Doorstop - Adelaide, SA

19 February 2020

DR MEGAN CLARK AC, HEAD OF AUSTRALIAN SPACE AGENCY: Thank you very much, Prime Minister, and what a fantastic day, the opening of our headquarters here in Adelaide in South Australia, serving the nation and taking us into space and back into space. We are absolutely thrilled and we’re you’re standing is got to be mission control and a discovery centre for the people of Australia. We're going to open our mission control, probably the first in the world, that people will be able to come in and see what's happening in space and what we're doing. Prime Minister, we're thrilled. We are really excited about the growth that we're seeing in this sector all around the country and for people here in South Australia. 

PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much. Premier? 

THE HON. STEVEN MARSHALL MP, PREMIER OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA: Thank you, Prime Minister. Our space odyssey continues. An historic day for South Australian, historic day for Australia. A great day for Australia with the opening by the Prime Minister of the Australian Space Agency right here in Adelaide on Lot Fourteen. This is really becoming a centre of international respect with the Australian Space Agency, the Smart Satellite CRC, the largest space-related research project in the history of Australia, the Australian Institute for Machine Learning and much, much more. We're so excited about this project because of the jobs that it is going to create in the future. And we've already seen a massive uptake and rollout of new SMEs, start-ups, scale-ups in the space sector and this is going to create thousands and thousands of jobs. We are so excited about the federal government's ambition for space-related jobs and the massive ambition to accelerate this over the next decade. And Adelaide is right at the epicentre of this ambition. 

PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Premier, thank you, Steven. And thank you, Dr Clark and Karen Andrews, the Minister for Space. The Minister for Industry, Science and Technology. This is a plan for jobs. This is why I'm here today. This is about jobs. Since we were first elected, more than 1.5 million jobs have been created in Australia by the hard work and effort and investment that has gone into our economy, creating jobs, creating futures for Australians all across the country. At the last election I said we were going to create more jobs, another 1.25 million jobs and 20,000 of those jobs are going to be here in the space industry. A space industry that is growing faster than the global economy, faster than our regional economy. This is an industry that is generating good wage jobs, career jobs, future jobs. Kids who are growing up and going through and doing STEM courses today and those who will be in the future. People of all ages finding opportunities. There’s a company here in South Australia called XTEK, they used to make carbon components for cars, then they started doing it in the defence industry as a result of significant investments we're putting in the defence industry and now they're doing it in the space industry. That's why this is important. We put $600 million into developing the space industry here in Australia. Headquartered in South Australia, where as you can see, you get the critical mass of all the government operators coming together and creating this hub for innovation, this hub for taking the space industry forward. But more importantly, that draws together the private investment that is going to make this industry what it can be here in Australia. And that private investment by small entrepreneurs, those smaller companies, those SMEs, but also large companies as well, investments and technology coming from overseas and the partnerships that have been formed with the space agency and so many others around the world, not the least, of course, being NASA with our Moon to Mars mission and our participation in what is an incredibly exciting mission. 

But at the end of the day, as exciting as space is, it's about the jobs in space that really matters, the jobs that are actually going to be generated, that are going to boost the livelihoods and the incomes of Australians, whether here in South Australia or elsewhere right across the country. So we're excited to be here today. And the plan that you have there is our space plan is a plan for jobs. And that's why I'm excited to be opening this today. We're very pleased to be taking this initiative forward. It's one of so many, whether it's been in defence industries or other parts of the economy, where Karen Andrews is leading that charge. We're ensuring that we're staying ahead, that we're involved in the industries that are going to drive the global economy into the future and that we’re well placed for that and not just for the sake of today's economy and the challenges we face today, but ensuring that we’re well set-up here for the future. So I want to congratulate the Premier on his great leadership here, the Lot Fourteen development, which was perfectly situated, perfectly designed to accommodate our ambitions for the space industry to bring this all together here. I want to congratulate Dr Megan Clark and all of the team of the space agency and all the other government agencies that have been involved, the CRC, CSIRO, everyone else who has been part of this tremendous initiative and to you, Minister, Karen, thank you so much for your passion for this. She is our resident nerd in cabinet when it comes to this issue and that's a good thing because we need more of that because they go on to be astronauts and they go on to do all sorts of amazing things and enliven the imaginations of Australians all across the country. So well done, Karen, for your tremendous passion on bringing this together here with Megan on time, on budget. And we launched. Karen?

THE HON. KAREN ANDREWS MP, MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: Thank you, Prime Minister. And you're absolutely right, space does bring out the inner nerd in which I'm really quite, quite proud of. I mean, who doesn't get excited about space and the wonderful opportunities not just to look at what's happening in space and to be part of the NASA mission to the moon and beyond to Mars. But all the great things that can come from space that help us in our everyday lives. So many of you would have used GPS to get here today, you would use GPS on a daily basis, most likely. That's the information that comes from space. That's the things that we need to focus on, how we're going to make life easier for everyday Australians, for our businesses, for farmers, for our producers. We’ll be looking at how we can harness all of the technology to make sure that we are better prepared for the next bushfire season. We'll be looking at earth observations. We'll be looking at what our terrain is showing. There are so many fabulous things out there that are part of space and we intend to capture each and every one of those of amazing things. Currently, the space industry in Australia employs about 10,000 people and is worth about $3.9 billion. The plan that we have in place that we're currently implementing will grow the space industry here in Australia to triple in size to $12 billion and to employ an additional 20,000 people by 2030. The occupations are very diverse. We will, of course, have astrophysicists, we’ll have scientists, we’ll have engineers, we’ll have electricians, we’ll have shift workers. So there are a whole range of jobs that are out there. The Australian space agency has led the charge. The Premier, Steven Marshall, has done an outstanding job here in South Australia. He has been supporting the growth of his sector here from day one. Quite frankly, the Prime Minister, as you've heard, is absolutely supportive and backing the Australian space industry. And of course, whilst we’ve headquartered the Australian Space Agency here in Adelaide, we are working with every state and territory to make sure that we take all of Australia on this amazing journey with us, whether it's talking to Western Australia about robotics, whether we're talking about a launch potentially in Queensland, we already have, the amazing business, Gilmore Technologies that are looking at launch and test rockets. There is something for every state and territory here in Australia. So the Australian Space Agency is well and truly open for business. The Australian space industry has already lifted off. So, Prime Minister, with the greatest respect to you, there is only one thing left to say, and that is beam us up, Scotty.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, would you see a possibility, the Minister has mentioned launch facilities in Queensland. Would you see Woomera at any point reactivated for this program?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, look, you wouldn't expect me to comment on the operations of Woomera, but I mean, last night I was speaking to some of the Korean investors and they're talking about launch capacities here in South Australia. So really, with space, the sky's not the limit. It's bigger than that. And the interest, because of our coordinated and concerted focus on bringing the space industry here together in South Australia, that attracts the ideas. This is how these industries grow. They get a roll-on, they get a critical mass. And when you get a critical mass and incredibly clever, talented people, then it grows from there. And South Australia is well-positioned. So wherever that might be, there are no possibilities that really can't be pursued when you get the capital, the private sector working together with the government sector, including the risk managers upstairs, who I also met to ensure that that's all done according to [inaudible]. That's really important. And so it is a consolidated, coordinated effort and that's what attracts the investment and that's what sees things like that launch off the ground.

JOURNALIST: Dr Clark, how does the space agency headquarters look here in Adelaide? How many staff do you have at the moment and do you expect that to increase over time? 

DR MEGAN CLARK AC, HEAD OF AUSTRALIAN SPACE AGENCY: So we're committed to we have 20 people here. We've got 19, we've got one more to go. So even on opening day, we are almost full up there. What's important is that this is now a door that we can showcase when we have our international visitors. Yesterday, the Italian space agency generously provided us a payload capacity on the International Space Station. So opening that door internationally with the countries, the United Kingdom, with France, with what we're doing with NASA on Moon to Mars. This is an important role for the Australian space agency and having headquarters such as this where we can show off and showcase what we're doing here and these things are fantastic. When we finish the Discovery Centre and the Mission Control, it gives us wonderful credentials to form those partnerships and welcome the partnerships that we will need to be able to go to space. We absolutely depend on national and international partnerships to achieve our purpose of transforming and growing the Australian space industry. 

JOURNALIST: Are those jobs a maximum or are you planning on employing more people?

DR MEGAN CLARK AC, HEAD OF AUSTRALIAN SPACE AGENCY: At the rate we're going and we're growing. So we’ve just brought Australians back from overseas. So Catherine and Campbell coming from overseas, they’ve had wonderful experience internationally. Now coming back, looking after our roadmaps into the future, looking after our Moon to Mars projects. So these are the kind of jobs we’re creating. The Prime Minister met our risk officers, so I'm very engaged in making sure we're safe on Earth, that we're safe getting into space, we're safe in space and we are safe coming back home. So these are the sort of jobs that we are providing here in Adelaide and creating.

JOURNALIST: And last time we spoke, you didn't intend on moving to Adelaide. Have you changed your mind and if not, how are you run the space agency if you're not here at the headquarters?

DR MEGAN CLARK AC, HEAD OF AUSTRALIAN SPACE AGENCY: The team runs the space agency and then they run me. So that's the way it works. We have an absolutely fabulous team. I'm truly delighted. I live in Melbourne, I turn left to Adelaide, straight-ahead for Perth, right for Canberra. Little bit off-centre for Darwin and hard-left for Tasmania. So we're a national agency and also I need to be international as well, so opening those doors internationally. So on any given day, I'm not even sure where I am, but I love being here. I love swimming out at Glenelg every morning. It's a wonderful home for us and I'm really, really thrilled, really thrilled, and so is the team to have such wonderful headquarters here in Adelaide.

JOURNALIST: In terms of this space here, when is this expected to be complete in terms of the Mission Control Centre and the Discovery Centre?

DR MEGAN CLARK AC, HEAD OF AUSTRALIAN SPACE AGENCY: So we have gone out and consulted around the country to get submissions in. Those submissions, I think, closed last night at five o'clock. We will work through those and work through those partnerships for mission control. We're partnering with Questacon, who you would be familiar with, for the Discovery Centre and Questacon is working with us and others to build a discovery centre. What will be unusual is the mission control will be right here and we will have glass at the back so that people can come in off the street and see what we are doing. No other agency has opened their mission control up in that way. And we want kids and people to be out to see what's happening on the lunar surface, to be able to see what's happening in real-time on the lunar orbit and eventually to be able to come in and say, I wonder what's happening on Mars today and come in and see people in action. And I think that will inspire them to take up jobs, maybe try a little bit harder in their maths and English and try and get those jobs.

JOURNALIST: Premier, do think that mission control, as amazing as it's just been described, can be the remedy that the hit our tourism has taken from the coronavirus and the bushfires?

THE HON. STEVEN MARSHALL MP, PREMIER OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA: Look, there's no doubt that people are absolutely fascinated by space and having mission control here in South Australia, having the Space Discovery Centre here in South Australia, I think will not only captivate the people in our state, but bring people from interstate and overseas. There is massive global interest in the space sector. There's a lot of people who go to Houston each year just to take a look at the fantastic facilities. And we want to be able to develop something in South Australia which is really going to be of global significance. 

JOURNALIST: And what part of the hospital was this?

THE HON. STEVEN MARSHALL MP, PREMIER OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA: We are in the McEwen Building. So I'm not sure what was in the McEwen Building. But three years ago, this was a functioning hospital. We're so grateful that we've had this opportunity right in the heart of our city, seven hectares, we've been able to transform the adaptive reuse of this building. And I can also say that we're now out in the market for further 30 to 40 thousand square metres behind these buildings as we further demolish the old buildings on this site. This is really going to become a great centre to attract people from various disciplines here: space, defence, cyber, machine learning, blockchain, ag-tech, creative industries, all centred on this site. And I think that the spontaneous interactions across disciplines will create something very unique, very unique for Adelaide and quite frankly, unique in the world.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, thank you. Prime Minister, just speaking of jobs, it would be remiss if we didn't ask the progress of submarine maintenance jobs and where they’re going to end up. Six months ago asked the same question, four months ago you said for Christmas or roundabout Christmas. We’re well after that. Where are we at now?

PRIME MINISTER: The Government hasn't made a final decision on that. But what I do know is there's 2,600 jobs here because of our investments in submarines and frigates. I do know there are 2,600 jobs here and into the future. I mean, Adelaide is building submarines and they are where the big jobs are going to be. And what I am working closely with the Premier on is making sure that we're maximising those jobs in the defence industries and as we work through those important decisions and, you know, I'm not one to rush these important decisions. I mean, the decision relates to what we're doing with full-cycle docking in 2026. So it's important to get this decision right and at the end of the day, what that decision is about is how we get the best operations out of our defence forces and our submarine fleet. I mean, that's why we build submarines. We build submarines to make sure they're out there at sea doing their job. And that is the national interest, ultimately, in making these investments and this is the important issue. The capabilities here in Adelaide are fantastic, of course they are. That's why we've decided to build submarines here and build frigates. We’ve got 2,600 jobs and one of the big challenges we've got here in South Australia is actually meeting those workforce requirements. And so we're going to have to go put the pedal to the floor to ensure that we’re training and skills and getting people into those important defence industry jobs which we're creating here in South Australia and we want to make sure we achieve that. So if you're working in the shipbuilding industry and if you're working in the defence industry here in South Australia, you're working in the space industry here in South Australia, you've got a bright future because this is a plan for jobs. Our economic plan is about investing in the space industry. Our economic plan is about investing in the defence industry. Our economic plan is about investing in the skills of Australians so they can work in both of those industries into the future to get your taxes down, to build the infrastructure, to open up our trade opportunities all around the world. When we came to government, 26 per cent of our trade covered by export agreements. Now it's 70 per cent and we're going to 90. That's the economic plan that is going to give Australians confidence in what are very challenging times, whether it's the coronavirus, whether it's what we're seeing globally in the economy, whether it's what we've experienced over this terrible black summer and the challenges we have domestically with the drought. The way you deal with that is you invest in the things that grow your economy and that's why we're here today.

JOURNALIST: So sub jobs, the decision isn’t imminent on maintenance jobs?

PRIME MINISTER: I wouldn't go into any timetable. I'm just saying what the priorities are. And we will get this decision right in the Australian national interest.

JOURNALIST: Why isn't South Australia a priority for those jobs?

PRIME MINISTER: They are a priority. 2,600 jobs says priority, priority, jobs, jobs. 

JOURNALIST: But you can't commit to keeping them here in South Australia?

PRIME MINISTER: I can tell you that people who are working in the submarine industry in Australia, in South Australia, will continue to be able to work in the submarine industry in Australia, in South Australia.

JOURNALIST: Can I ask on another issue to do with the Diamond Princess cruise ship? 

PRIME MINISTER: Sure.

JOURNALIST: Do you know how many Australians on that cruise ship are choosing not to come home on a chartered flight from Japan and why? 

PRIME MINISTER: We have less than 20, is my advice. It is 15, precisely. And the predominant reason for that is that they are staying, in many cases, with family members who have actually contracted the virus and are receiving medical attention in Japan. We have over 30 Australians who have contracted the virus who are on the Diamond Princess. So that is the predominant reason overwhelmingly for those 15 people who won't be on that plane today. But the good news is we will be bringing them home today. I can understand their frustration. I really can. And we've seen that expressed. Having spent two weeks on board that ship, trusting and hoping that the quarantine arrangements would have been successful. But even as the passengers themselves have said, with the outbreak that occurred on that ship, they know that's not the case. And at the end of the day, the safety of Australians, the health of Australians, has to be put first. And that's what we've done. We will give them every care and support. Greg Hunt, the minister, and Dr Brennan Murphy, the Chief Medical Officer, were up at Howard Springs yesterday looking at the facilities again. This is a different group of people, a lot more elderly people who are part of this group who are coming back. But we're going to take good care of them and we're going to make sure that the quarantine measures are effective and we want to get them home to their families as soon as possible. I know how frustrating it must be for them, but also for their family members, particularly if they have more elderly relatives who were caught up in this and they'll be concerned for them. I understand that. And so be assured that we'll take very good care of your family up there at Howard Springs. And you saw the reports that were coming from people who've now returned from Christmas Island and the wonderful care and attention they had from all of the team that was involved in that. I just want to thank Qantas again for really stepping up and being there to help Australians and to bring them home, which is what Qantas does so well.

JOURNALIST: The AFP Commissioner has said this morning that the raids on journalists could have been handled better. Do you agree with that, that they could have been handled differently?

PRIME MINISTER: That’s a matter for the AFP.

JOURNALIST: Will you reconsider releasing the Gaetjens report publicly?

PRIME MINISTER: What the Secretary of Prime Minister and Cabinet has done is released quite a comprehensive statement that went to his findings on this. It is not the policy of our government or any other government to have Cabinet in Confidence materials, of the governance committee in particular, to be released. That's just standard government practice. But the information that people are seeking I think has been well set out by the statement that was released by the Secretary.

JOURNALIST: Gaetjens in his submission to the Senate inquiry admitted there were bad decisions made on Bridget McKenzie's part with the spots grants. Doesn’t that go against the reasons why you’ve accepted her resignation?

PRIME MINISTER: The Secretary was very clear, the breaches of ministerial standards related to a conflict of interest issue and that was a clear cut case. And the minister has resigned from her portfolio, from the agriculture portfolio she held. We have accepted all the recommendations of the Auditor General's report and are acting on those which address also the issues that have been raised in the Secretary's report. So the minister resigned. We've addressed the issues in the report. And we're going to keep getting on with the job of building infrastructure that matters to communities. At the end of the day, that's what it's about when you're in government, whether you’re a state premier or a prime minister. You want to do things that make a difference on the ground in communities and the government will always keep doing that on the ground in communities.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook’s landing is approaching and some events have been cancelled. In your view, why is it still important to commemorate this day?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, you know what? I don't know if you know this, but the whole inspiration for Gene Roddenberry’s wonderful series about Star Trek was actually Captain James Cook. He was a tremendous scientist, James Cook. And this was pointed out in Peter Fitzsimmons book most recently and he and I had some correspondence on this. He was a person of his age in an age of enlightenment which went out and explored and connected with new worlds. That's what he did. A person of his type in his time was very, very rare. And it's a reminder of another time. It was at an important part of Australia's history. I mean, my electorate actually is the place where he first set down, in Botany Bay. And each year on the 29th of April, we have every year had an acknowledgement and a coming together of cultures ceremony. And it's a beautiful thing and it's enabled the relationship and the reconciliation to continue to take place when we talk about our history and we talk about it in an honest way. But it's also important to understand that someone like - he was then Lieutenant James Cook, but ultimately Captain Cook - he says a lot about exploration, about seeking to understand the world in which we live. And, you know, that's what we're doing here. And so this is a theme that runs through to this day and so I think there's a lot to learn and when there's something to learn, I'm all for it. Thanks very much.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42674

Space Agency Touches Down at Adelaide Home Base

19 February 2020

Prime Minister, Minister for Industry Science and Technology, Premier of South Australia

The Australian Space Agency has officially opened its headquarters in the centre of Adelaide today, reaching an exciting milestone in its mission to grow the economy and create new jobs.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Space Agency had made outstanding progress since being established by the Coalition in July 2018 and was now ready to settle into its permanent home in the heart of the Lot Fourteen precinct in Adelaide.

“The Australian Space Agency is central to my Government’s vision to secure more jobs and a larger share of the growing space economy – forecast to be over $1 trillion in size around the globe by 2040,” the Prime Minister said.

“Space captures the imagination and inspires us all. It develops new technologies that improve life on Earth and it offers huge economic and job opportunities.

“That’s why we’re investing almost $700 million into the space sector, including $150 million into Australian businesses so they can pick up more work and support more jobs by partnering with NASA’s Moon to Mars initiative.”

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said South Australia was now at the forefront of the nation’s space endeavours.

“We are now, without a doubt, the space capital of the nation,” said the Premier.

“Young people from across the state have the opportunity to seize incredible jobs across the sector, right here in South Australia.

“We’ve secured the headquarters of the Australian Space Agency, SmartSat CRC, Mission Control and the Space Discovery Centre.

“There’s an ambition to triple the size of Australia’s space economy by 2030, and Adelaide is going to be right at the heart of this monumental project.

“Young South Australians can look up at the stars and genuinely find opportunities right here in this state to pursue their dreams.”

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said the opening was another chance to highlight the great opportunities space presents to everyday Australians.

“Australia’s space sector has gone from strength to strength since we established the Agency and I’m confident we will continue to build on that momentum,” Minister Andrews said. 

