie, being the Hawkesbury and the Blue Mountains. So what this announcement does today, it means local community groups who have the local knowledge can get real local environmental solutions on the ground that deliver real results for our community. It’s a privilege to be able to announce this and I know that all the electorates across Australia will be able to benefit from the money that these actual groups can actually apply for and get funding for so we can see benefits in our community. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Sarah. Marise.
SENATOR THE HON MARISE PAYNE, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I always say there’s no better place to start my day than in Penrith where I live. Thank you very much, Prime Minister, for organising that for me this morning. It’s a long way from where I was last week. Wonderful to be here on the banks of the Nepean this morning, with may I say, Prime Minister, two of your female Cabinet members and two fabulous female candidates. They are delivering a very strong message about Scott Morrison’s commitment to ensuring that women in the Liberal Party are heading in exactly the right direction and we are very proud to represent you and be part of your team.
Ladies and gentleman here on the banks of the Nepean, in the shadow of the rowers, and I’m not sure where Greg’s gone – over there – shadow of the rowers, the Nepean Rowing Club over here. This is an iconic part of Australia. When I was a kid, my family used to bring me here for the regatta – the GPS regattas – and you couldn’t move on the banks of the Nepean in those days. For the Sydney 2000 Olympics, we built the Regatta Centre. But it hasn’t changed the importance of the life and the health of the Nepean River. So knowing that we’re going to be able to make a contribution today with the program that Melissa Price has announced is really important. I live just slightly south of here in the Mulgoa Valley in Lindsay. In Lindsay, the Mulgoa Valley Landcare Group, our conservation volunteers, the Cumberland Plain preservation groups are all the sorts of key, grassroots, community-based organisations that I think are going to jump at this program, Melissa. And they are going to be all over the opportunities it presents to preserve our communities across Western Sydney. Whether it’s South Creek or Cabramatta Creek. Whether it’s the Blue Mountains and whether it’s further north in Sarah Richard’s area of Macquarie. The difference that community organisations make is the difference that we can make in Western Sydney. Thank you very much for the opportunity to be here today, Prime Minister. Thank you all for joining us. It’s fantastic to see our elite rowers here. We know how hard you work, we know how important this waterway is to you but most importantly, we know what you do for Australia. We’re immensely proud to be here with you this morning. Thank you very much.
PRIME MINISTER: Let’s take some questions now on this project and program specifically as normal. And Melissa is here to answer questions on those as well. And as usual we’ll move to other topics of the day.
Well, it sounds like we’re moving to other topics. I’m so pleased that we’ve been so comprehensive in spelling out the real benefits of this program and I do mark again the memory of Ian Kiernan and the wonderful job that he did. We had a bit to say obviously about that last year when we lost him, but I think these types of programs wouldn’t have occurred were it not for his leadership and alerting us to the importance of local community grassroots organisations looking after our environment. This is really, I think, a tribute to him.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, can I ask you about the Indonesian Free Trade Agreement?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
JOURNALIST: Do you have any concerns that it won’t pass Parliament?
PRIME MINISTER: I do welcome the fact today that it is being signed today, the Indonesian Free Trade Agreement. The Minister for Trade, Simon Birmingham, is up there in Indonesia to do that. That was always the arrangement that the trade ministers would conclude that arrangement when the President and I first discussed this matter soon after I became Prime Minister, so we are both very pleased to see that now coming to fruition. It is the normal process for it to pass through our respective Parliaments and legislatures. The Liberal Party is voting for it, the National Party is voting for it. The Labor Party has often baulked on these arrangements in the past, so that would be the only risk to it as far as I can see, if the Labor Party were to play politics with it. I see no reason why they would want to choose to do that, that would only harm Australia’s economic interests if they did. But it’s just another in a string of achievements where our government has been expanding the borders of our trade and what that means is local jobs at the end of the day. Whether it’s what we’ve done through the China Free Trade Agreement, Japan, Korea and now Indonesia, the TPP-11. All of these have been leadership initiatives from our government to ensure that small, medium and family size businesses can get access to markets that they never would have got before. It’s been great for all of those businesses and this agreement will be great for them too.
JOURNALIST: Labor has expressed some concerns that clauses though within the agreement would see private companies being able to bring court action against the Australian Government.
PRIME MINISTER: Labor never acts in the interest of the Australian economy. That’s why I keep saying Labor will make our economy weaker, not stronger. And Labor wants to put more than $200 billion worth of higher taxes on the economy. That will make our economy weaker, not stronger. And you know if you make the economy weaker, then you can’t support programs like this I’ve announced today. You can’t support the 2,000 affordable medicines that we’ve been on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. As we know when Labor were last in power, they had to stop listing important, affordable medicines on the PBS because they couldn’t manage the budget. So Labor, they don’t get the economy. They can’t manage money and they don’t have the right instincts for managing our economy and that’s why on agreements like this they do baulk because they just don’t get it when it comes to managing the economy.
JOURNALIST: But their concern is specifically about a clause which would open the Australian Government up…
PRIME MINISTER: No, I think I’ve addressed that. Labor just don’t know how to manage the economy and they don’t know how to manage money and so it never surprises me when they do things that would harm our economy.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, over the weekend it was announced two of your Cabinet Ministers would be resigning.
PRIME MINISTER: They’re retiring at the next election.
JOURNALIST: Retiring. There’s now speculation that Craig Laundy will also be leaving. Have you spoken to him about whether that’s his intention?
PRIME MINISTER: I’ve been in contact with Craig since last August when I became Prime Minister and those matters will be addressed when we’re in a position to do that.
JOURNALIST: Following on from that, Prime Minister, has Kevin Andrews indicated any intention to retire?
PRIME MINISITER: No.
JOURNALIST: You’ve said that seven women will be in Cabinet…
PRIME MINISTER: Seven women are now in the Cabinet. Linda Reynolds was sworn in on Saturday and there are seven women now in Cabinet. That is the highest number of women ever in a Federal Cabinet in Australia. That is something a Liberal-National Government has delivered and it’s something that I would certainly continue should we be successful on the other side of the election.
JOURNALIST: Are you saying then that there would be quotas for Cabinet?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I’m just saying that I have no problem filling seven slots for women in my Cabinet and potentially more because I’ve got so many great women to choose from.
JOURNALIST: You mention that Linda Reynolds was appointed on merit after an extraordinary career, but why’s it taken her so long to rise to Cabinet then?
PRIME MINISITER: She only joined the Parliament in 2013 and she has served I think a very important apprenticeship on the backbench. I promoted her at the first opportunity when I became Prime Minister as Assistant Minister, particularly looking after emergency services. She has done such an outstanding job in that portfolio. You get to test the mettle of people when you put them in a job like that and her mettle was tested absolutely. The comfort and focus that she’s brought to dealing with the disasters, whether it’s been in Tasmania or chatting to one of the rowers down from the Huon Valley or up in North Queensland, and she continues to hold those portfolio responsibilities in Cabinet for emergency management and disaster recovery in North Queensland. Linda Reynolds, I think, has been warmly received as an outstanding appointment and she’s there because she’s the right person for the job.
JOURNALIST: So you don’t agree that the Liberal Party should consider quotas as Alex Hawke said?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I’m saying we’ve got a record number of women in the Cabinet and we’ve got so many outstanding female candidates running at this election. I’m surrounded by Sarah and Melissa here, but there’s been, I think, 19 female members selected as candidates or coming into Senate positions. Wendy Askew is going to join us when we come back to the Parliament in a months’ time. She’s taking David Bushby’s place out at of Tasmanian Senate team. We have women leading three of our tickets in the Senate and here in the New South Wales, in Western Australia and in South Australia. And so I’m positive about the direction we’re taking, we’ve got further distance to go. But my team understand my commitment to this issue. At the end of the day, it’s all about results and I’m known for getting results.
JOURNALIST: Speaking of women, Julie Bishop has claimed she could’ve beaten Bill Shorten if she had been made leader of the Liberal Party. Do you agree with her assessment?
PRIME MINISTER: I thank Julie for her outstanding service to our country, to our Party, and I wish her all the best in her retirement.
JOURNALIST: Is that a no?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I’m just thanking Julie for her position and what she’s done for our Party and I wish her well in her post-politics career.
JOURNALIST: There’s been some commentary around the New Zealand High Commissioner appointment. Why shouldn’t Patricia Forsythe’s appointment be seen as a plum job for a mate?
SENATOR THE HON MARISE PAYNE, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: From time to time, I think governments historically of all political colours have made key appointments in postings around the world. I’ve worked with many of them over time including, of course, Kim Beasley as our excellent ambassador to Washington. If you have a highly qualified, distinguished leader who’s available for an appointment such as this and if the opportunity presents itself, then I think then it’s an appropriate appointment. And certainly, Patricia Forsythe fulfils those standards. I am interested, though, that the Labor Party has decided to take this approach. Apparently, thought it only applies to one side, I know the list they’ve carefully given to the Sydney Morning Herald doesn’t happen to include Craig Knowles, a former Labor Party state minister who was appointed as the Consul-General in Auckland by our government in January last year. They’ve left him off. I know that my good mate Roger Price, the former Labor member for Chifley, succeeded in a spectacular fashion as our Consul-General in Chicago for some years and gave great service to his country following his long, distinguished parliamentary career here in Western Sydney. It is something that occurs from time to time when they opportunity is appropriate and when the person fits the bill. In this case, I think Mrs Forsythe will be an excellent High Commissioner. We’ve recently welcomed Dame Annette King, of course, to Australia as New Zealand’s High Commissioner here. She had distinguished service as a Labor Member of Parliament in New Zealand and so, it is not unusual and if the candidate is as outstanding as Mrs Forsythe, then I think it’s appropriate.
PRIME MINISTER: I’ll just make a comment on that as well. I know Patricia Forsythe well as well and I think she is an outstanding appointment. When Marise recommended her to me, I didn’t hesitate. And you make the right point about Dame Annette King. When you’re having someone represent your government, New Zealand is one of those very close and very important relationships and Annette Kind is very close to Jacinda Ardern. That’s a good thing because you’re dealing with Annette you know that there is a very close connection to the Prime Minister and I think that adds further weight to the nature of the representation that New Zealand is providing here to Australia. We are reciprocating that and I think that will provide I think for an excellent dialogue and engagement with New Zealand. It was something I felt very strongly about and to have another female appointed to a very prestigious post in our diplomatic service, I think, again, just counters the things that are put about… and I’ll also say this – what is it with Labor when they’re going around drawing up hit lists for about who’s about to get jobs? What are they going to do, start going over the gardeners list about who they think is acceptable? I mean, so arrogant have they become, that they are already talking about the people they want to sack when they get into power. That seems to be the only thing that drives them – getting hold of power to wield it. Whether it’s against small and family businesses with their higher taxes or, you know, who’s next with Labor? That’s the thing – they just want to get into power to wield power on behalf of, talking about mates, their union mates, in particular their militant union mates like John Setka. These guys have become very arrogant. I mean, I’m still waiting to know who is going to be their Home Affairs Minister? Who is going to be the Labor Minister, if they’re elected, that is responsible for keeping our borders strong? Who is going to be the Defence Minister because apparently Richard Marles might be the Home Affairs Minister. In my team, you know who the Defence Minister is, you know who the Foreign Minister is, you know who the Treasurer is, you know who the Deputy Prime Minister is. It’s a very clear and stable team. With Labor, we don’t know who is running these important positions and it’s about time Bill Shorten ended the speculation around this. Tell us who’s going to keep the border secure, Bill. Because at the moment, you don’t seem to know and the Australian people don’t know.
JOURNALIST: Can we just talk about foreign affairs really quickly on North Korea? The US and South Korea have both announced they’ll be drawing down their military exercises. What’s your reaction to that?
SENATOR THE HON MARISE PAYNE, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: I think last week’s Summit in Hanoi, which I must say was particularly well hosted by Vietnam – they put a great deal of effort into what was an extremely important meeting – it continues the path in the right direction. These are very complex matters. We know that. They were never going to be resolved overnight and I commend both the President of the United States and Kim Jong-un for the engagement they have had during these sessions. In terms of engagement, there have been long discussions in relation to military exercises and decisions, those decisions were made on a case by case basis. Australia has a good reputation in terms of our participation in those activities over time. But most importantly, I think it’s really very, it’s crucial to recognise the complexity of this issue and the fact it will take time to resolve.
PRIME MINISTER: I’ll only add to that that I welcome the initiatives by President Trump to make progress on this issue. It’s very difficult and his determination to keep pressing forward, there will be frustrations, but I really commend his heartfelt commitment to try and make some progress in this area and, likewise, I commend the Vietnamese Government on their hosting of the program.
We’re going to have to wrap it up in a sec.
JOURNALIST: Just one last question. When Parliament resumes, will you seek to fix the medevac bills or are you committed to spending more than a billion dollars to the reopening of Christmas Island?
PRIME MINISTER: There is no form of the medevac bill which makes our borders stronger. The only thing that I would ever seek to do is repeal it in its entirety and the Australian people will have the opportunity to talk about that at the next election.
Now, we’re going to have to go because something also very exciting is happening today and that is, we are naming the Western Sydney Airport the Western Sydney Lady Nancy-Bird Walton Airport here in Western Sydney. She is Australia’s first aviation pioneer and I think that to have our twin airports here in Sydney, the Western Sydney Airport and the Sydney Airport, one named after our greatest ever male aviation pioneer and our other named after our greatest female aviation pioneer, I think, is a real tribute to this city in terms of what it produced and in terms of our aviation pioneers in this country. But Western Sydney airport, the Nancy-Bird Walton Airport, is going to be an enormous economic boom for Western Sydney. Western Sydney has always taken every opportunity economically that has come their way and this one is an absolute big one. They are embracing it and getting behind it and the jobs that will come – almost 30,000 just in the early phases – this is going to be a tremendous thing for Western Sydney and we look forward to joining Premier Berejiklian out there on the road today. Great to be there with Gladys – she is doing an extraordinary job as New South Wales Premier and we’ll be working very strongly to support her re-election in a few weeks’ time.
Thank you very much.
[ENDS]
Australia and Indonesia sign landmark Trade Agreement
4 March 2019
Prime Minister, Minister for Trade Tourism and Investment
Australia and Indonesia have today signed the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA), starting a new chapter of cooperation and deeper economic management in one of our most important relationships.
Bolstering economic ties between our nations will create new trade opportunities for Australian and Indonesian businesses, boost two-way investment and increase prosperity in both countries.
With a population of 270 million and high levels of economic growth, Indonesia is on track to become one of the world’s largest economies. This makes the strengthening of our ties both strategically and economically important.
This is a great deal for Australia: it means that 99 per cent of Australian goods (by value) will enter Indonesia duty-free or under significantly improved preferential arrangements by 2020.
A stronger economic partnership with Indonesia will provide a major boost for Australian farmers. Under the agreement, producers of grains, live cattle and meat, dairy and horticulture, and many other products will benefit from lower tariffs and improved access to Indonesian markets.
For example, Australian grain growers will be able to export feed grains into Indonesia tariff free, building on our substantial milling wheat exports.
IA-CEPA will also support Australian manufacturing in areas such as steel, copper and plastics. Additionally, Australian service industries including health, mining, telecommunications, tourism and education will have greater access to Indonesia’s growing economy.
The Agreement guarantees that majority Australian-owned businesses can take advantage of the exciting investment opportunities available in Indonesia’s rapidly expanding economy.
This includes providing vocational education to Indonesia’s growing population through work training programs, establishing tourism-related businesses to serve the needs of Indonesia’s burgeoning tourist industry, running private hospitals to provide world-class healthcare, and participating in the construction of Indonesia’s growing list of infrastructure projects.
The mutual benefits from this Agreement are critical. Australia wants not only a stronger Australia but also a stronger Indonesia, knowing that economic growth enhances security and stability. By reducing trade barriers, we can grow both of our economies and by encouraging trade and investment in areas of high potential for Indonesia, we can build greater capacity for its continued successful development.
The signing of this Agreement is another demonstration of the Morrison Government’s commitment to delivering a stronger economy for Australians through open trade and investment. This will guarantee the essential services all Australians rely on.
This Agreement with Indonesia builds on the multitude of trade deals our government has struck, which led Australia registering a record $22.2 billion trade surplus in 2018.
We are committed to fully ratifying IA-CEPA as soon as possible so Australian farmers and businesses can start to reap the benefits of this historic Agreement.
Investing in cleaner and greener communities
4 March 2019
Prime Minister, Minister for the Environment
The Morrison Government will invest more than $22 million to deliver practical environmental projects, giving communities new opportunities to protect and care for their local environment.
The Communities Environment Program will provide up to $150,000 to each Federal electorate in 2019-20 for community-led projects that deliver real environmental benefits.
The program builds on the Coalition’s strong record of investing in grassroots environmental action through initiatives such as our $1 billion National Landcare Program and 20 Million Trees.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Government was backing community organisations to deliver a range of on-ground projects that conserve and protect Australia’s environment.
“We are harnessing local communities and local knowledge to protect our environment,” the Prime Minister said.
“Locals know best and we will support and encourage projects such as revegetating riverbanks and wetlands, removing weeds from parks and reserves or restoring sand dunes on our coasts.
“If it’s backing local community organisations through this program or investing $3.5 billion in a new Climate Solutions Package to reduce emissions and support renewables, we can only do this because of a strong economy.
“Only the Liberal and Nationals Government can protect the environment without raising taxes.”
Minister for the Environment Melissa Price said the new program would protect the environment.
“From Sydney’s iconic waterways, to the beaches of Perth, to Port Phillip Bay and beyond, we will be supporting local groups to deliver clear and measurable benefits to our environment and our communities,” Minister Price said.
“The environment belongs to us all and Australians want to do their bit to protect and enhance the world around them for future generations.”
The program is modelled on the Government’s successful Stronger Communities program. Each electorate can receive funding for up to 20 projects, with grants ranging from $2,500 to $20,000.
The program will fund small-scale projects that deliver outcomes for priorities such as restoring coasts, wetlands, riverbanks and waterways, protecting native animals, reducing waste and litter, and greening local parks and urban areas.
A broad range of organisations will be eligible, including community clubs like Lions Clubs and Rotary Clubs, Indigenous organisations, Landcare groups, schools, and other community and conservation groups.
More information is available: www.environment.gov.au/cep
Nancy-Bird Walton immortalised at Western Sydney Airport
4 March 2019
Prime Minister, Minister for Finance and the Public Service, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Cities Urban Infrastructure and Population
Australia’s biggest aviation project will honour one of the nation’s trailblazing stars of the sky.
The $5.3 billion Western Sydney Airport will officially become Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport – recognising the iconic pilot’s contribution to Australia.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport would transform Sydney.
“Western Sydney airport is a truly visionary project that will transform our city, recognising the economic powerhouse that is Western Sydney, creating 28,000 jobs within five years of opening, while delivering new tourism and trade opportunities in Sydney and Australia,” the Prime Minister said.
“This is an airport for the people of Western Sydney that will enable them to continue to secure their economic future.
“Our Government’s decision to make this airport a reality after generations of delay, is a sign of our commitment to the people of Western Sydney and our determination to get things done. While others talked about it, we took action and made it happen.
“It is fitting that having recognised Charles Kingsford Smith at Sydney Airport that we now recognise Australia’s greatest female aviation pioneer, Nancy-Bird Walton in the naming of Western Sydney Airport.
“Nancy-Bird Walton was an inspiring and natural choice.
“Nancy-Bird Walton is an Australian legend, a pioneer whose determination to take to the sky is an inspiration for generations who have followed. At just 17, Nancy-Bird enrolled at Charles Kingsford-Smith’s flying school at Mascot.
“Nancy-Bird was the first female pilot in Australia, and the Commonwealth, to be licenced to carry passengers and began her career flying nurses to the outback to provide medical services for children and their mothers.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said Nancy-Bird Walton was a champion for female aviators and it was fitting to honour her achievements.
Last Friday, Mr McCormack attended a roundtable meeting of industry leaders as part of an initiative to enhance and encourage greater gender diversity in the aviation industry.
“Nancy-Bird Walton trained female pilots during World War II and in 1950 established the Australian Women’s Pilots’ Association, which she remained president of until 1990,” he said.
“I imagine she would be pleased to know about this new initiative and that women in aviation are being put in the spotlight.”
Minister for Finance and the Public Service, Senator Mathias Cormann, acknowledged Nancy-Bird’s family and their support in naming the airport in her honour.
“With our $5.3 billion investment delivering this airport, we are focused and inspired by her great legacy to deliver an airport that all Australians can be proud of,” Minister Cormann said.
Liberal Senator for Western Sydney and Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said the Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport would be a gateway to the world.
“Naming the airport in honour of Nancy-Bird Walton will help ensure that her valuable contribution to aviation will be remembered for generations to come,” Minister Payne said.
“The airport will be a major employment hub, bringing more jobs and opportunities closer to where western Sydney residents live.”
The Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population Alan Tudge said the airport’s name was an integral next step to welcoming flights into Western Sydney.
“Construction of Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport is on schedule and from 2026 will operate side by side with Sydney (Kingsford-Smith) Airport,” Minister Tudge said.
“This is the beginning of a new era for Western Sydney, with unprecedented jobs and investment in the region – all stemming from the Morrison Government’s $5.3 billion investment in Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport.”
Press Conference, Canberra ACT
2 March 2019
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning everyone, it’s a beautiful morning here in Canberra. Today, I’m pleased to announce that Senator Linda Reynolds will be sworn in as a Cabinet Minister today here in Canberra by the Governor General in a few moments' time. Senator Reynolds has had an extraordinary career. I am sure many of you probably do know that she is a Brigadier in the Army Reserve. She has worked with our most senior people in our defence forces, and so after I received the advice from both Steven Ciobo and Christopher Pyne that they would not be recontesting the next election, and after Steven advised me that in those circumstances, with two ministers in defence portfolios, is that he thought it was the best thing to do to stand aside also from the Ministry to enable me to make an appointment into a defence portfolio but also to flag very clearly that should we be successful at the next election, and my Government is re-elected, that Linda Reynolds also would become the Minister for Defence in my Government if we return to the next election.
