Media Releases
National Strategy to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse
9 June 2021
Prime Minister, Minister for Home Affairs, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet
The Commonwealth Government is providing $146 million for the first phase of a new National Strategy to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse, including nearly $40 million in new funding to the AFP.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison today joined Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ben Morton and Member for Swan Steve Irons at the AFP Headquarters in Perth to speak about the forthcoming National Strategy and highlight new AFP funding as part of the package.
“My Government’s number one focus is on keeping Australians safe and the AFP is at the frontline of those efforts,” the Prime Minister said.
“The Royal Commission, which recommended development of the National Strategy, revealed the shocking extent of child sexual abuse in this country.
”As part of the National Strategy, we are boosting AFP efforts with a further $59.9 million worth of initiatives, enhancing their ability to fight child sexual abuse, particularly online.”
Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews said Australia and the AFP had been at the forefront of tackling child sexual abuse.
“Whether it’s been setting up the AFP-led Centre to Counter Child Exploitation through to working closely with the eSafety Commissioner, our government has worked hard to ensure the AFP has the tools they need to combat child sexual abuse online or in the real world every step of the way,” Minister Andrews said.
“Charges relating to child sexual abuse across the country have increased from 372 in 2018/19, to 2,753 in 2020/21, and here in WA, those numbers have risen from 40 to 306 in the same period.
“We know this is evidence of our law enforcement efforts working – but any sexual crime against a child is one too many, and we must make sure we bring these numbers down in the long term.”
Assistant Minister Morton said that law enforcement agencies were seeing an alarming rise in charges and arrests.
“The Commonwealth has a leadership and coordination role in tackling child sexual abuse, and many of these measures address our responsibilities under the Commonwealth Criminal Code,” Assistant Minister Morton said.
“This new strategy also goes beyond law enforcement, including to prevent abuse before it occurs, to better support victims and survivors, and to reduce stigma. It is a 10 year, whole-of-nation framework to establish a coordinated and consistent approach to prevent and better respond to child sexual abuse in Australia.”
The National Strategy will complement and align with other national policy frameworks, such as the current and future National Plans to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, and Closing the Gap.
Key initiatives include:
$59.9 million worth of initiatives to be delivered by the Australian Federal Police to combat child sexual abuse.
$13.9 million to bolster the capabilities of AUSTRAC, the Australian Institute of Criminology, the Australian Border Force, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, and the Department of Home Affairs to equip intelligence, research and border protection agencies to disrupt the cash flow behind child sexual abuse, prevent and disrupt livestreamed child sexual abuse, intercept material and offenders at the border, and enhance our ability to identify offenders within the community.
$7.8 million for Home Affairs to work with Indo-Pacific partners on regional policy and legislative responses to child sexual abuse.
$2.95 million to help the Department of Home Affairs build relationships with the digital industry to drive a coordinated and collaborative charge against offenders’ exploitation of online platforms to commit child sexual abuse related crimes.
$24.1 million to strengthen Commonwealth capacity to prosecute perpetrators of child sexual abuse.
$16.8 million for the Attorney-General’s Department to enhance and expand legal assistance concerning child sexual abuse.
$10.9 million for the National Indigenous Australians Agency to co-design place-based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healing approaches to support survivors of child sexual abuse.
$4.7 million for Sport Integrity Australia to enhance child safeguarding in sport.
$3.0 million to the eSafety Commissioner to deliver targeted online education programs to support parents and families to prevent online harms to children.
$5 million to expand the National Office for Child Safety’s national leadership role to deliver the National Strategy to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse.
Further announcements will be made with the full National Strategy, including additional measures to be jointly delivered by the Commonwealth and its state and territory partners.
The Morrison Government is working with states and territories as well as non-government stakeholders to finalise the National Strategy for release in September 2021. For more information, visit: the National Office for Child Safety website at https://childsafety.pmc.gov.au
Historic Australian Federal Police Operation Keeping Australians Safe
8 June 2021
Prime Minister, Minister for Home Affairs
More than 220 members of accused mafia, outlaw motorcycle gangs and transnational serious organised criminals have been arrested for serious drug and weapon offences under an historic Australian Federal Police-led operation.
Keeping Australians safe is the Morrison Government’s top priority and that’s why we have been giving law enforcement agencies the legislation, tools and resourcing needed to target transnational and serious organised crime syndicates trafficking and distributing illicit drugs across our country.
Operation Ironside has so far led to the arrest of 224 offenders on 526 charges in every mainland Australian state. More arrests are expected domestically under a coordinated global response.
3.7 tonnes of drugs, 104 firearms and weapons, and almost $45 million have been seized under Operation Ironside since 2018.
As part of the global operation more than 9,000 officers from law enforcement have deployed to the international effort, with more than 4,500 members from the AFP and state and territory police helping to execute hundreds of warrants across Australia since yesterday.
Operation Ironside began almost three years ago and is the Australian component of a long-term, international, covert investigation. The FBI and AFP targeted a dedicated encrypted platform used exclusively by organised crime.
The AFP provided the highly-skilled, technical staff and capability to decrypt and read encrypted communication in real time, giving law enforcement an edge it had never had.
The FBI had access to a new platform named AN0M and began running it without the knowledge of the criminal underworld.
The Federal Government congratulates the AFP for their dedication to keeping Australia safe and acknowledges the state and territory agencies for their support of Operation Ironside.
This is as a warning to organised crime in Australia, and abroad – the AFP and Australia’s law enforcement agencies have a laser-like focus in bringing them to justice.
The Morrison Government has resourced the AFP with more than $1 billion for a seven year plan to help them tackle the risks our community faces from organised crime, criminals and terrorists.
The Government has also introduced a number of bills to bolster Australian agencies’ fight against organised crime. This includes the Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill 2020; the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (International Production Orders) Bill 2020 and the Transport Security Amendment (Serious Crime) Bill 2020.
Australia thanks the FBI for its cooperation, along with the 18 countries that worked with the AFP through a EUROPOL Operational Task Force to maintain the integrity of AN0M.
2021 Prime Minister’s National Spelling Bee Winners Announced
7 June 2021
Prime Minister, Minister for Education and Youth
The winners of this year’s Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee have been announced, with three young Australians tackling some of the toughest words in the dictionary to top the country.
Almost 21,000 students from 490 schools around Australia took part in this year’s competition.
Obstreperous, connoisseur, meteorological and chihuahua were some of the words the top performers managed to spell correctly.
The national winners are:
Arielle Wong from Donvale Christian College, VIC (Year 3/4 category)
Theekshitha Karthik from Haileybury College, VIC (Years 5/6 category)
Evan Luc-Tran from The McDonald College, NSW (Year 7/8 category)
Prime Minister Scott Morrison congratulated the winners and all those who took part in this year’s competition.