“Space is inspirational but it’s also big business. The Morrison Government is investing heavily in providing opportunity to Australians. We’ve set the goal of tripling the size of the sector in Australia to $12 billion and adding an extra 20,000 jobs by 2030.

“But beyond that space will create opportunities for core industries -- from manufacturing to mining -- to tap into new supply chains.”

Head of the Australian Space Agency, Dr Megan Clark AC said our national headquarters is a strong base for the Agency to grow and transform the Australian space industry.

“We’re delighted to have a new home in the centre of Adelaide, and we look forward to developing the Australian Space Discovery Centre and Mission Control, which will open next year,” said Dr Clark.

“I want to thank our team for all the hard work to establish our new facility, on time, and on budget.”

Lot Fourteen also houses other space industry participants including the SmartSat CRC and CSIRO.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42673

Doorstop - Melbourne, VIC

18 February 2020

PROFESSOR SHARON LEWIN, DIRECTOR OF THE PETER DOHERTY INSTITUTE: Good morning everyone. It is a very warm welcome to the Doherty Institute. My name is Sharon Lewin, I am the Director of the Institute. The Institute is a joint venture of the University of Melbourne and Melbourne Hospital. We have had a long-standing interest and tremendous expertise in all different viruses and most recently in Covid-19 and we were the first place outside of China to grow and then share the virus internationally with many of our colleagues. A lot of work continues here on anti-viral diagnostic vaccine development and understanding transmission. So it’s a very, very great pleasure to welcome both the Prime Minister and the Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, to visit us today and I’ll hand over to them.

PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much for allowing us to come here today and see the amazing work that’s being done here by the Doherty Institute. The world got to know a lot about the Doherty Institute on about Australia Day when they were the first to grow and share the coronavirus and that spoke volumes about the capability of the science and technology base that we have here in Australia. Not only to deal with serious issues such as coronavirus here in Australia and how we can address it within our own borders but the fact that we were sharing this with the world and were assisting all other nations as the world together seeks to deal with the coronavirus. Overnight successes take years and years and years to achieve, as we all know, and this was another example of that. The investment in the facilities here by the Commonwealth and partnerships, which Doherty enjoys with other organisations, particularly the university here, Melbourne University, as well as up in Queensland and CSIRO and a number of other great research partners who are working in this area. It really does put Australia at the leading edge. And for Minister Hunt and I and all of the members of our National Security Committee and, of course, Dr. Brendan Murphy, who's been our constant source of advice as we've been dealing with this issue. 

What is incredibly important is that we get the best possible medical advice and expertise to ensure that we're making the decisions that can best protect Australians here and we've been very successful to date in containing this virus here in Australia. But the challenges are still present going into the future and we've had a good opportunity to talk about some of those risks into the future and how we might be able to manage those. And one of the things we're announcing today is we're going to put $2 million through the Medical Research Future Fund and we're going to be putting that money into a competitive program to find a vaccine. Now, there are many research projects that are going on around the world to do this very task, and Australia's going to play its part in that process. Already here at Doherty there is much work going on in this area and we continue to support that work and we want to get as many of the brightest and smartest minds in Australia working on this task. This is a task that's not only important for Australia, it's very important more broadly for our region as well, which is very exposed and very vulnerable at this time. And so that is our focus, working the science, working the problems and putting the right measures in place to protect Australians. But looking to the future and using the best minds we have available in this area and they're the best in the world to ensure that we can put our best foot forward in keeping Australians safe and ensure that we can manage our way through this process. We're very conscious of the significant impacts that this virus is having on the Australian economy and where we're not alone in that. This is a global issue and it's affecting many economies around the world and we're working closely with our partners around the world, whether it's gaining access, as we've just announced yesterday, with the Diamond Princess assisted departure flights that are going into Japan or where we've operated in China itself. There's a lot of collaboration going on between governments, a lot of sharing information to ensure that we can make the right decisions to protect Australia's future. Not just their health future, but ensure that we can move quickly to mitigate any impacts that could occur when it comes to the economy. 

Let me make just one other point. Yesterday I was in Box Hill and there's a lot of information that people are getting at home about Chinese Australians living in Australia and they can have every confidence, if you're a Chinese Australian living in Australia, unless you've been in mainland China in the last 14 days and you're subject to that self-isolation, you should feel free to move around. You don't need to stay at home. You can go to those wonderful restaurants out there in Box Hill. You can go in and participate in the community. You don't need to stay home. I'm raising that with you because that's what was raised directly with me when I was out there yesterday. There seemed to be some misunderstanding about that. Unless you're subject to self-isolation because you've been in mainland China for the last 14 days, then you should feel free to move around because Australia has been successfully containing the coronavirus to date. And the cases that have presented, many of them now they've left hospital and they're getting on with their lives and so we need to continue to deal with this issue very regularly. We're getting regular updates about what the best information and science and medical advice is, and we're acting on that advice on a daily basis today. 

Today, last night, we’re welcoming home Australians who had been part of that quarantine up in Christmas Island. We thank them for their patience and we thank them for their grace and the way in which they undertook that process. And we're so pleased that they're home now with their families and whether it's here in Melbourne or elsewhere, I think that's tremendous. There'll be another group that will be coming out of Howard Springs in the not too distant future and, of course, we've got those that will be going into Howard Springs in a few days’ time off the Diamond Princess. We thank them for their patience. We understand how terribly frustrating it must be for them. But we're doing this because of the best medical advice, which is on display here. We have the best information of anyone in the world when it comes to this thanks for the wonderful work that's being done here. And that means we can make decisions which are about protecting Australians safety. So we thank you for your cooperation. We thank you for your patience and the way you're responding to this and the Government will continue to make the decisions which are in your best interests and the country's best interests, but will also make a contribution to how this issue is being managed globally. I'm going hand over to Greg to go and a few more details.

THE HON. GREG HUNT MP, MINISTER FOR HEALTH: Thanks very much, Prime Minister and Sharon. One of the reasons that we have been able to successfully contain the coronavirus in Australia and to keep Australians safe is because we have extraordinary scientists, extraordinary institutes such as the Doherty and institutions such as the National Incident Centre, the National Medical Stockpile and the National Trauma Centre. All of these structures have been years in the making. And so this is a case of preparedness meets need, preparedness meets need. And what we see here, Sharon, with you and your extraordinary team, Mike and Julian and Jody and all of the researchers, a truly international collaborative team, that were the first international team to grow and share the details of the coronavirus. We have people who are at the frontline of protecting Australia and helping to keep Australians safe. For us, we've been able to contribute to the work of the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory with $25 million over the current four year period and more broadly, an additional $50 million through the National Health and Medical Research Council for the Doherty Institute. World-leading research here at the University of Melbourne. Right now, it is helping to save and protect lives in Australia by allowing us to test early. It means that we can find and isolate cases which helps with the quarantine. So we have our border measures, but we also have our internal measures and these two things come together and that's why we're contributing to the funding for a vaccine to look at the next stage going forward whilst we're also bringing people home from the Diamond Princess and providing protection and care for them. So all of these things come together. I want to say two thank yous - one, Sharon to you and your extraordinary team of world-leading researchers and two, to those Australians, whether it's the Defence Force, Border Force or in particular, I want to thank the AUSMAT medical team, which has been doing such a great job of taking care of our passengers on Christmas Island and in Howard Springs. Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER: Thank you. We also have Dr Brendan Murphy here, the Chief Medical Officer, if you've got questions that relate to this. But happy to take some questions.

JOURNALIST: Just why are you going through this $2 million grant process if the work is already being done by the Doherty Institute, the CSIRO and UQ?

THE HON. GREG HUNT MP, MINISTER FOR HEALTH: So what we've done is we've taken advice on the best way forward. What we're seeing is that they are currently doing work. We're providing an opportunity for additional funding over and above that which is already occurring. As I said, we're contributing $25 million to the work of the Reference Laboratory on an ongoing basis and $50 million through NHMRC grants to this particular institute. But we're hoping that that funding will encourage even further work. That's the key point. We're hoping it will encourage even further work in line with the call from CEPI, so the international coalition, to encourage this vaccine development and work across the world. 

JOURNALIST: How were these grants be rolled out, will it be capped, what’s the application process?

MINISTER HUNT: So there's the Medical Research Future Fund will issue that grant materials in the course of the coming week. We've been able to do this with the bushfire, a very rapid turnaround and a competitive process. And that's a great way of encouraging collaboration and further work. And we're following exactly the same process as we've done with the bushfire health funding research. 

JOURNALIST: What would you hope though with the cap on the grants would be?

MINISTER HUNT: So it's an initial $2 million, and that will be determined by the quality of the grants. We'll get the NHMRC to advise on the merit order of those. 

JOURNALIST: And presumably within the, with that body you’ve got people that would know the best ones to go to that have the expertise-

MINISTER HUNT: This is what the NHMRC does. They are equally, some of the best people in the world in rapid assessment and ranking of world-leading research Australia.

JOURNALIST: The Royal Australian College of GPs says doctors are being given conflicting advice from the states on the coronavirus, does there need to be, more to be done to ensure that this information is consistent?

DR. MURPHY: So the advice to GP's is, comes from the Commonwealth and it’s signed off by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee. All of the states and territories, chief medical officers, chief health officers, we've all got one consistent set of GP advice. There are some differences in the states about where the states prefer people to be tested. Some states are favouring the public hospitals. Some states are favouring GP assessment and private path lab testing. That's a matter for the states. But the advice, the medical advice, how to deal with these people, how to diagnose, how to protect yourself is utterly consistent across the country.

PRIME MINISTER: And I stress that is the same with the advice that's coming forward to the government at the National Security Committee as well. Dr. Murphy convenes that forum that he's outlined. And that process has been very much a pulling together the views of the various states and territories medical officers. And then Brendan is relaying that to the National Security Committee in the decisions that we are making. And as you know, the committee is meeting on a very regular basis throughout this coronavirus outbreak.

JOURNALIST: The college also says that the advice to call GPs if you’re concerned means doctors are giving advice over the phone which they can’t bill for, is it, is there a concern or is it fair that they have to give this advice for free?

DR. MURPHY: Well, I think, that's something I'm happy to have a chat to the college of GPs about. We're dealing with a fairly small number of cases at the moment. I'm happy to talk to the college about that issue.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister on a separate topic if I can?

PRIME MINISTER: Are there any other issues relating to the announcement today or coronavirus? Because I’m happy to excuse our friends. Yep, happy to go to other matters.

JOURNALIST: So will Australia actually push for a technology investment target, over a commitment to reach a net zero emissions by 2050 in Glasgow? And does this then in turn actually cause more division amongst moderate MPs in favour of the net zero emissions?

PRIME MINISTER: There's a very speculative report in the papers today. And what I've said is that we favour technology over taxation. What I've said is that anything we sign up to will be signed up to if we were to go down that path, having thoroughly looked at what is the impact on jobs, what is the impact on electricity prices? What is the impact on rural and regional Australia? And currently no one can tell me that going down that path won't cost jobs, won't put up your electricity prices, and won't impact negatively on jobs in the economies of rural and regional Australia. And my Government is absolutely committed to the jobs of rural and regional Australians. 

I don't think the answer to these issues is more taxes. There's a lot of people at the moment wanting us to put more taxes on people to solve problems. I don't believe higher taxes are the solution to our problems. I think what we've seen on display here is the amazing work of our scientists who have prepared us very well for what is a very real situation we're confronting at the moment. And the investments that we're going to make will be in supporting technologies. I mean, we've got half a billion dollars at the moment that are going into hydrogen research in partnership also with the Japanese government. I mean, this is the sort of research which would enable steel plants to be able to be funded by hydrogen-based power. That's where we're looking to the future. We're looking to the investment in these technologies that can make a big difference. And we are already leading the world in renewables technology and some $17 billion or thereabouts, in fact, I think a bit more than that that is recently invested on an annual basis in renewable technologies. Now, emissions reduction targets we're meeting in fact, we're going to meet them by more than 411 million tonnes this year. Now, that is about 80 per cent of our annual emissions. That's how much we're going to beat this year's target by. 

So, you know, when you look at the facts, what you can see is Australia's leading the world on renewable technologies. You know, we're beating and meeting our targets. Many countries, others, Canada, New Zealand, they're not doing that, not to the same extent that Australia is. So we're making our way and the smart way in dealing with this, to get emissions down, to keep jobs, keep electricity prices down, support rural and regional Australia is to focus on the technology and making sure that that technology is affordable and it is scalable. You want to get global emissions down? That's what you need. You need the technology that can be accessed and put in place, not just here in Australia, but all around the world. Meetings won't achieve that. Technology does and I can tell you taxes won't achieve it either.

JOURNALIST: Can I just quickly ask about Ford, are you confident that Ford won’t follow in, are you confident that Ford won’t follow in Holden’s footsteps?

PRIME MINISTER: We'll continue to watch that situation closely. But as I said yesterday, what we saw yesterday was after taking billions of dollars of taxpayer’s money, they walked away. And that has not been a process which has proved very successful for Australia. Our industries and what we're investing in now as a country is our defence industry capability, our space industry capability. We're looking to the future about where the jobs are going to be in Australia. And they are in heavy industries. They are in science. They are in technology. They are in renewable investments. They are right across the board. And those are the jobs that we want to support into the future and ensuring that we're getting the right skills to Australians at all ages is an important part of our economic plan. 

So our plan is getting taxes down. Our plan is building infrastructure. Our plan is expanding our borders when it comes to our trade. Our plan is about ensuring that we're getting the skills that Australians need and Australian businesses need their employees to have. These are the things we're doing to build and grow our economy because you know what? Our focus remains on building and growing our economy, because without that, you can't invest in magnificent institutions like this. You can't put $2 billion down, without putting a levy on people to respond to the bushfire crisis. The careful financial management of this government has put us in a position where we can make these investments, record investments in health, record investments in education, supporting institutions such as this. So we're prepared when these sort of challenges confront. The ability to go and put assisted departure flights out of Wuhan, out of Japan. We're able to make these responses because of the careful financial and economic management the Government has provided. So keeping the focus on the economy is incredibly important to build Australia's resilience for the future, and what we see on display here is just the amazing capacity, the amazing capacity of Australian scientists to underpin so much of that growth into the future.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just in regards to the bushfire crisis, the ANU survey shows that one third of Aussies are actually less confident in your government since the bushfire crisis, so is this your handling of the issue behind the result that is in that survey?

PRIME MINISTER: Our Government responded with the single largest compulsory call out of Defence Force reserves to put boots on the ground in response to the bushfire crisis, within several days of a state of disaster being declared here in Victoria, we'd announced the National Bushfire Recovery Agency. We'd put $2 billion down. Money was flowing to councils within days. Over $150 million has already gone out in disaster recovery payments all across the country. Our Government can tell you where our money's going and where it's going, and we can do that on a daily basis. We're going to continue to do that because that support needs to reach, on the ground. Mental health support, $76 million is one of the first announcements we made because we understood the deep traumatic scarring which has occurred, not just the physical scarring of the landscape and the physical damage to homes, but the traumatic scarring to Australians who've gone through these bushfires, $76 million down straight away. Responding to that as quickly as possible, the recovery is where the Commonwealth government has had an important responsibility with the states and territories. We've been working closely with them. But Andrew Colvin and that agency is doing everything from ensuring we get fences up through Blaze Aid to getting cheques out to people who need that disaster recovery support $75,000 grants to primary producers, farmers and graziers, we even put the roof back on the Mogo Zoo. These are the things that the Australian Government has been doing to respond to this. And it's action that matters and it's action we've been delivering. Thank you very much.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42672

Backing Important Coronavirus Research

18 February 2020

Prime Minister, Minister for Health

The Morrison Government is fast tracking $2 million in funding to support Australia’s best researchers as they work to understand and respond to the outbreak of novel coronavirus, now known as COVID-19.

Our government’s priority is to keep Australians safe and this $2 million investment will help develop a coronavirus vaccine.

Following a meeting of leading Australian researchers last week, the Government is providing the funding from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) for an open and competitive Grant Opportunity to develop a coronavirus vaccine.

This Grant Opportunity will complement the world-leading work already undertaken by the Doherty Institute, CSIRO and University of Queensland and their collaboration.

The ability to swiftly react to emerging health issues is a key strength of the MRFF, which was established in 2015 to support health and medical research and innovation for the benefit of all Australians.

Research plays a critical role in ensuring Australia maintains its world-class health system and is particularly important as the world responds to coronavirus.

Last week’s meeting, chaired by Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly, included eminent experts from across Australia including the three centres of research excellence working on epidemic preparedness, the WHO Collaborating Centre on Influenza, the CSIRO and states and territories.

The open and competitive grant opportunity – under the MRFF Emerging Priorities and Consumer Driven Research Initiative will open soon and information will be available on GrantConnect at https://www.grants.gov.au

For more information about coronavirus, visit the Department of Health website.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42671

Doorstop - Officer, VIC

17 February 2020

THE HON. JASON WOOD MP, MEMBER FOR LA TROBE: Thanks very much everyone for coming out here to La Trobe and in particular to Officer today. It’s fantastic to have the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison. He's been a regular visitor to La Trobe and also my good friend, Michael Sukkar, the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing. Now, it's kind of ironic here in this location, Officer, because three years ago there were no houses here. La Trobe is now the fastest growing electorate in the country and that means we're having so many first homeowners moving into Latrobe and this scheme today, which Minister Sukkar will talk about, is just so important for local people of La Trobe trying to buy their first house. Locally too, though, the great news coming up is Monash stage two will kick off shortly. That's an extra lane on the freeway from Clyde Road to Cardini Road. Extra funding for roads in Racecourse Road and McGregor Road in Packham where the Prime Minister has been. Also in Clyde Road and also upgrading Kangan Drive, where we have Casey Hospital. We will be $50 million upgrading the children's emergency department. So everything is happening out here and also supporting local sporting and community clubs. The simple reason is we have so many people moving into this area, especially so many multicultural people, buying homes for the first time in La Trobe. So thank you very much for coming out here today to La Trobe. I'll pass on Minister Sukkar, or the PM.

PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, Woody. It's great to be here with you again. Before I make some comments about the reason for us being here today, just to update you that later today I'll be convening again the National Security Committee and we'll be accepting further medical advice in relation to the Diamond Princess and the Australians who were aboard that ship currently. And so we'll have further updates to provide to you on that later today. 

Also elsewhere in Victoria today, in fact, in East Gippsland, Minister Tudge is announcing that we'll be expanding the working holiday visa maker program to ensure that we're recognising volunteer work done by backpackers coming to Australia to support with the recovery efforts on the bushfire recovery. This is another practical step that we're taking to support the recovery effort. It's a very practical thing we can do, getting more people out there, supporting that effort, something that we talked to BlazeAid about early on. And we're very pleased to be able to be making those changes to ensure that we can do further support to the recovery efforts and those recovery efforts, as you know, $2 billion additional  initial committed to the National Bushfire Recovery Agency, which is getting on with the work. Over $115 million in recovery payments have already gone out right across the country into bushfire affected areas and we're continuing to roll out the support. 

But talking of building back better, that's what we're seeing right here. We're seeing communities built. We're seeing first home owners get into their first homes. Before the election, I promised that we would put this scheme in place to help young first homeowners get ahead of the game and be able to get themselves into their first home. I talked about if you have a go, you get a go, and that's exactly what this program is delivering. I promised we'd get it in place by January and that's been done. And now we're seeing over 5,000 people already accessing the scheme. We've got about half of that, in fact, more than half of that who have already got their hunting licence, if you'd like, to be out there with that pre-approval, to be out there going and finding that home. We've got over 700 people who have already got to that process of finding their home and in the process now of settlement and some have settled already indeed, since the program started back in January. So this is all about ensuring that Australians can get that opportunity to get ahead, to be able to where they're making big commitments, where they're working hard, where they want to make investments for their families, making it just that little bit easier economically to be able to make what is one of the biggest decisions of their lives. For Australians these are big goals - to buy your first home, to be able to ensure that you can support your kids as they grow up in communities and help fulfil their ambitions and ultimately in retirement to be able to support yourselves in retirement. These are big economic goals, and our Government's economic plan is about supporting Australians who are having a go to ensure that they get a go. And this first home buyers scheme is delivering on that promise. We said we'd do it, we're getting it done just as we are by delivering tax relief to Australians so it is already in their hands. And our plan, which will see 94 per cent of Australians pay a marginal tax rate no higher than 30 cents in the dollar. We promised we'd get that legislated and we've got it legislated. Our plan is delivering, whether it's on trade, on small business, in supporting skills development and the apprentices that you've seen at these very building sites. So it's important we keep rolling out this economic plan because as we know, we're facing some serious headwinds, whether it's the coronavirus, whether it's been the drought in Australia and of course, the bushfires and the floods up in north Queensland and we've seen flooding in other parts of the country. So there are certainly challenges, but the strength and the resilience of the economic plan that our Government has been rolling out is putting Australians in a stronger position to fulfil their own dreams, to get ahead, to have that go and ensure they get a go. I’m going to ask Michael to talk a bit more about the program.