So today she is being sworn in as the Minister for Defence Industry. She is also being sworn in as the Minister for Emergency Management, and also the Minister for the North Queensland Recovery. As you know, yesterday in Townsville I made an announcement about our North Queensland Livestock Industry Recovery Authority, which Shane Stone is leading, and that Authority reports directly to me. Linda will continue to work very closely with me on that incredibly important issue for North Queenslanders. Since I elevated her to the executive after becoming Prime Minister, Linda has shown an incredible ability to get things done, and that is what I look for in people who are part of my team, that they can get things done, they know how to get things done. And Linda has demonstrated that outside of this place and inside of this place. And so it wasn't a difficult decision at all to make this decision to elevate her both into Cabinet, but particularly to put her into a defence portfolio.
Now, of course, that elevation comes as a result of two members of the ministry, of the Cabinet, who have decided not to recontest the next election, and Christopher Pyne and Steven Ciobo, I want to thank both of them for their many years of service. I mean, Christopher Pyne has spent more time in this place than he has been on the planet, he has spent more than half of his time, I should say, in this place, then he has been on the planet. Maybe it felt like the whole time, I am not sure. But I want to thank Christopher for his service to our country. 26 years is a very long stint in the Parliament, and as he said this morning, at some point all members have to make those decisions about the future, and today that was announced both in Christopher's case and also in Steven's case, and Steven was first elected back in 2001. He has also served a very long time here in the Parliament and both men have achieved a great deal during their time here, and they have already made mention of all that this morning, and I would only reflect on that, that has been an excellent period of service for both of them, and they have made their decisions going forward.
So what has changed today and what hasn't changed today? What's changed today, of course, is we have two members of the Cabinet who have decided not to recontest the next election. That's true. What has also changed today is we have elevated Senator Reynolds into the Cabinet, which means there will now be seven women in our Cabinet. Already my Government had the equal highest number of women in Cabinet, along with the Rudd government, with six women in Cabinet, and also that was true of the Turnbull government. This now makes our Cabinet the strongest level of female representation in the history of Federation, and that is something that I would intend to continue should we be elected at the election in May.
JOURNALIST: Is that a bit ironic, Prime Minister...
PRIME MINISTER: I haven't finished yet, sorry. Seven women in the Cabinet, I think is a great way to start the week when we go into international Women's Day, amongst many other things, and because we are a Government that has been delivering for women, and to have seven women in the Cabinet is something I think that Liberals and Nationals can feel very proud of in terms of where we have got to today.
I will tell you what hasn't changed today, though. What hasn't changed today is our Government's record for delivering a stronger economy. What hasn't changed today is our Government's plan to deliver a stronger economy into the future. The plans that I have laid out for a stronger economy, for a stronger position on national security, for stronger borders, all of these plans remain in place, and I have the team in place to achieve that. Josh Frydenberg leading as Treasurer, Peter Dutton leading as Home Affairs Minister. Linda Reynolds, who will serve as the Defence Minister if we are reelected. Marise Payne serving as Foreign Affairs Minister. Of course we have outstanding Ministers in Greg Hunt and Dan Tehan leading the way in education and in health. These are the portfolios that drive much of what governments do and there are many others, I acknowledge that.
But you know who our people are, going forward into the election, who will perform those roles. Bill Shorten can't tell you who his Home Affairs Minister will be. We still don't know. Who will be apparently stopping the boats if Bill Shorten is the Prime Minister? And because there is so much confusion about that, we don't even know if Richard Marles will be the Defence Minister if Bill Shorten is elected, because it has been made pretty clear that he is an option for them to serve in Home Affairs. So the irony is this - the contrast, actually, today could not be more clear. Our team is very, very certain in terms of who will take on these key roles in my Government, and they are people who have been performing these roles, in many respects now, for many years. And ultimately, at the end of the day, Australians will make a choice about who they want to lead this country, and they will make a decision between me as Prime Minister and Bill Shorten as the Leader of the Opposition. And that hasn't changed.
We have a plan to make Australia stronger. Bill Shorten's plans will make Australia weaker, and at the end of the day that will be the choice that Australians will make as we go to the election in May. So I’m going to ask Linda to make a few comments and then I am happy to take questions.
SENATOR THE HON LINDA REYNOLDS: Prime Minister, thank you very much and I am incredibly privileged and humbled to have been appointed the Defence Industry Minister today, and also to attain responsibility for Emergency Management and also Queensland Reconstruction. My career, my whole life up until now, I think has prepared me exceptionally well for this role. This role is about, in my mind, two things. It is about ensuring that our 80,000 men and women who serve our country in uniform have the best possible equipment that we can provide them. Secondly, it is about ensuring that we use as much as possible of Australian industry resources in supporting our own men and women. And having not only served in the Australian Army for nearly 30 years but also having worked in defence industry and working with defence industry for many years, I know just how capable our people are, right across this country. And I've got to commend this Government. My role will also be over the next few months to make sure that we keep rolling out the $200 billion that we are investing in upgrading our entire military forces, our Army, our Air Force, our Navy, and also new capabilities in cyber and in space. We are developing to meet the changing and not necessarily more secure geostrategic environment we are facing globally.
So Prime Minister, thank you very much for your confidence in me, and I can say that I will give this job absolutely everything, because I understand how important this role is. And there is no greater responsibility for any Prime Minister or any Minister in the defence portfolio, than the safety and security of all Australians. So Prime Minister, thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, thank you, Linda, I should also say I deeply appreciate the support of Michael McCormack as the Deputy Prime Minister. Obviously in responding to this latest set of decisions of two of the Ministers, I consulted with the Deputy Prime Minister and in the Deputy Prime Minister, you know the team between him and I is a very strong coalition.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, are you at all worried that this mass exodus is damaging your potential campaign in the lead up to the election?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I am not, because... No, I am not, because the election is about what we are going to do and what we have done. You know, the personalities will change from time to time. But it is what you are doing that matters, and what you are going to do that matters. 1.25 million jobs is what my economic plan is going to deliver over the next five years. Stronger national security and stronger borders, based on the National Security plan that I outlined a few weeks ago. That is what we’re going to do and I have the people in place to do that. It is about what needs to be done, and ensuring you have the people who can do it, and my Government can tick both of those boxes. And so there will be a very clear contrast at the next election between a plan for and credentials to deliver a stronger Australia, which is my Government's plan, and the Labor Party and Bill Shorten's plans that will deliver a weaker Australia.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you are about to head to Yarralumla. What do you say to those who say you should call an election while you are there?
PRIME MINISTER: No, because we will be handing down the first surplus Budget in early April. See you know Brett, as Prime Minister there are many things that happen, that come along, some foreseeable and some not. But the real test for people who stand in this position is how they deal with those issues. I don't get distracted by these things. I always just remain absolutely focused on the job I have for the Australian people, and that is to ensure that our country is stronger, that our economy is stronger, that they are safer, and I can bring and continue to bring the country together. So that is what I am focused on. I don't get flapped by things like this. I just keep going. Because I am clear about my plans and I know what we need to achieve, and I got the people to do it.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, it doesn't appear that you have a praetorian guard. Have you been let down here?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I mean don't even understand the point of the question.
JOURNALIST: On the resignations of Minister Pyne and Minister Ciobo, they have been talking to you about it for some time. As you say, Christopher Pyne has been here for 26 years, did you ask either of them to reconsider their decisions to leave politics?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, when both of them came to me - and with Christopher it was only in the course of this past week, earlier in the week, and with Steven it was a couple of weeks ago - but there were things we still had to focus on at that time, and we were working through Parliament and our focus was on that and not on these matters, so I said we would deal with them in turn. In both of the cases, of course if they had wisheda to continue I would have welcomed that. But particularly in Christopher’s case, 26 years as a long time. HG and Roy used to have that great saying, too much is never enough. Well I don't think Christopher Pyne would even agree with that in relation to himself. So look, they have made their decisions, I understand them, I respect them.
But I think what it demonstrates, when I can pull Brigadier off the bench in the Assistant Minister ranks to take on a role in the defence portfolio, and raise the number of women in our Cabinet to seven, the highest number of women ever in an Australian Cabinet, which will be continued under my Government, I think that demonstrates the strength of where our party is out. And when you think when you have people like Doctor Katie Allen, who have joined our ranks in Higgins, seeking election in the seat of Higgins - a paediatrician, a research scientist, a mother. You have Warren Mundine who has joined our team, a vote of confidence in our team, and Warren's leadership in indigenous affairs, but more actually importantly in creating jobs for people in rural and regional Australia, I think these things demonstrate that people want to get on board with our team. And in both of these cases where we will have selections and we will ensure that we will have members who will carry that forward and further bolster the ranks. I mean, Christopher has made that point himself today. It is an opportunity for new people to come into those roles.
I mean, in the last... since I have become Prime Minister, 18 women have been selected in either Senate or House of Representatives seats. 18, and two and the National Party as well, both in the New South Wales Senate and in the seat of Mallee, which I think are very important seats. And you've got three of our Senate tickets at this election, including in Western Australia, all being led by women. So look, I think we've got a very strong story to tell there, and we will continue to move forward in that area.
JOURNALIST: PM, you said that you were going to maintain at least seven women if you are reelected. Has that become almost a de facto quota for you for having... and given that one of those women currently in the Cabinet is Kelly O'Dwyer and she is coming out, are you telling every woman who is standing for the Liberal Party and the National Party at this election that they are a chance of coming into Cabinet?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, everyone is a chance, I suppose, and there will be some vacancies that I will fill if we are successful at the next election, and that is when I intend to fill them. We have ministers who are serving well, and let me particularly be clear about the case in Christopher Pyne'sportfolio. We are dealing with some quite sensitive issues presently in the defence portfolio, and I think for the sake of continuity it is very important that, through the election period that Christopher, based on his involvement in those issues as a member of the National Security Committee, I think it is a very wise and responsible thing for him to continue on and perform that role at this time. I mean, yes, we could have appointed Linda to that role today. But I think the responsible thing to do is exactly what I have done in this case.
SENATOR THE HON LINDA REYNOLDS: And Prime Minister, I might add I think what the message is clearly saying is to every woman in the Liberal Party today and every woman that will get elected is that you don't need to be a quota. If you are good enough, you could get in. I think that is what it is saying, is we have an incredibly talented team of women in the Liberal Party that I am absolutely privileged to serve with. And I have been appointed not because of my agenda but because of my experience, and we have got many other women who equally are capable, and what the Prime Minister has done is demonstrated to them that they too can succeed because they have the talent.
JOURNALIST: Will any other ministers be announcing that they are also stepping down before the next election?
PRIME MINISTER: That is not my understanding… that’s not my understanding.
JOURNALIST: What have you done to make sure of that? Have you asked…?
PRIME MINISTER: I talk to them all the time.
JOURNALIST: You talk about the number of women in your Cabinet, but it is true that there aren't as many women as some would like on the benches of Parliament, the backbench and frontbench. Do you think that the people who are replacing Minister Pyne and Minister Ciobo in the seats of Sturt and Moncrieff should be women?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it is a matter for the selectors to determine, I am not going to prejudge that, and should that be the case I think that would be a positive development. But that will be a matter ultimately for those selectors. But as I said, 18 women selected in these critical seats going into this next election, including Senate positions. I mean, Wendy Askew is about to come into the Senate replacing David Bushby out of Tasmania. We have got Jessica Whelan down there in Lyons, we have Bridget Archer down there in Bass and Jacinta Price up there in Lingiari. I mean, Fiona Kotvojs out there in Eden-Monaro. This is an impressive group of women candidates we have got running at the election. I was down in Tasmania just as you know over the course of this week, I have been a quite a few times over the last several weeks, as I am sure you have noticed. And in each of those Labor seats, I think they are providing a really great alternative to see further Tasmanian representation in the House of Representatives in my Government.
JOURNALIST: The Ministers leaving are relatively young in political terms. Why would people...
PRIME MINISTER: Christopher will be so flattered you have referred to him in that way. He will be overwhelmed.
JOURNALIST: ...and the others such as Kelly O'Dwyer in recent departures. But they are relatively young in political terms, why would people so young be leaving if they thought they could win?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Christopher has been here for 26 years. That is a very long time. I understand he is one of the longest serving, if not the longest serving, South Australian member of the House of Representatives ever. And I am sure Christopher can give you a long list of all the other milestones that he has reached, and he will take that opportunity, no doubt. But Steve Ciobo has been here since 2001, Michael Keenan has been here since 2004. He has one infant child and three other children, it is a long way from Western Australia. It is a tough grind. And you will be very well aware of Kelly O'Dwyer's very personal and very specific circumstances. So I would encourage media, frankly, to see each of these decisions in their own right, because they have been made by individuals, by people. Human beings who have made decisions about their own lives and their own future.
And what I am telling the Australian people, those decisions can be made, but my Government will remain absolutely on track to ensure that we continue to create the jobs which Australians rely on, that we can have the strong funding of essential services that Australians rely on, because it is strong funding. I mean, I talked about Greg Hunt before. 2,000 medicines listed on the PBS, and the highest rate of bulk billing ever. That is the result not just of funding, but strong funding backed up by a stronger economy. So we will remain focused on the job, what needs to be done, and I have got the people to do it. I have already noted that I don't know who Bill Shorten is going to have when it comes to Home Affairs or stopping the boats. I know who will be stopping them on my watch, Peter Dutton and me, and the people smugglers know that, and that is why they are not trying it on with us. But I will tell you what, they will certainly try it on with Bill Shorten, and whoever he has in mind to do that job.
JOURNALIST: Do you have any ongoing links with the ADF through the Reserves or anything and have you had to seek any legal advice whether that might present a conflict?
SENATOR THE HON LINDA REYNOLDS: When I first stood for preselection in 2012-13, I did transfer to the standby Reserve, so there is no constitutional issue, if that is what you are asking, in relation. So yes, I am still technically a member of the Australian Army as an inactive Reserve member, so I retain my rank but I don't serve.
PRIME MINISTER: We are going to have to go, because we have to swear Linda in, so thank you very much.
Doorstop Interview, Townsville QLD
1 March 2019
LNP CANDIDATE FOR HERBERT PHILLIP THOMSON: Thank you for coming today. I would like to welcome everyone standing behind me and in welcoming back the Prime Minister of Australia. He’s been coming to Townsville quite regularly lately. Also, Minister Reynolds. We’ve got George Christensen. Frank Beveridge, the candidate for Kennedy. As well as Frank and Ron, whose businesses we are here today and we’ve been speaking with. The Prime Minister loves Townville. He comes back quite a lot. Comes here when it’s sunny. Comes here when it’s raining. Comes here during a disaster and comes here to make announcements for our recovery. I’d also like to make mention, of another announcement that was in the paper yesterday. The following on, on Stage 2 of the Townsville water pipeline, which is our project plan, being awarded to a local business. It’s an international business, but it’s local here, so local people will be getting employed. And that’s something that we definitely need. You know, we’ve had a one in 2000 year flood, here in Townsville but, you know, we need to be having long-term water security. Because it will only take a very short time, once again, we’ll be in a drought here. So I’d like to thank everyone for being here and welcome the Prime Minister. Thanks.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks. Well Phil, it’s great to be here with you and all those who have joined us here today. There is a number of things I wanted to speak to today. Last time I was here, in this very… this shop, the water would have been over our feet at that time when I was last here in Townsville. And on that same day, with George and Ian McDonald and then Phil, we were in parts of Townsville where families were coming back to their water-logged homes. And we experienced, you know, the shock and the grief that they were going through. And I said that we would continue to stand by them as we moved through the recovery centres and we sat down with the emergency authorities. Linda who’s been back to Townsville many times and based herself up… Linda Reynolds is the Emergency Management Assistant Minister. To ensure we got the right recovery reconstruction plan in place. And that’s what we love doing as a government is to be there when parts of the country absolutely need us. But always looking to see how we can make all parts of the country stronger. On previous occasions when I’ve been to Townsville it’s been about the port upgrade. That was one of the first visits I made here as Prime Minister. And then there was the water plan and the water pipeline, both of which are key parts of Phil’s plan for here in Townsville.
But today it’s about how we’re continuing to support the recovery in the wake of the worst floods we’ve seen here in Townville. And not just here but across the range, right across north and western Queensland. The devastating impact and the speed at which those floods hit here in north Queensland was quite terrifying. And the impact both socially, economically and otherwise, has been quite devastating. And I’ve had the sad opportunity to see it firsthand and speak to many people who have been affected.
There are three stages to your response. The first one is the immediate disaster assistance payments. About $110 million worth of support payments have already been made here in Townsville, and across north-western Queensland. Payments directly to shires and councils to support the work they do. Payments directly to those impacted, and we sped up the process and the eligibility of those payments. In the first week of the flood, almost $40 million had gone out to support people straight away. And I think that was very important to demonstrate (a) we were absolutely serious in turning up for the people of Townsville as they were hit by those floods and elsewhere. Particularly, they got those checks in hand. So they can deal with the things that they had to deal with, to get back up on their feet. And so it’s amazing to stand in this business just a few weeks later and see them trading. And the stories of community support and customer support coming in and helping with the clean-up are just tremendous and, I think, go to the spirit of Townsville and the resilience and the family nature with which Townsville has responded to this crisis. Now those payment are done with the state government. The Queensland Government has stood up through Major General Smith, a coordinator-general for the flood recovery… disaster recovery process. The Commonwealth is working closely, hand-in-glove with the Queensland Government. I spoke again with the Premier again this morning. That process is about rebuilding roads and rebuilding rail lines whether its’s out past Julia Creek or here in Townsville. And there is the established processes for disaster recover that enable that to take place. And Linda has been our… on the ground here… a presence working with the Queensland state government to identify what those priorities are together with Michael McCormack, who has also come through on many occasions to ensure we’re working that through.
Today I’m announcing that we are increasing the Category D assistance, the support we provide to small business. That will increase together with the Queensland government from $25,000 to $50,000, in support for those businesses that have been impacted and had their business impacted by the recent floods. And they are to get in touch with the Queensland government because they manage this payment process. And I know that many of those business have been working through the process of their insurance companies. Because the insurance company payments and these support payments go hand in glove as well. And I know they’re working through that process. Now I’ve got tell you, and George Christensen has brought this to my attention here today. I’ve got to say that the response from the insurance companies has been a bit hot and cold in some cases. You know, I think they’ve been doing a great job. In other cases, frankly a bit iffy. And I want to put them on notice. You better show up. You better do the right thing by the people of Townsville and right across north-western Queensland. And I know there are many cases where that has been done. I’ve been giving them the benefit of the doubt. But I can ensure if they do not turn up, and if they apply blanket policies which seek to exclude people from getting the support they need and to try and get the insurance companies off the hook, I will not hesitate to take whatever actions I have available to me to make sure you do.
The third point relates to how we rebuild the north Queensland livestock industry. The way that this particular event hit north-western Queensland is unlike anything we’ve seen elsewhere in the country. We’ve got farmers going through the most horrific of droughts. Whether it’s in Queensland, where it’s been going for seven years. Or down where I was last weekend in Gippsland, in southern Victoria, where they’ve been for the last 18 months. But droughts happen in slow motion. In droughts, as Ag Force would be able to tell you, you will seek to manage and mitigate the impacts of the drought. You will destock, and there have been some good prices that been out there for stock and that can mitigate your losses. But in north-west Queensland, there were no opportunities for this. What happened in the space of 24 hours was to turn from hope to complete despair. As best as we can determine, half a million head just were washed away and are still dying today of pneumonia. So the ability to really build, what is a central part of Australia’s economy as well as our way of life, will take quite an effort. And it will take quite a long time. So that’s why after I return from north-west Queensland, I pulled together a Ministerial Taskforce. And from that taskforce we have agreed and decided to establish a Recovery Reconstruction Authority which will be headed up by Shane Stone, the former Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, who knows more about northern Australia than I think most people. And knows it from the perspective of what happens on the ground, but also how to get the best out of how governments can respond. Shane bridges those two levels of knowledge and experience. He will report directly to me through his authority working with the Ministerial Taskforce, which will include the Agricultural Minister of course, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Linda, in her capacity of emergency management, the Assistant Treasurer and others, to ensure that the coordinated response we provide in north-west Queensland hits the mark.
So what’s the toolkit I’ll be giving to Shane Stone as he sets about rolling this support out? There are a number of parts to it. The first one is we’ve made announcements today that through the tax office: late payment fees, interest, all of these things, gone… gone. Everything we can do through the tax system to relieve the financial burden on farmers who have been affected by this natural and national disaster, will be waived and that will enable them to not have that immediate anxiety hanging over them, as they seek to deal with this crisis themselves. There’s a relief when it comes to how far management deposits and tax, and I won’t go into the precise details with you, it’s quite technical, but there’s a raft of measures the Assistant Treasurer has been able to put together - with the Treasurer - to enable the tax office to exercise its discretion to ensure that the tax burden that sits on these farmers is relived. And that goes through to very prompt payment where people are expecting bass credits. And so they can get that money out. We know that many of these farmers do have sums in their farm management deposits that they can access to actually help the rebuilding process and we want them to be able to do that without incurring the sorts of tax penalties they might otherwise incur. So that’s immediate relief and that’s on top of the $75,000 Category D assistance, which has been rolling out now for several weeks, for which we removed a lot of the bureaucratic burdens, which go normally through the disaster payments process.
The second part is to work with each and every station, to restructure as they see fit, as they wish to, their existing levels of debt. Now, that can be done through their existing banks and we will enter into arrangements to ensure that those banks will be able to provide and restructure existing loans at lower costs of clients with payment holidays for three years, lower rates of interest, which can help them restructure their debts to get them on a footing which doesn’t mean that that debt is going to hit them with cash flow issues over the next three years, and potentially beyond. But it has to be crafted for each and every station. And that’s what’s so important with the authority, is to ensure they can do that. Now where they don’t wish to do that with the bank or the bank is not providing an offer, which is suitable, then we’ll be able to provide the same assistance through the Regional Investment Corporation and the Australian Government will be in a position to step in through the RIC, to restructure those existing mortgages. I don’t suspect that will be the usual option, it’s there as a back-up option and there’s discussion we’ve had with the banks, then it’s quite likely that they may even be able to better the offer that might be able to be put in place by the RIC.