“Well done to all the students across the country who took up the challenge, and congratulations to all the winners,” the Prime Minister said.
“Whether you’re a Prime Minister or a plumber, a teacher or a doctor, a fighter pilot or a scientist, spelling and reading are foundation skills you’re always going to need.”
Minister for Education and Youth Alan Tudge said it was great to see a mix of students from a range of schools right around the country represented in the finals.
“Well done to everyone who took part and a particular thank you to all the teachers who encouraged and supported their students,” Minister Tudge said.
“As a Victorian, I was pleased to see so many kids from my home state in the finals.
“Improving school standards, particularly in literacy and numeracy are top priorities for me and the Government and events like the spelling bee are a great way for students to improve their skills.”
New Richmond Bridge and Bypass to Cut Traffic and Create Jobs
7 June 2021
Prime Minister, Premier of New South Wales, Minister for Communications, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, New South Wales Treasurer, New South Wales Minister for Tansport and Roads
A new Richmond bridge and bypass will now become a reality, cutting travel time and creating jobs, following an additional $250 million investment from the Morrison and Berejiklian governments.
The new two lane bridge across the Hawkesbury River will also include a bypass of Richmond and North Richmond, creating an estimated 850 direct and indirect jobs.
The funding boost includes $200 million from the Commonwealth and $50 million in the upcoming 2021-22 NSW Budget, and brings the total joint commitment to $500 million.
The preferred route will involve a bypass of North Richmond connecting to a new two-lane bridge north of the existing bridge. A new roadway will bypass Richmond to the south, connecting from Old Kurrajong Road to the Driftway.
The community has now been invited to give feedback on the proposed route, supporting road alignments, community impacts, and potential revitalisation of the Richmond and North Richmond town centres.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Commonwealth’s $400 million commitment to the project would help improve road safety and reduce travel times in the area, and support the future growth of Western Sydney.
“This major investment demonstrates our commitment to the Western Sydney economy, its residents, workers and businesses by busting congestion, improving safety and creating jobs,” the Prime Minister said.
“This critical infrastructure will alleviate the long-term bottleneck between Richmond and North Richmond created from the existing Richmond Bridge operating at capacity during peak hour, helping make the commute to and from work significantly easier.
“Our record infrastructure funding right across Australia is creating jobs, boosting business investment, while securing Australia’s COVID recovery.”
Premier of New South Wales Gladys Berejiklian said the Commonwealth and NSW governments have a strong record of working together to deliver crucial road infrastructure right across the state, like this project at Richmond.
“The NSW Government is continuing to invest in major road infrastructure projects because we know improving our road network makes a real difference to people’s lives, while also providing much needed local jobs,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The new bridge is proposed to be built 500 metres downstream from the current Richmond Bridge, which currently funnels more than 31,000 vehicles each day directly through the already busy Richmond and North Richmond town centres.”
Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher said this was one of the many congestion busting projects being delivered by the Morrison Government as part of its $110 billion 10-year infrastructure pipeline to help commuters get home sooner and safer.
“This additional funding commitment for this critical infrastructure project follows robust consultation with the local community to ensure that the project delivers the greatest travel time savings, has no direct impact to heritage listed properties and has less impact on endangered ecological communities – which were all recurring themes out of the consultation process,” Minister Fletcher said.
“Once completed, the bridge duplication and bypass will cut travel time for drivers by up to 12 minutes, boosting productivity and busting congestion for commuters.”
New South Wales Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said this year’s Budget will continue the NSW Government’s investment in vital road upgrades to keep people safe while also supporting our state’s economic growth.
“We know every dollar spent on these upgrades at Richmond and North Richmond will make a big difference to drivers in this area every day and at the same time will provide much needed jobs during our economic recovery from the pandemic,” Mr Perrottet said.
New South Wales Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said the preferred option includes upgrading six intersections, existing roads and building new road sections, as well as funding active transport.
“The new bridge will provide a new connection for road users between Bells Line of Road and the main road network, while the existing Richmond Bridge will continue to provide a vital link between Richmond and North Richmond,” Mr Constance said.
“Recent intersection upgrades at Kurrajong and Old Kurrajong roads and Grose Vale and Bells Line of Road are already improving traffic in the area, alongside current works at the intersection of March and Bosworth streets.”
Face-to-face community information sessions will be held on Wednesday 16 June from 5pm to 7pmand on Saturday 19 June from 10am to 12pm at the North Richmond Community Centre.
An online information session will also be held on Monday 28 June from 4pm to 5pm on the NSW Roads Facebook page.
Community consultation closes on Monday 5 July, with all feedback to be considered by Transport for NSW. For more information, visit Richmond Bridge duplication and traffic improvements.
National Cabinet Statement
4 June 2021
The National Cabinet met today to discuss Australia’s COVID-19 response and changes to the Australian COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy.
National Cabinet continues to work together to address issues and find solutions for the health and economic consequences of COVID-19.
There have been 30,150 confirmed cases in Australia and, sadly, 910 people have died. More than 18.7 million tests have been undertaken in Australia.
Globally there have been over 172 million cases and sadly over 3.69 million deaths, with 483,968 new cases and 10,553 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge in many countries around the world.
Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues to expand. To date 4,786,362 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Australia, including 143,659 in the previous 24 hours. In the previous 7 days, more than 750,000 vaccines have been administered in Australia. To date 19.9 per cent of the Australian adult population have now had a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, including over 56 per cent of over 70 year olds.
National Cabinet agreed on the imperative to work together to administer COVID-19 vaccinations to Australians as quickly as possible.
Professor Brendan Murphy, Chair of the Science and Industry Technical Advisory Group and Secretary of the Health Department provided a detailed briefing on the vaccination program, and acknowledged the significant increase in COVID-19 vaccination take up following National Cabinet’s recalibration of the vaccine rollout in April 2021. The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly provided an update on COVID-19 epidemiology, particularly in relation to the current outbreak in Victoria.
National Cabinet received an update on the COVID-19 Risk Analysis and Response Taskforce from the Secretary of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Mr Phil Gaetjens. The taskforce will continue to advise on gradual, risk-based increases to international travel, including exploring additional travel bubbles and increasing arrivals of skilled migrants and international students, while continuing to prioritise the return of Australians from overseas.
National Cabinet will meet again on Friday 9 July 2021 in Darwin, with all members attending in person.
Vaccination Rollout
National Cabinet agreed to refine the national vaccination rollout plan to maximise opportunities for Australians to be vaccinated over the second half of the year, as the supply of vaccines increases.
National Cabinet thanked Health Associate Secretary Caroline Edwards for her role in leading the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 health response and vaccination rollout. Ms Edwards has announced her retirement from the public service after a distinguished career over several decades.