THE HON. MICHAEL SUKKAR MP, ASSISTANT TREASURER AND MINISTER FOR HOUSING: Well, thank you, PM. It's wonderful to be here in Officer with our local member, Jason Wood, and of course, yourself, Prime Minister, to reflect on the first six weeks of the first time loan deposit scheme. This scheme recognises that one of the single biggest issues for first home buyers getting into the market is getting that deposit together. And by issuing government guarantees, we will help 10,000 people each year to access their home earlier by enabling them to do so with a deposit of as little as 5 per cent. We know banks are requiring up to 20 per cent, which obviously is extraordinarily difficult for so many people. We met some first time buyers here today who confirmed to us that the scheme is absolutely targeting those people that this scheme is really designed for. People who would otherwise be saving for many years to get that deposit together, have been able to do so now many years in advance and that's changing their lives. As the PM said, being out in a new estate like this I think gives you that great confidence for the future. These are people who, of course, are feeling confident about their own future. Confident enough to commit to buying a home and building out here in what is going to be a wonderful suburb for them. As the PM also said, 6,000 first home buyers within the first six weeks. There are over 3,000 people, as the PM said, with a hunting licence who are now out there. They've got the government guarantee. They've got their pre-approval from the bank and they're out there trying to find their first time. So we're going to see literally thousands of these people over the next few weeks converting those into first home purchases. And this is really what the Morrison Government is all about, helping first home buyers into the market and the first home loan deposit scheme will add another 10000 places available for the 1st of July. This is a scheme that we are really invested in and one that we know is going to support so many thousands of people getting into their first home. And it's wonderful to see living proof of it here just six weeks into the scheme. 

PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, Michael. The other thing which is great about this is it's really helping those people who need it most. More than half of those who are accessing the scheme are under 30, but also it's well within those income target ranges that we've really been trying to help people. I think the average income for those who are single are accessing this program was about…

THE HON. MICHAEL SUKKAR MP, ASSISTANT TREASURER AND MINISTER FOR HOUSING: 67,000.

PRIME MINISTER: $67,000 and the combined income is just over $100,000. So this is helping the people who need that help most to get in their first home. Happy to take questions on the program and other matters. 

JOURNALIST: The program has been found that in Sydney people under the age of 30 aren’t accessing it as much as in other demographics. Why do you think that is and when are you going to make it easier for young people to access the scheme in Sydney?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, as I just said, more than half of those who were involved in the scheme are under 30, and the other thing we're seeing is the purchasing of the properties that is being made is actually within the target range. And so, look, this program is six weeks old and I'm really pleased with the great success we're having so far. The take-up has been fabulous and what's exciting about the program going forward is smaller banks are going to be getting a much bigger piece of this. we wanted to ensure that this wasn't only being run by the big banks. It's shared with the non-big banks, the non-big four. And we'll see those smaller banks, I think, getting out and about amongst those clients into the future. We'll see more of them coming in. But Michael will keep his ear close to the ground. We'll work closely with the industry. And we are seeing people in Sydney take this on. We're seeing people in Melbourne take it on. I’m particularly pleased to see it here because it was in Melbourne I promised this scheme. It was at our campaign launch here in Melbourne where I said we're going to do this and we were going to get it done and we are getting it done. I mean, this is what it's all about at the end of the day. People being able to get jobs and buy homes and then save for their retirement. That's the big issue. That's the stuff that matters most and ensuring they can get to work and home safely and more rapidly. And that's why we're investing in the infrastructure that Jason ran through here, particularly for this part of suburban Melbourne. These are the things that make a big difference. Costs of living, I mean, electricity prices down 3.5 per cent in the past year. Childcare costs are down just over 4 per cent. Getting control of cost of living. But importantly, backing Australians to go out there and be able to do things like buying a home. That's what it's all about and that's what I'm focused on. 

JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] in Melbourne at the moment of $600,000. We’ve seen prices rise dramatically in the past three months. Should that cap be lifted?

PRIME MINISTER: We'll constantly review those things. But what I'm pleased about is we are seeing some confidence returning to the housing market in Melbourne and also in Sydney and other parts of the country, in the western and so on. The housing markets have been quite suppressed and we saw that in Melbourne. So it is a sign of growing confidence that we're seeing the housing market improve. It's a sign that people can see forward and that they are backing themselves and they're backing our economy. And we welcome that growing confidence that people are expressing by going out there and buying homes.

JOURNALIST: After the first home guarantees are actually provided, will there be a review on how successful it has been?

PRIME MINISTER: We’re always looking at the success of our programs and so far, after six weeks, it's very early on but I'm very pleased with the take up and not surprised by it.

JOURNALIST: There are calls to abolish stamp duty and replace it with annual land tax. What do you think of that?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's a matter for states. But what I'm not for is increasing the GST. So when states want dress reform up as asking the Commonwealth Government to increase the GST, well, I'm afraid my answer is no. If states want to increase the GST, that's a matter for them. But we've got no interest in increasing the GST and however people might want to dress that up, the answer to an increased GST is no. 

JOURNALIST: On the coronavirus, if I can, how many people will be leaving Christmas Island today?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, today, over 200 will be leaving Christmas Island today and that first two weeks of that quarantine period has worked incredibly well. And I want to thank all of those who have been involved in making that happen. First of all, the Qantas team that actually brought them home, then the teams from our medical department who've been able to be up there supporting them and they're very disciplined and very professional. All those at the facility who have provided such wonderful care to people. And I want to thank those who've been patient and gone through that quarantine period. Some of the letters we've seen come out of there in recent days have just been lovely. And they are, of course, having to go into a quarantine period for 14 days is an inconvenience. But they understood why and I thought they took that in good faith and they were well-supported in their time. And I'm sure they're looking forward to coming home and being with their families.

JOURNALIST: Will they be tested again once they get to our shores?

PRIME MINISTER: No, they've already passed the quarantine period. They've already gone through that exercise up in Christmas Island.

JOURNALIST: Economists have warned of a mass exodus from rural communities because of the bushfires…

PRIME MINISTER: Sorry, I couldn’t quite hear you.

JOURNALIST: Economists have warned of a mass exodus from rural communities because of the bushfires. I know you’ve announced the backpacker visa but that’s probably not going to be enough to bring life back into these communities. What other plans do you have for rural communities to prevent them from becoming ghost towns?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we have a $2 million rebuild plan for communities affected by the bushfires. That $2 billion rebuild plan includes, first of all, clearing the debris, working with the state governments to clear the debris on the sites. It's put tens of millions of dollars into local councils to restore vital infrastructure and services. It's ensured that we're investing in wildlife recovery in these areas. It includes $75,000 grants to primary producers. And last I saw over $16 million has gone out the door supporting those rural producers, the farmers and graziers, as they rebuild their sheds and they get their dairy equipment going again. I mean, so vital to these rural and regional communities impacted by the fires are the industries that underpin them. I mean, for example, we had the defence forces down there putting the roof back on the Mogo Zoo. We had the military down at the Eden Mill actually clearing the site so it could get back to operations. Part of the $2 billion investment will be supporting local economic recovery plans developed by the local economies themselves. One that's being advanced right now is out in Tumbarumba and through to Batlow. Now, that's an orchardist community and there needs to be a considered plan as to how you can get the orchardists back on their feet for the next 10 and 20 years. So there's a combination of immediate relief payments, the immediate reparations and rebuild work that needs to be done. There's the disaster support payments and the other support payments to deal with the immediate needs and the grants. There is the concessional loans that provide businesses for two years working capital, nothing to pay, zero interest and then concessional rates for another eight years beyond that, as they work to get back up on their feet. That concessional loan program is worth over $100,000 in real money to people who are affected by those fires to rebuild their businesses. There's the Disaster Recovery Allowance, which is supporting people on the ground who found themselves out of employment. And there's the normal other income supports that apply when people find themselves out of work. So we're working with the states and territories, we’re working with local government. Andrew Colvin, who heads up the National Bushfire Recovery Agency, which we stood up well over a month ago, is working closely with those communities. It's a big plan to get the bushfire affected areas back on their feet and the announcement we've made today about extending the working holiday visa concessions means that BlazeAid can get more volunteers to put in what is a mammoth task of rebuilding these fences. I mean, it's a very practical thing, putting fences back up so stock do not just roam everywhere. This is a big problem and it's a very practical problem. And it's at the heart of what our decision is today to help them get those fences rebuilt as quickly as possible. But it's a huge task and it's going to take some time.

JOURNALIST: We’ve had the Federal Court dismiss the ABC’s case about the AFP raids. What do you make of this?

PRIME MINISTER: I make of it that the court case has been run and it's had a finding.

JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] stab at you last night at the bushfire relief concert, what do you make of that?

PRIME MINISTER: Sorry, I couldn't hear you.

JOURNALIST: Celeste Barber’s jab at you last night at the bushfire relief concert, what do you make of that?

PRIME MINISTER: Look, I've got a thick skin, and I understand that over the period of the summer, you know, that people felt really raw about things. But what I do know is what the government has done and what the government has done is put in place the first compulsory call-out to put our Defence Force reservists on the ground, boots on the ground that provided incredible relief to Australians affected by bushfire communities. We put $2 billion into a National Bushfire Recovery Agency and more than half of that has already been committed in a matter of less than two months. And we're delivering that funding through the state governments and in some cases directly. What the government has done has responded. What the government has done is to support those who are doing things on the ground, and the government will continue to be there as we rebuild these communities over the next decade. That's my response. My response is just to do things and get things done.

JOURNALIST: Christmas Island, will that be used for any other future evacuations such as from the Japanese cruise ship?

PRIME MINISTER: We have no other… well, with the cruise ship, as the Health Minister noted this morning, it'll take my advice is up to a week to ready that facility again. And there are quite specific needs that we wouldn't be able to accommodate at Christmas Island for the more elderly group of people who are associated with that. So that's not an option we're considering for this operation and we don't have any other operations envisaged at this time.

JOURNALIST: Following the Black Saturday bushfires there were a lot of recovery efforts that communities and residents have still been unable to, you know, have confidence to be able to live in those communities. And with the unprecedented bushfire seasons that we are experiencing, how do you give confidence to people to move out into regional and rural communities that are experiencing, you know, fires that are worse? 

PRIME MINISTER: This is a very good point that you're raising, and for those who didn't pick it up, giving people confidence to go and live in rural and regional parts of the country that have been affected by bushfires. And the way you do that is you got to build back better with resilience. You know, I've talked a lot about the climate we are going to live in over the next decade and beyond. And we've got to build for that climate and we've got to prepare for that climate. That's why the Royal Commission that I'll be announcing, and we've been going through the process of consultation with the states, is not just going to focus on the preparations for future disasters and what role the Commonwealth could more effectively play in the future. But it's going to focus on the resilience that is needed in these communities. Everything about what building standards, the roads, all of these things that are necessary to ensure that when people live in these areas, they can live there more safely. And I think there's some very real issues there. That's why I've talked about hazard reduction for keeping people safe as, frankly, as important as emissions reduction when it comes to addressing these climate issues. And we've got to be given the confidence that the resilience and the preparedness is being done. And that's why the Royal Commission will look back at what earlier royal commissions have recommended and whether that's been put in place. And we've got to ensure that there's an accountability, that what's being built and the resilience that's been placed in these communities is there so people living there can feel safer. And that's what my focus is. That's what my Government's focus is. And in rural and regional Australia, as the Deputy Prime Minister said on the weekend, a great place to be. I mean, it's been so, so relieving to see some of those rains falling in some places right across Australia, which is desperately needed. It's not enough yet, but I've been seeing the photos of places that I've been to which were just absolutely decimated by drought and I'm seeing water in dams again. And, you know, rural and regional Australia is tough. They're resilient. And it's a great place to be. Whether you want to buy a first home or have your first apprenticeship or live your life out in a wonderful way as you can only in rural and regional Australia.

JOURNALIST: Volunteer firefighter Paul Parker says he was sacked by the RFS after heckling you. Did they make the right call there with firing him or would you like him to have his job back?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, first of all, there should never be any question about whether he should have been fired or not, of course he shouldn't. But the RFS confirmed this morning that he wasn't, by the way, and I'm pleased about that. Look, to Paul, I'd say this. I understand Paul was feeling incredibly exhausted and incredibly drained by those events and he was working his tail off, defending his community. The other thing is, as I've seen it said that what he was responding to and the truth is what I said at that time, I never said, never said, that firefighters enjoyed doing this. What I said - and this was misreported at the time, misrepresented, I should say - what I said is that firefighters would be out there defending their communities. They’d want to be out there defending their communities when their communities were at risk. And all firefighters I've met, as hard as it is, of course, you don't want to be out there. You don't want to have to be in that position. But if your community is at risk... I was at Wingello on Thursday- Friday afternoon, and I met with a very brave Brigade there who saved their town. Now, of course, they would prefer not to be having to save their town. But on that night, that was their job and you couldn't have stopped them from being out there and defending their community. And so that's what I said at the time. It was completely misrepresented. There was a lot of things that were misrepresented over the summer. There was a bit of a pile on. But I’ve got thick skin and I've got work to do. I've got a job to do. We're going to rebuild these bushfire affected areas and we're going to get people in the homes and we’re going to keep growing our economy, despite the threats of Coronavirus or the many other things that we have to get over the top of, the drought and all of these challenges. But as Australians, we will get over them, because I said at the election, if you have a go, you're going to get a go. And what this program demonstrates is we're staying true to our word on that. What we took to the election, we're staying true to our word on that. We're delivering the tax cuts. We're getting people in their first homes. We're putting the money and building the infrastructure. We're expanding our trade deals. We're putting the money into skills. These are the things that matter. These are the real things that change people's lives. And it's great to see that we've changed some lives here today with this program. Thank you all very much for your attention.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42669

Extension of Travel Ban to Protect Australians from the Coronavirus

13 February 2020

Prime Minister, Minister for Health

The National Security Committee of Cabinet has today agreed to extend the entry restrictions on foreign nationals who have recently been in mainland China for a further week from 15 February 2020 to protect Australians from the risk of coronavirus.

As always, our priority is to keep Australians safe.

This decision is underpinned by medical advice and recommendations from the Commonwealth’s Chief Medical Officer and chief medical officers from each state and territory, on the steps necessary to contain the spread of coronavirus. 

The Chief Medical Officer confirmed that our arrangements to protect Australians from coronavirus are working - there are no confirmed cases among Australian citizens and residents who have returned to Australia since the introduction of the border measures on 1 February 2020.

The restrictions will be reviewed by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) in one week.

We are announcing this decision now to give certainty to travellers, businesses and organisations.

The continuation of the travel restrictions means that for a further week, foreign nationals – excluding permanent residents – who have been in mainland China will not be allowed to enter Australia for 14 days from the time they left.

As before, Australian citizens and permanent residents will still be able to enter, as will their immediate family members (spouses, legal guardians and dependants only).

We continue to require Australian citizens, permanent residents and their families who have been in mainland China from 1 February 2020, and who return Australia, to self-isolate for 14 days from the time they left mainland China.

Australia is one of 58 countries that has introduced some form of travel restrictions on passengers who have been in mainland China.

The AHPPC has advised that the situation with Coronavirus in mainland China has not improved in the past two weeks.

There is continuing and concerning growth of cases and mortality in Hubei province and further, though slower, growth in other regions of mainland China.

Today’s decision is one of a number of measures the Government has taken to protect public health and keep Australians safe at home and abroad.

With help from Qantas and the cooperation of Chinese authorities, we have assisted the departure of 532 Australians from Wuhan.

On the advice of the AHPPC, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will maintain its travel advice for mainland China at “Do not travel” until there is a material change in the global situation.

Border measures to screen passengers on flights and vessels from mainland China and for people who have been in, or transited through, mainland China in the past 14 days will also continue.

These measures are all kept under regular review.

We will continue to work in close cooperation with state and territory government authorities and our international partners.

The Morrison Government can reassure Australians that our nation is well-equipped and prepared for this global health challenge.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42667

Doorstop - Australian Parliament House

13 February 2020

PRIME MINISTER: Good morning everyone. I’m joined by the Minister for Women and of course Minister for Foreign Affairs, and it’s been a pleasure to be involved once again in the, UN Women Australia, UN Women’s, International Women’s Day breakfast here in parliament. And you heard the remarks I made from the podium and the generational focus of this year I think is incredibly important and learning the wonderful lessons and hard lessons of women from previous generations. We can all reflect on those experiences ourselves and ensuring that the sacrifices and the great commitments that were made by women in generations past are being followed through so we're providing those even better opportunities and improved opportunities for women in the future, it’s hard for me to attend to a women's breakfast and talking about generations without talking about my future generations of women and my daughters. But someone who’s done just an amazing job in this role has been Marise Payne and I’ll just ask her to say a few words on this topic. And then happy to take a few quick questions, but we do have commitments this morning.

SENATOR THE HON. MARISE PAYNE, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AND MINISTER FOR WOMEN: Thank you, Prime Minister and fabulous to be here at the U.N. women hosted parliamentary breakfast for International Women's Day. You can see from the broad support that it receives from parliamentarians across all parties in both chambers that we are very strongly committed to the generational equality message that U.N. women is, is working with this year. And we've heard some great stories today, I think, listening to both the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader reflect on the lessons they both learnt from their mothers and the experience of their mothers is very special for me. But also listening to UN Women talk about the power of the work that they do, actually supported strongly by my Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in our region and more broadly, both of the speakers from U.N. women today have mentioned their work in Bangladesh. And I have visited women’s safe places in Cox's Bazar myself, and then also the power of sport in the Pacific. The strength that that brings to girls and to women in Fiji, as the Prime Minister reminded me that he had met women playing rugby in the Solomon Islands as well, all supported by UN Women. And frankly, all with the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and our very, very, very committed and keen DFAT officers who are key to the delivery of these programs. So fabulous to be here, fabulous to reinforce the importance of generational- generational equality, and also wonderful to see so many members and senators from across the parliament here supporting UN Women and International Women's Day on March the 8th.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister just on females, the $150 million female facilities and water safety program the government announced, that is one that would aim, encourage women to participate in sport, but 14, most of that money went to 14 swimming pools, 11 Coalition held seats, mostly marginal. Was that dishonest? 

PRIME MINISTER: What we have done is we made a series of election commitments, at the last election, I think the Labour Party had a $250 million dollars worth of commitments for a similar type of program, we put these projects, we put these commitments to the Australian people and they were supported by the Australian people. And it’s going to achieve the objectives that we set out and we look forward to making sure we get those programs and projects on the ground.

JOURNALIST: What would you say to those considering forming a breakaway LNP party room? And why should Michael McCormack remain Nationals leader?

PRIME MINISTER: He has the full support of his colleagues. He has my full support as the Prime Minister. We've got a lot of work to do, we’ve got dams to build, we’ve got roads to build, we've got the economy to continue to build, and rural and regional Australia, which is going to bounce back. Rural and regional Australia is going to bounce back strongly under the policies that we're putting in place as a Government have been rolling out for many, many years. And rural and regional Australia, particularly through the drought, has been doing it tough and people in rural and regional Australia can see those opportunities ahead now, they can see the hope and we're going to continue to get behind them and realise that the hopes they have for their future.

JOURNALIST: Do take seriously the speculation of a breakaway in Queensland or is that just some low level grumbling?

PRIME MINISTER: The only breakaway I'm aware of is the Otis breakaway, I don’t know if that's Milo and Otis or it’s just Otis, or how many others there are involved in this. But I know that more than 20 Labor MPs, getting together, I don’t think there's a lazy susan at the Otis, but that tends to be the way things are done in the Labor Party. They go off to lunches. They make deals. And it seems that the Leader of the Opposition has a few things to explain when it comes to his last trip around a lazy susan.

JOURNALIST: PM will you consider extending the travel ban against Chinese nationals due to the Coronavirus?

PRIME MINISTER: Well the national security committee is continuing to meet on these issues, as you know, the current ban extends to this weekend and we'll consider those issues based on the best medical advice. 

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, do you have absolute faith in Michael McCormack’s ability to lead a united Nationals party?

PRIME MINISTER: Yes. 