The second part is about restocking when it comes to debt. We will be providing grants to support the restocking of these stations. And that in turn will enable concessional loans to be provided, secured against the stock. Now, that will be possible through the banks because effectively we’re putting equity into stock as they’re being rebuilt. We will be providing those direct cash grants per head, which will mean that they balance can be borrowed against the stock and not against the property. When I was up in Cloncurry at the bowling club the other week that was one of the key issues that came across from the farmers. As we rebuild our stock, we need to be able to secure the debt against the stock, not against the farmer. There is just too much debt otherwise and it’ll hamper them from rebuilding.
So this is, I’d say, one of the biggest toolkits we’ve ever given anyone. To try and help rebuild what is an essential part of our economy, and in our Australian way of life in north Queensland. When I was stood in the town hall of Julia Creek I said we would deliver a significant package to help them get on their feet but you know it’s all about reconstruction. It’s all about rebuilding. It’s not about compensation. It’s about standing with each and every station. Each and every property. Each and every farmer. And working with their business to see them rebuild what they have lost. Now in speaking with them directly, I know how much they want to do that task but they know they need our help and I’m telling them through this package that help has arrived. And with Shane Stone reporting direct to me you’ll have someone who, through an authority, that will be agile and able to assist you as you form those plans to get back on your feet and they’ll be there with the package of measures that can help you realise your plans.
Now, I know that was a very long introduction, but as you can see there’s a very significant package that I’m announcing today and I believe it will do everything that is required to help north Queensland get back on its feet. But as further feedback comes through that process, knowing Shane as well as I do I believe he won’t hesitate to let me know. So Linda why don’t you talk more generally about emergency assistance…
ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS SENATOR THE HON LINDA REYNOLDS CSC: Thank you very much Prime Minister. First of all I’d say thank you for your very decisive and rapid leadership in this crisis response. Over the past month, I’ve had the privilege of leading the federal government’s emergency response in relation to all of these matters and I’ve seen the absolute best of all Australians in the most horrible of circumstances. And I just wanted to shout out, first of all, to everybody over the last month in this relief phase, who have everything from the ADF members who, despite the fact many of them have lost their own homes, have been out right across Queensland dropping fuel on fodder while leaving their own families to look after their house. From Centrelink staff who have been out and got $100 million into the pockets of people here in Townsville and right across the area. Through to the state agencies and of course the local shire councillors who’ve done an extraordinary job. And this has been... I think it is an unprecedentedly quick response to a disaster here. And my role has been to make sure that all of the Commonwealth agencies work with the state agencies and the local shires to get rid of all of the bureaucratic things that can sometimes hamper quick emergency responses. But now my role is transitioning as well from immediate relief to making sure that as the agency is stood up, under Shane Stone, that the Commonwealth departments work with state and local agencies to make sure we keep getting out the responses required. So we’ve got education responses, mental health and reconstruction tasks that we have to make sure that we keep getting right. So again thank you very much to everybody who has made this terrible disaster just that little bit easier to get through and start to stand up again. So thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, I’m going to ask Shane to just say a few words about how he is standing up the agency. And thanks very much Shane for taking this on…
SHANE STONE AC QC: Thank you Prime Minister…
PRIME MINISTER: You’re no stranger to a big job…
STONE: [laughs] A week ago I was having a quiet life and I thought I’d really done my last media conference a really long time ago. So all I can say is welcome back [laughs]. But as a former head of government I can make this observation. There is often a gap in between saying and doing. People have the very best of intentions and they make commitments and promises. But I just want to say about this Prime Minister, I mean we’re here, we’ve arrived, we’re set-up, we’re out in the field now and it’s happened every quickly, because this PM has not only been able to say, but he’s done. And it’s happened. And you don’t see it too often. And it’s given me the confidence to know that I do have the tools, I do have the authority. I have that direct line of communication, which is so fundamentally and essentially important when you hit log-jams, and you do hit log-jams, to make sure that we can be a part of a very effective reconstruction. It’s not about a hand-out, it’s about a hand-up. It’s about rebuilding the north. And it will take time. And it will be intergenerational in some cases. So Prime Minister, you made it happen.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks…
STONE: And Linda, and all the other ministers who were a part of that special grouping you put together. You didn’t mess around. You sat late into the night, you made the decisions that mattered to people. And we’re up and running. We’re away.
PRIME MINISTER: Fantastic. Now Ag force is here aren’t they?
GEORGIE SOMERSET, AG FORCE QUEENSLAND: Look from Ag Force Queensland’s perspective we thank you for being here Prime Minister. And thank you for this longer term announcement. The last few weeks have been spent just cleaning up the disaster and getting our heads around the size of it for the north-west beef industry and our communities. And this package gives us an opportunity to actually know that, there’s not… we don’t have to have it all sorted tomorrow. We’ve actually got time. And that Shane and the authority are actually going to work with the industry. Property by property, business by business, to work out what is the best solution. And we will endeavour through this process to actually create greater resilience and an even more profitable beef industry in north-west Queensland, because that is what the people out there want. We’re multigenerational farmers, who simply want to keep producing fantastic red meat for the rest of Australia and the world. And we will rebuild those industries through a package like this that can actually get livestock back. Get fences back up, get the livestock back. Keep our small business going and build our communities and bring the next generation forward. Many of our businesses have got three generations there currently and they’re looking for more generations of their families to be raised in north-west Queensland and work in that industry. So, at Ag Force we welcome the opportunity to work with you and to work with you Shane over the coming years, I suspect, to actually bed down what this will look like and how we actually help everyone in north-west Queensland recover.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much. Well the authority has not got a sunset provision, I should stress. It will be there for as long as it needs to be there, to do the job that it has and that job is pretty simple. We are going to rebuild, what was washed away here in north Queensland. Property by property, station by station, farm by farm, business by business, house by house. That’s what we’re committed to doing here and we’re committed to doing it not just now but for the long term. So I want to thank all of those who played a role. I particularly want to thank Minister Littleproud, David Littleproud, for the work he’s done as Ag minister. And Michael McCormack working with us so closely on the Ministerial Taskforce. So let’s take questions on everything we’ve announced today and then as usual, if there are other matters of the day, I’ll address that but I won’t burden others who are with us here, for this purpose, today, with those questions.
JOURNALIST: Mr Morrison, can you compel banks not to foreclose?
PRIME MINISTER: What we can do is ensure that if the banks aren’t prepared to do these things, then we can offer the same deal through the Regional Investment Corporation. But we can also do that as part of the underwriting agreement that we have to ensure that that is the terms by which they take that generic relationship with us. So in short, yes we can, where we’ve entered into an agreement on funding.
JOURNALIST: Can that be extended to farmers that are still in drought?
PRIME MINISTER: What we have to make really clear is that this is a very specific – and Ag Force might want to comment on this because we’ve had this discussion with national farmers – what we’re dealing with in North Western Queensland is quite unique. Quite unique. It’s very different, it was very sudden, and basically everything was washed away in a night. And so the ability to rebuild from that point is quite different. We will continue to work away on what we’re doing on drought assistance throughout the country. We’ve got a $5 billion drought fund which – and I don’t particularly want to make a partisan note on this, which the Labor Party voted against in the Parliament just last week, not to have a drought fund – amazing. But anyway, that’s for them to explain. So we will continue to provide that drought support and assistance in the many ways we’re doing that right around the country. One of the successful has been the work we’ve done with the $1 million per shire and on top of that, the on-farm water infrastructure which has been very important in helping those farmers and those towns actually survive through the drought. So I would say the two issues are quite separate because of the severity and the quite time-specific nature of the natural disaster and the national disaster that took place here.
JOURNALIST: Exactly how much money has been put aside for the reconstruction?
PRIME MINISTER: It’s open-ended. It’s open-ended. Because we still don’t know what the scale of the losses are. Station owners, farmers, still don’t know how much stock they’ve lost. We estimate in the vicinity of about 850 stations we will be able to support, that’s how many have come in. We’re not giving any money to multinationals or the big corporate farmers, they’re not part of this program. They have their own ways of dealing with their holdings and they’ll deal with that. This is the family farms and other ones and stations that have been there for many generations and we’re targeting them. So it isn’t… it is open-ended because it’s a process of rebuilding and what Shane’s Authority will be doing is literally going station by station with their own restocking, rebuilding plans and sitting down with them and the banks will be part of that discussion as well as how that can all be made to happen and the financing tools that will be made available under this package.
JOURNALIST: The Insurance Council has assessed the damage to be in the multi-millions of dollars, are you expecting you’ll be having to outlay that much money?
PRIME MINISTER: Well as I said, I’m not limiting it. Remember, the insurance estimates are based on different compensation responsibilities they have. See, what we’re doing is we’re part of the rebuilding process and insurance assessment is based on losses. What we’re doing is based on the rebuilding task and the rebuilding cost and that rebuilding cost will be the restocking of the country, the fences that are being put in place, the turkey nests that need to be cleaned, all of these sorts of things. And that business plan… I know these station owners will be drawing on their own resources to do that. I mean, some have tens of thousands in farm management deposits which they’ll be able to draw on and that will help them. The million dollars we’ve put into each of the shires has helped ensure that they can dispose of the thousands of carcasses that have been rotting on the ground as well as paying for the fodder drops that were so critical in those first couple of weeks.
JOURNALIST: You mention the interest rates and the loans will be [inaudible] done station by station, is there and amount you can say we can definitely reduce the [inaudible] amount they’re going to need?
PRIME MINISTER: No, it’s too early to say that. It will depend on what the existing financial arrangements are of each of those stations. You can’t take a cookie cutter approach to rebuilding North Queensland. Every station is different. I’ll give you an example. You go out to Gypsie Plains. They are right at the top of the breeding food chain, breeding stock food chain in Australia. It has taken them – Jacqueline, who has been out there with her husband – the last 37 years I think to get the herd to where it was before it was washed away and it dies of pneumonia on outcrops right across their property. And I saw where the carcasses lay. You can’t rebreed that stock in two years, that will take another generation to do that. In other places where they’re running a different type of herd, the turnaround can be a lot quicker. The price of what the sort of stock and cattle they will have to be getting on their property will be different to another. So I think we have to be careful not to assume you can just take a one size fits all approach to this. If you did that, you would do exactly as Shane said, you would rush to failure. And that’s why we’re taking a far more bespoke, customised approach to every single property.
JOURNALIST: As far as small business is concerned, I know that there have been some issues out west with businesses that weren’t physical affected by the flooding but there have been flow-on effects because there’s just no money in those communities. Will there be changes to the criteria for them?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes is the short answer. And that support now goes from $25,000 to $50,000 which is what I’ve announced today and particularly in those areas – and Shane’s Authority is going to help us with this – is working out how we can get rid of some of that red tape and bureaucracy and that was relayed directly to me in Julia Creek. But again, the impact in Julia Creek is different to what it is in Cloncurry it’s a more diverse economy, and then the other towns, whether it’s Huon or Richmond or the other places across the north-west. We’re just looking to be very, very specific to each town and each business.
JOURNALIST: Using stock as equity has been a long-time issue for graziers. Why is it now that we’re able to provide this to them?
PRIME MINISTER: This is the only way they’ll be able to restock. It’s the only way they can do it and that’s based on me sitting down directly with farmers and how they have hoped to achieve… we’re talking about people who have lost anywhere between 30 per cent and 90 per cent of their herd and their mortgages are already at a level where they just can’t go and borrow more money against their own property. If they want to restock – which they want to do desperately – to stay on the land and do what they’ve always done, they will need to secure these loans against their stock.
JOURNALIST: Even with their finance against the herd of cattle, there are still going to be graziers out there who can’t take on more debt. What assistance is available to them and could it be handouts?
PRIME MINISTER: Well there will be grants for stock and so that’s why I say it’s a combined approach. There’ll be grants for stock purchases, combined with concessional loans. And the grants for the stock basically put the equity in the stock which enables the banks to then loan against the stock. So this is… we’ve done our homework on this, we’ve thought through it very carefully. We’ve sat down with the banks themselves and worked out what we need to do, the wholesale funding costs, what we need to do on guarantees, what we need to do on equity to ensure that the whole package when Shane and his team come together and sit down with each station, how it can actually work for them.
JOURNALIST: Because the funding is so specific, in terms of eligibility, it’s for current and new agribusinesses, will there be a time limit on when they can apply for this?
PRIME MINISTER: No. As I said, this could take years. This could take years. And for many farmers, they’re still going through just the shock and the grief stage of what’s occurring in North Western Queensland. Some farmers haven’t even been able to return to their properties. Some have not, when I was there the other week, some have not ventured more than a few hundred metres from the homestead. For some days they couldn’t venture more than a few hundred metres from the homestead. So it’ll be done at their pace, it’ll be done with them and it will be done particularly with the local shire mayors and I really want to thank all of the local shire and council mayors all throughout North Western Queensland. They have done such a fantastic job leading their communities and they have been our touchstone for staying in contact with what was needed on the ground.
JOURNALIST: 850 stations, a personalised response for each of them. That’s a mammoth task.
PRIME MINISTER: It is.
JOURNALIST: Is more manpower going to be hired to do this or what’s the size of this?
PRIME MINISTER: Well Shane is standing up – it’s standing up right now – the Authority and he will get what he needs.
JOURNALIST: How much money are we putting to…
PRIME MINISTER: Well that actually is not the expensive part of this exercise. There are already numbers who have been seconded into this Authority as we speak, that’s already happened. We’ve already stood up and executive officer to work with Shane, they will have a presence here in Townsville and so the real challenge here is not finding the people to help do this, the challenge here is getting the stock and getting it purchased and getting the land in a position where that stock can get out on the pastures.
JOURNALIST: Are we going to be creating local jobs though as part of this Agency?
PRIME MINISTER: If we don’t rebuild the Queensland cattle industry, there won’t be jobs in North Queensland. And that’s why it’s so important and what we’ve done on drought, particularly through the things I mentioned before, all of that is being designed to keep the towns alive. Now some of the work that is done on the recovery side of this, as Linda knows, rebuilding some of those roads and rail links, that’s really important for the mining industry. And you know me, I support the resources industry in Queensland. My Government is very supportive of the mining and resources industry in Queensland. I can’t say the same for the Labor Party. Can’t say the same for Bill Shorten. But you’re working in a resources job in Queensland, you job is safe if I’m the Prime Minister.
JOURNALIST: Just back to the manpower of that agency though, will it be local people that will be running that or will it be positons from Canberra?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh it’s a combination of things. It’ll be a combination of things but what is needed is the expertise and the experience and we’re obviously going to need some good local knowledge as well on the ground. So I’m not going to prejudice that, I’ll leave that up to Shane and his agency to make those calls.
JOURNALIST: Can you touch a bit on the mental health side of this announcement? $2.6 million.
PRIME MINISTER: The most important part of this is the Telehealth element under Medicare. One of the real challenges in delivering mental health services in rural Australia is… you know, these are tough people and they don’t often come forward. And so we need to make sure we can deliver the mental health services in the most agile, flexible, targeted way we possibly can. And that’s why a lot of resources going to the Telehealth side of delivering mental health resources into the community. And that’s proven to be effective in many other places. And that includes, you know, last year I announced money for HeadSpace to do exactly the same thing for young people. All the young people affected by this, people who are working on properties and stations and wondering about their future. But what I’m saying to everybody who is involved in the livestock industry in North Queensland is we are going to rebuild. I want to see it back where it was and I want to see that as soon as we can. It could take five years, it could take ten years. But I tell you what, we are going to get there with the package of measures we’ve announced today.
JOURNALIST: There’s damaging speculation Steve Ciobo and Christopher Pyne might be retiring at the next election. Have you spoken to them since this speculation has arised and can you quash this rumour?
PRIME MINISTER: I speak to them all the time.
JOURNALIST: Have you asked Steve Ciobo to delay his announcement til tomorrow?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I talk to them all the time.
JOURNALIST: There is speculation that he’s going to be filling an overseas posting?
PRIME MINISTER: There’s a lot of speculation going on, isn’t there?
JOURNALIST: Don’t you think this is damaging for you, so close to the election though?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JOURNALIST: Do they just not want to sit in Opposition?
PRIME MINISTER: Well you’re speculating so you wouldn’t expect me to respond to speculation.
JOURNALIST: Is it a reflection though that those inside your own Party don’t think you can win?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JOURNALIST: Can I talk about the Pipeline?
PRIME MINISTER: Sure.
JOURNALIST: There is a window of time where if we build the station pipleline we can have $55 million worth of savings. Is that window closing considering the project planned tender…
PRIME MINISTER: Well we’ve been moving forward on it. George, did you want to make a comment on the pipeline?
GEORGE CHRISTENSEN, MEMBER FOR DAWSON: I could. Look, the announcement that the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister made in regards to the second stage of the Townsville Water Pipeline is one that is the right thing. Obviously, you need to do the project planning to get it right. Not just the expenditure of taxpayers dollars but also the ongoing operational costs which Townsville ratepayers are going to have to wear. And we want to make sure that the pipeline is done in a way that the ongoing operating costs and replacement costs aren’t going to pose too big of a burden on ratepayers. Having said that, the company that has been awarded the tender has a local presence already, it’s very good to see. It’s not going to be just out-of-towners coming in telling Townsville people what to do, it’s going to be a reference panel. The stakeholders, I’m advised by the Deputy Prime Minister today, from the Waterford Townsville Action Group that’ll be part of a stakeholder panel associated with this project as well. But ultimately, they are tasked by the Government with ensuring that if there are cost savings to be made, that they must act quickly to enable those cost savings to be made. So that is a standing order from the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister and it’ll happen.
JOURNALIST: What’s your reaction to news that Benjamin Netanyahu looks likely to be indicted on corruption?
PRIME MINISTER: My reaction would be not to sort of comment on matters that don’t directly relate to Australia’s relationship and we enjoy an outstanding relationship with the nation of Israel. And particularly my Government has demonstrated a support for Israel surpassing all previous governments. And I had the opportunity to speak on that in the Parliament recently and was grateful for the very kind responses I received both from the government of Israel and their Ambassador here in Australia. But also the many thousands of Australians of Jewish descent and Jewish faith. We are a proud and upstanding friend of Israel and always will be. We won’t be walking back from our relationship with Israel and our recognition of Israel. But it would seem the Labor Party is crab walking away from that. OK, thank you.
Interview with Fran Kelly, ABC RN Breakfast
1 March 2019
FRAN KELLY: A new recovery agency will be set up to develop a long-term plan to rebuild the shattered industry, and beef producers will be offered cheaper loans, under a $2 billion plan to subsidise their debt. Scott Morrison is about to fly north to Townsville for this announcement. Before he takes up, he joins us this morning. Prime Minister, welcome back to breakfast.
PRIME MINISTER: Good to be there Fran, good to be here.
KELLY: This is about rebuilding and reconstruction. Despite all this help though, do you think the North Queensland cattle industry will ever be the same?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I believe it will, but it’s going to take a lot of work to get there. And as you rightly said, we’ve got to do this station by station, farm by farm. I was up there a few weeks ago and talked to a lot of farmers and all of their properties are different. The way they raise their herd genetically, what markets they play to. It’s going to require a business plan for each and every, single farm and station and the support we’re providing to them will enable them to realise those plans. So for some, they’ll be able to get up on their feet much sooner. For others it’ll take much longer. And for some, I mean, to rebuild their herds genetically to where they’ve been, that will take a generation. But in all cases, I know that they’ll all be working very hard to rebuild not just the businesses, very successful businesses that they were running in their farms, but the livestock that is so central, I think, to Australia’s identity.
KELLY: You’re doing it through something you’re establishing called the North Queensland Livestock Industry Recovery Agency. Its job is to help rebuild farm infrastructure, restock the herds as you’ve just been saying. Do we have a final price tag for how much this is going to cost, or the government’s prepared to spend?
PRIME MINISTER: No we don’t, because we really still don’t even know the full extent of the losses. I mean, there’s been estimates of half a million stock lost, but I’ve heard higher than that. And you know, the water is still draining. I mean, when I was up there a little while ago stock was still dying from pneumonia…
KELLY: So this comes without a budget allocation yet?
PRIME MINISTER: No, we will do what is necessary. There are three tools particularly when it comes to the livestock industry. The first one is to be able to restructure their existing loans, so we can take some of the immediate pressure off the debt that they have. And some of them are quite extensive. Not all of them. But that will be either done through their bank - and many will want to do it through their bank, because they have so many other relationships that will have an arrangement to ensure that they can get payment holidays, and all of these things for some years - to ensure that they get back on their feet. But when it comes to restocking the herd, there will be two components. There will be grants to support restocking. And there will be loans, which again can be done either by the bank or through the regional investment corporation. Where those loans for those stock can be secured against stock, not against their properties, and this is incredibly important. This is one of the key pieces of feedback I got from the farmers. When we restock, we need to be able to secure the loans against the stock. So we’re helping in two ways, (a) by putting, effectively putting equity into that stock through the grants and that means the banks and the regional investment corporation can loan the balance. And for every property, those restocking programs will be different. And they’ll have their plans for doing that based on their country.
KELLY: Ok, according to your announcement there’s $2 billion there for loans by the government being offered through the banks - that’s how I understand it - at a lower interest rate. How cheap will these loans be? Are you fixing an interest rate and how can you be sure the lower rates will be passed onto the farmers. How do you monitor that?
PRIME MINISTER: Well there’s two things. And look, the overall estimate there is an estimate so whether it’s that much… I mean already we’ve put $110 million out since the floods both in Townsville and across North Queensland…
KELLY: This is different though, through the banks isn’t it? Isn’t it banks are being... you’re essentially under-writing these bank loans.