As the vaccination program moves into the next phase Lieutenant General John (JJ) Frewen DSC, AM, will become the head of the National COVID Vaccine Taskforce. Lieutenant General Frewen established the COVID-19 ADF Taskforce in 2020 and commanded military support during the Victorian second wave.
Commodore Eric Young will continue to have a senior leadership role in the Commonwealth Vaccine Operations Centre.
The National COVID Vaccine Taskforce will help ensure as many Australians are vaccinated as early as possible within the available supply.
National Cabinet further agreed that primary care will continue to be a principal delivery channel of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program, noting the importance of developing this capacity for longer term use, supported by continuing expansion of state and territory-operated sites and other points of vaccination, particularly in the fourth quarter 2021.
The vaccination rollout will continue to prioritise vaccinations for people in Phase 1a through simplified and streamlined access at all state and territory-operated sites, including for example by providing walk-in access and no requirement to pre-book an appointment.
National Cabinet agreed to opening access to a COVID-19 vaccine to the following groups by 8 June 2021:
people aged 40-49 years not otherwise eligible;
all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 16 to 49 years;
NDIS participants aged 16 years and over and carers aged 16 years and over of NDIS participants of any age; and
temporary visa holders aged under 50 years who are currently in Australia and have been approved for return travel to Australia through the travel exemption process.
National Cabinet further agreed to not proceed with the identification of ‘other essential and high priority workers’ in Phase 2a, given the difficulty defining these populations and the expansion to people aged 40-49 years.
National Cabinet noted that the Commonwealth has released over 7.1 million doses to vaccine sites as at 31 May 2021. Under the vaccine rollout program, surplus vaccine doses are able to be surged into outbreak areas to increase opportunities for Australians to be vaccinated.
The Commonwealth reconfirmed that states and territories do not need to provision for second doses as the Commonwealth retains doses for second use. States and territories are able to administer all doses supplied by the Commonwealth.
Post Quarantine Testing Arrangements
National Cabinet asked the AHPPC to provide advice on post 14-day quarantine testing standards and arrangements to ensure nationally consistent standards reflect the latest medical advice.
Mandatory Vaccinations of Aged Care and Disability Workers
National Cabinet reaffirmed the importance of Aged Care and Disability workers being vaccinated as soon as possible.
National Cabinet indicated an in-principle disposition to mandating aged care and disability workforce COVID vaccinations, and has tasked AHPPC to provide advice on this matter as soon as possible.
National Cabinet noted that influenza vaccinations are able to be mandated under state public health orders and other similar state and territory legislative arrangements, based on health advice.
Domestic Vaccine Certification
National Cabinet welcomed the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 digital vaccination certificate and the work of Services Australia and the Department of Health on the design and functionality for deployment. The certificate will soon be available through the Medicare Express app, with a future digital wallet version to be made available in July.
States and territories may consider the potential future value of COVID-19 digital certificates when considering automatic travel exemptions for interstate travel during state-determined lockdowns and travel restrictions.
Stand-alone Quarantine Facilities - Commonwealth Partnership Assessment Criteria
Today, the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding to progress negotiations on Victoria’s proposal for an alternative quarantine hub.
The MoU formalises the principles agreed between the Commonwealth and Victoria to guide negotiations, including covering potential ownership of the facility, operating costs, and other key elements. The Victorian Government will be responsible for operation including operational costs and the Commonwealth will support capital costs. The MoU does not specify a site for the facility with both the Avalon site and the Mickleham site under active consideration.
The Commonwealth also tabled ‘Key Assessment Criteria’ the Commonwealth will use to assess any proposals for purpose-built quarantine facilities provided by state and territory governments seeking Commonwealth support.
Key considerations include that a proposal should be value-for-money, provide net additional quarantine capacity and work alongside (not supplant) hotel quarantine, meet the health requirements, and be for a national facility for use by all Australians. Further criteria include proximity to an international airport taking regularly scheduled international commercial passenger flights and close – within approximately 1hr vehicle transport – to a tertiary hospital, otherwise known as a principal referral hospital.
States and territories need to identify the most appropriate potential sites for quarantine capacity, reflecting their experience and the practicalities of an effective quarantine system that needs to bring together healthcare, logistics and law enforcement aspects to minimise risks.
Temporary COVID-19 Disaster Payment
National Cabinet discussed arrangements for the Temporary COVID-19 Disaster Payment. It was agreed that the Commonwealth will provide all of the funding for the demand driven program. This is on the basis that states provide all assistance to businesses, with the Council of Federal Financial Relations to consider a nationally consistent approach to providing support to businesses impacted by lockdowns.
The Commonwealth will enter into individual agreements with the states and territories on this basis to provide rapid support to those workers who reside or work in a Commonwealth declared COVID-19 hotspot and are therefore unable to attend work and earn an income as a result of state imposed health restrictions that last for more than one week.
Eligible recipients will receive up to $500 per week for losing 20 hours or more of work, and $325 per week for losing under 20 hours. They must not have liquid assets of more than $10,000.
The payment will be made in respect of the second and any subsequent weeks of restrictions, subject to a Commonwealth COVID-19 hotspot being declared.
This support will be available for Australian citizens and permanent residents and eligible working visa holders. Individuals who are already receiving income support payments, business support payments, or the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment will not be eligible for this new payment. To qualify, people will need to have exhausted any leave entitlements (other than annual leave) or other special pandemic leave.
The payment complements existing payments, including the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment.
International Passenger Caps
National Cabinet noted international passenger cap arrangements will be in place until 31 August, and will be revisited as circumstances evolve.
National Cabinet acknowledged the work of the states in facilitating the continued repatriation of Australians from overseas. In particular, National Cabinet welcomed the resumption of flights from India following a pause. The pause ensured that Australia’s quarantine system was able to be effectively managed with a significant reduction in positive cases.
Presentation by the Chair of the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors
Adrian Schrinner, Chair of the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors and Brisbane City Council Lord Mayor, provided National Cabinet with a presentation on the economic impacts of the pandemic on capital cities.
National Cabinet recognised the importance of getting people back into Central Business Districts, noting that fewer people are utilising public transport and attending work in the office. National Cabinet called on businesses with global headquarters outside of Australia to ensure any restrictions on Australians workers are appropriate for Australian workplaces.
The AHPPC has been asked to consider the guidelines governing density arrangements that may be impacting a return to work and report back to National Cabinet.
Attachment
Stand-alone Quarantine accommodation - key assessment criteria and health criteria PDF 675KB
Extending Covid-19 Vaccine Access for Our Region
3 June 2021
Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Women, Minister for International Development and the Pacific
The Morrison Government will contribute an additional $50 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC) to ensure more people in our region and across the world have access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.