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, can I just ask you about children with disabilities? The NDIS Minister insists that you don't need a diagnosis to access NDIS funding. But paediatricians, families, even the Australian Medical Association say that that's not always the case. Is it possible that there's a disconnect between what the Government is saying and what's actually happening on the ground?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I’ll refer you to the, to the Minister as you’ve made reference to him. It's certainly our commitment to ensure that we continue to roll the NDIS out at record levels. We're putting hundreds of thousands of additional people into the NDIS. We're reducing the waiting times. We're reducing the administrative issues that can sometimes be so frustrating for people on the NDIS who are accessing the NDIS. But most importantly, we're fully funding it, fully funding it for the future. And that's a major commitment. And we want to ensure that we address all the practical issues that can get in the way of people getting access to the support they need. And I'm very committed to doing that. 

JOURNALIST: Just on my last question. I know about the Otis group, but within your own ranks, are you seriously worried there might be a breakaway or is it just some low level grumbling?

PRIME MINISTER: I don’t have those concerns.

JOURNALIST: On coronavirus again sorry, are you concerned about the spread of misinformation at the moment and what's the government trying to do to counter that?

PRIME MINISTER: The Minister may also want to comment, but what I want to really commend Australians for, I think, is particularly as time has gone on, I think is the very measured way, and very calm way, they've been addressing what, you know, what is a very, very serious issue. And I want to thank them for the way they've embraced and worked constructively with the 14 day isolation, period. I mean, we are containing this virus in Australia. That's, I mean, you’ve got to assess things on results. And the results are, that the tremendous advice that we've been given by Dr. Brendan Murphy, how he has worked together with the National Security Committee, the amazing work that's being done by Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs, Australian Border Force. I mean, this has been a whole of Government effort and all Ministers have been very focused on this for many weeks now. And we've had the great support and cooperation from the Australian people as well. Now, one of the things you always have to address is, is misinformation. I mean, this is true in any area of natural disaster. I mean, one of the, one of the things that used to frustrate me so much when I visit so many incident control centres is we would have dedicated resources for people just correcting misinformation on social media. And I’ve got to say mainstream media as well, reports that were just simply wrong. I think the media in these issues also do a tremendous job. But correcting misinformation is something I’d hope the media would be a great partner in doing.

JOURNALIST: Does billing taxpayers for a National Party event pass the pub test? You intervened to make sure that party room meeting has been [inaudible]? 

PRIME MINISTER: The rules should always be followed. 

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister were you frustrated when you learnt of the Nationals planning for their celebration in regards to allowing taxpayers to [inaudible]?

PRIME MINISTER: These are matters for the National Party, these are matters for the Nationals. The rules should be followed and I have no doubt they will be, so I don't involve myself in the internal affairs of the National Party. I lead the Liberal Party. I lead the Government as Prime Minister and we work together as a Cabinet and we're getting things done for Australians, record levels of getting people into work, particularly women. I mean, today, the gender pay gap, still got a long way to go, it's at the lowest level, the number of females sitting on boards of this Government it's at the highest level that we've seen, we’ve got 50 per cent representation of women in the Senate. These are things that are real, they’re practical, they’re outcomes. And I'm focused on getting things done. Thanks very much everyone.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42666

Keeping Australians Safe Online

11 February 2020

Prime Minister, Minister for Communications Cyber Safety and the Arts

A new guide for parents of under 5s from the Morrison Government’s eSafety Commissioner will help keep children safe online as more than 1,000 schools and groups around Australia mark Safer Internet Day.

According to research from the eSafety Commissioner, Australian children are regularly exposed to harmful online experiences with 28 per cent of parents aware their child has had a negative experience online.

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner is today launching the next phase of its ‘start the chat’ initiative which promotes safer online experiences for children and equips parents, carers and teachers with practical resources for having conversations about safe and responsible internet use.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the new Online Safety for under 5s booklet developed by the eSafety Commissioner would help keep more children safe.

“It’s critical we give parents the tools and knowledge they need to have these discussions because the online world isn’t an optional extra in people’s lives,” the Prime Minister said.

“We want to keep young people safe at every age and at every stage. This underscores the importance of the work our eSafety Commissioner does to equip parents and carers with the tools they need to keep pre-school kids safe from the first time they reach for an internet enabled device.

“That’s why we’ve invested more than $100 million to arm parents and children with the tools they need to navigate safely through the digital world and to help people who fall victim to online harm.

“Whether it’s combating cyberbullying, guarding privacy, preventing the publication of violent terror content, or protecting against online predators, our government is pursuing a comprehensive agenda to keep Australians safe online. Safer Internet Day is another example of how we’re making online safety a priority and I encourage all Australians to ‘start the chat’ today.”

Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts Paul Fletcher said Safer Internet Day reflected evolving community expectations for online safety and highlighted practical steps people can take for protect themselves and their families.

“We’re leading the way in modernising online safety policy for Australians, including through a new Online Safety Act for which consultation is currently underway,” Minister Fletcher said.

“We know that digital technologies play a pivotal role in our day-to-day lives but what many people may not realise is that four out of five parents have children aged between two and five who are using online devices.

“94 per cent of Australian parents and carers say their child’s online safety is important so it’s critical they start talking with their children about the skills and knowledge they need to stay safe online.

“Australia’s world-first eSafety Commissioner that our Government introduced provides essential resources and practical advice for children, teenagers, carers, parents and older Australians at eSafety.gov.au. This new resource for parents of under 5s will go out to more than 11,000 pre-schools and child care and early learning centres.

“I commend all the organisations involved in Safer Internet Day. In particular, I acknowledge the influential role the eSafety Commissioner is playing in keeping the pressure on technology companies to integrate user safety into the design, development and deployment of their products and services.”

Safer Internet Day is celebrated in 150 countries, including Australia, where the celebrations are coordinated by the eSafety Commissioner.  Thousands of Australian students will take part in virtual eSafety classroom lessons to learn about safer online gaming.

In 2015, the Government established the world's first Children's eSafety Commissioner to support Australian children experiencing cyberbullying harm. In 2017, the Government expanded the eSafety Commissioner's remit to include all Australians.

To find out more about Safer Internet Day visit: www.esafety.gov.au/SID

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42663

Joint Statements with the President of the Republic of Indonesia

10 February 2020

PRIME MINISTER: Once again it's my great pleasure to welcome President Widodo, His Excellency here to Australia, this is I understand his fourth visit to Australia and his first visit to our national capital. And with the incredibly visionary decision he has made regarding the establishment of a new capital for Indonesia, I'm sure he'll be taking a few photos around the capital, maybe going back with some of the design ideas of Walter Burley Griffin. Perhaps. 

But it is wonderful to have you here, Your Excellency, on behalf of the Australian people. I also want to thank you and all the people of Indonesia for your very kind expressions of support over this very difficult Black Summer that we've had in Australia over the bushfires. Your personal support, the provision of practical assistance through Indonesian personnel who are today, I'm advised, actually assisting with floods, from fires to floods over the course of this summer, and Indonesia is standing there right with us, as always. And we thank you very, very, very much.

I also want to thank you for taking up our invitation to be here when I joined you for your inauguration. And I congratulate you on that again. And I'm so pleased that we've been able to come here today as we are realizing so many aspects of our shared vision for the Indo-Pacific. I want to commend you for the leadership that you have shown in first capturing that Indo-Pacific vision and championing that vision throughout ASEAN and throughout the Indo-Pacific region. And Australia is very much a fellow traveller when it comes to our shared outlook on the Indo-Pacific region and seeing its potential, its economic potential, its people to people potential, the breaking down of barriers that exist across our wonderful region, the strategic and defence and security cooperation and dealing with the many significant environmental and climate challenges that we have and we share and the wonderful oceans of which we have responsibility in our respective nations and throughout the region. 

You come here today having secured parliamentary support for the IA-CEPA and has been passed here in Australia through our parliament. And later today you will be addressing our parliament and we look forward to that very much. And this honour has been given to a small number of global leaders. And I'm so pleased that you'll be numbered amongst those in our honouring of you and having you here today. 

Today, we have discussed many issues as part of our growing partnership, our growing agenda between our two nations, 100 day action plan for the implementation of IA-CEPA that will see this agreement as it comes into effect ramped up and the momentum established at all levels. A mutually beneficial arrangement, one that sees the integration of our economies for the strong growth that we will see over the next decade and beyond. Indonesia will be one of the star economies of the world over the next 10 to 20 years. And this arrangement, this mutually beneficial arrangement, will ensure that our economies are linked for this exciting period of growth in the years ahead. Today, we have agreed to include new elements as part of this implementation. We are pleased that the, our Home Affairs Minister here in Australia will be engaging with his Indonesian counterpart to proceed to look at how we can simplify and streamline the issues of entry into Australia. We also agreed to reconsider and look at the issues of travel advice in Indonesia, particularly for those areas most frequented by Australian visitors. Indonesia is a very large country with a very large population, and we need to ensure that we have this flexibility that respects and understands that. And we thank the President and his Ministers for raising these issues with us. We have also agreed to establish an energy dialogue between Australia and Indonesia. We have much to share, both in understanding of the challenges and as Indonesia is going through an accelerated development path, how we can ensure that the fuel sources of the future are very much part of Indonesia's development and of Australia's. And we will be working together on science and research and technology and sharing our view of the future energy sources for both of our countries. And we look forward to that, that partnership for energy in, in Australia and Indonesia, but how that might more broadly lead our region. Monash University will be establishing the first foreign campus in Indonesia, under this agreement. And that is a very good example of how this is a two way street. Not only that, but the Treasurer today reinforced the opportunity for Australian pension funds, superannuation funds to be looking at the opportunities that exist in Indonesia as they do in many other countries around the world. And we see that investment partnership, a key part of how the IA-CEPA will be realised.

On the issues of strategic security in our region Indonesia is a leader and a wonderful partner to Australia. Whether it's in maritime cooperation or working together on international peacekeeping, which we will now be seeking to do. This is just a further layer in what is already a very, very deep relationship. And when it comes to the South China Sea, we share our commitment to sovereignty, stability and respect for the rule of international law. We have also discussed today the many challenges around counter terrorism, foreign terrorist fighters and countering foreign influence. These are all issues we work closely together on and have longstanding partnerships and share expertise and share a view of the world. 

And finally, we had the opportunity to talk through issues of the coronavirus and the measures we are taking in concert and the information we're sharing to contain the impact of the coronavirus in Indonesia and Australia. And we will continue to work closely with our medical advisers and the other arrangements that we have to ensure that we can both effectively carry out our responsibilities to our peoples to keep the health and well-being of our peoples in the highest possible order. And so, as you can see, it has been a very wide ranging conversation today, a very wide ranging discussion. It wasn't all these serious issues. Yesterday, the President and I were able to join the Governor-General on a roo-tour of Yarralumla, as we drove around the grounds and the most senior ranking tourism official in the country, the Governor-General, gave us a very kind guided tour. But these are the things where we have had the opportunity at a private dinner last night and also in our one on one meetings this morning to further develop the relationship. 

I want to thank President Widodo for his personal friendship, his kind regards, most recently in terms of the passing of my father and his personal commitment to this relationship and his personal commitment to the many issues that we've discussed today. And his good hearing on those very sensitive issues I want to thank him very much for. And with that, I'll pass on to his excellency to make some statements. And after that, we'll be departing because the President will be joining us in the House of Representative chamber for his most important address, Your Excellency. 

PRESIDENT WIDODO: [remarks delivered via translator] Your Excellency, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, at the outset I would like to once again convey our sincere thanks for the warm reception to myself and the delegation. My visit to Australia this time marks a new beginning of a new era in the Indonesia- Australia relations and a plan of action to implement a comprehensive strategy partnership for 2020-2024 has been completed. 

This means in the next five years, our bilateral relations will be better directed. Ratification of the Indonesia Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or the IA-CEPA has been done by both countries. This means going forward, economic relations between the two countries will grow and bring more tangible benefits for the people. Indonesia encourages the 100 day IA-CEPA implementation programme to be carried out. Among others, organising an Australia business week, led by the Australian Trade Minister in Indonesia, and a visit by a number of Australian major private sectors to Indonesia, and cooperation to fund Indonesian infrastructure projects as well as cooperation in education, to support human resources development, as mentioned by the Prime Minister earlier with regards to the plan to open Monash University campus in Indonesia. And through this IA-CEPA Indonesia hopes Australia can become an important partner with us on infrastructure investment as well as on education. And in addition to IA-CEPA, we also discussed cooperation in the Indo-Pacific context. And we are hopeful that stability, peace and prosperity can be equally created and maintained in the Indo-Pacific region. We also agreed to enhance cooperation in the South Pacific, among others, focusing on ocean related issues and climate change. That shall conclude my statement. Thank you. 

PRIME MINISTER: Thank you all very much.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42662

Joint Statement

10 February 2020

During President Joko Widodo’s state visit to Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and President Widodo met for the Indonesia-Australia Annual Leaders’ Meeting and held a Joint Ministerial Meeting with other Australian and Indonesian Ministers in Canberra on 10 February 2020.

1. Leaders acknowledged the recent 70th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations between Australia and Indonesia, and agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation under the five pillars of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established in 2018.

2. Leaders witnessed the signing of the Plan of Action for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership by Foreign Ministers, which outlines the practical cooperation between the two countries for 2020-2024.

3. Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Lombok Treaty, signed in 2006, which outlines Indonesia and Australia’s respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as being the bedrock of our defence and security relationship.

   Enhanced Economic and Development Partnership

4. Leaders welcomed the imminent completion of their respective domestic processes for the ratification of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA‑CEPA).

5. Australia and Indonesia committed to deepening our economic, trade and investment relationship, including taking forward initiatives this year to harvest early benefits from IA‑CEPA ratification. This will include full implementation of IA-CEPA and early work on an IA‑CEPA Economic Cooperation Program; an Australian Business Week delegation led by the Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, and a further visit by major Australian private sector investors; the establishment of a CEO Roundtable; the development of a Blueprint for Trade and Investment in Indonesia and assistance to Indonesian SME exporters.

6. A bilateral Economic, Trade and Investment Ministers’ Meeting will be inaugurated, to drive this deepening of cooperation on bilateral and global economic issues.  A Senior Economic Officials’ Meeting will also be established.

7. Leaders noted opportunities for increasing people-to-people links, including through IA‑CEPA’s skills package, and that Indonesian access to Australia’s Work and Holiday Visa will increase from 1000 to 4100 upon IA-CEPA’s entry into force, and increase further to 5000 in the sixth year of the Agreement.

8. Leaders reaffirmed the benefits of open markets and inclusive regional economic integration.  Leaders committed to working constructively together through the G20, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and other regional and multilateral fora to support the multilateral trading system and take forward WTO reform.  Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and will work together to finalise all outstanding negotiations ahead of signature in 2020, completing an agreement which builds on the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) and which complements IA-CEPA.

9. Through our longstanding economic partnership for development, Leaders agreed to cooperate to encourage sustainable and inclusive economic growth and stability; address poverty and inequality; strengthen human capital, education and skills; promote women's leadership and empowerment; and support disability inclusion.

10. Given how close eastern Indonesia and northern Australia are, Leaders agreed to explore ways to further boost economic cooperation and connectivity, including through better transportation links.

11. Leaders highlighted opportunities for collaboration on the relocation of Indonesia’s capital city, a national development priority for Indonesia.

    Connecting People

12. Leaders expressed their sincere sympathies to those affected by the bushfires in Australia, and the recent flooding in Jakarta.  Australia welcomed the deployment of Indonesian military engineers to assist in the response to the bushfires.  Leaders reflected on our countries’ long and proud history of supporting each other in times of need – from TNI’s assistance to Australia following Cyclone Tracy in 1974 to the ADF’s assistance following the Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami in 2018.

13. Leaders recognised that shared links in areas such as education and research collaboration help to create greater understanding between our communities and act as a springboard for an even broader partnership between our two countries.  Leaders welcomed the continuation of programs such as Building Relationships through Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement (BRIDGE), the New Colombo Plan, the Destination Australia Program, the Darmasiswa Scholarship, and the Indonesia Arts and Culture Scholarship, which enhance interactions among students and teachers from both countries.

14. Leaders welcomed the announcement that Monash University will open a campus in Indonesia – the first foreign university campus in Indonesia – which will greatly strengthen educational collaboration between the two countries.

15. Leaders welcomed the holding of the first Interfaith Dialogue in Bandung in March 2019, and committed to another Interfaith Dialogue in 2021.

    Securing Our and the Region’s Shared Interests

16. Leaders acknowledged the closeness of the two countries’ wide-ranging bilateral cooperation on justice, law and security. They welcomed the achievements of the Australia Indonesia Partnership for Justice II, aimed at supporting Indonesia’s law and justice institutions and civil society, and strengthening our overall security architecture.

17. Leaders acknowledged the need for an increased focus on countering violent extremism, and committed to work together to prevent radicalisation, challenge extremist propaganda, and maintain strong, cohesive, and multicultural and multi-faith societies.

18. Leaders highlighted the importance of bilateral strategic dialogue, including through the annual 2+2 meetings between Foreign and Defence Ministers, held most recently in Bali in December 2019.

19. Leaders welcomed the ongoing Indonesia-Australia Ministerial Council on Law and Security, and the Indonesia-Australia Counter Terrorism Consultation as important forums for strengthening cooperation on the evolving threats of terrorism, transnational crime and cyber security.

20. Leaders highlighted the ongoing success of the Sub-Regional Meeting established in 2017 and co-chaired by Indonesia and Australia as a regional mechanism to collectively respond to transnational security threats, particularly terrorism and Foreign Terrorist Fighters.

21. Leaders emphasised the importance of an open, free and secure Internet to economic growth and innovation. Leaders welcomed the concrete program of bilateral activities underway, particularly Cyber Bootcamps for Indonesian officials, and regular training on cyber security, cyber policy and international law and norms. Leaders resolved to further deepen cooperation in areas of mutual interest and welcomed further initiatives supported by the Cyber Cooperation Program to strengthen cyber security skills, institutions and digital skills development through short-term fellowship opportunities. Leaders looked forward to the next Indonesia-Australia Cyber Policy Dialogue taking place in 2020.

22. In the context of Co-Chairing the Bali Process, Leaders acknowledged the two countries’ constructive bilateral cooperation to counter people smuggling and trafficking in persons in collaboration with regional partners. Leaders looked forward to the next Bali Process Ministerial Conference taking place in late 2020.  Leaders welcomed progress on the Bali Process Government and Business Forum to engage the private sector in addressing trafficking in persons and related exploitation.

23. Leaders emphasised the importance of protecting the victims and witnesses of serious transnational crimes such as trafficking in persons and terrorism. Indonesia and Australia have committed to work together to strengthen domestic and regional capacity to effectively assist victims and witnesses.

24. Leaders acknowledged that the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC) will continue to be a centre of excellence for capacity building on law enforcement in combating transnational, serious and organised crime.

25.  Leaders witnessed the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding on Transportation Security Cooperation, recognising the importance of the transport sector to the economic and social development of both countries.

    Maritime Cooperation

26. Leaders recognised the importance of maritime trade and the blue economy to Australia and Indonesia’s collective prosperity. They committed to developing maritime connectivity between markets in the region.

27. Leaders expressed serious concerns about developments in the South China Sea, including the continued militarisation of disputed features, and reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, security, stability, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the region.  They called for disputes to be resolved peacefully in accordance with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.

28. Leaders noted negotiations between ASEAN and China towards a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and underlined the importance of any Code of Conduct: being consistent with international law, particularly UNCLOS; not prejudicing the interests and rights of third parties or other states; and supporting existing, inclusive regional architecture.

29. Leaders committed to deepen practical cooperation on maritime issues to support common interests in the maritime domain, including in the areas of improving maritime domain awareness, supporting understanding of and adherence to UNCLOS, combatting illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing and other activities under the Joint Declaration on Maritime Cooperation’s Plan of Action. Indonesia welcomes Australia’s interest in a partnership to develop maritime and fishing capacities in Indonesia’s outermost islands.

30. Leaders reaffirmed both countries’ active interest in ocean sustainability. Indonesia and Australia co-led the establishment of the Regional Plan of Action to Promote Responsible Fishing Practices including Combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing in the Region (RPOA-IUU) and will continue to advance regional fisheries objectives through this important instrument.

31. Leaders welcomed the announcement of a cooperation arrangement with JCLEC that formalises the Maritime Training Faculty and will see an Australian Border Force official posted to JCLEC.

32. Leaders welcomed the cooperation between the Indonesian Directorate General of Sea Transportation (DGST) and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) that will result in the establishment of two significant maritime safety training facilities.