PRIME MINISTER: That’s basically… it’s a form of guarantee and which will reduce the costs to farms which means all of that cost of funds, will be passed on to each of the farmers in their restructuring of their existing debts and that is the same for the restocking loans as well. But the backstop on all this, is we can do it through the Regional Investment Corporation. So you know … what is effectively the government’s bank.
KELLY: Ok
PRIME MINISTER: And so, if there’s not a better deal coming from the bank, then we can offer that directly through the regional investment corporation.
KELLY: And how good is that deal? What’s the rate?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it’s going to depend on people’s holding. But it’s going to be a hell of a lot lower than they’re paying right now. Basically what the cost of funds is for what the government gets. So at the moment that’s around 2.7-3, but in some cases you can structure the debt so it could be as low as 1 per cent. Depending on how you, you know, work through the programme and this is why the authority is so important Fran. Because this has to be worked out, farm by farm, station by station. So this is why we’re appointing this authority to work with every single station, on their business plan. Because one of the things that was said to me by a very canny farmer up in Julia Creek, in the pub, was we don’t want compensation, we want reconstruction. And so we’re going to partner with them in that reconstruction. Beast by beast, on every property.
KELLY: You’re listening to RN Breakfast, our guest is the Prime Minister Scott Morrison on his way to Townsville to offer this reconstruction package for farmers. On other issues Prime Minister, Queensland floods, which due to unprecedented rainfall takes us to climate. According to the weather bureau our country has just endured its hottest summer on record. We’ve also seen just this week the government’s most up-to-date figures on emissions levels show that carbon output continues to rise…
PRIME MINISTER: Well actually, we’re down on the last one Fran.
KELLY: No, that last… to the year to the…
PRIME MINISTER: On the quarterly result actually went down, look we should point that out.
KELLY: Yeah, but over the year to September 2018, emissions were up 0.9%.
PRIME MINISTER: I’m not disputing that, I’m just saying it actually went down in the last quarter. These numbers do jump around a bit.
KELLY: Ok, but the government keeps telling us emissions are falling. Your own data shows that over the past year, up to September 2018, they didn’t fall, they went up.
PRIME MINISTER: Well emissions fell 1.4% relative to the June quarter. That’s actually what happened. That’s driven by the lowest quarterly emissions from the electricity sector in more than a decade. So these numbers do jump about but our emissions reductions targets are actually based on a rebate are to 2030 and I set that out very clearly on Monday as to how we’re going to meet that commitment. Now, what? It’s been five days now, and the Labour party still hasn’t told us how they’re going to meet their commitment. I mean people can criticise my target. They’re welcome to do that. But I’ve laid out very clearly how I’m going to meet it. Bill Shorten has not done that, he’s talking around a 45% emissions reduction target when it costs people 9000 bucks a year, and he’s not actually telling them how he’s actually going to meet the target. So at least I’m telling people and being transparent and up front about it.
KELLY: Well, your figures show the emissions are going up but let’s put that aside because what has happened this week is you’ve really emerged I think as almost an evangelical supporter of pumped hydro. There’s really been no mention of coal this week. Will all this pumped hydro into the system, will this dispatchable baseload power… we won’t need new coal to provide the same will we?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, look they’re decisions that’ll be made by investors and suppliers, and energy companies and others in terms of how they’re meeting supply to the market. What I’m saying is that is a key part of our emissions abatement. Because remember, let’s be clear, the 2030 target is based on a budget for carbon abatement. So you have to meet a tonnage level of abatement over that period. Now for us that means we’ve got to find 320 million tonnes of abatement and we’re on track to achieve that, certainly on track to hit 2020. In fact, beat it by 367 million tonnes. Now Labour’s plan of 45 per cent would require, on the same accounting basis, three times the amount of abatement by 2030. I’m simply saying, Bill, how are you going to get there? I’ve told the Australian people how I’m going to get there, and he should tell them how they’re going to get there. Because, you know, is he going to borrow foreign carbon credits? We’re not doing that. We’re not buying any foreign carbon credits under our plan.
KELLY: Well you are using 328 million tonnes of Kyoto credits.
PRIME MINISTER: No, they’re Australia’s credits because we achieved them. We actually will over perform on the 2020 targets.
KELLY: Ok
PRIME MINISTER: And when Kyoto was set Fran, it was set on the basis that you could carry over credits.
KELLY: Ok
PRIME MINISTER: Why? Because they wanted to encourage countries to overachieve…
KELLY: But what I’m asking you… what I’m asking you is in the government underwriting process that’s underway. You’ve already named one program today... this week that’s in Tasmania with pumped hydro. Does that mean with all this pumped hydro, the government won’t be needing to underwrite new coal?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I’m not making any statements on that…
KELLY: Well why would we need to with all this pumped hydro.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, they are decisions that’ll be made within the energy market. And what we’re doing outside…
KELLY: Well no this is a government decision I’m talking about, underwriting the government, taxpayer’s money.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we have a process in place for that. We’ve made no announcements on that process Fran, so I’m not going to pre-judge that. The role that the pumped hydro plays… we’ve got record investment already coming in the renewable sector. And if you don’t have the storage capacity, which we are building in both in Snowy 2.0 and the pumped hydro project in Tasmania, you basically have to dump that renewable power. What this does is provide the firming opportunity, through pumped hydro, which means you don’t have to dump that, which means lower electricity prices. So pumped hydro has been a missing piece of our energy puzzle. And if we’re going to meet our obligations to future generations, just like all of those hydro developers back in Tasmania did 50 years ago, and people railed against them at the time and eventually stopped them from doing it. I mean that has turned out to be the thing that actually makes renewables work and make them reliable for the future. So that’s why we’re supporting it, it just makes a lot of sense.
KELLY: You’re listening to breakfast, its fourteen to eight, our guest is the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, also this week the government hailed the departure of the last children off Nauru as a big achievement, which it undoubtedly was. There are still about 1000 adults there on Nauru and Manus Island. US resettlement program won’t cater for all of them. What happens to them? Are they just going to be left indefinitely on Nauru and Manus?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, in both countries where they’ve been found refugees, they’re living in countries that have signed the refugee convention. The refugee convention…
KELLY: So that’s the plan they just stay on Nauru and Manus.
PRIME MINISTER: Well that’s exactly what Labour set out when they announced that they were going there in the first place. That they said they’d never be resettled in Australia. So we…
KELLY: So that is our government… the Australian government’s plan?
PRIME MINISTER: I haven’t changed the policy on that. The Labour party have sought to change it by effectively abolishing offshore processing by what they did in the Parliament. And to provide a loophole to allow people to come to Australia from both of those countries simply for the purpose of the medical assessment, which they can get quite ably on Manus and Nauru, particularly Nauru, where there’s 60 medical professionals… 1 for every 7 people.
KELLY: Well just on that… just on that and you know there’s hundreds doctors who argue with you on that but your Minister Peter Dutton this week has warned that Australians will be kicked off waiting lists for hospitals and public housing by an influx of transferees under that legislation. There’s so far only about 70 refugees and asylum seekers requiring medical evacuation. Even if that number was in the hundreds, given they’re going to Christmas Island, not the mainland. Isn’t this just scaremongering from your Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: If someone needs… this is what currently happens. If someone needs very serious medical attention. They’ve always been getting it, they’ve always been brought to Australia for it and some of them have gone to Port Moresby, some have gone to Taiwan! To receive … to be treated….
KELLY: And 900 have come to Australia and that hasn’t seemed to undermine the border protection policy.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we didn’t change the border policy. What Labour did in the Parliament was change the policy and the setting. And…
KELLY: Isn’t it scaremongering to say this will keep people off the public waiting list?
PRIME MINISTER: No, it’s not Fran. It’s just a simple fact. If we’re going to treat more people in Australia then obviously they’re going to take the place of people who were getting that treatment anyway. It’s just simple math.
KELLY: Prime Minister, thank you very much for joining us.
PRIME MINISTER: Well thanks Fran, one last thing before I go. The other thing we’re announcing in Townsville today, is the small business assistance. So this is for flood-affected small businesses in Townsville. That assistance will go from $25,000 to $50,000 today under the Category D announcement, that the Premier and I have agreed this week. So, one of the reasons I’m going to Townsville is that we’re delivering additional support to Townsville small business that have obviously been devastated by those floods as well.
KELLY: Prime Minister, thank you very much.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks Fran. Bye.
Watertight water security for Townsville
1 March 2019
Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister
Townsville’s water security is now closer to reality with a tender awarded for the Stage 2 Haughton Pipeline Extension Project business case.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the business case was crucial to progressing the project.
“Appointing Jacobs demonstrates the LNP Government’s commitment to securing Townsville’s water supply,” the Prime Minister said.
“The Haughton Pipeline Extension Project is part of the Townsville City Deal, which is a 15-year commitment between the Australian and Queensland governments and Townsville City Council to transform Townville’s economy and city centre.
“The Townsville Water Security Taskforce, established under the Deal, identified the need for this project and the Australian Government has delivered by committing funding towards a comprehensive business case and $195 million towards construction of Stage 2.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the project would secure the Townsville region’s future water security.
“The business case will ensure value for taxpayer’s money and determine the precise scope of the project, which includes construction of a new pipeline from the Haughton Pump Station to the Burdekin River,” Mr McCormack said.
“Continuing the pipeline construction provides Townsville with a backup supply of water by taking water from the Burdekin Water Supply Scheme and topping up the levels in the Ross River Dam during periods of low rainfall. Stage 2 of the extension project will go a long way in ensuring long-term water security for the city.”
“Through backing Queensland water infrastructure projects and strong economic management, we are generating hundreds of local jobs and opportunities for businesses and households. This will strengthen Townsville and support its continued growth.”
Jacobs will work closely with a project steering committee comprising of representatives from all levels of government to deliver the business case.
The Stage 2 Haughton Pipeline Extension Project business case is expected to be finalised as quickly as possible to ensure any potential cost savings can be realised.
Rebuilding North Queensland's livestock industry
1 March 2019
The Morrison Government is guaranteeing help for Queensland farmers, establishing the North Queensland Livestock Industry Recovery Agency.
The Agency will be developing a long term plan to help rebuild the industry, which will include new programs that will provide access to seed funding to rebuild on-farm infrastructure and restock herds.
The Prime Minister recently met with graziers during his tour of Cloncurry and Julia Creek in north-west Queensland. The Agency represents the Government’s commitment to stand by North Queensland and rebuild the livestock industry.
“I met families who had been on the land for generations building their herd. To see them washed away, lying in the dry mud, it’s just heartbreaking,” the Prime Minister said.
“We will help them and North Queensland rebuild, farm by farm, station by station.
“Each farm is different and will need different assistance to rebuild. This is about farmers telling us what they need. They need to be the ones calling the shots.
“Whether it be through restocking grants, concessional loans or mental health support, we are stepping up to the plate and pitching in. That’s what Australians expect us to do.
“This is not about compensation, it’s about rebuilding and reconstruction.”
The Agency will be led by Shane Stone AC QC and report directly to the Prime Minister.
Mr Stone will be supported by an advisory board that will include representatives of the northern cattle industry and local governments.
The Agency will design, coordinate and deliver the long term plan for reconstructing the industry. It will assist in the design of programs to help with seed funding for fixing on-farm infrastructure like fences and water infrastructure and for restocking.
It will provide advice to the Prime Minister on how existing and new Commonwealth policies and programs can best contribute to the reconstruction.
Additional financing measures
The Morrison Government is also changing the mandate of the Regional Investment Corporation to allow it to develop concessional loan products for farmers. This will see farmers refinance existing debt as well as access to loans for restocking (using the stock as collateral).
The Government has written to each of the large Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions (ADIs) who have lent to flood-affected farmers asking them to:
not foreclose or force the sale of farms for three years
defer interest and principal repayments where appropriate for up to three years; and
commit to continue lending for stock and herd replacement, supported by grants from the Commonwealth government and with security over the stock rather than the family home.
The Government is working with individual banks to finalise the details of what each will offer. As part of the arrangements being discussed, the Government has offered ADIs low-cost loans which they would be required to pass on to eligible farmers in lower interest rates. This will help those farmers to stabilise their financial position - and is estimated to be worth up to $2 billion.
This relief would be available for existing and new agribusiness loans to primary producers in flood-affected North Queensland, and would not be available to multinational corporations and/or listed companies. A government agency will administer the loan mechanism and will establish a process for verifying that the lower interest rate has been passed-on to eligible farmers.
The Government acknowledges the steps that banks have already announced to provide assistance to those affected.
The Government is also providing additional assistance for small businesses and not-for-profits, boosting special recovery grants from $25,000 to $50,000. These funds will assist businesses to rebuild, repair and replace stock, plant and equipment.
Immediate assistance is already being rolled out; with well over $110 million delivered to flood affected communities in recent weeks.
The Government also notes the ATO are taking steps to provide assistance to flood-affected taxpayers by:
Deferring the due date of tax payments and lodgements
Remitting interest and penalty charges on tax debts
Fast tracking income tax and GST refunds
Encouraging monthly lodgement of Business Activity Statements where a refund is expected
Allowing affected taxpayers to vary their December quarter tax instalments to nil without penalty
Telehealth
More help for telehealth services will also be available from 1 March 2019. A new time-limited Medicare item will be available from 1 March 2019 to 30 June 2019 to fund General Practitioners to provide care by telehealth (video conference) to people in flood-affected areas in Queensland. Providers and patients in flood-affected areas will gain immediate access to the health rebates for four months.
Summary of measures for flood affected farmers/businesses:
$75,000 grants to farmers in affected areas. Receipts and invoices are no longer required.
$50,000 grants to small businesses in Townsville, Cloncurry, McKinlay, Richmond and Flinders.
$1m each for the local governments in Burdekin, Cloncurry, Douglass, Flinders, Wujal Wujal, Hinchinbook, McKinlay, Richmond, Burke, Winton and Carpentaria.
Seed funding to rebuild on-farm infrastructure and restock herds available through the newly established North Queensland Livestock Industry Recovery Agency.
Changing the mandate of The Regional Investment Corporation to allow it to develop concessional loan products for farmers.
Low-cost loans to banks that would be passed on to eligible farmers to provide them with interest rate relief.
$2.6 million to support the mental health of communities.
Additional telehealth services.
For more information, visit https://pmc.gov.au/nqlra
Chair of the ABC
28 February 2019
Prime Minister, Minister for Communications and the Arts
The Morrison Government will recommend to the Governor-General that Ita Buttrose AO OBE be appointed as the next Chair of the ABC.
Ms Buttrose is an exceptionally qualified candidate with a comprehensive background in the media industry.
As well as being 2013 Australian of the Year, Ms Buttrose is a member of the Australian Media Hall of Fame, founded Cleo Magazine, was Editor of The Australian Women’s Weekly, Editor in-Chief of the Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph and The Sun-Herald and has worked for all the commercial television broadcasters. Ms Buttrose has also served on the board of News Ltd, on the Advisory Board of the Australian Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry and as Director and board members for a range of charities including the National Breast Cancer Centre Advisory Network, The Smith Family and Alzheimer’s Australia.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Ms Buttrose was an outstanding candidate to steer the ABC as Chair.
“Ita is an extraordinary Australian who will bring decades of media and management experience to the ABC. I can think of no-one better to lead the national broadcaster,” the Prime Minister said.
Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield said Ms Buttrose would be only the second woman to Chair the ABC after Dame Leonie Kramer AC DBE in the early 1980s.
“After a difficult period for the ABC, Ita Buttrose is someone Australians know and can trust to Chair the national broadcaster,” Minister Fifield said.
The Government has followed the legislated process for making this appointment, including considering the report of the independent nomination panel and consulting with the Leader of the Opposition.
The Chair position is part-time for 5 years, with remuneration being set by the Remuneration Tribunal.
The Government thanks Dr Kirstin Ferguson for acting in the role of Chair over the past five months. Dr Ferguson will continue on the board as Deputy Chair.
Doorstop - Lake Cethana, Tasmania
27 February 2019
LIBERAL CANDIDATE FOR LYONS JESSICA WHELAN: Hi, I’m Jessica Whelan, the Liberal federal candidate for Lyons. I’m here today with my colleagues Senator Barnett and Minister Price. We’re excited today to have Premier Will Hodgman with us and, once again, Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Welcome.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much. We’re in your state, Will.
THE HON WILL HODGMAN MP, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: I’m thrilled to again be welcoming the Prime Minister and Minister Angus Taylor and Minister Price back to Tasmania and also to be here with our other federal colleagues, especially my Minister for Energy, Guy Barnett, and local member Leonie Hiscutt, and to be really making a very strong announcement, not only about Tasmania’s great competitive strength, that is renewable energy, but also the potential for Tasmania to be the nation’s battery, the renewable energy battery.
I want to also take the opportunity to acknowledge the team from Hydro Tasmania. When I talk about our great competitive strengths, there’s no better example of expertise and passion and commitment for our state and its energy sector than the team from Hydro. They’ve been working very hard on these projects for a number of years, so I want to acknowledge that effort.
Prime Minister, yesterday I know you were in another state. I want to welcome you to what is Australia’s renewable energy state, the hydro state. We are very well positioned to be the nation’s renewable energy battery and by working very closely with the Commonwealth, we are progressing this vision of Tasmania being the nation’s powerhouse. We’ve got what the rest of the world wants in renewable energy. We want to provide that to an unstable national grid to bring prices down and to ensure that Tasmania can capitalise on one of its greatest competitive strengths and that will mean economic benefits for Tasmania. More jobs, more investment, turbo-charging our state like never before. But it has to be done in partnership with the Commonwealth, so we acknowledge this significant investment already by the Morrison Government as being matched by Tasmanian Government investments and that is progressing us on what is an extraordinary vision and an extraordinary opportunity. It’s nation-leading, it’s state-building and we’re delighted to be here today to mark the next important step in this process.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, Will. It’s great to be here with Premier Hodgman in the turnaround state and again I commend the Premier and all of his ministers on the great job they have done in really turning around the Tasmanian economy. I also want to pay my tribute to Hydro Tasmania. This is not my first time to one of these facilities in Tasmania, let alone elsewhere in the country, but I am always completely overwhelmed by the scale of the vision that was put in place to see these assets built in the first place. It is really quite extraordinary. For those watching on at the moment, the road in here is quite windy and to think all those years ago when this was done 50 years ago and these incredible assets were built for future generations, what that speaks to is that what we’re doing here today is also intergenerational in the same way that the decisions were taken by those over 50 years ago and more to see this realised. What the Premier and I are doing here today with ministers is saying this is the next phase of that grand vision. Today, what we’re announcing is $86 million which is being invested in getting us to a final investment decision for MarinusLink, the interconnector between Tasmania and the mainland, and the working up of the Battery of the Nation feasibility program.
Yesterday, I stood at Snowy Hydro and we were able to announce a final investment decision on that project. That’s what this process we’re starting today is going to take us toward and the same way yesterday we followed through on the important feasibility work we did on Snowy 2.0. It is our absolute commitment to follow through on the feasibility work we’re now doing here as part of this Battery of the Nation project, which linked together with the interconnector makes all of this work.
So what does all this mean? So what does all this mean? We’re about sustainable and reliable jobs. That’s going to be generated here by stable and reliable power, which is delivered through the Battery of the Nation project.Some 3,700 jobs will be created in Tasmania and in Victoria as a result of the projects that we’re commencing the process of today. Some $7 billion of economic impact out over the medium term and beyond will be generated as a result of the decisions that we’re taking today to start this program. This is exciting.
The other thing it does is it delivers as part of our sustainable plan to meet our emissions reductions targets and ensures the renewable power revolution that has been going in Australia over recent years is able to be maintained through the firming power support that comes out of projects like this. Projects like this reinforce the investment that has already been made in renewable power across Australia and makes it possible by providing the reliability component which gets prices down and makes sure the lights stay on. We understand the need to address all of these issues, but I’ve got to tell you, and I know Jessica Whelan will be particularly excited about this, it’s the jobs here for Tasmania – the real jobs in these real industries that are created here in Tasmania that make us most excited here in Tasmania. It’s a huge economic dividend and it’s something that our governments have been working together on and will continue to work on into the future so we realise the economic goals. We get the economic harvest, we get the jobs harvest, we get the energy harvest and we get the renewable and the sustainable energy harvest that delivers on our environmental commitments.
This is a win-win project all the way round. I want to thank all of those who have been involved in it and on that note, I’m going to pass now to Angus Taylor, our federal energy minister, and Guy Barnett, the state energy minister, who will talk a bit more about the projects and I’m going to ask Minister Price to talk about what all this means for our credible and sensible plan to reduce our emissions and to meet out 2030 target which I outlined on Monday. I’m going to hand over to Angus.
THE HON ANGUS TAYLOR MP, MINISTER FOR ENERGY: Thank you, Prime Minister. It’s wonderful to be here with Melissa Price, my federal colleague, and of course my state colleagues, on a project that’s had an enormous amount of work to get to this point – more work to get to a final investment decision but after yesterday, I’m very confident that great projects like this can succeed because we are backing great hydro projects. It’s particularly good to be getting around a project like this because you get to go to absolutely beautiful locations, so thank you for having us here today.
We are absolutely focused on driving down electricity prices while we keep the lights on and meet our international emissions obligations. That is exactly what these projects, Marinus and Battery of the Nation, can deliver. We face a real opportunity and challenge in our electricity markets right now. We’re seeing unprecedented investment in solar and wind – absolutely unprecedented. There will be a 250 per cent increase or more in the next three years in the renewable energy from solar and wind coming into our electricity market. 250 per cent increase. That is great for driving down emissions and it’s why in our electricity market we’ll reach our 26 per cent obligations in a few short years in the early 2020s. But it does create a challenge. That challenge is to make sure that when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine, we can still flick the switch and the lights go on – that the wheels of industry keep turning when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine. And that means we’ve got to have backup and storage. That’s exactly what Battery of the National and Marinus can deliver to Australia. We have seen what happens when state governments fail to have that basic insight to see that you need that backup when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow. In Victoria, when 200,000 houses lost their lights only a few short weeks ago, as well as the Portland aluminium smelter having to go offline. We’ve seen the same damage done in South Australia by a South Australian Labor government and we don’t want to see Bill Shorten taking that failed experiment national. What we are going to do is make sure there’s the backup there for those investments and make sure we do have the storage necessary to keep the lights on when we need it. That’s exactly what these projects are doing.