This additional contribution will help COVAX deliver on its objective of vaccinating 30% of populations of AMC countries, from an original goal to reach 20% of their populations.
Australia has now committed a total of $130 million to COVAX AMC.
Australia’s support for COVAX complements our $623 million Regional Vaccine Access and Health Security Initiative – which is assisting our Pacific and Southeast Asian neighbours to access and administer safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.
This includes $100 million for our Quad partnership with Japan, the US and India to deliver a billion doses to Southeast Asia by the end of 2022.
Our neighbours in the Pacific and Southeast Asia have now received more than 13 million doses from COVAX, with more deliveries planned.
These vaccines are being prioritised for high-risk individuals, health workers, frontline personnel and vulnerable groups.
Australia’s contribution will assist the COVAX AMC to deliver more than 1.8 billion doses worldwide, reaching at least 114 million people in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Temporary Australian Government Assistance for Workers
3 June 2021
Prime Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Agriculture Drought and Emergency Management, Minister for Government Services
Australians who have had their hours of work and income significantly affected due to state lockdowns, will be eligible for a temporary COVID Disaster Payment.
The rapid support will be paid weekly to those workers who reside or work in a Commonwealth declared hotspot and are therefore unable to attend work and earn an income as a result of state imposed health restrictions, which last for greater than one week.
Eligible recipients will receive up to $500 per week for losing 20 hours or more of work, and $325 per week for losing under 20 hours. They must not have liquid assets of more than $10,000.
The payment will be made in respect of the second and any subsequent weeks of restrictions.
This support will be available for Australian citizens and permanent residents and eligible working visa holders. Individuals who are already receiving income support payments, business support payments, or the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment will not be eligible for this new payment. To qualify, people will need to have exhausted any leave entitlements (other than annual leave) or other special pandemic leave.
The payment will complement existing payments including the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment.
By making these payments available, the Australian Government will ensure that Victorian workers get the financial support they need to stay at home during this outbreak.
Access to Services Australia Disaster Assistance will be open to the public from Tuesday at www.servicesaustralia.gov.au or over the phone on 180 22 66.
Joint Statement - Prime Ministers Jacinda Ardern and Scott Morrison
31 May 2021
Prime Minister, Prime Minister of New Zealand
Prime Minister Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern and Prime Minister the Hon Scott Morrison MP met in Queenstown on 31 May 2021 for the annual Australia-New Zealand Leaders’ Meeting. The Australia-New Zealand relationship is unique in its closeness; we are partners and allies, and we share a relationship of family, of whānau. Through our single economic market, our people-to-people ties and our shared interests in the region and the world, Australia and New Zealand stand together.
The Prime Ministers began by acknowledging the unique role of Australia’s and New Zealand’s Indigenous peoples in the identity of both countries, including their rich cultures and languages, and their ancestral, spiritual and continuing connections to land, water and community.
COVID-19 response and recovery
The Prime Ministers were pleased to have their first in-person meeting since February last year, made possible by two-way quarantine-free travel across the Tasman
They welcomed close trans-Tasman cooperation in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and noted that quarantine-free travel was a reflection of how hard both countries have worked to manage COVID-19. They acknowledged the toll on those in both countries who had lost loved ones, and all those who had suffered economically. They expressed condolences to countries which had experienced a far greater impact, including those battling second, third or fourth waves.
The Prime Ministers acknowledged trans-Tasman collaboration to support early COVID-19 vaccine development and purchase, including the ACT Accelerator and the COVAX Facility. They acknowledged the valuable contribution of COVAX in ensuring equitable access to vaccines, globally. They agreed to continue cooperation on vaccines, including research and development. The Prime Ministers undertook to support efforts to ensure the free international movement of medical goods, including vaccines and vaccine components.
The Prime Ministers reaffirmed that together Australia and New Zealand will provide safe and effective vaccines to ensure comprehensive vaccine coverage for our Pacific family and Timor-Leste at the earliest opportunity. This complements COVAX vaccines, and doses delivered by the US and France.
The Prime Ministers also confirmed New Zealand and Australia will continue to use a variety of mechanisms to securing and delivering vaccines, including through direct support and bilateral donations to COVAX, bilateral donations to individual countries, and working through multilateral agencies such as UNICEF. Australia and New Zealand are not just providing doses, but also wrap-around support including medical supplies, consumables and support for planning, training, communications and cold storage. Australia and New Zealand will constantly work with partners in the region to reassess needs as circumstances change.
The Prime Ministers discussed plans for reconnecting our region with the rest of the world, and welcomed continued close coordination given the linked trans-Tasman border. They noted opportunities to collaborate on initiatives to extend travel options for Pacific neighbours when safe to do so, including through the trans-Tasman quarantine-free travel zone. This reflects our close ties to the Pacific and our commitment to supporting their recovery. Leaders also tasked officials to explore technological solutions to verify vaccination status to enable Australians and New Zealanders to reconnect with the wider world, alongside other technological solutions that support a safe reopening, while maintaining the trans-Tasman travel arrangements. Leaders expressed their desire to, as much as possible, write the reopening rulebook together.
Pacific
The Prime Ministers acknowledged the severe economic hardship the COVID-19 pandemic has caused for many countries in the Pacific, with tourism sectors particularly affected. They committed to continuing work already underway with Pacific governments, the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and other partners to support Pacific economies, helping affected communities and businesses. They agreed to continue advocacy with other partners for increased assistance to the region.
The Prime Ministers recognised a unified Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) provides the best mechanism for our Pacific family to have a strong international voice, and achieve outcomes on priority regional challenges. They expressed hope that the Pacific Islands Forum Troika Plus political dialogue would identify solutions for the benefit of all PIF Members.
The Prime Ministers welcomed the deep and continuing partnership between Australia, New Zealand and Pacific island partners to address regional security issues including climate change, transnational organised crime, Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing, cyber-security and cyber-crime, and corruption.
The Prime Ministers welcomed the entry into force of the PACER Plus Trade and Development Agreement, under which Pacific island countries will benefit from increased economic activity encouraged by customs modernisation, harmonisation and a Development and Economic Cooperation work programme supported by a dedicated implementation unit. The Prime Ministers look forward to all Signatories to the Agreement ratifying and more Pacific island countries joining the agreement in order to realise its benefits of enhanced economic integration and inclusive growth.
Trans-Tasman cooperation
The Prime Ministers reaffirmed the importance of ongoing work under the Single Economic Market agenda to promote policy and regulatory coherence, and to support economic recovery. They acknowledged that the established trans-Tasman architecture had facilitated cooperation in response to COVID-19, including on two-way quarantine-free travel.
Recognising the role of the digital economy as an enabler for all areas of the SEM agenda, the Prime Ministers welcomed agreement on a roadmap for mutual recognition of digital identity. They instructed officials to continue work towards interoperability on improving government services, payment practices policies, and the Consumer Data Right.