33. Leaders also welcomed the extension of the Arrangement between the Maritime Security Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (Bakamla) and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection as represented by the Australian Border Force (ABF) on Maritime Security Cooperation a further three years, the prospect of an Australian port visit by Bakamla, and acknowledged the tenth anniversary of desktop training cooperation between Bakamla and the ABF.

34. In acknowledgement of the serious and growing challenge of marine plastic waste, Leaders agreed to establish an Indonesia-Australia Systemic Innovation Lab on Marine Plastic Waste under the leadership of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Agency for Marine and Fishery Research and Human Resources of the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fishery. This new initiative will strengthen our research collaboration to help identify new approaches in tackling marine plastic waste across our region.

    Contributing to Indo-Pacific Stability and Prosperity

35. With a view to strengthening cooperation in the Indian Ocean, Leaders welcomed the elevation of the Indonesia-Australia-India Strategic Dialogue to Foreign Ministers’ level, with the first meeting to be held as soon as practicable, and looked forward to working closely with India in strengthening the resilience of the Indian Ocean countries, including through the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).

36. Leaders also agreed on the importance of working together in the South Pacific.  They welcomed the first iteration of the Indonesia-South Pacific Forum held in March 2019 as well as the Pacific Exposition held in Auckland in July 2019; and looked forward to trilateral development cooperation with Pacific neighbours in areas of mutual interest to support the development and economic prosperity of the region.

37. Leaders agreed on the need to deepen our collaboration in support of ASEAN-led regional architecture.  Australia commended Indonesia’s leadership of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, and welcomed Indonesia’s plans to host the World Economic Forum on ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific 2020 in July, in which Australia looks forward to participating.

38. Leaders reaffirmed their commitment for Australia and Indonesia to work collaboratively toward the establishment of a co-deployment to a United Nations Peacekeeping Operation as a new chapter in our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They highlighted that the co-deployment would elevate our contribution to the implementation of the United Nations' Action for Peacekeeping initiative and our already strong and mature defence cooperation, as it would be the first time Australia and Indonesia deploy together.

39. Leaders also emphasised their commitment to continue to work together at the UN to support the international rules-based order, acknowledging Indonesia’s term on the UN Security Council (2019-20) and both countries’ current membership of the UN Human Rights Council (Australia 2018-20; Indonesia 2020-22).

40. Leaders welcomed continued cooperation between Indonesia and Australia in the G20, including in advocating for action to give effect to the G20 commitment to end IUU fishing and in supporting the G20 initiative on preventing terrorist exploitation of the internet.

41. Leaders affirmed the continued importance of APEC in promoting sustainable development and free, and open trade. Leaders will advocate for an ambitious APEC post-2020 vision to follow the 1994 Bogor Goals under Malaysia’s APEC Chairmanship in 2020.

42. Leaders recognised the importance of collaboration and cooperation in managing and responding to disaster risks and humanitarian crises in the Indo-Pacific region and will bolster these efforts through a new Indonesia-Australia Partnership in Disaster Risk Management, including to build capacity in disaster risk management at the sub-national level in Indonesia.

43. Building on decades of collaboration in the health sector, Leaders agreed to explore new opportunities for bilateral and regional cooperation, including through a new Indonesia-Australia Health Security Partnership, which will operate in collaboration with Australia’s Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security to help prevent, detect and respond to health emergencies, including infectious disease outbreaks in our region.

44. President Widodo expressed his sincere gratitude to the Australian Government for the warm welcome and the hospitalities accorded to him and the Indonesian delegation during the state visit, which reflects the bonds of long-standing friendship and solid foundation for the advancement of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43961

Doorstop - Townsville, QLD

7 February 2020

PHILLIP THOMPSON OAM MP, MEMBER FOR HERBERT: Thanks, everyone, for coming. I’d like to welcome the Prime Minister back to Townsville. It's always good to have the PM come visit and I'd also like to welcome Jenny Morrison and my beautiful wife, Janet Thompson. And I think it's important to acknowledge both our partners, because people often say that behind every strong man, there's an even stronger woman. That may be the case, but I know in speaking on behalf of them as well, that our wives don't stand behind us. They stand beside us and everything that we do, we do as a team. And I just think it's important to acknowledge how strong our spouses are for the difficult job of being in Parliament we’re always being away. 

So we've had some good announcements in the veteran community, which you would have seen around announcing a commissioner as well as a family advocate. We're also announcing something that's very important in the veteran space and that's looking at how people transition and how people transition successfully and transition into employment, but also having that one on contact whilst people are leaving the Defence Force. Now, we’ve heard today out at Warfighter Cafe, we had a big group of veterans there with a range of different needs, injuries, illnesses. Just different people. We heard some of the stories about how they've transitioned out, what they think some touch points were and one of those was linking to people and not feeling like a number. To be able to speak directly to a case manager or having that kind of soft fall from the outside where you go into employment. Because when you're in defence, you're in your tribe and you're a part of your family. And when you leave defence, sometimes you feel like you lose a bit of your tribe or your family. So having case workers and case managers and targeting our at risk veterans to have that support, to have that view and guidance into meaningful engagement, more meaningful employment is something that I know from firsthand experience is not just an idea. It's a brilliant package and it's something that I'm fully behind and all the veterans that were there today are fully behind. 

Now, it's also important to note that this time last year, we were flooded. This, where you’re standing today, had been flooded and we've just been inside talking to people who have been flood victims, people who have helped out business communities and having a conversation with me and the PM about where we were and now where we are and where we’re going. And I think it's extremely important that the PM is up here listening to people and not just having those conversations, but having the dialogue of where we are and who we are as a resilient community. Because our community, it didn't matter what colour political shirt you were wearing, no matter who you were in the street, the doors were opening and people were helping one another. The military was out in their vehicles, on boats, so were the police, the SES, Team Rubicon and the Fire Service and everyone pitched in together to help each other. We are a resilient community and I’d like to thank the PM for coming up and welcome him back into Townsville.

PRIME MINISTER: Thanks Phil and it is great to be with you and Jenna, mate, congratulations for the new addition on the way. It’s tremendous news always, a great message of hope. A couple of things I wanted to talk about today. Obviously, it’s very important to be back here in Townsville today. But before I do that, as you know, it has been our Government's total focus in relation to the Coronavirus to ensure that we are doing everything we can to ensure Australians are kept safe. We're doing everything on the best medical advice to protect their health and well-being, whether here in Australia, most importantly, and where we're able to assist those who have found themselves in difficulty overseas. Yesterday afternoon, the Chief Medical Officer reported to the National Security Committee of Cabinet, which I convened yesterday afternoon and provided us with advice in relation to the second flight that we are putting into Wuhan. That at Christmas Island the configuration and the composition of the accommodation at the Phosphate Hill and construction camp sites does not suit the purposes of quarantine because of the inability to properly segregate and manage the population in that facility. So it is simply a configuration issue. And so with that advice, we will be moving to the contingency plans for overflow that we've been working on at the same time to ensure that we're prepared for things such as this when they present and I've spoken to the Chief Minister Michael Gunner this morning and we're in contact with him through the Home Affairs Minister yesterday after we came that decision we’d be using a mining camp facility in the Northern Territory near Darwin and we are now working through the consultation phase with local community and others about the implementation of those arrangements. That has been assessed by the Chief Medical Officer, it is also being assessed by the Australian Border Force to be able to stand up those facilities. My advice is that that is progressing extremely well and we will be able to continue to go down the path of our planning for the second assisted departure flight. And again, I want to thank Qantas for their great assistance in pulling that together, as well as the Chinese government for the arrangements they have been able to support us to put in place. I would also stress this to all of those who are still in mainland China, in particular, the travel ban is in place, but obviously not for Australian residents, Australians and immediate family members. And if you are there, then there are still commercial flights coming out of China to mainland China, to Australia. And I strongly suggest you avail yourself of those because the government cannot guarantee that similar types of assisted departure arrangements would be able to be put in place in the future, either into mainland China or again to Wuhan. I thank all the consular officials who have been doing such an amazing job in Wuhan, in Hubei Province, to ensure the successful undertaking of these assisted departure flights.

But here we are today, here we are in Townsville. The reason I'm here today, apart from making an important announcement regarding support for veterans, is a year ago we were standing in floodwaters here, those who were here at this facility a year ago. I was here around this time and I was here with Phil and we saw the devastation on the ground and we saw the amazing response that came from the community here in Townsville. The tremendous support that came from the ADF, particularly out of Lavarack Barracks. And at the same time, across the range, I saw the complete devastation that we saw across North Queensland, out to Cloncurry, Julia Creek through the Hughenden and all of those places. And the reason I'm standing here today is to say it's been a year and I get it, that when a natural disaster hits and the cameras move on, that we're still here and we're still rebuilding and the rebuilding work is still taking place here in Townsville, as it continues to be taking place right across the Northern Queensland. And the response effort that has been delivered by Commonwealth, state and local governments, by community organizations has been extraordinary. And it carries an important message for all of those communities who have been so devastated by bushfire most recently, but also by the ongoing drought, that where these disasters hit we provide the immediate response and recovery operations and then we know that this goes on for years and years and years. Well over $100 million in disaster recovery payments were paid right here in Northern Queensland and in particular, an incredible direct cash support that was coming through this community and the many other small business grants and all these sorts of programs that were put in place that are now being put in place in other parts of the country as a result of these terrible bushfires and the assistance that has been provided for drought. This has been a comprehensive effort and we know you've got to stick in there for the long haul. I'm so encouraged that I’ve come back here today and I've listened to people and their stories. They know they’ve still got a long way to go, but they’re as committed today as they were a year ago and there's a message of hope in that that when the community comes together, stays together, works together, then it is able to create that future for their community. And that's very much what we're seeing here in Townsville. I particularly want to thank Shane Stone, and his recovery flood agency, which has now extended to drought that we launched right here in Townsville and the work that they've done not only to support the community here, but right across Northern Queensland and in the affected areas and the graziers and farmers and those who are affected so terribly by those floods a year ago. It has never left my mind, never left my mind, as nor will the bushfires and the drought.

I'm also here today to announce something very important. As Phil said, early this week, we stood together and we announced the National Commissioner for Veterans Suicide Prevention and we announced the family advocate. And it was pleasing today to meet with so many of Phil’s, in some cases, former veterans he served together with, his former Defence Force colleagues, but also many others. And just to share and hear their stories and to receive their very positive feedback on this announcement and get some good feedback on how that can be established and that the cases that it's going to need to look into originally- initially, I should say, and that's around 400 or so cases they are planning to look at and that will cover a broad range of these horrible circumstances to ensure we learn the lessons. But importantly, it's about the future and ensuring that we know that this is a future problem. It's not a problem in our past. It very much continues to be an issue that we need to address in the future and these arrangements will help that. One of the things we've been doing now for some time is to be supporting veterans as they've come out of the defence forces. And we know  they exit the defence forces in a broad variety of circumstances. The vast majority go on to make amazing contributions. Our veterans aren’t broken, they are the strongest amongst us and they have the biggest contributions to make, as Phil himself has demonstrated in his own life. And the program we've announced today is to recognise that in just over $10 million worth of funding, we're supporting two important programs. One is a transitional support for employment, which will provide that assistance to veterans up to the age of 30. It was previously provided to younger veterans as they come out and we're extending that program up to the age of 30, which will provide them that support to help them get and find their career and move on into the next period of service. Maybe not in uniform, but certainly a great service to the community. The other is to recognise that there are more vulnerable individuals who come out of the defence forces and need intensive case management support. And working with Veterans Affairs, we're able to identify those who need that support and the funding we've announced today, around $5 million, is going to ensure that every single one of those who identified gets that intensive case management support. 

So when it comes to honouring our veterans, those for whom their eternal vigilance has been our dividend of peace, then we need to show that same eternal vigilance for their health and their welfare and their wellbeing and this is what these programs do. I'm pleased to be announcing them here in Townsville, in this defence community, in this veterans community and then a veterans community that demonstrated its value when they were in uniform, but also have continued to do that each and every day. Thank you. Happy to take questions on these matters or on others. Actually why don’t we start with veterans and Coronavirus of course before we go to politics.

JOURNALIST: Coronavirus first?

PRIME MINISTER: Yep.

JOURNALIST: So how quickly will that facility in Northern Territory take to come online?

PRIME MINISTER: We have a plan for that return flight to be returning to Australia in a matter of days. The advice I have is that we will be able to stand that facility up within that time.

JOURNALIST: This is the Inpex Facility that houses 3,500 people, is there any plans to bring any more facilities online or should that be enough?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, at this stage that my advice is that that will deal with the immediate requirements, but we'll continue to identify other contingency options, if indeed that becomes necessary. 

JOURNALIST: Adjacent to that facility there's a school, are you guys confident there's going to be no chance of the virus escaping?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's my advice. And that's why the Chief Medical Officer is up there today and he and the Health Minister will be making further announcements confirming these arrangements in more detail today. And that is the consultation for implementation that's going on at the moment. I want to thank Chief Minister Gunner and his Health Minister for the close work they're doing with the Federal Government as we work through those details. But it's very cooperative that it is absolutely possible to put those sorts of assurances in place in the way that these facilities are managed.

JOURNALIST: A Qantas flight today that was coming back from Wuhan originally is now back in commercial use and passengers have already taken that particular jet. Is it safe for that jet to be back in operation? 

PRIME MINISTER: It wouldn’t be back in operation, Qantas wouldn’t have it back in operation unless it was meeting all those standards and requirements.

JOURNALIST: So the passengers aboard that jet can feel totally safe. 

PRIME MINISTER: That's what Qantas has assured.

JOURNALIST: Given what’s happened on the Diamond Princess in Japan, are you considering stopping cruise ships coming into Australia?

PRIME MINISTER: No, that is not under advice at the moment. No one has recommended that, that those Australians who are on board that vessel a number of additional cases have been confirmed of Australians on that vessel, which is up in Japan, they're getting consular support, they're being transferred to medical facilities in Japan, as the other two were, and there are quite a number of other Australians on board that ship who are in quarantine on that vessel.

JOURNALIST: How many people will be on that flight next evacuated to Darwin?

PRIME MINISTER: I cannot confirm those numbers for you at the moment. Those issues and the confirmation of the manifest and the process for embarkation is one that is also jointly managed by the Chinese government and there are checks that are also done at that stage but the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and consular officials have been working through that manifest and those who will be getting on board that plane.

JOURNALIST: So no timeline at this stage?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, at this point on, I'm not confirming those arrangements because we are still looking to confirm the arrangements for the quarantine and where they go when they disembark. But I'm confident, based on the advice I've received, that we’re going to be able to stay with the original timetable and we're working through those final details today. 

JOURNALIST: On the Commissioner, a lot of veterans would still prefer a Royal Commission purely because of the transparency, because it would be public, rather than, as you said, that the commissioner role would be more private. Do you understand the veterans concerns that it won't be as public and transparent, given it's not going to be a royal commission? 

PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's better than a royal commission. That's why we're doing it. A royal commission looks back into the past and what we're establishing is a national commissioner with the powers of a royal commission to compel witnesses and that's a very important power, independent of the Defence Force, of the Department of Veteran Affairs, with an ability to look into every single case and not only to work with the coroner on that in terms to be able to identify what has occurred, but also to make recommendations in relation to policy more broadly. But that commissioner will also be able to look into cases more broadly of attempted suicides and be able to learn from those to better inform government policy to ensure that we're saving lives. I believe this will be far more effective in saving lives. I’m about saving lives when it comes to preventing suicide. 

There will be an annual report at the very least from this commissioner and there will be close workings with the families and others who have been directly impacted and the hard questions are going to be asked and I've make sure of that the commissioner asking the questions will have that legal authority to ask them and compel the answers. We need to get the answers here so we can act on the truth of what has occurred. And I have no doubt the commission will be given the teeth to do just that. There's a lot of different views on this topic. There are veterans who are very opposed to a royal commission. There are veterans who are supportive of it. But I must say that since we've announced this, and Phil you may want to comment,  particularly on who you’ve been talking to up here, there's been a widespread support for the direction the government is taking and we appreciate that. And we will be listening very carefully about its implementation as well. We've got to where we are, which is better than a royal commission, because it has the powers of a royal commission. It goes into the future permanently. I mean, this is a legacy for generations into the future of veterans. And that's much better than a point in time inquiry which goes for 18 months. There's been lots of royal commissions and lots of things and they have their place. But this is an ongoing issue and I want something in place that is ongoing. Phil, did you want to comment on that?

PHILLIP THOMPSON OAM MP, MEMBER FOR HERBERT: Yeah, thanks PM. I stood up with Prime Minister, Minister for Defence and Minister for Veterans Affairs for this announcement. And there is no way I would have stood up if I didn't believe in my heart this is going to be something that is far better than a standalone royal commission that will be finished in 18 months, two years, and then carry over at a later time, get a report and everything's done. This is something that'll be ongoing and working closely with the veteran community. I've put it on, you know, my social media , I’ve put it out there to everyone. I've been taking calls since the announcement from people that aren’t my way in politics whatsoever, and that's a good thing. And one thing that I want to stress to everyone is your job, the public's job, is to keep me accountable and to keep what I've said truthful and the ministers and the PM. So it doesn't matter what colour shirt you wear, and we have support from crossbenchers as well as people in the Labor Party and this is great. Because this isn't about politics. It isn't about political point scoring. It's about saving lives. It's about understanding where touch points were and what's the things that have happened in the past to better put in solutions and preventative measures into the future. The veterans we spoke with today, the majority were very positive and they have tough questions. Good. That's good. You should have tough questions and you should ask the tough questions to myself and to the Minister and to the Prime Minister because that's your job as a community is to keep us accountable and make sure that we're doing what you, what the people want. And in the veteran community, the majority of the people that I've spoken to and that contacted me are very supportive. And I look forward to working closely with the commissioner, the family advocate, and of course, the Minister who is now in Cabinet, which is great for the veteran community. And, you know, the PM's door's always been open to his members of parliament and to pretty much everyone. So we'll be speaking a lot about this and doing what's right for the community.

JOURNALIST: PM, do we know, do we have a timeframe of when the commissioners get on the ground? We have a short list of people that could the commissioner?

PRIME MINISTER: We’re working through those details and we’re going through a proper selection process to do that.

JOURNALIST: How do you plan to deal with Barnaby Joyce if he or any of his supporters threaten to cross the floor?

PRIME MINISTER: When a member makes a decision on how they would vote in the parliament along the lines you’ve mentioned, they do so on the basis of a long-held conviction or position or as it was a matter of principle of policy. That's something that's afforded to every Coalition member of Parliament, and I have no doubt that that sort of decision would never be exercised in a way that would be anything other than based on a very important point of principle or policy, so, you know, I have that same respect for every single member of the Government team. I'm sure government members would only ever act in that way.

JOURNALIST: How can the Government have a sports grants program designed at promoting women in sport that doesn’t have a public tender process, an application process, rules or guidelines?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, the applications for the program you’re referring to were four times oversubscribed were made, the Minister made the final decision and that was set out in the guidelines that she would and it’s been able to deliver important facilities all across the country and those who have received that support I know have been very appreciative of it.

JOURNALIST: In Western Australia $57 million was spent on swimming and there are, you know, why was there money not spent on ensuring women had appropriate change room facilities?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, there were 60 projects making sure that women had appropriate change room facilities. That's 60 projects across the country. That's fantastic. 

JOURNALIST: Any in Western Australia? 

PRIME MINISTER: I can't give you the precise details across every single state and territory. But I know across the whole country there was 60. That's fantastic.

JOURNALIST: Some councils also found out they’d been given money through local newspapers. How is that an appropriate use of taxpayer money?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, you'd have to tell me those instances and I’d be happy to look at those for you. Because I don’t necessarily accept that’s what happened.

JOURNALIST: In the Australian this afternoon there were comments from moderate Liberals that said Senate… sorry, you know, Barnaby Joyce and Matt Canavan could rip Mr Pitt to shreds. Do you think that Mr Pitt is up to the job and do you expect your backbenchers to give him a hard time?

PRIME MINISTER: I expect Mr Pitt to do an outstanding job. He'll be Pitt the performer up here for North Queensland in particular, as we talked about yesterday. I mean, this is a bloke who was a sugar cane farmer and he was a tradie and he's an electrical engineer and even better than that, he's a Queenslander and even better than that, he's a North Queenslander. So how could he do anything other than an amazing job? And it's great to have him in the team. I've known Keith for many years and he's helped me address many difficult problems as a backbencher, as an assistant minister. He's got great capabilities and I think he's going to add some real experience, one, and some real intellectual horsepower and expertise to the tasks that I have given him obviously on the recommendation of the leader of the Nationals, as that is the nature of the Coalition agreement. I think he was a great pick. I think he was a fantastic pick.