I want to make a short comment about jobs. I grew up in a hydro town. When you have great projects like this, you create jobs and regional jobs that are great jobs. You bring great people into the area. You give jobs to people who are in the area and I think for Tasmania and regional Tasmania and northern Tasmania, this is a fantastic project. I have seen with my own eyes the impact it can have. Great countries and great organisations build from the strengths of their past into a vision for the future. That is exactly what this project is doing. Again, congratulations to the hard work that’s been done to get it to this point.
THE HON GUY BARNETT MP, TASMANIAN MINISTER FOR ENERGY: Thanks very much, Prime Minister. It’s great to have you here in Tasmania and to Angus Taylor, my counterpart, Melissa Price, Premier and colleagues. It’s a very special day and an historic day for Tasmania and the nation. The combination of the MarinusLink with Battery of the Nation and the renewable energy developments that can flow as a result will deliver billions of dollars, thousands of jobs and downward pressure on electricity prices. Of course, in Tasmania, improved energy security. In terms of jobs, it’s in regional and rural Tasmania. We are very proud of that fact and it’s really important. Today the Tasmanian Government is confirming and announcing up to $30 million will be expended on the feasibility of the top three pumped hydro sites in Tasmania. Those locations will be identified in the very near future. That process will take up to 18 months and we want to thank, on behalf of the Tasmania Government, the Australian Government’s commitment, the Morrison Government’s commitment to underwriting that new generation investment in Tasmania. To identify that pumped hydro site, that process will continue. We’ll continue to collaborate and work with the Australian Government and we thank them for their commitment to commit further and work with the Tasmanian Government and, specifically, with Hydro Tasmania.
Here we are at Lake Cethana. It is a fantastic location and it’s one of those possible sites that will be considered and there are many in the Mersey-Forth Valley. This is a great location and I just want to pay tribute, as the Prime Minister did, to our forefathers for the vision that they demonstrated. In this case, 50 years ago, but across the 30 hydro power stations across the state of Tasmania, thank you to those visionaries that put in place those assets that we are now benefitting from. Today’s historic decision, we believe we will have more confidence than ever before that we’ll deliver not just for Tasmania, but for the nation low cost, reliable and clean energy which will provide that energy security that we all need.
THE HON MELISSA PRICE MP, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: Thank you. It’s great to be here with my federal and state colleagues. This has been an excellent week for the environment. Together with the Prime Minister, we announced our $3.5 billion Climate Solutions Package. We’ve committed another $2 billion to our Emissions Reduction Fund and yesterday as part of our trip to have another look at the Snowy Hydro Project, a commitment of $1.4 billion.
We are a government that is committed to ensuring we meet our international emissions obligations. We’re also a government that’s committed to rural and regional jobs. As someone who represents the largest electorate in Australia, Durack, I know what good jobs mean to people in regional areas and so this is a great outcome for the people of Lyons and also more broadly for Tasmania. We know that the emissions reduction we will get from a fabulous project like this is around 25 million tonnes. That will help us meet our international obligations. We’re committed to ensuring that renewables are supported and that we have dispatchable power when we need it. When we turn on the lights, we need to know they’re going to come on. Thanks very much for being here.
PRIME MINISTER: Happy to take questions on this project and then deal with other matters if you would like to move to those as well. Let’s deal with the project first.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, are you biting off more than you can chew by pursuing both this and Snowy 2.0?
PRIME MINISTER: No, not at all. What we’re demonstrating here, and you would have seen yesterday, is that we’re going through a very methodical process. We began the Snowy 2.0 process over two years ago, and that included the Commonwealth actually fully taking out the purchase of Snowy 2.0 and then putting in place a very disciplined feasibility process. As I commented yesterday, it wasn’t just a couple of people roaming around in a ute and pointing at things, they did serious bore drilling and so on to work out what the real cost of that project was going to be. That’s the process we’re now going to go through here on these projects. The MarinusLink project and the Battery of the Nation Project, they have to go together. It is about the Battery of the Nation and Tasmania sending that power across Bass Strait. Currently, we have 400 megawatts which is just sitting idle out of Tasmania which would have been very useful in Victoria recently when they had the lights go out on so many homes. It is a disciplined and a very measured process we’re engaged in. It’ll be several years before we get to the position here that we arrived at yesterday in Snowy 2.0 and so these are projects where we’re looking well ahead and doing what we need to do now to be able to make the right decisions and how we can make them reality.
JOURNALIST: You’re all speaking as if this is definitely going to happen. Are you pre-judging the outcome?
PRIME MINISTER: I’m very confident about the outcome, I’ve got it say. Angus, you might want to speak to this, but as we’ve been through the Snowy 2.0 exercise, I think it has only highlighted, and there are other projects we’ve been involved with to, which is demonstrating that as you’re energy market continues to transition toward renewables, if you don’t have projects like this, then you lose the value of a lot of those renewables. In fact, you’d get a lot of dumping of generated electricity out of the renewable sector which can’t be accommodated in your market. If you want to have a renewables future, you’ve got to have big batteries like this and the commercial element of that is quite compelling and that’s what the numbers so far have shown. Of course, we’ll go through the numbers and only be led by the numbers, ultimately as we were on the Snowy. Mathias Cormann and Angus Taylor really put Snowy through their paces on this, as we will on these projects. But I’ve got to say, it’s looking good.
JOURNALIST: So in that case, how are you going to finance the up to $3 billion cost for the MarinusLink?
PRIME MINISTER: It’d be a commercial project and a commercial project means it can support its finance. That’s how any commercial project works. Angus, did you want to comment on it?
THE HON ANGUS TAYLOR MP, MINISTER FOR ENERGY: As I said earlier, we are seeing absolutely record investments in solar and wind – household solar as well as large scale solar and windfarms. They must be backed up and we must have storage. If we don’t, the lights go off and industry stops. Projects like this aren’t nice to have, they are necessary to have. We must have them. That’s why we see such potential in these projects. We stand ready to finance them. We demonstrated that yesterday. We demonstrated exactly that yesterday. They are good projects commercially, but they need government involvement and that’s why we will play a role if the numbers stack up. But I’ve got to say, given the environment we face, there is every, more than every chance that the numbers will stack up on this project.
JOURNALIST: Just to clarify – this $86 million – that’s new funds?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes. There’s $56 million from the Commonwealth which is going specifically on the Marinus Project and $30 million from the state government specifically on the three projects Guy Barnett outlined.
JOURNALIST: Would we expect to see physical work start on a second interconnector in your next term of government?
PRIME MINISTER: That very much depends on the process we’re now engaged in and the first one is a 600 connector and the potential to go to 1,200 as well. The project will look at both of those. The timetable will be very much a focus of those works and we want to see it happen as soon as possible. It could be as late as 2025 before we saw something there, but it could be earlier. I’m not going to pre-judge that. The point is to get it happening as soon as possible, but to make sure it’s being done on commercial basis. So what does that mean when I say it’s on a commercial basis? It means it can pay for itself. It means it can actually generate the revenues that actually support its financing. Yesterday, we made an equity investment in Snowy 2.0. We could have down that in many different ways. We could have done it by not taking dividends and the dividends could have been reinvested in the company. We chose a different path. Either way, it required that equity investment from the shareholder, which was the Commonwealth, and we’ll be looking at the innovative ways that the battery project and the Marinus project can be established working together with Hydro Tasmania.
JOURNALIST: The current Bass link is unreliable. We still don’t have an explanation for why it’s failed twice in recent years, so could that fail again and we’re left with just one interconnector after you’ve spent $3 billion and we’re back to one?
THE HON GUY BARNETT MP, TASMANIAN MINISTER FOR ENERGY: Thanks very much and I’m happy to respond to that. This plan for MarinusLink will, of course, increase and improve energy security for Tasmania and for Victorians. It’ll be an additional link, a second interconnector – 600 followed by, all being well, a further 600, subject to those studies. That will improve energy security.
JOURNALIST: Minister, should the Victorian Government be pitching in any money for this given that the Tasmanian Government has put some money forward for pumped hydro, should the Victorian Government also be offering funds on their end?
PRIME MINISTER: There are two parts to this project. We’re looking at Marinus. Marinus is what is really helping Victoria. The way this will be worked out is that those who are buying the energy, they will be the ones paying for the energy, at the end of the day. Tasmanians won’t be paying over the odds to see the Marinus Link put in place and for how the electricity will flow between Tasmania and the mainland. The beneficiary of having that reliable power will be in Victoria and the consumers will be the ones who obviously pay the power bills which will be lower, by the way, in terms of what we’re able to produce out of Tasmania. It’s great news for Victorians and it is great news for Tasmanians. In terms of the creating the assets that are here in Tasmania, I mean, that’s where the real value is for Tasmanians. To have these assets and to see them expand and to have Hydro Tasmania be in an even stronger position to return the sort of support they already do to the Tasmanian budget, but I’d say more broadly to the Tasmanian economy. The jobs in all of this is something that makes a lot of sense, so I wasn’t surprised that the Tasmanian Government was so keen to get in behind this project and the Premier has been a champion of this project for a long time – a long, long time.
JOURNALIST: How will the government ensure that Victorians pay more than Tasmanians for project Marinus because the feasibility report says under the current regulations, Tasmanians will bear…
PRIME MINISTER: We’ll take a different approach, but Angus might want to speak to that.
THE HON ANGUS TAYLOR MP, MINISTER FOR ENERGY: There are two ways to build transmission. One is a regulated asset, the other is an unregulated asset and what we believe is that the customers of the service should pay for the service. It’s a simple principle and I think it’s the right principle in this case. The Victorian Government does need to take some responsibility for what it’s doing right now. We’ve seen the failure to take responsibility. The impact that this has had last summer, 200,000 houses losing their lights, we are stepping up. That’s exactly why we’re doing this project. We’re stepping up. But the users of services should pay for a service and that’s the simple principle we’ll apply.
JOURNALIST: Angus, the major renewable company UPC has raised concerns it’s taking a long time to build the second interconnector. Will there be more funding to speed that process up?
THE HON ANGUS TAYLOR MP, MINISTER FOR ENERGY: I think we’ve talked about the funding. We’re providing funding here today to speed the process up, that’s exactly what we’re doing.
PRIME MINISTER: This financial year, by the way. Right now.
THE HON ANGUS TAYLOR MP, MINISTER FOR ENERGY: $56 million dollars from the Federal Government and of course you’ve heard the announcement from the Tasmanian Government, so that’s exactly what we’re doing. We do need to move as quickly as possible because this is an urgent problem that needs to be solved and that’s why we’re here today.
JOURNALIST: UPC is building a wind farm on Robbins Island here in Tasmania. Do you support wind farms?
THE HON ANGUS TAYLOR MP, MINISTER FOR ENERGY: I support affordable, reliable, sustainable electricity and of course that is exactly what we get from Tasmania Hydro and that’s why we are supporting Battery of the Nation and these projects and of course they provide backup to the sorts of projects you’ve just described.
JOURNALIST: Can we have the Prime Minister for other questions now?
PRIME MINISTER: Has everybody covered off what they’d like to on the project?
THE HON WILL HODGMAN MP, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Can I just make a point about wind in Tasmania and UPC. We are very pleased with UPC and the development of Robbins Island. Their plans are very significant. What this MarinusLink will do is unlock renewable energy development with pumped hydro and with wind, and they complement one another beautifully in Tasmania to benefit the nation. And as the Prime Minister and Angus Taylor have made very clear, customers obviously pay but they benefit through low cost, reliable, clean energy from Tasmania being the Battery of the Nation.
JOURNALIST: I have another energy-related question. Tasmania’s renewable energy was at its most valuable during the carbon tax. What is your government doing to make sure Tasmania is rewarded for its renewable energy contribution?
THE HON ANGUS TAYLOR MP, MINISTER FOR ENERGY: That’s why we’re here today. Tasmania has an enormous amount to offer because of the incredible work of past generations as you heard, which can now be a vision for future generations. That’s what we have here in Tasmania. That’s why we’re here and we want to make sure that the good work that has been done will be properly rewarded. It will also benefit the nation in driving down electricity prices and making sure we can keep the lights on. So this is a fantastic opportunity for Tasmania but also great for the rest of Australia and that’s what makes it such a great project.
PRIME MINISTER: Why don’t we go to federal topics and then I’m sure the Premier’s happy to take state topics. I want to thank Hydro Tasmania for being here today and you’re welcome to stay or if you need to do other things, we understand.
JOURNALIST: Should George Pell be stripped of his Order of Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: My first thoughts when I saw this yesterday, read this yesterday, went to all the victims of child sexual abuse in institutions. Last year, I led the national apology to those victims and I know the events of yesterday, I know for a fact that that would have brought all of that back to people – families, people they lost, and my thoughts are really with them, I’ve got to say. I’ve listened to their stories and I know their pain. I know their pain would have… they would have felt it all again yesterday and it would have been a really tough day for them and it’ll be tough again today as these issues continue.
There’s a legal process underway. That will follow. I said yesterday I was appalled and shocked. I think any Australian would be to read of those events, but it shows that no one is above the law in this country. We do have the law in this country and that law requires a process now to be followed, so I don’t intend to engage in that other than to say to all of you out there who have been victims of child sexual abuse, know that we’re thinking of you. Know that there are people around you who love and care for you and want the best for you. The words that I said in that apology, I say them again to you today. You are not alone and we know it happened and we are there with you.
JOURNALIST: He has been found guilty, though. Will you strip him of the Order of Australia medal?
PRIME MINISTER: There is a process that is always followed in these matters, to wait for the legal process to conclude and I understand the matter is under appeal. That precedent has been established in the past and we’ll follow the normal process.
JOURNALIST: So you won’t form an opinion until the appeals process ends. Has the Cabinet decided that Ita Buttrose should be the Chair of the ABC?
PRIME MINISTER: When I’m in a position to make an announcement about the Chair of the ABC, I will do that.
JOURNALIST: When will that be?
PRIME MINISTER: When I do it.
JOURNALIST: How many Lower House seats can you win in Tasmania?
PRIME MINISTER: I’m after five and six in the Senate. That’s the number of places available and our Government I think has a great story to tell here in Tasmania – all about jobs and the strength of the economy. Premier Hodgman has shown to Tasmanians what can be achieved and they’re going out there and achieving it under his leadership. We’re backing him in and his entire team in by having the policies that support a strong economy. Richard Colbeck was there with us just the other week when I was down here talking about forestry hubs up in north-western Tasmania. We get how to support jobs here in Tasmania. Certainly, Premier Hodgman has and you’ve got people coming back to Tasmania. The population is increasing in Tasmania. I think that is one of the greatest votes of confidence you can see in an economic plan that I could tick. We’re pleased to be part of that. That’s what we’re saying to people in Tasmania. Whether it’s here in Lyons or up in Bass or Braddon or anywhere else in the state, what we’re saying is we have a plan to work with the state government to continue to strengthen the economy. The economy you will live in under a Morrison Government and under a Hodgman Government here in Tasmania will be stronger. Will be stronger than what can be offered by the Labor Party under Bill Shorten.
JOURNALIST: What will you do if the states don’t agree to a disability Royal Commission?
PRIME MINISTER: I believe they will and I want to thank Will for his support for that and I want to thank also Dan Andrews for his support – I met with him earlier this week – and Gladys Berejiklian and Steven Marshall. I’ve written to all the premiers and chief ministers. On the disability Royal Commission, we need to understand that the states and territories all do need to be involved – it is absolutely analogous to the royal commission into institutional child sexual abuse and on that occasion, all states and territories issued joint letters patent. This is where the services and the interface is between people with disabilities and to not have those jurisdictions subject to the Royal Commission, I think would impair it overwhelmingly. And so I honestly am seeking to do this in a bipartisan way, but I don’t agree with the Leader of the Opposition that it can be done without the states and territories. It must be done with the states and territories and the states and territories were very forthcoming when Prime Minister Gillard went forward with her excellent proposal for the Royal Commission and I would expect states and territories, as they already are within in days – I mean, Will and I spoke about this on the weekend – they will come on board. That is imperative. I think it will be a Royal Commission of a similar size and standing as what we saw with institutional child sexual abuse. Let’s remember that went for four years. It had five commissioners. The Leader of the Opposition said he could do it for $27 million. I don’t know what sort of Royal Commission he was talking about, but it clearly was not one that he had properly thought through. I’ve applied quite a lot of focus to this and been working with our departments. I’ve met with the Disability Commissioner to talk through how this can be proceeded with and we’re making a lot of progress. We’ll continue to work with the states and territories. I appreciate the bipartisan support for this and we’ll just get on with it.
JOURNALIST: Will we see it started before the election?
PRIME MINISTER: I believe that we can get to a terms of reference and letters patent before then. I believe we can, but it took around two and a half months from memory when Prime Minister Gillard instituted the child sexual abuse Royal Commission. That means we’re going to have to move very quickly, but we’re certainly doing that and I think the cooperation from states and territories to date has been very encouraging and I think there’s a real spirit of let’s just do this properly. But make sure we get the terms of reference right so we can set it up so this thing can be above politics and, hopefully, provide the same sort of release, the same sort of support and opportunity for victims of child sexual abuse can now be afforded to people with disabilities who have been the victims of abuse and misconduct and mistreatment. Sadly, this happens in our country. It’s shameful that it does and I believe we’ll be able to arrive at a process hopefully in that time. I’m certainly working to that end.
JOURNALIST: Stephen Jones is also in Tasmania today.
PRIME MINISTER: Good for him.
JOURNALIST: They’re announcing an election commitment towards fixing local black spots. What’s your government doing to address this issue in Tasmania?
PRIME MINISTER: We just announced the Hobart City Deal just the other day so if he wants to come down and play catch up, that’s fine. But what I do know is every time you hear the Labor Party, whether it’s Bill Shorten or anyone else spending money, remember they’re spending your money and they’re increasing your taxes to spend it. When you hear us announce these projects, whether it’s the one I announced today - $56 million going to this project – or the money we’re investing in congestion busting infrastructure in Hobart or the Bridgewater Bridge or any of these projects, that is being done without increasing your taxes.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, when do you expect the first asylum seekers will be transferred from Manus Island or Nauru to Christmas Island?
PRIME MINISTER: When that is occurring we’ll be in a position to give further advice. At this time, we continue to work very closely on having to deal with what the Labor Party has done to our border protection laws. I note that they feel all gingered up in recent weeks because of the position they took in the Parliament. Our party, our government remains absolutely resolute that that was the wrong thing for the Labor Party to do. We already have 60 medical professionals on Nauru. All of the children, all of the children are off Nauru and those last four will be leaving very, very shortly. The Labor Party wants to think they’ve been vindicated by politics. This actually shows why they’ve always got border protection wrong. They have only ever seen border protection in a political prism. We’ve always seen it as a responsibility of a government to protect our borders, to ensure we meet our national security obligations and responsibilities. We’ll keep doing that. I don’t know what Bill Shorten’s position is on the issue now. He was against Christmas Island, then he was for Christmas Island, then he was against Christmas Island. It’s another day, so he’s probably got another position. What that demonstrates to you is that the Labor Party can’t hold a consistent position on this issue and if you want to issue an invitation to people smugglers, in the event that you’re able to form a government if that’s indeed what the Labor Party are able to do, Bill Shorten’s going about it exactly the right way – exactly the right way to issue an invitation to people smugglers.
Thank you very much.
Tasmania delivering cleaner, cheaper, more reliable electricity
27 February 2019
Prime Minister, Premier of Tasmania, Minister for Energy, Tasmanian Minister for Energy
Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation vision is a step closer to reality with backing from the Morrison and Hodgman Governments to deliver new, reliable energy.
The Hodgman Government, through Hydro Tasmania, has committed up to $30 million to take the first phase of Battery of the Nation to investment stage by 2021, and in addition to the Morrison Government’s commitment to the second interconnector between Tasmania and the mainland, the Commonwealth commits to develop an underwriting mechanism for the project through its Underwriting New Generation Investments program.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that combined with his government’s $56 million investment in the second interconnector between Tasmania and the mainland, Battery of the Nation would help cut power prices and put an end to the sorts of recent blackouts that families and businesses have had to suffer through.
“Battery of the Nation is a vision of that uses technology to harness Tasmania’s natural advantages to tackle the problems in our electricity market,” the Prime Minister said.
“We want to work with the Hodgman Government to deliver Battery of the Nation because it’s technology that generates clean and affordable power that will make Australia’s electricity supply more reliable.
“This project is about helping those families and businesses who have had to cope with devastating blackouts in recent months and years and helping make their power bills cheaper.”
The Tasmanian Government’s investment will support the feasibility assessment of three shortlisted pumped hydro energy storage sites in north-western Tasmania, and advance the first of these sites to final investment decision. The three sites have a combined storage capacity of up to 40GWh – equivalent to more than 300 SA Tesla batteries – and Battery of the Nation could supply up to 2,500MW of new, dispatchable power.
The Battery of the Nation and Marinus Link projects are expected to create up to 3,800 direct and indirect jobs during construction and deliver an economic stimulus of up to $7 billion, predominantly to north-western Tasmania and regional Victoria.
Premier Hodgman said that these nation-building projects represent a massive economic opportunity for Tasmanians.
“Battery of the Nation will create thousands of jobs and deliver billions in investment to Tasmania over the coming decade,” said Premier Hodgman.
“These initiatives will cement our status as the nation’s renewable energy powerhouse.”
Approximately 400MW of available dispatchable generation cannot currently be delivered to the mainland, due to constraints on Basslink, the first Tasmania-Victoria interconnector.
“The Government is committed to securing new, reliable generation,” said Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor.
“Battery of the Nation is a fine example of a project that could deliver more reliable generation, increase competition, and would drive down prices as a result.”