The Prime Ministers welcomed continuing bilateral collaboration towards a responsible approach to artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies. They welcomed the ongoing joint implementation of the Trans-Tasman Cyber Security Research Programme and its projects. They also supported bilateral and multilateral engagement on standards setting for critical and emerging technologies.
The Prime Ministers agreed on the value of policy alignment on a circular economy and directed officials to work together on issues such as data collection on waste and material flows; sharing lessons on respective waste strategies; cooperation on marine plastics; and increasing capacity of onshore processing, which will have added benefits for Pacific Island countries given our shared role as recycling and waste management hubs for the region.
The Prime Ministers instructed officials to establish a Supply Chain Dialogue, building on our respective existing and planned freight and supply chain strategies, to share experiences and seek opportunities for collaboration. They asked officials to share best practices for identifying and managing supply chain disruption risks and use this to drive information sharing and tangible joint action. They agreed addressing non‑tariff barriers will support supply chain resilience and committed to improving trans-Tasman regulatory coherence and resilience in the freight, transport and health sectors. They asked officials to explore opportunities to harness innovations from the pandemic response, and advance digital trade.
Prime Ministers welcomed work between border agencies to deliver a more seamless border for traders that manages risk while also facilitating imports and exports across our economies. They directed officials to continue work on a secure trade lane between Australia and New Zealand for low risk cargo, and on improving processes for border clearances, including through enhanced use of data and technology.
The Prime Ministers encouraged officials to ensure our countries maintain strong biosecurity by harnessing technological developments, building on close bilateral cooperation on world-leading biosecurity risk auto-detection algorithms and 3D x-ray technology. They agreed to trial use of this technology through our respective biosecurity screening approaches, commencing with pre-screening of baggage and air cargo on commercial passenger services.
The Prime Ministers recognised the importance of the Joint Food Standards System, underpinned by the Joint Food Standards System Agreement and supported by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Prime Ministers directed officials to continue work on how the System can be maintained and improved.
The Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to mental health initiatives that provide best practice in mental health support in emergency response and recovery. They welcomed Australia’s announcement of a $2.3 billion investment in mental health support and treatment and New Zealand’s $1.9 billion investment in a programme of cross-government initiatives, and new services, to transform its mental health and addiction system.
The Prime Ministers welcomed the passage of legislative amendments in Australia and New Zealand to enable New Zealanders to transfer unclaimed retirement savings in Australia into their KiwiSaver accounts. They instructed officials to update the Trans-Tasman Retirement Savings Portability Arrangement to facilitate these transfers.
The Prime Ministers reaffirmed Australia and New Zealand’s growing focus on economic development opportunities, jobs and growth in the Indigenous business sector. They reflected on the success of the Virtual Indigenous Trade and Connections Event, and encouraged officials to continue to share policy experiences and data to support indigenous development, such as New Zealand’s recently announced policies and targets for government procurement with Māori businesses in Aotearoa and Australia’s Indigenous Procurement Policy. The Prime Ministers look forward to future trans-Tasman trade and policy missions between our Indigenous Peoples (as border restrictions allow), as well as ongoing partnership on the New Zealand-led Te Aratini Global Indigenous Symposium at Expo 2020 Dubai.
The Prime Ministers acknowledged continued science, research and innovation cooperation under the Australia-New Zealand Science, Research and Innovation Cooperation Agreement. They welcomed progress on the Southern Positioning Augmentation Network (SouthPAN) joint program, scheduled to be fully certified and operational by 2025. They also welcomed continuation of the Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Dialogue, establishment of an Indigenous STEM Dialogue, and further work towards the development of a Trans-Tasman Innovation Ecosystem.
People-to-people ties
The Prime Ministers welcomed the return of whānau/family members, business travellers and tourists moving in both directions across the Tasman. Quarantine-free travel has reunited friends and family and provided a boost to the economic recovery in both countries, as well as enabling a resumption of face-to-face meetings between the Prime Ministers, Ministers and officials.
The Prime Ministers re-affirmed the value of the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement, which provides for an exceptionally high degree of freedom of movement between the two countries. They acknowledged the support each country had provided to the other’s citizens during COVID-19, including allowing those ordinarily resident in the other country to return home, and their inclusion of each other’s citizens in respective COVID-19 wage subsidy programs.
The Prime Ministers were pleased to confirm a change to the unique pathway to citizenship for New Zealanders living and working in Australia. From 1 July 2021, Australia will reduce the number of years in which applicants for the New Zealand stream of the Skilled Independent (subclass 189) permanent residence visa must reach the minimum income threshold (from four years to three). Prime Ministers also welcomed Australia’s flexibility for applicants whose income or time offshore was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and looked forward to a further review of the pathway visa in 2022.
The Prime Ministers celebrated the successful bid for New Zealand and Australia to co‑host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, one of the largest sporting events on the planet. The Prime Ministers acknowledged the opportunity to use the event to achieve lasting social impact through sport for women and girls across our Indo-Pacific region.
Climate change and the environment
The Prime Ministers agreed on the importance of ambitious and practical action in pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. They agreed to sustain close and valuable cooperation on climate change, including in the Pacific and on agricultural emissions. The Prime Ministers recognised the important contribution that innovation and accelerating the deployment of technology will play in reducing emissions. The Prime Ministers acknowledged the strong link between climate change, oceans, and biodiversity.
The Prime Ministers recognised the importance of protecting the ocean, including coral reef ecosystems, to build resilience and address biodiversity loss, along with tackling the growing problem of marine plastic pollution.
The Prime Ministers recognised that climate change remains one of the most significant long-term security and development issues facing the Pacific region. New Zealand and Australia will ensure their support for the Pacific’s COVID-19 response and recovery aligns with the goals of the Paris Agreement and helps build climate and disaster resilience.
The Prime Ministers agreed to continue working closely with the Pacific to establish maritime zones and promote the preservation of these zones in the face of climate change-related sea-level rise. The Prime Ministers recognised fisheries will be a critical plank of the Pacific region’s economic recovery from COVID-19, and reaffirmed their commitment to the sustainability of the region’s fisheries and continuing to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing.
The Prime Ministers emphasised the need for pragmatic solutions to address marine litter and other waste issues, and directed officials to incorporate these into their collaboration towards a circular economy. The Prime Ministers looked forward to the adoption of an ambitious post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming in October 2021.
Global trade
The Prime Ministers reiterated their support for the multilateral trading system, and the importance of a well-functioning World Trade Organization (WTO) in promoting sustainable global economic growth and prosperity, including as part of the COVID-19 recovery.