JOURNALIST: He’s a big supporter of coal and he’ll be working in North Queensland which has the Great Barrier Reef. Do you expect him to fight just as hard for protection of the Reef as he does for fossil fuels?

PRIME MINISTER: I expect him to do his job. And I know like I do, I'm interested in ensuring that communities up here in Northern Queensland have the industries that support their livelihoods, their jobs, their wellbeing, their futures, their hopes, so they can pay the mortgage, so they can send their kids to school, that they can see themselves living here long-term. And I know that's how Keith feels about all of these things. And, you know, the pristine nature of the wonderful environment people live in North Queensland would be as dear to his heart as it would be to any other North Queenslander. So, you know, I don't see these things as working contrary to those interests. 

JOURNALIST: The bushfire affected towns on the south coast are facing a lot of red tape and forcing places to close. What are your [inaudible]?

PRIME MINISTER: Our involvement in that program is to pay for it. The rollout of the program, the assessment process, the handling of the applications, that is done by the New South Wales state government. And I'd be urging them to move those things as quickly as they possibly can, both for the loans and the grants. The guidelines for those went out earlier this week and there were hundreds of expressions of interest that had come in for those grants. And as I said, in the House of Representatives, this week when I went through all of that, you know, I would be urging the New South Wales government to be able to move on that as quickly as possible. And if there are things that we can do to assist them to make that happen, then I have no doubt that they'd be raising that through, particularly Andrew Colvin as the head of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency to ensure if there is any obstacles there that need to be moved from a federal point of view, they would be. But I'm not aware of any federal obstacles to that. We're paying for it overwhelmingly as we should and as I promised we would and as we saw here up in Queensland and North Queensland when the floods hit, it was the same process. We supported by funding the $75,000 grants to primary producers, matching grants with zero interest loans for restocking right across the western part of North Queensland. But it was the Queensland government that did the assessments and I think they did a great job, too, by the way. I thought [inaudible] did a fantastic job and they've been a great partner in delivering the support that the Commonwealth Government put the resources up to pay for. And that partnership delivered a great result, I think, as difficult as that still remains for many of these producers and small businesses. So that's the model which has worked in Queensland and I'm sure in New South Wales they'll be up to the job of what the Queensland Government were able to do there and rolling out that support that the federal government has made available through the state government. Thanks very much, everyone.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42660

Supporting at Risk Veterans Transitioning to Civilian Life

7 February 2020

Prime Minister, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Minister for Defence Personnel

Programs supporting younger at-risk veterans and veterans transitioning to civilian employment are set to expand to hundreds more people as part of a significant funding boost from the Morrison Government.

An extra 170 young and vulnerable veterans leaving the Australian Defence Force annually will get guidance and a single point of contact with 10 additional case coordinators backed by a $4.8 million investment in the Coordinated Client Support program that already helps around 1,200 veterans facing difficult circumstances. The investment means the entire high-risk cohort of veterans leaving the ADF will now be covered under the Coordinated Client Support program.

The Government will also boost the resources of the Personalised Career Employment Program by $5.6 million and will expand its eligibility to another 1,600 ADF members each year looking for career development and job placement support as they set up for civilian life.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government was backing younger veterans facing tough challenges as they transitioned out of the ADF.

“We’ll show the same commitment and duty to those veterans who have served us that they have shown our country,” the Prime Minister said.

“Research shows veterans under 30 who are involuntarily discharged as being at higher risk of suicide than the general population so we want to ensure they get the support they need as they navigate the range of government services on offer.

“These programs are about reaching out to those veterans who need our help to ensure they get it.”

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel Darren Chester said under the Coordinated Client Support program, DVA works closely with Defence to identify veterans at risk before they transition out of service and provide them with a single point of contact.

“We are committed to putting veterans and their families first and by providing those most at risk with a single client coordinator it ensures a seamless continuation of support as they leave the ADF, assists them to access appropriate health treatment as well as the finalisation of their DVA claims,” Mr Chester said.

“Currently the PCEP supports those aged between 17 and 24 who have served less than four years by providing them with greater opportunity for job placement within the civilian community. The investment announced today will extend this to those up to 30 years of age, meaning a further 30 per cent of transitioning members can now access the program in Townsville alone.”

Minister Chester said the Government was also delivering on a 2019 election commitment with a $15 million investment to roll-out employment-related programs for veterans through a one-off grants package for Soldier On, Team Rubicon Australia and the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL National).

“To further support veterans seeking employment, Soldier On, Team Rubicon Australia and RSL will assist those who find the transition to the civilian workforce challenging through tailored employment-related programs,” Mr Chester said.

“You only need to look at the mobilisation of Team Rubicon Australia to assist in the recent response to the bushfires to know the results will be promising. I look forward to seeing the ongoing results of this important program.”

Member for Herbert Phillip Thompson welcomed the further announcements, particularly the potential benefits to members of Townsville’s veteran community.

“Townsville has a strong military and veteran community, with around 750 transitions from the ADF here every year, and having served in the ADF, transitioned into civilian life and having watched my mate’s transition I know how important it is to get it right,” Mr Thompson said.

“DVA and Defence have been working hard to improve the transition process and the additional support outlined today will go a long way to supporting those most in need.

“As a government we have done a lot, which I know is appreciated by the ex-service community, but we know there is still more to do.”

The Government has made promoting the valuable skills of ADF personnel and veterans a high priority, including through the Prime Minister’s Veterans’ Employment Program and Veterans’ Employment Awards.

The Government invests a record $11 billion to support 280,000 veterans and their families each year, is reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs with more work underway, has cut waiting times for claims and has also launched the Australian Veterans’ Card and Lapel Pin, so veterans can be appropriately recognised, including by businesses who want to offer special discounts and offers to veterans.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42659

State Visit to Australia by the President of the Republic of Indonesia

6 February 2020

I am pleased to announce His Excellency Mr Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia, and Her Excellency Mrs Iriana Joko Widodo will visit Canberra from 8 to 10 February as Guests of Government.

This will be President Widodo’s fourth visit to Australia since taking office in 2014. It follows my visit to Jakarta for the President’s inauguration in October 2019.

Indonesia and Australia share a strong and vibrant relationship—as neighbours, strategic partners and friends.

Our relationship is founded on people-to-people links, economic cooperation and a commitment to a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.

President Widodo’s visit will be an opportunity to build on the Australia-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discuss further cooperation on trade and investment, maritime issues, defence and security, counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, transnational crime and education. 

Jenny and I look forward to warmly welcoming President Widodo and Mrs Widodo to Australia.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42657

Interview with Alan Jones, 2GB

6 February 2020

ALAN JONES: Prime Minister, good morning. 

PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Alan. 

JONES: I was just thinking last night when we're going to talk to you today, you must feel as though you've gone 10 rounds with Muhammad Ali. It's been pile on the Prime Minister for a couple of months, hasn’t it?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, there's been a lot of that. But, you know, that's what this job's about. You stand up to that and you stand up for what you believe in. You just put your head down and you just keep going. That's what my dad always taught me.

JONES: Ah your dad, well I’m sorry about all that too, you’ve had a-

PRIME MINISTER: Yeah thanks for your lovely message.

JONES: Not at all. Look, can I just, I hadn’t intended to talk about it in the light of the correspondence, I think we have to. People are genuinely worried about this Coronavirus and so on. Can you just clarify a couple of things now? The people being sent to Christmas Island are the evacuees, are they not, from Wuhan? They are Australian citizens? 

PRIME MINISTER: That's right and Australian residents yes.

JONES: Right, and Australian residents, right. Now if there are more of them you're saying you're going to open mining camps or hotels or whatever. If there are further quarantine centres needed?

PRIME MINISTER: Yeah not from out of Wuhan, though, we've put the second flight that's going into Wuhan, that's being arranged now. And there's 35 people who were on the flight out on Air New Zealand. We took that decision for the second flight, knowing we'd be able to cater for that at Christmas Island. That's the advice I have. And so that should accommodate that. What we've also tasked the Defence Force to do is to identify overflow facilities, that was done when we looked at the first flight. And they've been going through that process. So you could expect us, given the evolving nature of the Coronavirus and its impact globally that we'd be seeking to identify contingencies for down the road. That’s just about keeping ahead of it- 

JONES: But these are all, you’re talking here foreign nationals are you? Foreign nationals?

PRIME MINISTER: No, no, no. I'm only talking about Australians.

JONES: Right. So. So hang on-

PRIME MINISTER: We’ve closed the borders to foreign nationals. 

JONES: Right. You've closed the borders for two weeks, but that may be, that may continue for more than two weeks?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we'll do whatever's necessary to keep Australians safe. And that's just to show that we're constantly monitoring the situation, and there's been lots of developments. And if the virus, you know, we've got 14 cases here in Australia, 3 of those, I should stress, have been discharged from hospital and are healthy. So the virus has been different to others, but it has had a high rate of transmission. 

JONES: I understand. I just want to go back to this quarantine stuff. So you're saying that mining camps or you’ll open whatever facilities are needed to properly quarantine? But my understanding is that Australian citizens and permanent residents arriving on commercial flights are required to self-isolate?

PRIME MINISTER: That's correct. Out of mainland China, not out of the directly impacted zones of Wuhan where that has escalated to levels significantly in advance of what's elsewhere in mainland China-

JONES: So the quarantine centres are for people from the impacted zones in China. 

PRIME MINISTER: Correct. 

JONES: Right. But the Australian citizens and permanent residents arriving on commercial flights from other parts of China will be required to self-isolate. 

PRIME MINISTER: Correct. Because they have places to live, places to go and they're in an area- 

JONES: How do you enforce self-isolation? 

PRIME MINISTER: Well, you can't enforce it. The state and territory health support services and others are there providing help and advice. But I've got to say Alan that so far, the advice to us is that that's been very effective. I mean, it's been going for several weeks now and we've had people returning and how this is being, impacted Australia compared to other countries, we're doing the containment approach, working closely with the state and territories and it's been working very effectively. But we're watching it very, very closely with a lot of cooperation from Australians in listening to the advice and doing as they've been asked. 

JONES: What people are writing to me and ringing about is how do we know that these Australian citizens who are arriving on commercial flights from China aren't infected? 

PRIME MINISTER: Well, there's a 14 day incubation period and that's at the upper end of all of the advice is and so the advice we have is that they would isolate themselves the minute they come off the plane and they're given these masks, they're given their instructions, and they go home and they self isolate for 14 days. And what we've seen so far, as I said-

JONES: There's a lot of these people, aren't there, because you're continuing to allow all these commercial flights into Australia. 

PRIME MINISTER: Yeah. But the number of people on these flights, Alan-

JONES: Is reducing of course

PRIME MINISTER: - is significantly reduced, which again, was the point when this was put to us by all the chief medical officers. The point was to radically reduce the number of people who were coming in. Now, in the case where in China, the risk had not elevated to the level, obviously anywhere near, it was in Wuhan then they believe that risk was acceptable. 

JONES: Now, the Qantas flight, we had this Qantas flight, which basically went from Wuhan to WA and then to Sydney yesterday. I've had people ring me to say that, what happens to those staff? How were they protected from the virus being spread? Because they aren't being quarantined now. Even though they'd been in contact or may have been in contact with an infected passenger. Where are those staff? Are they being sent back to work? 

PRIME MINISTER: They all have arrangements with their employer about how they're being treated like all their crews are- 

JONES: My understanding is they haven't. 

PRIME MINISTER: Well, what I'm saying is, is that they have when they're working on these flights, like others, they have a higher standard of personal protective equipment and they've got a series of protocols that they follow when they're on these flights. And they are working under the advice and under the care of their own medical advisers, but also as they’ve worked with the government. 

JONES: You can understand, though, can't you, how these staff would be very worried about their health and well-being. Are you aware of this letter that Qantas have sent out, a direction to a particular employee who, quote, refused to board an aircraft and perform your duties in relation to a Qantas flight and they name the flight and so on? And then the letter says to the employee, you advised the reason you did this was due to your concerns about the risk of contracting Coronavirus. You were advised at the time that the risk of that occurring was negligible, negligible risk, this is what Qantas are telling this employee. And in these circumstances and with the information available, you cannot reasonably concerned that working on an aircraft originating from China would expose you to a serious risk to your health or safety, or that there is a risk of immediate or imminent exposure to Coronavirus. So Qantas here are playing the medical god, but then they say this, given the above, the company is formally directing you to perform your duties as required, including performing your duties on aircraft originating from ports in China. The company's position is that the direction outlined above is reasonable and lawful and you are required to comply with it. It's important that you're aware that should you fail to comply with this direction, this may result in disciplinary action being taken against you up to and including termination of your employment. Is that bullying or intimidation? That, that employer would be genuinely concerned? Is that the way to treat that employee? 

PRIME MINISTER: Well I think that's a matter between that employee and the company like it would be anywhere, and I would hope that there would be a sensitive approach applied to this, that's really an industrial matter Alan, and I don't know the specifics of the case. I mean, you've read out the letter, but that is a matter that I'm happy to take up with Qantas about how they're managing those issues. I’ve got to say, though, I couldn't be more impressed with the Qantas staff who got on that flight to Wuhan.

JONES: Quite right, I agree.

PRIME MINISTER: And they did that on a voluntary basis. And so look, look, it's a difficult issue to manage for everybody, whether it's Qantas or whether it's the Australian government or you know managing the quarantine arrangements up there in Christmas Island. We also had an AUSMAT team. Now, these guys are like the commandos of dealing with viruses, and they were put on that plane to support the staff. When we went up to Wuhan and the same things I understand will happen next time. Those people were also up on Christmas Island. So there, we have got the best people in the world who are helping people who are in these situations. And it's a difficult time. And we just calmly proceed with putting into place, the arrangements in place, getting the best advice, getting support to people. And I would hope that, and I would think that, that's what would be occurring with our companies as well who are involved. 

JONES: Are you concerned in any way about the objectivity of the advice coming from the World Health Organisation? These are the people who are saying in spite of other countries cancelling their flights, keep the borders open, keep the borders open, yet they have, of course, declared it an international emergency. The head of the World Health Organisation is this bloke Adhanom, and I made this point twice yesterday. He's the member of the Ethiopian Marxist Leninist Party in Ethiopia, are renegotiating billions of dollars in loans from Beijing and for a railway line that links the capital to Djibouti. So why wouldn't he be congratulating China on their work in containing the virus? Do you think that people believe that China has been really transparent in all of this? The World Health Organisation says you can have confidence in China's capacity to control the outbreak, but it was only in December that eight doctors were arrested and forced to confess to spreading false rumours, which weren't, in fact, false. Are you concerned about the objectivity of this advice? 

PRIME MINISTER: Let me answer it this way. When we started taking our action, we were one of the first countries to do so, we were doing that completely independent, frankly, of what the declarations were of the WHO. We moved- I mean, our Chief Medical Officer, Dr Brendan Murphy, was calling for the WHO to declare this a week before they did. So we were working on the basis of Brendan Murphy's advice. You know, we were accessing information from the WHO, and in crises like this you have to be- you have to ensure that you're acting on your own information. You draw it from a range of different sources and you make the calls in Australia's interests. I mean, the WHO has never supported travel bans. That's a policy position they've had for a long time. Now we've had one, we were one of the first countries, ours actually activated before the United States one did. So we have, we've been very proactive on this and we've noted all the things the WHO and others said. But frankly, we're making the calls based on what we think is best for Australia. And you've got to always in this environment, I think, be careful about the information you're using. You’ve got to interrogate it. But we're relying on our health advisers. 

JONES: Ok. Just on the economy and I want to go into as much detail. But, you know, you'd be aware that there's people struggling out here now, there are whole suburbs of Sydney and Brisbane and Melbourne in particular, who are ghost towns because of their dependence on Chinese custom. You've got tourism tropical north Queensland saying that they've reported more than 19,000 cancellations in one week, worth more than 10 million dollars. The Queensland Tourism Industry Council said there'll be mass cancellations, do these people just cop it? Or how do you- I mean, I know you've tipped him $70 something million dollars, but the damage is already being done and there's no end in sight. 

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we can't pretend there's no impact to a global virus like this, and we can't pretend that we can make it like the day it was before the virus struck. But just like with the bushfires as you said, $76 million in to support the tourism industry over that, that's, as you know, I used to be involved. I mean, that is, I'm not aware of a bigger package of support for the tourism industry in my memory. And we're obviously going to have to look at how the rebound can be assisted when it comes to travel. Now, I suppose, there is not a lot of good news here but when the previous viruses hit, international tourism fell to Australia by about 11 per cent in one quarter and in the next quarter, it bounced up back up by 16 per cent. Now, the advice we're getting, including from Treasury and of course, the Reserve Bank and others, is, of course it's going to have an impact. And the Treasurer's having that modelled and worked on as we speak. And it will have an impact and the nature of this virus and how it spreads across the global economy is also a bit of an unknown at the moment. At this stage, it hasn't demonstrated the same sort of severe outcomes that the previous virus, the SARS and MERS did. But the rates of transmission are much greater. So it is an unfolding story. And the economic impacts well, of course, they're going to be very significant. That's why we-

JONES: And the Chinese economy is much greater behind, bigger now than it was over SARS in 2003.

PRIME MINISTER: Of course our exposure to that, the number of visitors, the number of students. And that's why we're just working each of these issues one at a time to try and mitigate the impact. And that's why the travel ban was not taken lightly, because we know what the impact of that is.

JONES: Yeah it’s rough stuff out there, yeah rough stuff for many people out there. Just a couple of things, the veterans issue, well done on that but Normie Rowe, as you know, who sacrificed his music career, he was the leading commercial artist in Australia, wrote to me after your announcement. He said the major problem is with the Department of Veterans Affairs systemic attitude that all veterans are trying to rip off the system. That's what they call the culture. He said it's all very well to have one independent commissioner at the top of the claims tree. But if at the first contact with the Department of Veterans Affairs, a veteran’s treated as a pariah, how does that veteran sustain the strength to get far enough for the commissioner to consider his or her case? 

PRIME MINISTER: Well, and I know of the many criticisms and the many views about DVA and I mean, this is one of the issues I spoke about with Julie-Ann Finney and others. And they acknowledge that things had been improving. And there's still a long way to go on this and Liz Cosson, who is the Secretary of that Department, and Darren Chester are working very hard on changing that culture. But I should stress, this national commissioner since independence to DVA, Department of Defence, they'll sit over in the Attorney-General's. 

JONES: When will you be announcing him?

PRIME MINISTER: We’re going through that process now, Alan. And so I don't want to foreshadow that we're going through a proper process to get the right person. 

JONES: But of course, Normie said to me how many veterans might die in the interim before, in fact, this gets into place? 

PRIME MINISTER: Well, Alan, I think we've got to be realistic here. I mean, what this commissioner will do, will be the one- they'll be working with coroners to make sure we're investigating each and every case. This is not the only action we're taking to prevent veteran suicide. There are a raft of measures and that starts with the day someone joins the Defence Force. One of the key lessons has been, when we've looked deeply at this issue of veterans suicide is you got to start preparing our defence forces personnel for the day they leave the Defence Force, from the day they joined-

JONES: Absolutely.

PRIME MINISTER: And this has been one of the big lessons-

JONES: I know.

PRIME MINISTER: -I sat with Julie-Anne and our others, fellow family representatives. That was, that has been a big problem and that has changed since their children went through Defence. It's been one of the big changes that they're now doing, but that will obviously take some time to work its way through. So there's a lot of things happening, a lot more needs to happen because we've got to pay eternal vigilance to their welfare just as they protect ours. 

JONES: Well done. And yes, well done. I heard your comments in the Parliament about that. We've got to go. But I'll just leave something with you without comment, if I might. You’re well aware that I'd been down amongst all those bushfire people and I'm talking to them all the time. 

PRIME MINISTER: Yes. 

JONES: Forget what you are giving, the government are giving, I'm talking about the public, people listening to you now, have given a half a billion dollars. And can I just leave it with you? They're down there. They're seeing none of this money. And so something's got to be mobilized to get the money to the people. If I could leave that thought with you. 

PRIME MINISTER: Look, absolutely Alan, I have a similar concern about this. I mean, I can tell you that over $111 million dollars has been paid out. I think it's very important that charities and state governments, for that matter, are reporting on how much money is going out the door and to where. 