Tasmanian Energy Minister Guy Barnett said investment in affordable, reliable and clean generation will help Tasmania reach and exceed the Tasmanian Government’s target of 100 per cent self-sufficiency in on-island energy generation.
“This means downward pressure on prices and greater energy security for Tasmanians. Mainland Australia will also be able to share in these benefits, being low cost, reliable and clean energy,” said Minister Barnett.
The Morrison Government will also invest $3.2m to establish a Priority Transmission Taskforce to support new models of funding interconnected transmission, that is increasingly needed to keep the lights on and bring prices down for Australian families and businesses.
More information about Battery of the Nation is available at https://hydro.com.au/clean-energy/battery-of-the-nation and the second interconnector Marinus Link at projectmarinus.tasnetworks.com.au/.
Doorstop - Talbingo, NSW
26 February 2019
LIBERAL CANDIDATE FOR EDEN MONARO, DR FIONA KOTVOJS: Good morning everybody. My name is Fiona Kotvojs, I’m the Liberal Candidate for Eden-Monaro and I’m really excited to be here today. This is a fantastic announcement and I’m really pleased to have such a high calibre team here to make our announcement. The original Snowy was critical for our area and our region. It really transformed us, both in terms of who we are as a community and in terms of power for Australia. And I am… excited is an understatement, to be here and to be part of today and the history making that is happening today. So on that note I would really like to introduce the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you. Well thank you Dr Kotvojs. It’s wonderful to be here of course with your colleagues who are well known to you and Paul Broad, the CEO of Snowy Hydro and to be meeting with those who are working here and particularly the Clontarf Boys from Kempsey and Dubbo, it’s great to see you guys. Snowy is a big supporter of the Clontarf Program which you know is something I’ve had involvement with over a long period of time. So it’s good to see how it’s making an impact here as well.
But the impact we’re here to talk about today is a huge investment in Australia’s future. Not just our energy future, not just our climate future - but our economic future. This is a project, when it was first undertaken, it changed our nation. It changed our nation. And this project which began two years ago when Malcolm Turnbull uncovered the old designs and drawings that… I know that the Energy Minister’s grandfather, Angus Taylor’s grandfather, had a key hand in. And we set about the task of turning that into a reality once again because what we’re talking about here is reliable, renewable energy. We’re talking about a 2000 megawatt capacity which can be provided into the energy market, which not only reduces electricity prices and takes the pressure off electricity prices, but it creates the reliability of electricity supply.
As we transition our energy composition into the future, this project is central to that. And not just this project, as I said yesterday. The hydro, pumped hydro projects in Tasmania, the MarinusLink – which is critical in unlocking that – combined this is an enormous part of the climate solutions package that I outlined yesterday. It isn’t just about emissions reduction. That’s an incredibly important part of the program through the Climate Solutions Fund. But this is about impacting on the future of electricity supply in this country. This will be one of the largest pumped hydro projects in the world. There’s only one in Iceland that’s bigger. There are other projects in other parts of the world. But they’re not as big as this one. This is ground-breaking in every sense. And it’s something that I think all Australians can have a great sense of excitement and pride about.
This is what vision looks like and we’ve been working on this project to get it to this point. We’re investing the $1.4 billion in equity into making this project a reality. That really sets it apart. And I think says very clearly what our Government, since we’re elected first time just over five years ago, has been setting out to achieve. That is to secure our future and this project is critical to Australia securing our future.
I want to commend all of those, Paul, who’ve been working so hard on this. Your vision in this, your participation, the outstanding science and engineering capabilities that are a part of the Snowy Hydro family have enabled us to get to where we are today and to ensure we can now move forward with great confidence about the future of this project. Which would not only transform, as Dr Kotvojs said, this area but will indeed once again transform our nation in the same way that the original project did.
So I’m very excited to be here to make that announcement. I acknowledge the work that was done by Prime Minister Turnbull in kicking this project off. As his Treasurer, I worked closely together with him on this project as the now Treasurer, John Frydenberg, as we bought this project together, the Commonwealth took full ownership of Snowy Hydro. That was in Budget…two Budgets ago. And that ensured that we can now do what we are doing here and now. So very excited to be here. I’m going to ask Mathias to talk about the process we’ve been through to make the commercial decision. Because this is a commercial decision. This is a commercial business. This is something that stands on its feet. And will into the future as Snowy Hydro always has. Mathias is going to speak to that. Angus will speak to its impact on the broader energy policy of the government. And Melissa will speak to how this plugs in to our broader Climate Solutions Package which I announced yesterday. And then I’ll ask Paul to make some closing remarks.
SENATOR THE HON MATHIAS CORMANN, MINISTER FOR FINANCE AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE:
Thank you very much Prime Minister. This is a very exciting project. It’s a major project, which will help deliver more affordable, more reliable energy supplies to consumers and to business. It is a project which will help underpin more environmentally efficient energy supplies for a very, very long time to come. Importantly, it is a project that financially stacks up. We always said that we wanted to ensure, before pressing the button on this project, that it made commercial and financial sense and it does.
The Commonwealth will be investing just under $1.4 billion in equity to make this project happen. The remaining cost will be covered by the company through internally generated cash flows and debt financing. The project is projected to generate an internal rate of return of over eight per cent and, indeed, the company is expected to continue to pay dividends to the Commonwealth all throughout the construction phase. It’s a project which will see 2,400 Australians participate in direct jobs during the construction phase and it’s a project that will generate a further 5,000 jobs directly and indirectly in the broader region.
So it’s an exciting day. It is a project which started under the leadership of Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister. We have gone through a very thorough process, Angus and I, as shareholder Ministers, reviewing the business case that was put forward by the board, making a recommendation to the Expenditure Review Committee and ultimately to the Cabinet. We are very, very confident that not only is this a project which will help deliver more affordable, more reliable energy supplies, it will also do so in a way that will help underpin environmentally more efficient energy supplies into the future and it will do so in a way that is financially and fiscally sustainable. So a great day for Australia.
THE HON ANGUS TAYLOR MP, MINISTER FOR ENERGY: Thanks Mathias. Well what a great day. Over forty years ago, I stood in this very spot with my grandfather who recently retired as Chief Engineer and Commissioner of the Snowy through the construction phase. It was only a year or two after this power station where we stand had been opened. And he explained to us, to my family, the potential and the impact of pumped hydro. He also explained that there was a great, unrealised opportunity for the Snowy Scheme. And that was to build a tunnel from Tantangara to Talbingo and use it for pump hydro. Well today the Prime Minister has announced we will proceed with that fantastic project, linking the past generation of those who built this fantastic scheme with future generations.
Now, our energy market faces some great challenges and opportunities right now. We need more reliable, dispatchable power in the system and we need more storage. We are seeing absolutely unprecedented investment of variable renewable power into our system. Solar and wind. Unprecedented. And that needs backup and it needs storage. And that’s exactly what Snowy 2.0 will deliver. 2000 megawatts of dispatchable capacity that will be there when we need it. Be there when we need to keep the lights on, to keep industry turning. But it also provides an enormous battery. 175 hours of storage in Tantangara Dam. That means when we go for periods where we don’t have sunshine or wind that’s needed to power our electricity market, Snowy can step in at a scale that it hasn’t been able to in the past. That will put downward pressure on prices and it will keep the lights on. We know modelling that’s been done tells us that we can put downward pressure on prices, up to 10 percent, as a result of this project.
The economics work, Mathias has laid that out. The cost of storage in Snowy is less than a fiftieth of the cost of storage in Lithium batteries. The economics stack up. This is a great day for this region. This is a great day for Snowy Hydro. Most of all, this is a great day for Australia.
THE HON MELISSA PRICE MP, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIROMENT: Thanks Angus. It’s lovely to be here today and I particularly just want to acknowledge all the new employees of Snowy and I can see that the excitement is palpable about what Snowy 2.0 will bring for them and their futures and their families and it is lovely to have met you all today. Yesterday with the PM, we announced our $3.5 climate solutions package. There’s been a lot of talk about the fact its $2 billion with respect to the ERF. But there are many other aspects of that particular package. One of them is this project. This $1.4 billion commitment. And why is it important? It’s important that number one we actually support the growth of renewables and we do need to keep the lights on. We need to have low emission, dispatchable power. And what I know is that when it’s needed, Snowy 2.0 is going to provide dispatchable power for over another half a billion homes. This is a great story for this region. As you can see we’re very excited to be here. This is an excellent story for Australia but in particular for Australia’s environment.
PAUL BROAD, MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CEO OF SNOWY HYDRO LIMITED: Thank you very much. Thank you Prime Minister and thank you Ministers. We very much appreciate the fact that you’ve made time in your busy schedules to come down here with us to celebrate what is a huge milestone from all the Snowy family in that high-vis shirts out amongst you. We are very proud of this day. We stand on the shoulders of Angus’ father who looms large in our family. He was a man who drove change. Who had vision beyond his years. We think the generation that comes after us will share our vision, not just for 2.0 but in the other things we have planned for this wonderful Scheme.
The Scheme is in wonderful shape. This beautiful plant you’re looking at here now today. You can’t imagine just what a great job our forefathers did. We plan to do the same. We plan to stand proud on 2.0 so generations after generations will come and say those guys or those guys and girls from that time did a great job. Thank you all for coming today. Thank you to you Prime Minister. Thank you to my two shareholding Minister’s here. Let me tell you. Anyone thinks there’s an easy touch on this thing, I can tell you now, meeting these two guys, it was bare knuckle brawling. And it was very tough. So it should be when you invest dollars of this nature. You’ll want to be robust. Anyone that suggests anything else has totally got it wrong. So thank you all for coming. Thank you Prime Minister and we’ll catch you all soon.
[Applause]
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you Paul. Can I also acknowledge Senator Molan who’s here, as you know, Jim has been a long time force here right across the Eden Monaro area and I want to thank you for being here today as well. So look, why don’t what we usually do and that let’s take questions on this project and then happy to deal with other matters of the day. Can I also acknowledge, as I did before, all the employees that are here today. You can see how excited they are. We’re excited with you. Tremendous to be here with you.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, this project you say is shovel ready. When will first megawatt of power come from this project?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I’ll ask both Paul and Angus to speak to that but as we were flying in here today - which I’ve got to say is one of the most spectacular vistas I’ve seen – and I’ve seen quite a bit. It really was breathtaking. But Paul said within a week, there’s going to be work being done. Within a week. Now this is a huge project and they can take you through the timetables of when these projects come online. And they take many years to get to where you’re actually generating power. I mean, you’ve got to start somewhere and we start this week. But Paul, would you want to speak to that? Thanks Paul.
PAUL BROAD, MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CEO OF SNOWY HYDRO LIMITED: Yeah the plan is the project will be online in ‘24, maybe early ‘25. But the first bit of power we hope to be out here in about October, November ‘24. We are shovel ready. Early works will start in the next four days. So the road works down [inaudible] we’re going to build the, where the village is going to be. Early works into the [inaudible] will be starting straight away.
JOURNALIST: So the metre or the megawatts will tick over in 2024 then?
PAUL: That’s it.
JOURNALIST: If Liddell goes offline in 2022, are we in a bit of a gap there then? With enough generation?
PRIME MINISTER: Well the New South Wales Government has a range of options available to it particularly with what they’re doing on transmission lines when it comes to accessing [inaudible] for New South Wales. And those are questions that really have to be addressed to the New South Wales Government about how they will be managing that. Our job here is to ensure in the areas where we have the opportunity to effectively firm the nation’s, particularly the east coast, power supply – we do just that. And that’s what this project is all about. If you want to transition over time to renewable future, for energy. Then you need… you cannot do it without stations like this. And stations like in Tasmania. I mean because as we all know, the wind does not blow all the time and the sun does not always shine. And it’s these projects that the battery we’re talking about here is just immense. And that firms, firms the renewable power investments that we make in other types of renewable power because this will be here to back it up when those power sources fail.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, when the business case was released originally, two key chapters were redacted which meant many of your backbench couldn’t actually see how this stacked up. Now trusting you that this actually does stack up, can you say what you’ll roughly buy the power for and what you will sell it for?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I’ll Mathias work through the business case for you and how the decision was taken or Paul can do that.
PAUL BROAD, MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CEO OF SNOWY HYDRO LIMITED: As you know, we did a deal just before Christmas when we announced 888 megawatts of renewables and the average price for buying that was $40 and the peak price in the market gets somewhere around $100 – so you’re roughly buying for $40, roughly selling at a $100. So a $60 spread which drives the economics. Now they’re very conservative numbers. As you were seeing two weekends ago, there were negative prices in the market so we haven’t even factored that part into it. So taken the numbers we know are solid, the deals are done and signed up. 888 megawatts of renewables today. So we’ll do those deals and that will roughly be what the pumping price will be in our models – and roughly the selling price.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister one of the problems with this is that it originally wasn’t viable because electricity was so cheap. It’s only now that electricity is so expensive that this project is viable. Is it natural to say that we’ll never see electricity prices get back to where they were otherwise this wouldn’t be viable?
PRIME MINISTER: No, no…
PAUL BROAD, MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CEO OF SNOWY HYDRO LIMITED: Can I just say something on that? The coal price today, to generate just to cover the black coal price in New South Wales, to generate… just the coal price is $56. In those days when you had very low price and a massive oversupply and coal price were nothing like that. So as coal prices have increased, particularly black coal, so the average marginal cost of generation has gone up. Now most of the generation still comes from coal plans – 74 per cent of the market is still supplied by coal. As renewable is coming in, the prices are coming down. As we said the other day when we did the deal on renewables and firmed it up, so that’s equivalent to baseload, we firming that in sub-seventy. We think that price is going to look like sub-sixties. So in the next five-ten years, we think there is downward pressure on prices. The MJA model, which we’ve done independently of us, they’ve modelled this thing going out to 2050. They’re saying the downward pressure on prices, as the Minister said, is roughly 10 per cent. So what we’re doing here, and what the Prime Minister and Ministers have announced is not only just on renewables but is putting increased competition in the wholesale market to deliver up for consumers a lower price.
SENATOR THE HON MATHIAS CORMANN, MINISTER FOR FINANCE AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE: The key is, this project will help make renewable energy supplies more affordable and more reliable. That is at the core, that is the whole point. When you’ve got a reliance on solar and wind energy and the sun does not shine, the wind does not blow, that leads not only to reliability issues, it also leads to spikes in prices. What this enables you to do is to make sure that you have a back-up, which is environmentally efficient, which will help obviously lower those price peaks, so that across the board, the energy supplies are not only more reliable but also more affordable and it adds to the competitive piece, which will improve the market overall. So it is a very substantial and very important investment, both in terms of ensuring that our economy can have access to reliable, affordable energy, but also, in making sure that this is something that stacks up financially.
PRIME MINISTER: In short, without this project, electricity prices will be higher.
JOURNALIST: Will families, though, experience cheaper power bills because of Snowy 2.0?
PRIME MINISTER: Well let’s be clear that already, already under the national energy market prices that we’re seeing now are lower than they have been. So that is already occurring. You need to understand that this project fits into a broader plan for energy across Australia. This is one component of it. I’ve also made mention of the Battery of the Nation which is a similar project, pumped hydro down in Tasmania. Now what we announced yesterday on the Marinus interconnector, there is 400 megawatts just sitting there in Tasmania at the moment that can’t make its way to the mainland. Now that would have been very helpful when Victoria had their crisis a little while ago. And so whether it’s the MarinusLink, whether it’s the battery project, whether it’s this project and everything else which is being done on the LRET and SRE and all of these projects. All of that is working together to ensure that we have downward pressure on electricity prices.
One of the most significant thing that happened late last year was when Angus was over to get the agreements of the states and territories to enter into the reliable energy guarantee. Now, this is a critically important part of energy policy. What that means is you’ll have a higher degree of, a higher proportion, of reliable energy contracted into the energy market whereas currently that type of reliable supply enters the market at inflated prices because of shortfalls that may occur from time to time. So what the reliable energy guarantee, which this Government authored, that was taken through the states and territories late last year. Josh Frydenberg had previously worked on that as the Energy Minister. I’d been involved in that as the Treasurer. Previously Malcolm Turnbull has been involved. You can’t cherry pick just one element of this plan. This is a comprehensive plan. It’s a comprehensive plan to ensure we have a reliable, sustainable energy future. It is also a plan to ensure that Australia continues to meet its environmental commitments both today and into the future.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, what is the total cost estimate… what is the total cost estimate of this project and can you guarantee there won’t be blowouts because of the complexity?
PRIME MINISTER: I’ll ask other Ministers to comment. But obviously our equity contribution here is just under $1.4 billion.
SENATOR THE HON MATHIAS CORMANN, MINISTER FOR FINANCE AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE: So the feasibility study identified a cost range of $3.8 billion to $4.5 billion and the advice we’ve got is that that is still the most reliable estimate. Looking at the contracts that have been led by Snowy Hydro so far, we’re very confident that it will come in within that range. In terms of the financing of it, as the Prime Minister said, we will be contributing an equity contribution of just under $1.4 billion and the company will be responsible independently for the financing of the remainder of the project costs through a combination of internally generated cash flows and debt financing. But with an internal rate of return, a projected internal rate of return in excess of 8 per cent, we are very comfortable that this is completely viable. In fact, our expectation is that the company will continue to pay dividends to the Government, as its shareholder, all the way through the construction phase.
PRIME MINISTER: [Inaudible] Now, we didn’t get here today because someone just drove around on a ute and had a bit of a look around and say ‘I reckon’. That’s not what happened. What Paul’s team has been doing to work out the proposal... He was showing me on the way in where they were dropping the bores along the route which the tunnel will go so they could understand the geology they are going to have to drill through, so they can understand what that cost will be. We have been on this job for two years to get to this point. That’s a lot of homework that’s been done to go into the estimates upon which we have made our investment decision today and again I want to thank Paul and his entire team who have done the real hard work that enables the government to make a decision like this.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you’re a numbers man. How many coal fired power stations could you build with $1.4 billion?
PRIME MINISTER: Well you put Battery of the Nation together with this project that’s around three. That’s the same as about three. Both of them are reliable power generation but this one has lower emissions.
JOURNALIST: And that is what you are comfortable with, lower emissions over lower prices?
SENATOR THE HON MATHIAS CORMANN, MINISTER FOR FINANCE AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE: Lower prices.
PRIME MINISTER: Lower emissions, lower prices and reliability. That’s what I’m looking for. This is the objective. This is what the Australian people also want.
JOURNALIST: But this isn’t real fair dinkum power for you, is it?
PRIME MINISTER: No it is, it’s absolutely fair dinkum power. It doesn’t get more fair dinkum than this. This is fair dinkum. A hundred percent.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, what about the cost of updating the transmission network to make the most of this power? Do we have estimates of that and who will pay for that?
PRIME MINISTER: I’ll ask Paul… do you want to talk about that? Because the transmission issue goes through a normal process through the regulator and there are state governments that have particular responsibilities.
THE HON ANGUS TAYLOR MP, MINISTER FOR ENERGY: Yeah look, we’re going through reviews regularly now of transmission upgrades and there will be transmission upgrades. They need to stand alone. They need to work on their own. Stand on their own two feet as viable investments and that will certainly be the case with the transmission lines that will support Snowy. There is a need for extra transmission just to support Snowy as it is. So that work is being done independently but it’s going to stand on its own two feet.
JOURNALIST: Minister Price, we haven’t had a chance to speak with you since this reset of energy and environment policy. The NEG was a very clear plan that voters understood. How would you articulate quite concisely the Government’s energy and environment policy?
THE HON MELISSA PRICE MP, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIROMENT: Well I think they are very complimentary. I mean we already see in the electricity sector, you know the next three years the contribution of renewables to the energy space is going to be about 250 per cent. But we’ve heard today is yes we’ve got our $3.5 billion Climate Solutions Fund, which there are many elements to that and ensuring we turn the lights on, the lights come on. That’s what we’re here talking about today. Lower emissions but reliability, making sure that the system works and we’re very proud of that.
JOURNALIST: Minister, what would you say to criticisms that you’ve been absent when the government has announced the environmental policy they’re taking to the next election?
PRIME MINISTER: The criticism are untrue. It’s the usual sort of froth and bubble that comes out of the bubble.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you acknowledge Malcolm Turnbull’s role in getting this rolling.
PRIME MINISTER: Absolutely.
JOURNALIST: Yesterday you announced an extension of Tony Abbott’s Direct Action Plan. Will we see any more ideas coming directly from you on environment?
[Laughter]
PRIME MINISTER: You seem to forget the fact I’ve been in the Government for the last five and a half years and have played a key role in all of these decisions actually as a Minister, as a Treasurer. And particularly on the energy sub-committee of Cabinet that the former Prime Minister actually put in place where these projects emanated from. So I’ve been pleased to be playing a role in all of this and I’m also pleased to acknowledge the significant work done by my predecessors. I was in contact with Malcolm last night and he was very thrilled about the announcement we are making today and I’ve seen him make those comments today. It took his vision to see this and unearth those drawings. I probably won’t trouble the engineers as much here today as he might have normally…
[Laughter]
With his technical knowledge of the topic. But what I like is the numbers and how they stack up as a former Treasurer and Malcolm and I had a lot to do with each other on this project and when we first talked about ensuring that the Commonwealth, when I was Treasurer, would be able to take on Snowy 100 per cent. As Paul and I were discussion today, without that I don’t think we would be standing here today. That was a key decision that we took and it required us to enter into arrangements with both the New South Wales and Victorian state governments which the Treasury was directly involved in at the time and I led that process. I’ve always been happy to be part of the team, whether I’m sitting in the team or I’m leading the team as I am today.
JOURNALIST: Paul mentions there was ‘bare knuckle brawling’ to get this underway. What was the Government’s reservations?
PRIME MINISTER: We just want to make sure it was commercially stacking up. I mean, that’s what you would expect, that’s what the Australian people would expect of us. I mean, as I say, we weren’t going to sign it off on the basis of people running around on a ute and saying ‘I reckon’. That’s not how we do things.
JOURNALIST: So what’s the case of break glass, election imminent we need environment policy – something we can…
PRIME MINISTER: No, I think that’s very unfair.