The Prime Ministers welcomed the election of WTO Director-General Okonjo-Iweala. They recommitted to working closely together, and with APEC partners, to deliver ambitious multilateral disciplines on fisheries subsidies by July, and a successful WTO 12th Ministerial Conference that delivers concrete outcomes and a pathway for meaningful reform. They emphasised the need for the WTO to be responsive to the pandemic through outcomes on trade and health, and welcomed joint efforts to strengthen disciplines to reduce trade- and production-distorting agriculture subsidies. The Prime Ministers also reiterated the importance of a functioning Appellate Body and welcomed plurilateral progress in services domestic regulation, and e-commerce negotiations.
The two Prime Ministers agreed on APEC’s important role in driving the Asia-Pacific region’s return to economic prosperity. They agreed to work together, in support of New Zealand’s hosting of APEC in 2021 and beyond, for a sustainable and inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes the immediate need to remove barriers to trade in vaccines and medical supplies in the region.
The Prime Ministers affirmed their strong support for open rules-based trade that is based on market principles. They expressed concern over harmful economic coercion and agreed to work with partners to tackle security and economic challenges.
Indo-Pacific and Global security
New Zealand and Australia stand together in facing a challenging global environment. The Prime Ministers discussed responses to increasing pressure on the international rules-based system and rising protectionism, and agreed on the need for coordinated regional and global action on issues such as human rights and climate change.
The Prime Ministers reiterated their shared commitment to support an Indo-Pacific region of sovereign, resilient and prosperous states, with robust regional institutions and strong respect for international rules and norms, and where sovereign states can pursue their interests free from coercion. To this end, they committed to continue their close coordination and cooperation, as allies and partners, on current and emerging economic, security and environmental challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Prime Ministers reaffirmed the benefits of open markets and inclusive regional economic integration in the Indo-Pacific. They expressed their commitment to promoting ratification and implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), as well as to negotiating the upgrade and modernisation of the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA).
The Prime Ministers agreed to continue working collaboratively, bilaterally, and with our partners in the Indo-Pacific region, to uphold sovereignty in an era of increasing strategic competition. The Prime Ministers reaffirmed their resolve and shared respective approaches to countering foreign interference and agreed the importance of building resilience across all sectors of society, including in education, infrastructure, research, electoral processes, media and communities.
The Prime Ministers expressed serious concern over developments in the South China Sea, including the continued militarisation of disputed features and an intensification of destabilising activities at sea. The Prime Ministers further underscored the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight. They emphasised that maritime zones must accord with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and called on all parties to respect and implement decisions rendered through UNCLOS dispute settlement mechanisms. The Prime Ministers reiterated the importance of the South China Sea Code of Conduct being consistent with international law, particularly UNCLOS; not prejudicing the rights and interests of third parties; and supporting existing, inclusive regional architecture.
The Prime Ministers expressed deep concern over developments that limit the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong and undermine the high degree of autonomy China guaranteed Hong Kong until 2047 under the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The Prime Ministers also expressed grave concerns about the human rights situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and called upon China to respect the human rights of the Uyghur people and other Muslim minorities and to grant the United Nations and other independent observers meaningful and unfettered access to the region.
The Prime Ministers also expressed grave concerns about the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, and its implications for regional stability. They condemned the violence being perpetrated against the people of Myanmar and called on the military regime to exercise restraint, refrain from further violence, release all those arbitrarily detained, and engage in dialogue. The Prime Ministers underscored their strong support for ASEAN-led efforts to chart a course out of the current crisis and urged implementation of the five points of consensus on the situation in Myanmar, agreed at the ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting on 24 April, as soon as possible.
The Prime Ministers agreed North Korea’s continued development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions posed a serious threat to international peace and stability. They reiterated their commitment to working together and with partners to strictly enforce sanctions against North Korea until it took concrete steps towards complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation. They urged North Korea to prioritise improving the lives of its citizens over its weapons programs and to return to the path of dialogue, diplomacy and negotiation.
The Prime Ministers welcomed the ceasefire in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank and called on all parties to ensure it holds. They also expressed deep concern at the recent violence including the significant civilian death toll, particularly children. The Prime Ministers reiterated the importance of a return to direct and genuine negotiations as soon as possible, with a view to defining a durable and permanent peace agreement that results in a two state solution. The Prime Ministers said it is imperative that the cycle of violence and bloodshed ceases and does not resume.
The Prime Ministers reiterated their unwavering commitment to achieving a world without weapons of mass destruction (WMD), recognising the challenges posed to international peace and security by the slow pace of nuclear disarmament and by the proliferation of WMD. They also expressed concern at Iran’s uranium enrichment activities but welcomed the progress of talks on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which they hoped would lead to a resumption of its full implementation by all parties.
The Prime Ministers acknowledged the 60th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty entering into force, and emphasised the Antarctic Treaty System provides an effective and enduring international governance framework for Antarctica. The Prime Ministers welcomed the continued cooperation between New Zealand and Australia in support of peace, science, and environmental protection in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean,
The Prime Ministers acknowledged the enduring strength and breadth of the defence partnership. They reaffirmed the enduring importance of working together as allies and partners to support the international rules-based order and a sovereign, secure, and resilient Pacific. They reaffirmed their mutual commitment to the 2018 Joint Statement on Closer Defence Relations, and acknowledged the mutual support provided during times of crisis. They reiterated their shared commitment to advance interoperability, including through continued collaboration on Defence capability and force design, for combined operations across the full spectrum of our shared security challenges.
The Prime Ministers acknowledged the conclusion of Australia and New Zealand’s twenty-year deployments to Afghanistan in 2021. Both nations can be proud of our contribution to the fight against terrorism and support for the development of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. Australia and New Zealand remain steadfast in supporting Afghanistan as the country enters a new phase.
The Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the Christchurch Call to Action and its goal to eliminate terrorist and violent extremism content online. The Prime Ministers acknowledged the recent Christchurch Call Second Anniversary Leaders’ Virtual Summit, and reiterated their resolve to ensure a free, open and secure internet, while upholding human rights and protecting fundamental freedoms online.
Supporting Retirees with Extension of the Temporary Reduction in Superannuation Minimum Drawdown Rates
29 May 2021
Prime Minister, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy, Minister for Women's Economic Security
Today the Morrison Government announces an extension of the temporary reduction in superannuation minimum drawdown rates for a further year to 30 June 2022.
As part of the response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Government responded immediately and reduced the superannuation minimum drawdown rates by 50 per cent for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 income years, ending on 30 June 2021.
Today’s announcement extends that reduction to the 2021-22 income year and continues to make life easier for our retirees by giving them more flexibility and choice in their retirement.
For many retirees, the significant losses in financial markets as a result of the COVID-19 crisis are still having a negative effect on the account balance of their superannuation pension.
This extension builds on the additional flexibility announced in the 2021-22 Budget.