JONES: Well, there’s a few people, there are very few people who can tell the Prime Minister to stop talking but I've got to go to the news. But we'll talk again soon about that and other issues. 

PRIME MINISTER: We're on it. Thanks, Alan. 

JONES: Thank you. There he is, Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister. 

JONES: I was just thinking last night when we're going to talk to you today, you must feel as though you've gone 10 rounds with Muhammad Ali. It's been pile on the Prime Minister for a couple of months, hasn’t it?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, there's been a lot of that. But, you know, that's what this job's about. You stand up to that and you stand up for what you believe in. You just put your head down and you just keep going. That's what my dad always taught me.

JONES: Ah your dad, well I’m sorry about all that too, you’ve had a-

PRIME MINISTER: Yeah thanks for your lovely message.

JONES: Not at all. Look, can I just, I hadn’t intended to talk about it in the light of the correspondence, I think we have to. People are genuinely worried about this Coronavirus and so on. Can you just clarify a couple of things now? The people being sent to Christmas Island are the evacuees, are they not, from Wuhan? They are Australian citizens? 

PRIME MINISTER: That's right and Australian residents yes.

JONES: Right, and Australian residents, right. Now if there are more of them you're saying you're going to open mining camps or hotels or whatever. If there are further quarantine centres needed?

PRIME MINISTER: Yeah not from out of Wuhan, though, we've put the second flight that's going into Wuhan, that's being arranged now. And there's 35 people who were on the flight out on Air New Zealand. We took that decision for the second flight, knowing we'd be able to cater for that at Christmas Island. That's the advice I have. And so that should accommodate that. What we've also tasked the Defence Force to do is to identify overflow facilities, that was done when we looked at the first flight. And they've been going through that process. So you could expect us, given the evolving nature of the Coronavirus and its impact globally that we'd be seeking to identify contingencies for down the road. That’s just about keeping ahead of it- 

JONES: But these are all, you’re talking here foreign nationals are you? Foreign nationals?

PRIME MINISTER: No, no, no. I'm only talking about Australians.

JONES: Right. So. So hang on-

PRIME MINISTER: We’ve closed the borders to foreign nationals. 

JONES: Right. You've closed the borders for two weeks, but that may be, that may continue for more than two weeks?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we'll do whatever's necessary to keep Australians safe. And that's just to show that we're constantly monitoring the situation, and there's been lots of developments. And if the virus, you know, we've got 14 cases here in Australia, 3 of those, I should stress, have been discharged from hospital and are healthy. So the virus has been different to others, but it has had a high rate of transmission. 

JONES: I understand. I just want to go back to this quarantine stuff. So you're saying that mining camps or you’ll open whatever facilities are needed to properly quarantine? But my understanding is that Australian citizens and permanent residents arriving on commercial flights are required to self-isolate?

PRIME MINISTER: That's correct. Out of mainland China, not out of the directly impacted zones of Wuhan where that has escalated to levels significantly in advance of what's elsewhere in mainland China-

JONES: So the quarantine centres are for people from the impacted zones in China. 

PRIME MINISTER: Correct. 

JONES: Right. But the Australian citizens and permanent residents arriving on commercial flights from other parts of China will be required to self-isolate. 

PRIME MINISTER: Correct. Because they have places to live, places to go and they're in an area- 

JONES: How do you enforce self-isolation? 

PRIME MINISTER: Well, you can't enforce it. The state and territory health support services and others are there providing help and advice. But I've got to say Alan that so far, the advice to us is that that's been very effective. I mean, it's been going for several weeks now and we've had people returning and how this is being, impacted Australia compared to other countries, we're doing the containment approach, working closely with the state and territories and it's been working very effectively. But we're watching it very, very closely with a lot of cooperation from Australians in listening to the advice and doing as they've been asked. 

JONES: What people are writing to me and ringing about is how do we know that these Australian citizens who are arriving on commercial flights from China aren't infected? 

PRIME MINISTER: Well, there's a 14 day incubation period and that's at the upper end of all of the advice is and so the advice we have is that they would isolate themselves the minute they come off the plane and they're given these masks, they're given their instructions, and they go home and they self isolate for 14 days. And what we've seen so far, as I said-

JONES: There's a lot of these people, aren't there, because you're continuing to allow all these commercial flights into Australia. 

PRIME MINISTER: Yeah. But the number of people on these flights, Alan-

JONES: Is reducing of course

PRIME MINISTER: - is significantly reduced, which again, was the point when this was put to us by all the chief medical officers. The point was to radically reduce the number of people who were coming in. Now, in the case where in China, the risk had not elevated to the level, obviously anywhere near, it was in Wuhan then they believe that risk was acceptable. 

JONES: Now, the Qantas flight, we had this Qantas flight, which basically went from Wuhan to WA and then to Sydney yesterday. I've had people ring me to say that, what happens to those staff? How were they protected from the virus being spread? Because they aren't being quarantined now. Even though they'd been in contact or may have been in contact with an infected passenger. Where are those staff? Are they being sent back to work? 

PRIME MINISTER: They all have arrangements with their employer about how they're being treated like all their crews are- 

JONES: My understanding is they haven't. 

PRIME MINISTER: Well, what I'm saying is, is that they have when they're working on these flights, like others, they have a higher standard of personal protective equipment and they've got a series of protocols that they follow when they're on these flights. And they are working under the advice and under the care of their own medical advisers, but also as they’ve worked with the government. 

JONES: You can understand, though, can't you, how these staff would be very worried about their health and well-being. Are you aware of this letter that Qantas have sent out, a direction to a particular employee who, quote, refused to board an aircraft and perform your duties in relation to a Qantas flight and they name the flight and so on? And then the letter says to the employee, you advised the reason you did this was due to your concerns about the risk of contracting Coronavirus. You were advised at the time that the risk of that occurring was negligible, negligible risk, this is what Qantas are telling this employee. And in these circumstances and with the information available, you cannot reasonably concerned that working on an aircraft originating from China would expose you to a serious risk to your health or safety, or that there is a risk of immediate or imminent exposure to Coronavirus. So Qantas here are playing the medical god, but then they say this, given the above, the company is formally directing you to perform your duties as required, including performing your duties on aircraft originating from ports in China. The company's position is that the direction outlined above is reasonable and lawful and you are required to comply with it. It's important that you're aware that should you fail to comply with this direction, this may result in disciplinary action being taken against you up to and including termination of your employment. Is that bullying or intimidation? That, that employer would be genuinely concerned? Is that the way to treat that employee? 

PRIME MINISTER: Well I think that's a matter between that employee and the company like it would be anywhere, and I would hope that there would be a sensitive approach applied to this, that's really an industrial matter Alan, and I don't know the specifics of the case. I mean, you've read out the letter, but that is a matter that I'm happy to take up with Qantas about how they're managing those issues. I’ve got to say, though, I couldn't be more impressed with the Qantas staff who got on that flight to Wuhan.

JONES: Quite right, I agree.

PRIME MINISTER: And they did that on a voluntary basis. And so look, look, it's a difficult issue to manage for everybody, whether it's Qantas or whether it's the Australian government or you know managing the quarantine arrangements up there in Christmas Island. We also had an AUSMAT team. Now, these guys are like the commandos of dealing with viruses, and they were put on that plane to support the staff. When we went up to Wuhan and the same things I understand will happen next time. Those people were also up on Christmas Island. So there, we have got the best people in the world who are helping people who are in these situations. And it's a difficult time. And we just calmly proceed with putting into place, the arrangements in place, getting the best advice, getting support to people. And I would hope that, and I would think that, that's what would be occurring with our companies as well who are involved. 

JONES: Are you concerned in any way about the objectivity of the advice coming from the World Health Organisation? These are the people who are saying in spite of other countries cancelling their flights, keep the borders open, keep the borders open, yet they have, of course, declared it an international emergency. The head of the World Health Organisation is this bloke Adhanom, and I made this point twice yesterday. He's the member of the Ethiopian Marxist Leninist Party in Ethiopia, are renegotiating billions of dollars in loans from Beijing and for a railway line that links the capital to Djibouti. So why wouldn't he be congratulating China on their work in containing the virus? Do you think that people believe that China has been really transparent in all of this? The World Health Organisation says you can have confidence in China's capacity to control the outbreak, but it was only in December that eight doctors were arrested and forced to confess to spreading false rumours, which weren't, in fact, false. Are you concerned about the objectivity of this advice? 

PRIME MINISTER: Let me answer it this way. When we started taking our action, we were one of the first countries to do so, we were doing that completely independent, frankly, of what the declarations were of the WHO. We moved- I mean, our Chief Medical Officer, Dr Brendan Murphy, was calling for the WHO to declare this a week before they did. So we were working on the basis of Brendan Murphy's advice. You know, we were accessing information from the WHO, and in crises like this you have to be- you have to ensure that you're acting on your own information. You draw it from a range of different sources and you make the calls in Australia's interests. I mean, the WHO has never supported travel bans. That's a policy position they've had for a long time. Now we've had one, we were one of the first countries, ours actually activated before the United States one did. So we have, we've been very proactive on this and we've noted all the things the WHO and others said. But frankly, we're making the calls based on what we think is best for Australia. And you've got to always in this environment, I think, be careful about the information you're using. You’ve got to interrogate it. But we're relying on our health advisers. 

JONES: Ok. Just on the economy and I want to go into as much detail. But, you know, you'd be aware that there's people struggling out here now, there are whole suburbs of Sydney and Brisbane and Melbourne in particular, who are ghost towns because of their dependence on Chinese custom. You've got tourism tropical north Queensland saying that they've reported more than 19,000 cancellations in one week, worth more than 10 million dollars. The Queensland Tourism Industry Council said there'll be mass cancellations, do these people just cop it? Or how do you- I mean, I know you've tipped him $70 something million dollars, but the damage is already being done and there's no end in sight. 

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we can't pretend there's no impact to a global virus like this, and we can't pretend that we can make it like the day it was before the virus struck. But just like with the bushfires as you said, $76 million in to support the tourism industry over that, that's, as you know, I used to be involved. I mean, that is, I'm not aware of a bigger package of support for the tourism industry in my memory. And we're obviously going to have to look at how the rebound can be assisted when it comes to travel. Now, I suppose, there is not a lot of good news here but when the previous viruses hit, international tourism fell to Australia by about 11 per cent in one quarter and in the next quarter, it bounced up back up by 16 per cent. Now, the advice we're getting, including from Treasury and of course, the Reserve Bank and others, is, of course it's going to have an impact. And the Treasurer's having that modelled and worked on as we speak. And it will have an impact and the nature of this virus and how it spreads across the global economy is also a bit of an unknown at the moment. At this stage, it hasn't demonstrated the same sort of severe outcomes that the previous virus, the SARS and MERS did. But the rates of transmission are much greater. So it is an unfolding story. And the economic impacts well, of course, they're going to be very significant. That's why we-

JONES: And the Chinese economy is much greater behind, bigger now than it was over SARS in 2003.

PRIME MINISTER: Of course our exposure to that, the number of visitors, the number of students. And that's why we're just working each of these issues one at a time to try and mitigate the impact. And that's why the travel ban was not taken lightly, because we know what the impact of that is.

JONES: Yeah it’s rough stuff out there, yeah rough stuff for many people out there. Just a couple of things, the veterans issue, well done on that but Normie Rowe, as you know, who sacrificed his music career, he was the leading commercial artist in Australia, wrote to me after your announcement. He said the major problem is with the Department of Veterans Affairs systemic attitude that all veterans are trying to rip off the system. That's what they call the culture. He said it's all very well to have one independent commissioner at the top of the claims tree. But if at the first contact with the Department of Veterans Affairs, a veteran’s treated as a pariah, how does that veteran sustain the strength to get far enough for the commissioner to consider his or her case? 

PRIME MINISTER: Well, and I know of the many criticisms and the many views about DVA and I mean, this is one of the issues I spoke about with Julie-Ann Finney and others. And they acknowledge that things had been improving. And there's still a long way to go on this and Liz Cosson, who is the Secretary of that Department, and Darren Chester are working very hard on changing that culture. But I should stress, this national commissioner since independence to DVA, Department of Defence, they'll sit over in the Attorney-General's. 

JONES: When will you be announcing him?

PRIME MINISTER: We’re going through that process now, Alan. And so I don't want to foreshadow that we're going through a proper process to get the right person. 

JONES: But of course, Normie said to me how many veterans might die in the interim before, in fact, this gets into place? 

PRIME MINISTER: Well, Alan, I think we've got to be realistic here. I mean, what this commissioner will do, will be the one- they'll be working with coroners to make sure we're investigating each and every case. This is not the only action we're taking to prevent veteran suicide. There are a raft of measures and that starts with the day someone joins the Defence Force. One of the key lessons has been, when we've looked deeply at this issue of veterans suicide is you got to start preparing our defence forces personnel for the day they leave the Defence Force, from the day they joined-

JONES: Absolutely.

PRIME MINISTER: And this has been one of the big lessons-

JONES: I know.

PRIME MINISTER: -I sat with Julie-Anne and our others, fellow family representatives. That was, that has been a big problem and that has changed since their children went through Defence. It's been one of the big changes that they're now doing, but that will obviously take some time to work its way through. So there's a lot of things happening, a lot more needs to happen because we've got to pay eternal vigilance to their welfare just as they protect ours. 

JONES: Well done. And yes, well done. I heard your comments in the Parliament about that. We've got to go. But I'll just leave something with you without comment, if I might. You’re well aware that I'd been down amongst all those bushfire people and I'm talking to them all the time. 

PRIME MINISTER: Yes. 

JONES: Forget what you are giving, the government are giving, I'm talking about the public, people listening to you now, have given a half a billion dollars. And can I just leave it with you? They're down there. They're seeing none of this money. And so something's got to be mobilized to get the money to the people. If I could leave that thought with you. 

PRIME MINISTER: Look, absolutely Alan, I have a similar concern about this. I mean, I can tell you that over $111 million dollars has been paid out. I think it's very important that charities and state governments, for that matter, are reporting on how much money is going out the door and to where. 

JONES: Well, there’s a few people, there are very few people who can tell the Prime Minister to stop talking but I've got to go to the news. But we'll talk again soon about that and other issues. 

PRIME MINISTER: We're on it. Thanks, Alan. 

JONES: Thank you. There he is, Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister. 

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42656

Interview with Jonesy & Amanda

5 February 2020

AMANDA KELLER: The Prime Minister joins us this morning. Scott Morrison, hello. 

PRIME MINISTER: G’day Amanda, how are you? 

KELLER: Very well, thank you. 

BRENDAN JONES: Hello Scomo, how are you? 

PRIME MINISTER: I'm good, Jonesy. 

JONES: It’s been a hell of a month for you, mate. Seems to be the big thing at the moment. How do you turn around the perception that you've become an ineffectual leader? It seems like you're always on the back foot all the time?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, everything is about is what's happening to the Australian people. I mean, they've just gone through the worst summer. Forget about me. They've gone through the worst summer. People have lost their lives, lost their homes, they've lost their businesses, their livelihoods. That’s the only thing that matters. 

JONES: But still, you know, you must have seen it like you talk about the Canberra bubble all the time and then you went from the bubble straight to the fire front. It must have been very confronting?

PRIME MINISTER: Well it was, And it was very raw and people were hurting a lot. And that's why we took the action we did to get the defence forces out there at a much greater scale, than prior to that, I mean, they were responding to the requests that we had and we had around about 800, I think is was 895 Defence Force personnel out there. I then took the decision that we weren't going to wait for requests, we were going in and 6,500 boots on the ground, which made a huge difference in those communities. It wasn't because the states weren't doing the right thing, they were doing the right thing, they just needed more people out there and we got them out there. And I think it's made a massive difference. I mean, defence forces were fixing the roof at the Mogo Zoo, they were cleaning up the Eden Mill, they were clearing roads, they were getting water to people, they were evacuating people out of very difficult spots. They did an amazing job and they're still doing it. 

KELLER: I feel that there's been a real shift in the way Australians are looking at things since our horrendous summer and feeling that we're moving towards alternate fuels too slowly. Dr Karl has said that we have everything we need to get emissions down to zero. We've got the science, we've got the technology. The only thing missing is political will. We can transition to fossil fuels if we want to. Do you want to? 

PRIME MINISTER: Well, you mean from. 

KELLER: Yes sorry, from.

PRIME MINISTER: But I agree that there are alternative fuels and that's why we're investing in hydrogen, the technology. The thing is, you've got to make it commercial and scalable to get it everywhere. And we've done that work and it shows that a lot of those fuels won't be really commercially scalable, or available for about a decade. That’s why I’m talking about getting gas out from under the ground, I went and did the deal with New South Wales last week, and that's over 70 petajoules of gas. And that is an important bridge fuel to get us to the next phase. So we're doing so many practical things, but we don't need to tax people more or put their electricity prices up to do it. 

KELLER: No, can I just say, though, but gas is, I know you're saying that's a gateway to the future. That still is a fossil fuel. But in Germany, for example, they looked at this years ago and they had symposiums with economists and scientists and politicians and they have transitioned without losing a single job. I think it's time we need to do that?

PRIME MINISTER: But they had nuclear energy for a long part of that period. And that's not something we have in Australia. But also what we've done, in Australia is our rate of renewable investment per person in Australia is more than double that of Germany. I think people sometimes don't really understand how much is happening in Australia. Our renewable investments have been leading the world. We're going to meet and beat our Kyoto commitments for emissions reductions. I don't know if people understand that, where others haven't met these commitments around the world. We will have met and beat them. Our emissions will have fallen by twelve point eight per cent since 2005, and that's better than Canada, that's better than New Zealand, it's about the same as the United States, it's better than Japan, and it's better than Korea. We have the highest emissions reduction targets in the Asian region. So we're doing the job, we're getting on with it and we're meeting and beating our targets. But we’ve also got to be sensible and not take away people's jobs or put up their electricity prices or wipe out industries that regional Australia depend on. 

KELLER: So you're making an announcement today, I’ve been looking at this in the paper, and I think this is a great thing looking in to the horrendous suicide rate of our armed forces. 

PRIME MINISTER: Yes, we're establishing a national commissioner and we're also establishing a families advocate within the Department of Veterans Affairs. We’ve been carefully considering this over summer. I’ve spoken to a lot of parents who've lost kids, I’ve spoken to veterans themselves and all the various organisations. And what we've come up with, the way you've got to look on this continually into the future. And that means there will be a national commissioner. They will have one what is effectively the powers of a royal commissioner. That means they can compel evidence and people could be charged with perjury and things like this if they don't comply. And that means we can get to the bottom of each and every case and learn every lesson that you need to learn from every case. I mean, you've got to do this literally case by case and this is about prevention of suicide as well as acting where these horrific, horrific events have taken place and to learn from them. They're complex issues. Suicide is a very complex issue and we've got a whole of government approach towards zero goal on suicide. Too many of our young people taking their lives. Too many young indigenous kids taking their lives. Too many of our veterans taking their lives. And so in each of these areas and across the board, we’re just putting in practical things that we think can get that down and this national commissioner that look at each and every case, both are looking backwards, but importantly into the future will help us get this right. 

JONES: Do you ever think, Scott, like geez, I wish I just went down the South Coast this Christmas holidays, because it would have been a whole different…

KELLER: The south coast was on fire.

JONES: That’s what I mean. But you’re usually down on the South Coast.

PRIME MINISTER: That was the plan, we were going to go down there for two weeks in January and we had to change our plans because we then had to go to India for the meeting with the Prime Minister there and in Japan. So we changed that. But look, when I came back from that trip, let me be honest with people. I mean, you don't get every decision right, OK, and Jenny and I regret that we went. Of course we wanted to go away with our family and our kids at that time, of course we did, like so many families did. It's been a rough year and a tough year. But, you know, we wish we didn't and we're sorry about that and I think Australians are big-hearted. And when people are upfront about these things, you just move on. And since we've been back, I tell you, we haven't stopped and we've been everywhere. We've made the decisions. We put $2 billion into bushfire recovery. We set up a national agency. We've got on the front foot over the Coronavirus and ensuring we're keeping Australians safe. And we're just getting on with it. And so I know some people will continue to talk about that and I get it and I understand it. I understood it made people angry. But, you know, we're sorry about that. We‘ve just got to get on with it. None of us are perfect. But when we're not, we say we're not and that's what I'm saying. 

JONES: There it is. Great work, Scomo.

KELLER: Well, thank you for joining us this morning. From here on let's hope the year gets better for us all.

PRIME MINISTER: Now, before I go, can I wish Lily, who is my daughter, she's with Jen, they're on their way to the swimming carnival and listening. They always listen to you guys. Lily, you're going to go really well today. Good luck, love. 