SENATOR THE HON MATHIAS CORMANN, MINISTER FOR FINANCE AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE: Let me give you a little bit of a contrast. When the Rudd Government first, out of Opposition, decided to roll out the NBN, their business plan was written up on the back of a beer coaster. We went through a very thorough process. We make no apologies for that. We went through the feasibility process. We engaged with the board and with the management in relation to that and ultimately, we wanted to see a business case that, yes, stacked up in terms of delivering the affordable, more reliable energy supplies into the future, in a way that would underpin environmentally, more efficient energy supplies into the future, but we also wanted to see that the numbers stacked up and that we had the best, most appropriate financial model on behalf of taxpayers. Inevitably, that involves a level of engagement and discussions and scrutinising of all the facts and figures. You do not just accept as given all of the assumptions that are put to you, these things inevitably get scrutinised. What I can say to Australians is they can have great confidence that this project stacks up. We absolutely scrutinised it thoroughly and with a microscope. So it’s a great day because it is a project that will deliver for Australians, in terms of reliable, affordable energy, but it will also stack up financially.
JOURNALIST: Paul, if I could just ask you. You mentioned negative prices on power for when wind is up and that is when it is a key juncture. Couldn’t that then destroy the market place…
Paul: Not at all. Actually, what happened is with 2.0, they obviously want to pick the bottom of the troughs in the off peaks so when the winds blowing a lot you set a floor in the market price. It underpins those investments. It makes them look more sound. So we’ll be using enormous amount of energy when there’s excess. When there’s excess wind or excess sun. Or even excess baseload generation as there is today. So we buy from the market at the most competitive price to underpin the public. We do it here today in T3. The largest pump hydro, you’re looking at it.
JOURNALIST: The International Monetary Fund has predicted we’re going to have flat wage growth for around six years. Are you concerned by that? What can you do to remedy that and how do you respond to it?
PRIME MINISTER: Well the first response is a stronger economy. You’re not going to get stronger wage growth if you don’t have a stronger economy. And you’re not going get a stronger economy if you put $200 billion of higher taxes on the economy, which is what Bill Shorten and Labor are going to do if they’re elected. I mean, that will throw a big, wet blanket on the Australian economy. And that will dampen wages. The other thing you don’t want to do is you don’t go and put a 45 per cent emission reduction target on the Australian economy. Now, our figure’s 26 per cent. We’ve made that very clear. I set out yesterday how I get to 26 per cent. I did it literally, literally by tonne. How we will meet that target in the same way we met the 2020 target. Turning around Labor’s emissions deficit by 1.1 billion tonne of abatement. That what we achieved. We haven’t just turned around their fiscal deficit. We’ve turned around their climate deficit where we’ve been able to improve the situation by 1.1 billion tonnes. Now, what Labor have not done is told the country how they will get to that 45 per cent emissions reduction target. People can disagree with me, whether it should be 26 or 45. But I’ve made it very clear how I get to 26 per cent. How our team gets to 26 per cent. The onus is on Bill Shorten now to explain to the Australian people how does he reach his 45 per cent emissions reduction target. And using the exact same methodology I have, that means he would need three times the amount of abatement – actually more than three times – the amount of abatement by 2030. So what does that mean for jobs? What does it mean for wages? You ask about wages. $9000 a year worse off as a result of Bill Shorten’s…
JOURNALIST: That’s a long time without a pay rise.
PRIME MINISTER: …Emissions reduction target. Well and under Bill Shorten – they won’t get anything.
JOURNALIST: No, it’s not about Bill.
PRIME MINISTER: No, no it is about Bill Shorten.
JOURNALIST: What are you going to do?
PRIME MINISTER: Stronger economy. We’ve had record jobs growth and the corner has been turned on wages growth, that’s not just me saying that. That’s the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia. We’re now back over two per cent in terms of real wage growth in this country… in terms of wage growth in this country. And it wasn’t that long ago that it was sub 2 per cent – on the right side of 2 per cent. We are seeing that firming. But I tell you, you will not get stronger wages growth if you weaken the Australian economy. It is a fairly obvious point. And when you apply $200 billion of higher taxes and a 45 per cent emissions reduction target, you are turning the lights off on the Australian economy. And you will not get higher wages under Bill Shorten. All you’ll get is higher taxes. Thanks very much everyone.
The Hon John Herron AO
26 February 2019
The Hon John Herron AO is remembered as a man who dedicated himself to others as a parliamentarian, surgeon and humanitarian.
John Herron was a Senator for Queensland from 1990 to 2002. He was Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs from 1996 until 2001.
After leaving the Senate, he served as Australian Ambassador to Ireland and the Holy See from 2002 to 2006.
The great theme of John Herron’s life was medicine. It was tremendous life experience he brought into the Parliament.
John Herron served in the Royal Australian Medical Corps Reserve and the RAAF Reserve for thirty years.
Following the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, John Herron volunteered to go to Rwanda as a medic. He saw things that were unimaginable. He suffered for seeing them.
Prior to entering the Senate and near the end of his Parliamentary career, John Herron served as President of the Liberal Party in Queensland (1980 – 1984 and 2001 – 2002). This reflected the great trust that members across the Party had in him.
In retirement, Dr Herron continued his active support of medical causes including serving as Chairman of the Australian National Council on Drugs, and Chairman of the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Foundation.
On behalf of the Liberal Party and the Government I extend our sincerest condolences to his wife Jan and their many children and descendants.
Historic Snowy 2.0 plan approved
26 February 2019
Prime Minister, Minister for Energy, Minister for Finance and the Public Service
The Government has approved Snowy 2.0 as part of its plan to support new renewable energy for Australia’s future energy mix to deliver affordable, reliable power.
The historic deal will see a high-tech expansion of the iconic Snowy Mountains Scheme and will help make renewables reliable, reduce volatility and drive affordability in energy markets and provide other services critical to the security and stability of the NEM.
The Government is pleased to announce shareholder approval has been given for Snowy Hydro Limited (Snowy Hydro) to proceed with Snowy 2.0.
Following Snowy Hydro Board’s final investment decision on 12 December 2018, the Government has reviewed the project’s business case and is satisfied that the project stacks up and will benefit energy consumers and the Snowy Mountains region.
The Government will commit up to $1.38 billion in an equity investment for Snowy 2.0, with the remainder of the project to be financed by Snowy Hydro Limited.
Snowy 2.0 will increase generation capacity by 2,000 megawatts and provide 175 hours of energy storage - enough to power the equivalent of 500,000 homes during peak demand. Importantly, this will also put downward pressure on wholesale electricity prices.
Snowy 2.0 will create up to 2,400 jobs in construction and support up to 5,000 direct and indirect jobs across the Snowy Mountains region, providing opportunities for local businesses, improvements in local infrastructure and increased economic activity.
Planning for the Snowy 2.0 project is well advanced. The Government’s decision green lights the project to progress to the early works stage.
This decision builds on the our investment in Snowy Hydro following the acquisition from the New South Wales and Victorian governments on 29 June 2018 and our work to back electricity supplies in Tasmania and Victoria with a new $56 million investment in the Marinus Link to support Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation project.
More information about Snowy 2.0 is online at https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/our-scheme/snowy20/
New vision for National Science and Tech Council
25 February 2019
Prime Minister, Minister for Industry Science and Technology
Australia’s technology and education future is the focus at the first meeting of the new National Science and Technology Council, held in Sydney.
Chaired by the Prime Minister, the National Science and Technology Council builds on the work of the former Commonwealth Science Council, providing independent advice to Government on key science issues like new technologies, health and education.
Science and technology are critical to Australia’s future - they are major pillars of our economy and our quality of life. For Australians’ jobs, security and health, we need these sectors to continue to thrive.
The Council’s first meeting will consider the opportunities and challenges of Artificial Intelligence, STEM education, outcomes of the Government’s $1.9 billion research infrastructure investment and an ambitious Council work program to provide expert advice and ensure deeper engagement between Government and the science sector.
The Liberal National Government recognises the importance of science, research and technology in improving the competitiveness of Australian businesses and driving further local job creation, that’s why we have invested $1.5 billion more into our science agencies than Labor when they were last in government.
We invested $2.4 billion in science and technology in the 2018/19 Budget and we are increasing funding to our world-class research agencies like CSIRO over the next four years. This builds on our regular annual investment of around $10 billion in science, research and innovation.
Our Government’s plan for a stronger economy means we can guarantee the funding for Australia’s science and technology sectors and ensure they continue growing and creating more jobs.
The Council forms part of our plan to further grow these sectors.
Further details about the Council, including its membership, is available at http://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/national-science-and-technology-council/
Interview with Jon Faine, ABC Melbourne
25 February 2019
FAINE: So you’ve gone from coal-aphobia to recognising a climate emergency. What’s your credibility on climate policy?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, those things are mutually exclusive, Jon. I mean, we are allowed to have reliable energy. That’s okay. And we’re also able to reduce our emissions. These two things can be achieved. And how do I know that? Because that’s exactly what we’ve been doing. When we came to government in 2013, we inherited a more than-700 million tonne deficit on meeting our 2020 emissions targets. Now we’re going to beat that by 367 million tonnes through the measures that I am saying will be extended today. And that’s continued to occur…
FAINE: Five years after this virtually the same proposal was abandoned, so we’ve lost five years.
PRIME MINISTER: It wasn’t abandoned. It hasn’t been abandoned. It’s been running for the last five years. I mean there are…
FAINE: Sorry, what you’re announcing today?
PRIME MINISTER: That program has been running and we’re extending it as part of what I’m announcing today.
FAINE: You’re allocating more funds for more of it…
PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
FAINE: It’s been undersold, underprepared, underrun…
PRIME MINISTER: No, Jon, none of that is true.
FAINE: And now suddenly you’re saying, ‘We’ve got an election coming we’ve got to crank it up.’
PRIME MINISTER: No, Jon, none of what you’ve just said is true at all. What we’ve been…
FAINE: That’s the ACF’s analysis of it.
PRIME MINISTER: They’re welcome to make their commentary, like anyone is. But we have been running this program and it’s been responsible for around 200 million tonnes of abatement over the period of running those programs. It has been a successful program that has helped us meet our existing targets, the 2020 target, which we will now beat by 367 million tonnes, and will be a key role in meeting our 2030 targets, which we’ll meet in a canter.
FAINE: Isn’t the reality, in fact though, that you’re on a tightrope, on the one hand you’ve got the coal lobby and the resources sector, some of whom are changing their mind, mind you, on one side, what works with the coal industry is disastrous for people who want action and more action on climate change, and you’re on that tightrope trying to juggle the two.
PRIME MINISTER: No, Jon, what I’ve got is a sensible, practical policy which is based on reducing our emissions, which we need to do and have done, and a plan to keep doing that out to 2030 and meet our targets which will see emissions per capita fall per person by more than 50 percent and our emissions intensity fall by more than two thirds. Now, only Brazil has got a target better than that in the G20. That’s better than everyone else, what we’re doing, and our record of achievement is one that says, we meet our targets when we set them. We set them responsibly. And I don’t believe I have to choose between our environment and our economy. I think both are achievable. And what we’ve got is the runs on the boards to demonstrate that.
FAINE: And to those who say…
PRIME MINISTER: So these misperceptions that are out there, well that’s for them to explain. All I know is our record.
FAINE: Too little, too late, is the widely heard rejoinder.
PRIME MINISTER: How can it be ‘too little, too late’ when what we’ve put in place means we exceed our targets by 367 million tonnes? Explain that to me.
FAINE: Well, those targets keep shifting around, apart from [inaudible].
PRIME MINISTER: No, they don’t. They haven’t moved around at all. We had our 2020 target, which we had, and we’re going to meet it and beat it. We’ve turned around a 700 million tonne deficit that Labor left us, to achieve that target. And we’re going to better it by 367 million tonnes. Now that’s a 1.1 billion tonne turnaround on emission reductions that our government has achieved. Now the plan I’m outlining today builds on that success. See, one of the problems with this debate, Jon, is that it doesn’t focus on the results, I mean, what’s the real test of a policy? That it meets the objectives that it set out to achieve. And that’s exactly what we’ve done. Now there’s been a lot of hot air and shouting at the clouds on this issue, but what we’ve done is just get on and achieve. And our plan to achieve our 2030 targets is based on the success of the policy that we already have in place. And how do I know it is successful? We’re going to beat our target.
FAINE: Some of that shouting and hot air has come from your side of the ledger.
PRIME MINISTER: Well there’s been plenty of shouting and hot air, Jon, but what I’m saying is…
FAINE: Well, to those on your side, who have been holding up or even saying there is no need for further action on climate change, what do you say to them today?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what I’m saying is, whatever people have been saying, we’ve just been getting on with the job. That’s what our government has been doing. See, this is what I’m talking about, the debate runs around, and whether it’s the bubble or anything else, what matters is what gets done. And we believe we need to take action in this area and have been ever since we come to government, turning around, you know, Labor talks big on this, but they left us a 700 million tonne deficit on carbon abatement, and we’ve turned that around by 1.1 billion. So, that’s our record and I stand by it. And it’s with programs that were started, like the Emissions Reduction Fund, it’s continuing the programs of ARENA and CFC and all of this, Battery of the Nation which we’re backing in, and particularly the Marinus Interlink with Tasmania, I mean, that of itself, with reliable hydro, that’s a 2,500 megawatt capacity.
FAINE: Snowy Hydro 2, still committed?
PRIME MINISTER: Snowy Hydro 2, absolutely, totally.
FAINE: Okay…
PRIME MINISTER: I mean, that’s all part of the plan.
FAINE: You know, the Labor Party love it every time you talk about them?
PRIME MINISTER: The Labor Party?
FAINE: Mmm.
PRIME MINISTER: I don’t really care what they think.
FAINE: But…
[Laughter]
FAINE: But every time you reference them, every time you make them more relevant. They go, ‘Cha-ching, cha-ching, hooray, thank you. That’s the Prime Minister doing our work for us.’
PRIME MINISTER: I’m not quite sure what you’re referring to. When I refer to the Labor Party, I talk about the fact that their emissions reduction targets are going to cost wage earners $9,000 each a year. That’s what the independent evaluation showed last year. You want to talk about the Labor Party…
FAINE: That’s contested…
PRIME MINISTER: I talk about how they’re going to hit retirees with a $5 billion a year tax.
FAINE: Well, they’re announcing today a $640 million fund over four years for what they call ‘bank fairness’.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the Labor Party’s answer to every question, Bills Shorten’s answer to every question is higher taxes. I mean, how much tax does he think the Australian economy can bear? He already has it at $200 billion in higher taxes over the next 10 years…
FAINE: He’s proposing tax relief for most Australians whilst at the same time going to get rid of what he says is a rort…
PRIME MINISTER: Jon, that’s not true…
FAINE: That some people have exploited through access to franking credits.
PRIME MINISTER: I’m sorry Jon, I’m going to do a fact check on you okay.
FAINE: Excellent, we like that.
PRIME MINISTER: $144 billion is the legislated tax cuts that we currently have taken through the Parliament. Labor have said they are going to halve that.
FAINE: Mmhmm.
PRIME MINISTER: So how can they be providing more tax relief when they’re actually halving the amount of tax relief that is currently legislated before the Parliament?
FAINE: I’ll leave that for Mr Shorten and Mr Bowen to explain but it’s going to be an interesting contest.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you’re the one who said that they’re cutting taxes.
FAINE: Well, they, I, I’m referring to what their policy claims are, which is only reasonable.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think they are highly dubious. Bill Shorten’s answer to every question is, ‘I’ll just tax you more.’
FAINE: Overnight, its been announced by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs that the Dawn Service in France at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial Centre, the Monash Centre, which has just been completed at a cost of, I think, $100 million, they don’t want to run a Dawn Service anymore, they want to move it to a 10 o’clock ANZAC Day service, what’s your view, is it good or bad?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that’s not gonna happen. I’ve spoken to the Minister this morning, the service will go ahead at dawn as usual.
FAINE: Because?
PRIME MINISTER: Because that’s the right decision.
FAINE: Regardless of what it costs and how many people turn up?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I think it’s important to continue the Dawn Service in the way it’s been done. I’ve discussed that matter with the Minister this morning and they will consult with the local community there, but I believe the Dawn Service should continue in its current form and I’ve made that very clear to the Minister this morning.
FAINE: That will be very welcome news in many quarters, Dawn Services are Dawn Services, they’re not 10 o’clock in the morning/morning tea services.
PRIME MINISTER: I agree. And when this matter was brought to my attention, I dealt with it.
FAINE: They’re incredibly moving, it’s astonishing that so many people now turn up all over Australia and all around the world.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, well it’s true. I mean, other services, you know, when we have the 11am services on Armistice Day, they are equally also very moving, there’s an importance about that time. Now, I understand that the Villers-Bretonneux service, the dawn element of that is different to what it is at Gallipoli, I mean it was a dawn landing in Gallipoli, but that said, there is a tradition that has developed in recent times about that service in Villers-Bretonneux and I want to ensure the integrity of that is kept because the people I care most about on this is our veterans and how they feel about it.
FAINE: It’s a cliché for journalists to ask Prime Ministers about Newspoll, and the latest Newspoll’s come out this morning, so I won’t ask you about the figures which show nothing’s changed, but border protection has been a lively issue during the last two weeks, and the figures haven’t budged. Does that mean border protection is not something that changes peoples’ votes?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, whether it is or whether it isn’t is not really my concern. What my concern is that we have strong border protection and that’s the only thing that’s ever motivated me.
FAINE: And you were hoping that that would result in an improvement for your side in the polls.
PRIME MINISTER: No, I was hoping that I would be able to stop the Labor Party from weakening our border protection. That’s what I was hoping. And now I’m taking action to make sure that it doesn’t.
FAINE: So Newspoll’s result on this issue specifically, in the last little while, would suggest that the parties are level-pegging on that topic…
PRIME MINISTER: That’s not actually true…
FAINE: When peoples’ voting intention…
PRIME MINISTER: No, that’s actually not true if you read what the polls said today. I mean, the Coalition is overwhelmingly favoured to the Labor Party when it comes to national security and the economy. But my point is this Jon, when it comes to border protection or these measures, the only thing that ever drives me on this is making sure that it’s strong and secure so I never have to see the human carnage of 1,200 people who died at sea ever again. That’s what motivates me. That’s why I’ve done everything I’ve done in this area.
FAINE: Would you do the same if it cost you votes?
PRIME MINISTER: I would.
FAINE: That’s hard to believe.
PRIME MINISTER: Well Jon, you can make up whatever mind you like about this but when it comes to border protection, I don’t think anyone can doubt my conviction, sincerity on this.
FAINE: I think we all want to see people not drowning…
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I know how to stop that, Jon.
FAINE: … we also have a view of assessing politicians and what they offer and we always see it through the prism of what’s going to get them re-elected.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, well you see Jon, I have a very unique perspective on this because I was the one who had to stop it. And I had to make the decisions that resulted in that. So I am probably well qualified to make a judgement about how you stop boats and how you stop deaths at sea. Plenty of other people have opinions that have no consequences but when you are the minister responsible for doing it, you have to make the decisions and you have to deal with the consequences of those decisions. And that’s what I’ve done. And I’ve always done it for one simple purpose. That is, our borders should be strong, and I don’t want to see kids on boats dying.
FAINE: And it, also, has been a key part of your ascendancy to a leadership position and ultimately being the Prime Minister, which is, I’m not suggesting for a moment that you would only do it for those reasons but the two fit well together. They fitted, they dove-tailed together.
PRIME MINISTER: So what are you suggesting?
FAINE: If those policies were unpopular, would you have still pursued them?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes. Because some of those policies were unpopular. I remember turnbacks, before the 2013 election. I was lectured on the fact that they wouldn’t work, and that wasn’t actually a particular popular policy, back in 2013. If you, sort of, have a look back, you’ll see that’s the case. Regional processing was more acceptable, temporary protection visas was more acceptable. Well I can tell you, turnbacks was not a popular policy over that time and it was split quite evenly, but I knew that if unless you did that, and did it successfully, you could not stop the boats. So, I did it with General Campbell and others who were very involved in pulling all that together, and Jim Molan, and we had a plan. We were mocked about that plan, on the ABC, in Fairfax, in other places. They mocked us, they said it couldn’t be done, the Labor Party said it couldn’t be done, the Greens said it couldn’t be done. Well you were wrong. It could be done, it was done. It was achieved. And I am never going to allow our border protection regime, if I have anything to do with it, from being compromised again because the consequences of that are deadly.
FAINE: So you will do anything you can to get the best laws in place to advance those policies but you rejected the advice of the security agencies on the medevac laws last week …
PRIME MINISTER: No, that’s not true…
FAINE: and it wasn’t enacted.
PRIME MINISTER: No that’s not true. That report was rubbish.
FAINE: They said that you could include in Kerryn Phelps’ legislation…
PRIME MINISTER: We opposed the bill.
FAINE: …a provision that would allow for people to be medevaced to Australia but then returned.
PRIME MINISTER: No, no…
FAINE: and you didn’t adopt that recommendation.
PRIME MINISTER: No, no, Jon, you’ve got to stop reading the Saturday paper. It’s not true. That report is just not true. That bill...
FAINE: What half of it was not true? That was the advice from the security agency.
PRIME MINISTER: No it wasn’t Jon. It wasn’t. We declassified the advice. We released the advice.
FAINE: Partially leaked to the Australian newspaper.
PRIME MINISTER: We declassified the advice so Jon, what you are putting to me…
FAINE: The security agencies had to say “Hang on, that’s not what we said”..
PRIME MINISTER: No Jon, what you are putting to me is just not true.
FAINE: What part of it?
PRIME MINISTER: I’m saying the report is not true. Ok? So we acted in accordance with our security advice, and that was, that bill should not be accepted. That bill was going to weaken our border security arrangements…and it has.
FAINE: That bill can be improved. That bill can be improved with a simple addition
PRIME MINISTER: No, it can’t actually Jon, you can’t. That bill in any form was going to weaken our border protection laws. In any form. Any form.