The Morrison Government will continue to support retirees as part of our plan to secure Australia’s economic recovery from COVID-19.
Statement on the Australian Embassy in Afghanistan
25 May 2021
Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Women
In light of the imminent international military withdrawal from Afghanistan, Australia will as an interim measure revert to the model of visiting accreditation for our diplomatic representation to Afghanistan, which we used from the opening of diplomatic relations in 1969 until 2006. Our residential representation in Afghanistan and the Australian Embassy in Kabul will be closed at this time.
We will close our Embassy building on 28 May 2021. DFAT officials will visit Afghanistan regularly from a residential Post elsewhere in the region.
It is Australia’s expectation that this measure will be temporary and that we will resume a permanent presence in Kabul once circumstances permit.
This form of diplomatic representation is common practice around the world. It does not alter our commitment to Afghanistan or its people.
The departure of the international forces and hence Australian forces from Afghanistan over the next few months brings with it an increasingly uncertain security environment where the Government has been advised that security arrangements could not be provided to support our ongoing diplomatic presence.
On the Foreign Minister’s recent visit to Kabul, we reaffirmed Australia’s support for the Afghanistan Government during this time of change for the country. Australia remains committed to the bilateral relationship with Afghanistan, and we will continue to support the stability and development of Afghanistan in concert with other nations.
Australia is proud to have worked over the past 20 years to assist Afghanistan in protecting itself from exploitation as a base for terrorist groups, to address inequality, and to contribute to improvements in the rights and livelihoods of women and girls. Since 2001, Australia has provided $1.51 billion in development and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. Australia remains committed to supporting an Afghan-led peaceful resolution to the conflict in Afghanistan, and to helping preserve the gains of the past 20 years.
During the time Australia has been working in Afghanistan, we have seen significant improvements in school enrolments, access to basic health care and women’s representations in politics, which has risen from zero in 2001 to 27 per cent in 2020. Maternal mortality has fallen, as has child malnutrition.
We know there is more to do, and our development and humanitarian commitments will be delivered in the coming years, including a bilateral development assistance commitment of $200 million over 2021-2024. We will continue our 52-year bilateral diplomatic relationship with Afghanistan, building on our close friendship with the Afghan people which stretches back to the historic arrival of Afghans in South Australia in the 1830s.
We remain committed to supporting a just, durable and resilient peace arrangement that is led and owned by Afghanistan, and will bring stability and prosperity to the Afghan people.
Foster Report
25 May 2021
On 16 February 2021, I commissioned Ms Stephanie Foster PSM, Deputy Secretary, Governance in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, to undertake a report into the procedures and processes relating to serious incidents in the parliamentary workplace.
I asked Ms Foster to consider:
The procedures and processes involved in identifying and reporting a serious incident, particularly assault or sexual assault;
Steps that can be taken to ensure the processes of reporting and responses to serious incidents are able to be made independent from the employer;
Recommendations on how to ensure that all reporting and responses to serious incidents are driven by a principle of providing empowerment to the victims; and
Recommendations on how to ensure that the services and support that are provided to a victim are timely, effective, and ongoing.
Initially, Ms Foster provided advice to me on measures that required urgent implementation to address some of these issues. This included the establishment of a 24/7, independent, confidential and trauma-informed phone support line for all staff and parliamentarians (1800 APH SPT).
Last night, Ms Foster provided her final report which has made a number of significant findings that address gaps in existing procedures and processes when it comes to responding to serious incidents, providing support for those impacted by them, and of a preventative nature.
Her proposals and recommendations seek to ensure that processes are independent, provide empowerment to victims, and provide timely, effective and ongoing support.
Beyond measures already put in place, her recommendations include:
Implementation of a face-to-face education program helping managers and staff understand their obligations in relation to a safe and respectful workplace, and to recognise and respond appropriately to serious incidents or patterns of behaviour in the workplace. Work on this program is well underway.
Development of an independent, confidential, complaints mechanism for serious incidents. This body of work is more detailed and complex and will require consultation across the Parliament.
I intend to take this report to Cabinet and respond to the recommendations on behalf of the Government. Following this, I will seek to engage with all parties and parliamentarians to implement the response.
Ms Foster’s deliberations and her report have been designed deliberately to come forward with concrete steps. Throughout this process she has worked closely with the Sex Discrimination Commissioner Ms Kate Jenkins. I hope that this report will assist the Commissioner as part of her review into longer term cultural and systemic issues.
I thank Ms Foster for her report and I look forward to working with others to ensure lasting reform is achieved on these important issues.
Doorstop - Hillwood TAS
21 May 2021
Prime Minister, Treasurer, Member for Bass
BRIDGET ARCHER MP, MEMBER FOR BASS: Well it’s fantastic to be here at Hillwood Berry Farms in northern Tasmania with the Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Simon Dornauf from Hillwood Berries. And it’s great to be out in regional Tasmania as well to hear about all the fantastic things that are happening here at Hillwood Berry Farm – expansion, more jobs, more investment in the local economy. I attended a breakfast this morning with the Treasurer with the Chamber of Commerce, and hearing very positive things here in northern Tasmania following the Budget. So, Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you. Thanks a lot, Bridget, Simon, and all your family, it’s great to be here at Hillwood and it’s always great to be here with the Treasurer. Over the course of this past week, after Parliament has risen, we’ve been having the opportunity to move around the country and to be able to talk about Australia’s recovery plan that was at the heart of this year’s Budget. Australia has come so far over the course, particularly of these last 18 months. Go back a year ago, we genuinely could not have imagined that we’d be standing here today, whether in northern Tasmania and in Tasmania more generally, and be able to say there are more people in work today than there was before the pandemic, and that we’ve been able to avoid some 30,000 deaths from COVID, which sadly so many other countries similar to Australia have not been able to avoid. And that has been done by working together. That has been done by backing Australians in, whether here in northern Tasmania or elsewhere around the country, up in Gladstone, where I’ve been. Josh has been over in South Australia. Back in my hometown of Sydney, where I finally got back to last night, or up in the suburbs of Brisbane, over in the west – right across the country, backing Australians in with what they’re trying to do.
Now, the way you do that is you ensure that they can keep more of what they earn. You’ve got to have a low tax environment to support a strong recovery. And we’ve seen that on display here. We’ve just seen where they’re putting in a whole new field just like this, hundreds of thousands of investment – and that’s just on the labour side – ensuring that we can build to the growing demand and markets that are available here. So those opportunities that can be seized in the economy, that has been made possible by the instant asset write-off. That was the critical factor here that has led to that investment, that leads to those jobs, that leads to those earnings. You want a strong recovery here in Australia from COVID, then you need to have lower taxes. And anyone who wants to put taxes up, wants to take jobs away from Australians. Anyone who thinks you can tax your way to economic recovery is kidding themselves. We’ve had the discipline, discipline to keep taxes low in this Budget, to enable the recovery to take hold, and to secure that recovery.