KELLER: What's her speciality?

PRIME MINISTER: She’s into everything but her 50 metres freestyle, she's, you know, her hero is Dawn Fraser and she's met Dawn. She loves Dawn. And so go out there like the Dawny today, Lil, and you'll smash it. 

KELLER: Go Lily.

JONES: You’re not going to sing her another song, are you Scomo?

PRIME MINISTER: She knows the song because you sung it with her.

JONES: Well, good on you mate, look after yourself and here’s to a great 2020.

KELLER: Thanks Prime Minister.

PRIME MINISTER: Thanks guys, cheers.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42654

Powerful New Body to Tackle ADF and Veteran Suicides

5 February 2020

Prime Minister, Minister for Defence, Minister for Veterans and Defence Personnel

A powerful, new independent body will be created to investigate all suspected veteran and Australian Defence Force (ADF) suicides and causes to help save lives.

The Morrison Government will establish a permanent National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention.

The National Commissioner will have the enduring  power, scope and resources to investigate suicides and related issues as they arise, rather than being restricted by a one-off review looking at past practices.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the independent Commissioner would also have the power to compel witnesses to give evidence. 

“This is about being forever vigilant for the care and well-being of our veterans,” the Prime Minister said.

“Those veterans and all serving men and women protect our community and our freedoms. It is our duty to do the same for them.

“I have thought long and hard about the best response to this issue. I have spoken to veterans right across Australia and I have met with their families and also local, state and national organisations. 

“I believe what we have developed addresses the needs of those veterans, their families and our serving men and women.

“We will be permanently vigilant about their welfare.”

The National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention will be empowered to perform two roles:

• The Commissioner will be an independent and permanent public accountability body, with the same powers of a Royal Commission to compel the production of evidence and summon witnesses, and make findings and recommendations to Government.

• The Commissioner will also provide an ongoing investigative function of individual cases of suicide, working with each state and territory coronial office, making recommendations to Government.

The Government will invest an initial $40 million to support the Commissioner’s work and this will be expanded to ensure they have whatever resources they need.

The Government will also establish an immediate, independent review of historical veteran suicide cases, conducted by the Commissioner, focusing on the impact of military service and veterans’ post service experience.

An interim report will be delivered within 12 months. Families will be engaged in this process if they wish, with an opportunity to participate and tell their stories openly and safely.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, along with coronial and legal experts, will provide technical expertise in support of this work.

Minister for Veterans and Defence Personnel Darren Chester said the Commissioner would also deliver an Annual Veteran and Defence Suicide Death Report to the Parliament.

“This will be a transparent report directly to the Parliament on an annual basis on suicides within the defence and veteran community, including an update on the implementation and evaluation of measures to reduce suicide risk factors,” Mr Chester said.

“The Government is committed to ensuring ADF members, veterans and their families have access to the right support, at the right time, especially those who are vulnerable or at risk.”

Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC said the Chief of the Defence Force and each Service Chief was committed to being open and transparent, to support improved health outcomes for ADF personnel and veterans.

“The mental health and wellbeing of our vets and Defence Force members is an issue of national and enduring importance.

“These comprehensive measures have been developed with a very clear focus on finding the most effective and practical ways of better identifying, preventing, understanding and acting on suicide and suicide risks among our vets and service men and women.”

A Veteran Family Advocate will also be appointed to directly engage with the families of veterans, to improve the design of all veteran programs and services, including mental health supports and services.

“The new Veteran Family Advocate will focus on mental health and suicide prevention, and contribute to our understanding of risk factors relating to the wellbeing of veterans and their families, particularly during transition from the ADF,” Mr Chester said.

“The Advocate will represent the views of veterans and their families by engaging and advocating to help shape policy and the administration of veteran benefits and support.

“We want to assure defence and veterans’ families that help is available now and it can make a difference. Open Arms – Veterans and Families Counselling provides support and counselling to current ADF members, veterans and their families and can be contacted 24/7 on 1800 011 046.”

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42653

Interview with Today

5 February 2020

ALLISON LANGDON: Good morning to you Prime Minister. 

PRIME MINISTER: Good morning Ally. 

LANGDON: Now the independent commissioner will have the powers of a rolling royal commissioner. But as we know, every day counts here. When can we be moving on this?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we've got to get the laws set up and get that through the parliament. But we'll be setting up an interim Commissioner, which will be working out of my department straight away. And the first task of this Commissioner will be to look at a whole series of cases in the past to ensure we're getting the lessons from those, and that's very important. I spoke to Julie-Ann Finney last night, who's been an advocate with this for many times. And she couldn't be more pleased that we're taking this step. It's bigger and better than a royal commission, beyond what she had hoped for, because this is an ongoing problem. We can't just look back. We've got to look forward.

And the other thing we've established is a Veterans’ Families Advocate that sits within the Department of Veteran Affairs. The other thing I learned from talking to these families, that they need help and support as well to go through this, our veterans policies and programs rightly focus on veterans. But we must think of the families as well and ensure that we're working closely with them.

KARL STEFANOVIC: PM I was on 2GB at the end of last year and this was running hot. News Limited have also done a terrific job in trying to get this up. I think it's a timely and important inquiry. Some veterans told me though, they feared, and let me put this delicately, what an inquiry like this would do to their own mental health in raising post-traumatic issues, deep issues in many cases, private issues. This inquiry will need to be mindful of that delicate- and considerate to certain personnel. 

PRIME MINISTER: I agree. And that's why we've gone down this path rather than the traditional approach of a royal commission, because it does have those risks. I spoke to many of those veterans myself, also Karl, and I spoke to the President of the RSL who had not been supportive of a royal commission in that sense. And that's why I think we've come up with a much better way that brings everybody together. Veterans like Phil Thompson, who serves in our parliament but served in uniform and served with so many Australians, and he's been to too many of these funerals. I remember on one day we were walking into a press conference and Phil got the news as we were walking to the microphones that another one of his mates had taken his life. So we've got to be very sensitive to that. And that's what this Commissioner will do. And I think also having the Families Advocate will be helpful in supporting families through this as well. But you’re dead right. That's what you have to do.

LANGDON: Well, Prime Minister, yesterday was the first day back in parliament. We should have been solely focussed on the bushfire crisis, instead it was marred by the Bridget McKenzie sports grant saga and the Nationals leadership spill. Were you happy to see Barnaby Joyce fail?

PRIME MINISTER: I was happy to see the Nationals deal with these matters as quickly as possible as they did so we could get the focus very quickly back on to the importance of yesterday, which was to honour certainly and firstly, those who lost their lives in these terrible fires and many of the families of those who'd fallen in Australia's name were able to be there and get that comfort and support, but also to honour all of those who certainly continue to serve to this day, that Michael McCormack has made it clear this morning that he, you know, he's apologised, that there was that event yesterday morning, but they dealt with it quickly. And we've got back straight on the job as we never departed from as, in the government.

LANGDON: I mean, it was an ugly distraction yesterday. Prime Minister, you know, he'll be back.

PRIME MINISTER: No, he said he's not challenging again. So I think that issues-

STEFANOVIC: Because that never happens in politics. 

PRIME MINISTER: Well, look, the media might want to talk about it, but I think Barnaby ruled a line under that pretty clearly yesterday. So we just get on with the job, which is what Australians expect us to do. 

STEFANOVIC:  Alright, you may not have Michael McCormack for long I reckon, will you work with Barnaby because he ran for leadership yesterday on an anti-environment platform. He vowed to promote coal, and build coal fired power stations, enable land clearing and said the government should not be succumbed on climate change by greenies. That sounds like a good partner in crime for you, don't you think?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm going to put in place the policies I took to the last election, that's what I'm doing. We're going to keep rolling those out, we’re going to keep the economy strong. And on issues like hazard reduction, I announced yesterday that we're recommending Mark Binskin to lead this royal commission. One of the issues he's going to be looking at closely, not just the federal powers, which you know I've talked about before, Karl, about how and when I can send in the defence forces without request but on our own initiative, but also because when we're thinking about the bushfire season the next one, then hazard reduction is as important, if not more than I would argue, to keep people safe- than emissions reduction. The royal commission assumes that our climate has changed and there is climate change. The issue is what you do about it, the practical actions that keep people safe, and emissions reductions, land clearing. All of these things are critical to that.

STEFANOVIC: But of course our- the perception is, the perception out there is and I know you and I have argued about that perception before, but the perception is we need to do more. But the Nationals want you to do less. How on earth do you sleep together? 

PRIME MINISTER: We’ve been a Coalition always in government, and the great beneficiary of that has been the Australian people. Stronger economy, stronger national security, sensible balanced policies, particularly on things like climate change. And you know we listen to all Australians and we listen to Australians right across the country, not just those in the inner city. And we listen to those out in the far flung parts of our remote territories. Our bush, our regional communities. And it's important to listen to everybody but take people forward on practical, balanced action that doesn't go and write people's jobs off, or industries off. That doesn't go and put taxes on people. I mean, action on climate change does not mean taxing people. It's about technology, not taxation. So we won't be bullied into higher taxes or higher electricity prices. What we'll do is take practical action that deals with these challenges. And that challenge is living in a hotter, drier and longer summer where these risk of these bushfires we need to be more resilient to. So I'm going to focus on the stuff that works. The stuff that actually reduces risk and the stuff that ensures that people can be safer in summer.

LANGDON: Ok and Prime Minister, just very quickly what can you tell us about the second evacuation flight to get stranded Aussies in Wuhan home?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's on its way to Auckland, there’s around about 35 Australians on that flight and they’ll be ultimately transferred back to Christmas Island when they arrive in Auckland. Our focus on Coronavirus is to keep Australians protected here in Australia first. And we've been one of the first movers, if not the first mover, on important issues like travel bans and things of that nature. We'll have another flight going into Wuhan. We're working on that now. And the transfer arrangements to Christmas Island are working very well. And we've had no presented cases there on Christmas Island at this point. But what I want to tell people is that they can't count on a further flight beyond that or one into mainland China at some point. So there are flights coming out of mainland China now and people should avail themselves of that if they wish to. But my focus, the National Security Committee met yesterday again, our focus is on keeping people safe here in Australia. And the arrangements we’ve put in place have been very effective. We've had three people already discharged who had contracted the virus. And they're fine and they've gone back about their lives and there are 10 active cases at the moment. But in so many other countries, we're seeing a different scenario play out. Our containment measures are working well.

STEFANOVIC: PM, thank you for your time and congratulations on the independent Commissioner that you appointed into veterans affairs and what's happening with our veterans that needs to be acknowledged today. Appreciate your time.

PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, Karl. Just one other thing- can I thank the Chinese Australian community for the way that they’ve been respecting and honouring these, these quarantine arrangements and these self-isolation. They've been so fantastic. And I just want to thank them very much for their cooperation. 

STEFANOVIC: OK. Thank you PM.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42652

Interview with Sunrise

5 February 2020

DAVID KOCH: Prime Minister, thanks for joining us. Royal Commissions cost a lot of money, take a fair bit of time. We've had these inquests into bushfires before. How will this be different?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, first of all, it’ll be very, very swift. This will be done by the end of August. It will, first of all, look at all the previous royal commissions and draw an audit of all the recommendations of those and what's got done and what hasn't done been done. And there's already been a lot of work done on that. So they’ll be able to move on that, I think, very quickly. The second thing that it'll be doing is it'll be looking in a very focused way about how and on what trigger the Federal Government can actually, on its own initiative, actually put its own resources, Defence Force personnel and others and get them in there on the ground. We went from under 890 Defence Force Reserve and full-time Defence Force personnel to 6,500 in the matter of just a week or so because of the initiative we took. Now, we need to know better at what point we can do that in the future. And the other thing it's going to do is look at the resilience and preparedness, which is things like hazard reduction, land clearing laws, managing native vegetation, where you can clear trees on the sides of roads so that they don’t get shut down for a month like we saw down in Victoria. Practical things so we can get it ready for the next season.

KOCH: Ok. Because you are very conscious of states rights during this. That seemed to be your mistake. Sort of everyone was looking for you and the Federal Government just to bring a concerted effort.

PRIME MINISTER: Well, there was already, as I said, 890 or so Defence Force personnel involved- 

KOCH: It took a while though. 

PRIME MINISTER: We could only act in response to a request. In the week we made the decision, Victoria had not even made a state of disaster declaration. That had occurred, I think, on the Thursday. The defence forces were called out on the Saturday. So I think in these events, sometimes these timelines get blurred. Now, when we had a state of disaster of emergency in two states, which was later that week, by the Saturday we called them out and we already had that in motion that week. So it's a significant thing and it pushed our constitution to the very edge. 

KOCH: Yeah. So whether you should wait and just do it yourself, I suppose is a question which this commission-

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we don't have the authority to do that.

KOCH: Hopefully this Commission will look at it. Look, a distraction yesterday from this week, which was really well-intentioned, this tribute to the heroes. A distraction was the Nationals, a leadership spill. They’re sort of becoming your Achilles heel, aren’t they, in the Coalition? What's your message to Michael McCormack to actually get on the front foot?

PRIME MINISTER: We are great partners with the Nationals and I want to say the Nationals leader Michael has already apologised, yesterday for that. It was dealt with early. But we are very focused on the things that matter to Australians, including our Nationals colleagues and particularly on the drought as far as they're concerned. But today, we're announcing a standing effective royal commission into veterans suicide and veterans suicide prevention. This goes well beyond a royal commission. This is something that we've considered very carefully and Darren Chester, the Nationals minister, has led that portfolio and worked together with me and we put this together and we've announced it today. 42 veterans and Defence Force personnel, they committed suicide in the last national figures we've had. And this requires ongoing vigilance and that's what this initiative is delivering.

KOCH: Yeah, it is a great initiative that one. While we've got you, the Coronavirus is taking up a lot of bandwidth, not only in the media, but also within government on how to fight this. Some of our neighbours in the Asian region aren't being as vigilant as we are. Is that a concern for you?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we took early action and we have, we were one of the first to put this ban in on the travel coming into Australia. We were acting as if it were a global issue long before the WHO actually declared it one. And we had put those arrangements in place, which means we are containing the impacts in Australia right now. But the issues that we're looking at every day, and the National Security Committee met again yesterday on this issue as we are looking at this every day and the broader spread of the virus and how that occurs in mainland China. But more broadly throughout the world, obviously, are the next things that we're watching closely. Right now that hasn't presented an issue. But as we've noticed on this virus over the last few weeks, every day there's another element. I can confirm that those Australians were uplifted as part of the New Zealand flight overnight and they'll be heading back to Auckland and the Australians who are on that flight will head back to Christmas Island. And we're also putting in place another flight to get into Wuhan. But I want to stress this very carefully - no one can count on there being a third flight. And nor can they necessarily count, and I should say not count, on there being flights of that nature into mainland China. There are still flights coming out of mainland China. Qantas is still running flights, I understand, to the 9th of February. So people should not assume that we would be in a position to put flights into mainland China at a later time.

KOCH: Ok, all right. That's very clear advice for people who are umming and ahing there. Prime Minister, thanks for joining us.

PRIME MINISTER: Thanks a lot, David.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42651

Doorstop - Canberra, ACT

4 February 2020

PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, everyone. There are many prayers this morning. Of course, many prayers for the victims of the bushfires and the many other challenges that are confronting our nation in the drought. But I tell you, over the last couple of days, it's hard for me to go past the prayers for the Abdallah family in Sydney today, to Antony, Angelina and Sienna, to their cousin Veronique. This is just the most heartbreaking of things. All of us who are parents find it unthinkable to lose all three children on one day, but to hear the great expression of the faith from their mother in forgiveness, I think humbles us all. That is the true expression of faith and love that is impossible to match and I just pray for their strength as a family. They will be grieving beyond imagination. But the strength they have shown and clearly the faith they have is holding them together at this difficult time and Jenny and I pass on our deepest sympathies to them and their entire community, and thanks to the broader generosity of spirit of Australians who have reached out to them at this terribly, terribly difficult time. 

Of course, we are also focused today on our memorial to the bushfire victims and there'll be the motion of condolence when Parliament resumes today. There'll also be an opportunity for us to meet and gather with some of those who have been directly affected together as a Parliament, across the aisle, and I thank the Parliament for the cooperation on that today. So today for the Parliament it is very much a focus on reflecting on the terrible losses over the summer, to reflect on the lessons of the summer and to say very clearly that Australians are not overcome. Australians are not overwhelmed and Australians are strong and the Government will be there with them every step of the way as they rebuild and they rebuild back better. And Australia will go forward in what has been a very difficult start to the year with the strength and character that it's well known for and the Government will do the same.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, is it a distraction to all of these important issues to have these questions over the leadership of the Nationals?

PRIME MINISTER: Not to me. I'm focused very much on the important business we have to do today in this Parliament and to honour those who have given so much for their country and in many cases have lost everything.

JOURNALIST: [inaudible]

PRIME MINISTER: Sorry, I can’t hear you.

JOURNALIST: You have to work with your Coalition partners, the National Party, you’ve been repeatedly strong in your support of Michael McCormack. Can you work with Barnaby Joyce if he is elected as leader of the Nationals?

PRIME MINISTER: The Coalition is between the Liberals and Nationals and that Coalition has always provided very stable and very good government for this country. In fact, that Coalition Government has been the majority form of government for most of our time, since certainly the Liberal Party was formed and that Coalition is always strong. 

JOURNALIST: But can you work with Barnaby Joyce if he’s the leader of the Nationals?

PRIME MINISTER: The Coalition will always be strong and the leaders of the parties have always worked closely together for the good of the country. 

JOURNALIST: Have you spoken with Mr McCormack and what have you said to him?

PRIME MINISTER: I said good morning. Michael and I are good friends, as are Catherine and Jenny, and it’s always lovely to see them. 

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, as you mentioned we are here to remember the bushfires and all that’s happened over this summer. What do you think people who went through that will be making of the fact that on their first day back in Parliament the Nationals, who after all are supposed to be representing rural Australia, are fighting amongst themselves about who should be leader?

PRIME MINISTER: Those matters will be sorted out very promptly this morning. And then the important attention of the nation will be on the condolence motion, and the Parliament has been reserved for the full day today to give total focus on that. That's the focus today. That's my focus. But again, to the Abdallah family, my thoughts and prayers, my heartfelt sincere condolences are to them. We love you and you have a God who loves you, you know beyond measure. Thank you so much.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42649

Updated Travel Advice to Protect Australians from the Novel Coronavirus

1 February 2020

Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Health

The National Security Committee of Cabinet met again today to consider new and urgent information regarding the novel coronavirus situation.

Based on updated health advice from the Commonwealth’s Chief Medical Officer and the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee and the increased risk posed by the spread of novel coronavirus, we have decided to introduce strict new travel restrictions and new travel advice.

Effective immediately, foreign nationals (excluding permanent residents) who are in mainland China from today forward, will not be allowed to enter Australia for 14 days from the time they have left or transited through mainland China.

Australian citizens and permanent residents will still be able to enter, as will their immediate family members (spouses, legal guardians or dependants only). This exemption will be extended to airline crews who have been using appropriate personal protective equipment.

I want to assure Australians that we are doing everything we can, through these increased actions, to protect Australians and keep them safe from what is an escalating threat.

This is a temporary measure, which will be reviewed in 14 days.

Any foreign nationals who do arrive in Australia notwithstanding the prohibition, and who choose not to immediately return to their port of origin, will be subject to mandatory quarantine.

We will also be requiring Australian citizens, permanent residents and their families who do enter Australia and who have been in mainland China to self-isolate for 14 days from the time they left mainland China.

Further, enhanced screening arrangements will be effected at ports of entry.  The Government will make 500,000 masks available for airport and port staff and arriving passengers and handheld thermometers will be made available at impacted ports.

We will also raise the travel advice to Australians for all of mainland China to Level Four – “Do not travel.”

We have not taken any of these decisions lightly. Over the past month we have consistently relied on expert advice, including from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, based on the advice of the Communicable Diseases Network Australia. Their advice has guided the decision to announce these new measures today.

In particular, the changing epidemiology of the coronavirus in China and the uncertainty that remains around its transmission and virulence, mean the utmost precaution is warranted.

There is no basis for alarm. It is important to remember the risk to Australians is currently very low. We need to keep it that way.

Australia is well-prepared to respond to these challenges. We have been assessed by the World Health Organization as a world leader in preparedness for pandemics.

The Australian Government continues to monitor and respond to the coronavirus outbreak as it evolves.

We will work in close cooperation with state Government authorities and our international partners to coordinate our response and keep Australians safe.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-42645