FAINE: But if it was going to go through because you no longer control the numbers…
PRIME MINISTER: No, I’m not going to split hairs with you Jon…
FAINE: … it can be ameliorated and improved.
PRIME MINISTER: …on border protection I don’t trade. It’s absolute. And that’s how I act. So, we acted in accordance with our security advice. It’s a bad change to the law. It;s actually now complicated even further, frankly, how these matters are arranged. But I’ll tell you one thing. At least people know what my view is on this Jon. I mean Bill Shorten has changed his position on Christmas Island every day. So, I mean, who are you going to trust? Someone who doesn’t know what they think about this issue and are swayed by whoever spoke to them last. Or someone who’s actually had very real experience in this area, has got the results, and knows what they think.
FAINE: 13 minutes to 9, Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister is with me, we’re running out of time rapidly. There’s been several calls over the weekend for you to return to a John Howard definition of ministerial accountability, which would have seen at least Mathias Cormann, if not others also coming into strife in the last week or two.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think you have made a couple of leaps there Jon. I mean, I mean, what was discussed last week was shown to be of no substance.
FAINE: Which bit?
PRIME MINISTER: Well all of it.
FAINE: Well Mathias Cormann didn’t pay for travel.
PRIME MINISTER: And he paid it back.
FAINE: It was offered to him, once…
PRIME MINISTER: Once it was drawn to his attention, he paid it back.
FAINE: Once it was made public.
PRIME MINISTER: Bill Shorten didn’t declare a donation to his own campaign for eight years. So I am not going to get lectured by the Labor Party.
FAINE: No it wasn’t the Labor Party actually, I’m not even aware of what the Labor Party…
PRIME MINISTER: Well it was the Labor Party who pulled this out of their…
FAINE: This doesn’t pass the sniff test…
PRIME MINISTER: …out of their bottom smear draw because they were under pressure in the Parliament. And that’s, look I get it, I get it how all that works…
FAINE: The Minister in charge of finances who doesn’t look after his own credit card transactions.
PRIME MINISTER: He paid back the money and that’s the end of the matter.
FAINE: Doesn’t pass the sniff test, does it?
PRIME MINISTER: That’s your assertion.
FAINE: Major contract goes from a government department to a …
PRIME MINISTER: There’s no link between those Jon, look Jon, if the Labor Party wants to get into those smears, look, I understand that. But, I, I don’t think I should allow you to draw a connection between those two events because there is no connection between those events, there is none. There was no connection between Minister Cormann and the decision on that contract. None. Absolutely none. He wasn’t the decision maker.
FAINE: And Joe Hockey likewise?
PRIME MINISTER: Joe Hockey is not even a member of the Government.
FAINE: He says, ‘hang on’…
PRIME MINISTER: Joe works for DFAT. And so I am sure the Secretary will deal with whatever, if any, matters there are to be dealt with as she made clear to estimates last week. This was a smear campaign by a desperate Labor Party that was under the pump and those who want to sort of support the Labor Party by continuing to give that oxygen well, they can, but that’s what it is.
FAINE: Ita Buttrose, not on the list, of possible chairs, of the board of this organisation the ABC but certainly well-placed sources in today’s newspapers say even though there were no men on the list that was put to Cabinet, Ita Buttrose may leapfrog the field?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, two things, a) Cabinet have not considered this matter, Cabinet will soon consider this matter. It is true that she was not one of those who have been independently recommended. I can confirm that the independent recommendations did not include a female candidate…
FAINE: None at all?
PRIME MINISTER: None at all.
FAINE: What was your reaction when you saw the list?
PRIME MINISTER: Surprise…
FAINE: Surprise? Disappointment?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, of course. But, anyway, the Government will make a decision and we will go through the normal processes that are required in terms of consultation with the Opposition and on that, the rules on that are very clear by the way. But the Labor Party is over assuming on what that entitles them to but they already think they have won the election and that seems to be the way that they’re behaving.
FAINE: You have meetings with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews today…
PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
FAINE: What’s on the agenda?
PRIME MINISTER: A number of issues. I was in Gippsland yesterday, meeting with drought affected farmers, and they have raised a number of issues with me about support. I mean, the two biggest things they’re seeking Jon is,one the fodder subsidies which are provided in NSW and Queensland, and what that did, is that it has lifted the price of fodder and Victorian farmers are now in a double whammy of having to pay higher prices for their fodder but also not having the subsidies. Now those subsidies are provided by state governments and they are very keen to see those provided by the state Government. And the other issue is rate relief. And again, that’s a matter for state governments.
FAINE: Local council rate relief?
PRIME MINISTER: Local council rate relief. I spoke to local farmers yesterday and there rates are in the tens of thousands. I mean, the councils themselves, it’s about 45-50% of their revenue base so they have got a lot of work to do in this area too, so look, I’ll relay that to the Premier. I think he and I are working quite well together on this issue so I am just, so, l, that’s what they raised with me. We will continue to provide the support we do through drought assistance.
FAINE: We are going to see a bit more of you in Victoria in the next few months…
PRIME MINISTER: Oh. I am, you certainly will. The $5 billion drought fund that went through the House of Representatives. I was genuinely quite surprised Labor voted against the drought fund. I mean, I’m still shaking my head about it to be honest.
FAINE: And we’ve got seats now, Liberal seats which the Labor Party, with what are projected to be swings, seats that they now have within their their gaze, which otherwise they thought were well beyond their reach so we will see more of you.
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, elections are always a contest whether it’s are in Victoria, or North Queensland, or Western Australia, we will be everywhere.
FAINE: Do we clone Scott Morrison’ so you can try and get around more places than you otherwise can?
PRIME MINISTER: (laugh) No, I think one is enough.
FAINE: (laugh)
PRIME MINISTER: I think one is enough for you Jon.
FAINE: No, well, we don’t get enough time…
PRIME MINISTER: Well I am pleased to be here with you today.
FAINE: We may have an overinflated sense of our self-importance. We like to see the Prime Minister here in town.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I am happy to be here.
FAINE: It’s good when we do have the chance.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks Jon.
FAINE: I’ve made you late for your next appointment. I’ve got your staff glaring at me through the glass, I’ll have to let you go.
PRIME MINISTER: Not a problem.
FAINE: Thank you for your time this morning.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you.
Interview on ABC News Breakfast
25 February 2019
PAUL KENNEDY: Prime Minister, thank you very much for your time.
PRIME MINISTER: G’Day.
KENNEDY: What is the difference between your Climate Solutions Fund and the Emissions Reduction Fund created by Tony Abbott?
PRIME MINISTER: It guess beyond the Emissions Reduction fund. So it is embracing many others projects as well. But the Emissions Reduction Fund which Tony Abbott started has been a great success. I mean it has been responsible for about 200 million tonnes abatement and it was always our intention that we would need to extend that out to ensure we met our 2030 targets, which we will. The 2020 targets we will meet comfortably by around 367 million tonnes in addition to what our commitments was. Now let’s remember when we came to government we were inheriting a deficit on that of some 700 million tonnes. So that is a 1.1 billion tonne turn around and that program, which Tony started, and was followed through by Malcolm and now myself, has been very successful. So we are adding to the success of the project to meet those targets.
KENNEDY: When you are quoted as saying you will meet your targets in a canter, you were including this money? You had this in mind?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
KENNEDY: What is the difference for small business and farmers?
PRIME MINISTER: Well it’s continuing the projects that we already do. So it’s a reverse auction basically and what we’ve seen through this program is it does everything from improving soil productivity and boosting energy efficiency, assisting small businesses and their management practices. Savannah management practices and things like that for indigenous communities. It has been an incredibly successful program, both improving the economy and supporting the environment. So it has been a success and we’ll continue it.
KENNEDY: How will people in remote communities be able to hold off severe bushfires was one that (inaudible)?
PRIME MINISTER: They are already doing that in terms of how they manage their burn management programs and that is part of the reverse auction process.
KENNEDY: Haven’t they have done for a long time?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah and this helps them continue to do that and provides an economic basis for doing so, supporting jobs in rural and regional communities, particularly for indigenous Australians, who know how to manage the land and we are backing in them on doing that.
KENNEDY: Now you are in Melbourne today to make this announcement. How much will the Victorian result from November, which climate change was a really big concern for voters, how much is that playing on your approach to climate change from now until the election?
PRIME MINISTER: I want to make some simple points. Yes, we know of course we must address climate change and more importantly, we have been. We have been meeting our targets. We will meet those targets into the future and we have a plan to achieve that. So when it comes to our climate …
KENNEDY: If I can just jump in on that, from the Victorian election there was a lot of criticism and blow back from previous Liberal voters who did not vote for the Coalition in Victoria because of a lack of climate change policy.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think because of a lack of awareness of our climate change policy and I think ...
KENNEDY: It wasn't sold well.
PRIME MINISTER: What I’m saying today is we that we’ve got a very strong record of achievement. I was in New Zealand on Friday. New Zealand to meet their targets will have to buy foreign carbon credits. Under our plan we don't have to do that. We are actually achieving our abatement on our side of the line. And not only just achieving it, but we are bettering it. There are very few countries in the world that can claim a 367 million tonne better than 2020 on our targets. Our emissions reductions by 2030 will be more than 50% per person and they will be about a two-third reduction in emissions intensity by 2030. So these are serious targets but our targets are measured and balanced.
KENNEDY: Why not aim higher if things are going so well?
PRIME MINISTER: Well because it will crash the economy. It is not needed to have a higher target that will close industries and close jobs.
KENNEDY: So you won’t change your targets?
PRIME MINISTER: Labor's target at 45% would result in a loss of wages, per wage earner of $9,000 each per year. So you’ve got to have a responsible target that meets your environmental obligations, which we have been doing, but also supports our economy because our obligation to future generations is to give them a better planet, but it is also to ensure they have got an economy that supports their lifestyle.
KENNEDY: Just a couple more on the politics of this. Malcolm Turnbull said in his final press conference, that the truth is the Coalition finds it very hard to get agreement on anything to do with emissions, emissions issues and climate policy issues. Have the same problem within the Coalition of bitterly entrenched views, that are actually more Ideological than views based on engineering and economics. Are those views still entrenched?
PRIME MINISTER: This program has absolute support right across the party because it deals with things that Malcolm started also on Snowy 2.0 and we are picking up with the Marinus link with Tasmania.
KENNEDY: But are those views still entrenched in some parts?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I think the proof is the policy I am announcing today. Because this is what matters. What matters is what you get done and our record on addressing climate change is a very strong one and we have the plans in place to achieve our next set of targets which are responsible. So whether it is the Battery of the Nation, Snowy 2.0, the work that is being done in energy efficiency, the work that is being done on our Emissions Reduction Fund, all of that is adding up to meeting our obligations and our targets.
KENNEDY: Are you better at bringing the party together on this issue than Malcolm Turnbull, is that what you are saying?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I am saying we have a clear plan based on a great track record of which Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott were key parts of putting together and driving that success.
KENNEDY: Newspoll is out today. No big shift on those numbers. Are you surprised you that didn't get a bump following your attack on Labor on border protection?
PRIME MINISTER: No, because that was not what it is about. It was about … I mean people know many things about me but one thing I am sure they know is that when it comes to border protection I don't waiver, ever and that is why I took the strong position I did on this. For that and that reason alone.
KENNEDY: Dr Katie Allen was pre-selected as we just mentioned in Higgins yesterday.
PRIME MINISTER: A tremendous candidate.
KENNEDY: Are you relieved given a woman was not pre-selected in Stirling.
PRIME MINISTER: Let's go to Stirling. We have Vince Connolly who is a veteran and I would be pleased to have another veteran who has served overseas for our defence forces. Three great kids. Great family man. He is coming to join the Parliament and now we’ve got Katie who was pre-selected on the weekend. A paediatrician, a medical research scientist, a mother herself. I mean, she is an outstanding candidate as is Vince. So we are recruiting great talent to our team. It is about talent. It is about people who can come and bring their experience and credentials to my team and the fact we have got so many people signing up to our team, it gives me a great sense of confidence about the direction we are taking.
KENNEDY: But it is also about women. What is the great disadvantage of taking too few women in the Liberal Party ranks to the next election?
PRIME MINISTER: Since I became leader I think it is now 19 women that have now been selected in the both the Senate and in the House and Wendy has already joined us, taking over from David Bushby's position in Tasmania.
KENNEDY: So you are not concerned you have too few women?
PRIME MINISTER: Well what I am saying is since I have become Prime Minister the record of actually seeing women come into the ranks in very, very strong seats for the Liberal Party has been pretty good.
KENNEDY: A couple of quick ones to finish on. Labor has announced today a levy on banks. It is calling it the Banking Fairness Fund. So another fund there. Do you think it sound like a good idea?
PRIME MINISTER: The Labor Party's answer to every question. Bill Shorten’s answer to every question is higher taxes. So who is next? He has announced this today…
KENNEDY: It’s a levy on the banks to help people who are struggling in financial circumstances and can't get good advice and it is a follow from the Royal Commission, of course.
PRIME MINISTER: A good program should get support, but what we are able to do is fund Medicare to its highest rate of bulk-billing in history without it increasing people's taxes. We are able to have the highest funding for education. Increasing education funding for schools, independent and public and without increasing taxes. Bill Shorten doesn't seem to be able to do anything without increasing taxes. So its retirees, homeowners, wage earners, superannuation. I mean they are all getting hit with Bill Shorten's tax stick. I mean that is the only stick he's got - a higher tax stick that he hits anybody, anybody who gets anywhere near him.
KENNEDY: Well ok, we will hear from the Opposition today about that issue. Just one final one, Ita Buttrose as the chair of the ABC. Would you give that the green light when it is presented to Cabinet?
PRIME MINISTER: Cabinet hasn't made a decision on this matter yet and we are considering these matters and when we have made a decision we will make an announcement.
KENNEDY: Do you think she would she be a good person for the job?
PRIME MINISTER: I don't get into commentary about things that Cabinet are considering. Do you think she would?
KENNEDY: We have been pretty positive in the newsroom this morning about Ita Buttrose being the chair of the ABC.
PRIME MINISTER: I have known Ita for a long time …
KENNEDY: But it’s not up to me, it’s a question for you
PRIME MINISTER: … and I think she's an extraordinary Australian. An Australian of the Year and there have been few people more than Ita that I think have lifted the standards of journalism in this country and I think that says a lot about her character and her abilities.
KENNEDY: Joining the ranks of the great journalism of the ABC, it would be a nice fit, it seems. Prime Minister, thank you very much for your time.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks a lot.
Interview with Laura Jayes and Kieran Gilbert, Sky News
25 February 2019
LAURA JAYES: Prime Minister Good morning, if we are to meet our Paris targets in a canter as you have repeatedly promised why do we need to spend another $3.5 billion dollars in tax payer funds?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I always said there would be additional initiatives and there are in fact the Emissions Reduction Fund and the flagging of additional investment was set by Tony Abbott back in 2015 so this is a continuation of those programs and that is why I have always been so confident and why am I so confident because the 2020 targets we will exceed by over 400 million tonnes and when we came to Government we inherited a deficit of more than 700 million tonnes and we turned that around through these programs we will be one of the few countries in the world that will have exceeded our targets in 2020 by that type of amount well beyond many of the others who are often claimed and out to 2030 we have the plan to get us to hit those targets in a canter as well so our record speaks for itself we meet the targets that have been set for us that we have set ourselves and we will meet them in the future and they are sensible.
I mean a 45 per cent emissions reduction target as we learnt last week is going to cost everyone’s wages $9,000 a year, now that is a carbon tax on steroids. Remember that was $500 per year this is $9,000 per year and the reason for that is we have to hit 328 million tonnes to get to our 2030 target. Labor will require more than 3 times that amount shutting down industries around the country which will be terrible for our economy. Sensible, balanced that’s our approach with a track record of achieving.
KIERAN GILBERT: Prime Minister do you think that the wild weather that we have seen over recent months over Summer has made you know this an even more potent issue in the minds of people in the electorate. Is that your sense of the politics of this issue?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I mean I think that is absolutely a perception that is there and as I said at the Press Club a few weeks ago obviously these things play into this issue you know the extent of that currently I think that is a matter that is often debated but let’s understand where we are right now we are meeting and exceeding our carbon emission reduction targets that we set for ourselves right now.
So in terms for our action on climate change we are bettering what we said we would achieve and that means right now when these events are occurring we are well ahead of what people thought would be able to achieve and certainly what the Labor Party left us with which was a 700 million tonne deficit to meet our 2020 targets which we will now as I have said before smash more than 400 million tonnes.
JAYES: Well this climate solutions fund as you are calling it this morning, will it be used to underwrite new coal projects of which the government, your Government with Angus Taylor has identified ten?
PRIME MINISTER: That’s not what the Emissions Reduction Fund does, no.
JAYES: So there won’t be any funding from this to go to underwriting of new coal, that money will be found elsewhere and I imagine you will require legislation?
PRIME MINISTER: That is a separate process which continues to be underway which is agnostic about what the source of reliable energy is and that is a separate process. What I am talking about today is the Emissions Reduction Fund which is a $2 billion over the next ten years. This is also important, we are meeting our targets without having to go and purchase foreign carbon credits. Now in New Zealand I met with Jacinda Ardern last Friday and she told me that they are going to have to do that in New Zealand now in Australia we are not doing that. We are meeting our Emissions Reductions Targets, and lets remind ourselves is a reduction in per capita emissions by over 50 percent by 2030 and a reduction in the intensity of our emissions by two thirds now that stands up as credible anywhere in the world today and so they are credible targets but they are also sensible targets. Labor’s targets are reckless, I can’t describe it any other way and they will hit tax payers and they will hit industries and they will hit jobs and they will hit wages.
GILBERT: Well that is the debate you will obviously continue over coming months but did you concede this morning that $2 billion it’s a big figure this is a carbon price isn’t it of some sort on the economy and on tax payers.
PRIME MINISTER: No, no, no this is an investment in programs … it’s in the Budget this is the point it’s in our Budget.
GILBERT: It’s a carbon price.
PRIME MINISTER: It’s fully funded, no it’s not I think with great respect Keiran it shows a misunderstanding of the issues what this is investing in practices whether it’s in farms, in businesses or in other places to adopt energy efficient and improving technologies and practices which result in a reduction in carbon emissions but they also result in an improvement in productivity.
GILBERT: But it’s not free that’s the point.
PRIME MINISTER: So everybody wins, everybody wins from this project it’s not a price it is an investment.
JAYES: Can I ask you about the latest Newspoll 47 out of 53 you are still six points behind after the last fortnight in Parliament are you disappointed that there hasn’t been some kind of improvement there?
PRIME MINISTER: I just focus on the plan we have, the plans that we have outlaid on the economy, our national security plans, the plans I’m announcing today to meet our climate change targets and that’s what we are putting to the Australian people. Now the only reference I would make to those numbers today clearly what we are saying on the economy and the national security is resonating when it comes to my plans and I welcome that.
JAYES: Where is the evidence of that Prime Minister with these numbers?
PRIME MINISTER: You must have missed the bit that showed the difference between Bill Shorten and I when it comes to the economy and national security, we are resonating when it comes to our economic message and our national security message. The election is in May, West Coast were behind at half time and there is still a long way to go.
GILBERT: Do you feel that you have misread the mood though somewhat on asylum seekers, in terms of medical evacuations as you say in terms of the polling you are up on national security you are up on border protection that’s fine but in terms of the primary vote it hasn’t budged. Are people more sympathetic than you might have expected?
PRIME MINISTER: Honestly guys, seriously you are focussing on the wrong things. What border protection is about is border protection it’s about ensuring you have an integrity of border protection that’s why we do what we do that’s why we have always done what we have done.
It’s not about these numbers you are talking about if you focus on those numbers then you do what Bill Shorten does every day and changes his position on Christmas Island I mean what is his position today it was different yesterday to what it was two days before that. He’s chasing the polls around what I am doing is laying out plans for our economy, national security, climate change and border protection and people will make their own judgement but what people know about me is when I make decisions, when I put plans in place I achieve them whether it is on border protection, the economy and indeed our Government has from the first time when we put the Emissions Reduction Fund in place, I mean that of itself has resulted in almost 200 million tonnes of carbon abatement over the course of our Government. Now these are real results so we are focussed on those results the policy results because that’s what impacts on the outcomes for every Australian.
JAYES: A few final things Prime Minister, why have you cancelled the dawn services at Villers-Bretonneux is there any chance of overturning that?
PRIME MINISTER: Well that was a matter that I understand was decided by the Department and that has been brought to my attention and I will be discussing that with the Minister.
GILBERT: All right and so hopefully some change or potential change on that front and finally onto China and the coal issues do you think it is believable what they have said in relation to environmental checks for our coal given the standard of our exported coal is better than most of the rest of the world and yet exports from Indonesia, Russia are still going in to that port of Dalian in China is their reason believable?
PRIME MINISTER: Well this has happened before this is not the first time this has happened we have worked through these issues before these are local decisions that are made in these ports I should stress and they don’t represent a very large proportion of coal exports through that port into China in terms of our broader export of coal into China so we will just work through these issues as we have previously it’s not new and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in China has made it very clear that these two things are not related and we take that at their word but I do know this I don’t think a global market for coal being impacted negatively is a wonderful thing, the Labor Party does.
Everyone in Townsville should know everyone whose job depends on our biggest single minerals export, 55,000 of them should know that the Labor Party thinks that the market that supports your job not doing well is wonderful, that is an absolute disgrace. We believe in creating jobs and having sustainable industries we also believe in our traditional industries whether its forestries, whether is fisheries, whether it’s mining whether its agriculture. Yesterday I was in Gippsland talking to farmers in Gippsland who have been affected by the drought. As you know I have been up in Cloncurry in Julia Creek talking to those who have been affected by the floods we support our agriculture and primary industries and I was also in Tasmania the week before putting in place our forestry hub plan which is very important for jobs in north west Tasmania.
GILBERT: Prime Minister we appreciate your time thanks for that.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks a lot Kieran, see you guys.