We know, as Treasurer and the Prime Minister, that what is absolutely key is that we keep focused on backing Australians to invest, to employ, whether it’s the additional training initiatives, the additional apprenticeship support that we have in the Budget, the additional infrastructure, investing in affordable energy for businesses, the Modern Manufacturing Industry Initiative, so we can make things here in Australia and keep making things here, fuel security to support the needs of our transport sector and to keep things moving around the country, and to have confidence about that in an uncertain world. But lower taxes is really giving Australians the opportunity to be able to go out there and seize their futures and to secure their futures in what is otherwise a very uncertain world. We’re living in a way in this country like few countries are. We’re achieving economically together, like few countries are, and we have to keep that going. And that’s what this Budget is all about. I’ll hand you over to Josh.
THE HON. JOSH FRYDENBERG MP, TREASURER: Well, thanks, Prime Minister. Thanks, Bridget. Thanks to the team here at Hillwood. It’s great to be back in Tasmania. In the electorate of Bass, more than 40,000 people are going to get a tax cut as a result of the initiatives in last week’s Budget. More than 10,000 businesses like this one in Bass are going to be able to access the immediate expensing and expand their business, and therefore grow their business and hire more people. And we’ve seen more than 500 new apprentices taken on here in northern Australia, in northern Tasmania alone as a result of the 50 per cent wage subsidy we have put in place for apprentices. So it’s great to see this business and other businesses like it across Tasmania growing, investing, and hiring as a result of the initiatives in last week’s Budget.
Now, yesterday we got the new jobs data and it showed that the unemployment rate nationally had fallen to 5.5 per cent, 33,800 new full time jobs taken on. And we’ve seen underemployment get to its lowest level in seven years. We’ve seen youth unemployment come down to its lowest level in 12 years, and yesterday’s jobs data came after the end of JobKeeper at the end of March. Since the end of JobKeeper, in the weeks following that programme coming to an end, 132,000 people have come off income support. And we know that our political opponents, the Labor Party, said, in their words, there would be diabolical consequences from the end of JobKeeper, it would have a devastating impact. They wanted that programme, at more than $2 billion a month, to keep going and therefore to keep spending. And we said no, we held firm, and now we have seen the unemployment rate come down again for the seventh consecutive month.
Now, as the Prime Minister said, the Budget last week was all about creating jobs. It was our economic plan to create more jobs. But it also involved providing tax relief. So while the Morrison Government is backing Australian families and backing Australian businesses with lower taxes, Victorian Labor is whacking Victorian families and Victorian businesses with higher taxes. Higher taxes at this time of our recovery is a handbrake on jobs. It’s a handbrake on the economic recovery. So Australia is coming back. We’re coming back stronger than nearly any other country in the world. And it’s wonderful to hear great stories like this one at Hillwood about them employing more people and expanding their business based on the incentives put in place in the Morrison Government’s Budget just last week.
PRIME MINISTER: Let’s hear a bit more about those stories.
SIMON DORNAUF, MANAGING DIRECTOR, HILLWOOD BERRY FARM: Thank you Prime Minister, thank you Treasurer and Bridget for today. Yeah, the instant tax write-off has been instrumental in enabling our business, Hillwood Berries, to undertake two major projects that otherwise may have been delayed 12, 24 months until we had the capital to actually undertake that project. First, being a $400,000 spend on solar panels, on our, on our roof. It will provide 70 per cent of the power to our berry production. So 70 per cent is all renewable power into, into our business. And then a further $3.6 million will be spent in building the infrastructure that we’ve seen today out there. So another tunnel table-top substrate strawberry system, like this, that gives job security to our workers with the, with the covering of that production, so day in, day out we can pick the fruit. And it will enable us to employ about 75 full-time equivalents for that project, under the instant tax write-off. Otherwise, this would have been delayed another two years within our business. So we’re enabled to, to jump right on that. And we really appreciate the Government enabling our business to do that, so thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much.
JOURNALIST: How many kilos of berries will that allow you to, to grow?
SIMON DORNAUF, MANAGING DIRECTOR, HILLWOOD BERRY FARM: 700,000, 700 tonnes of strawberries will grow this next season extra, so we’ll have two million plants. This year we have 1.3 million plants.
PRIME MINISTER: That’s a lot of berries.
SIMON DORNAUF, MANAGING DIRECTOR, HILLWOOD BERRY FARM: It is a lot of berries.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you mentioned the jobs created. Looking around it seems quite a few would be migrant workers, and good luck to them and how they can help their families. But has COVID shone a light on our reliance on migrant workers, and is that of any concern to you?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what I’ve been very pleased with, particularly here, as we’ve seen, there’s been a great partnership. I want to congratulate Bridget for the great job she has done working with the Tasmanian State Government and our Government to ensure that right here, where it is a real labour force challenge, and if you can’t get the fruit off the plant, well, you can’t turn a profit. And, and so we’ve had a very successful programme here being done safely, supporting the needs of business, but also supporting the needs of local communities, because when, when this property is thriving then everything around it thrives. And so there is a positive benefit. And this is using the Pacific Labour scheme, and so that’s also supporting families back in Timor Leste, over in Tonga, that greatly benefit from these types of programmes. Now, they’re small scale, but they’re very important to these projects, they’re very important to those families, and they’re very important to the local economy. So this has demonstrated that we have been able through COVID, through good partnerships, working closely together, doing it safely, meeting those needs.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Victoria delivered its Budget yesterday. Like your Budget it announced plans for extra spending on social services. Unlike your Budget, though, it did outline revenue measures to pay for it, whereas you announced [inaudible]. Isn’t Victoria’s approach more fiscally prudent and doesn’t it show more discipline for them to find the funds to pay for these, rather than going into debt?
PRIME MINISTER: No, no, it doesn’t. This is the worst time that you could increase taxes on the Australian economy. This is self-defeating. To put up taxes on Australian businesses looking to employ people as we come out of a COVID pandemic and recession is irresponsible. It slows growth. It defeats the purpose. If you put up taxes when an, when an economy and businesses are looking to get up on their feet, it just knocks them down again. You knock businesses down, they don’t employ people. More people go onto welfare. More people aren’t paying taxes. It’s self-defeating. It’s self-defeating. And so that’s why we say it is not the responsible thing to do. It is not the economically responsible thing to do to put a big tax handbrake on job creation as you’re recovering from a pandemic. Our Budget is for the times. Our Budget is to address the serious economic challenges the country faces. Labor are just putting up taxes again because that’s what Labor does. They are addicted to higher taxes. And what you’ve seen in Victoria, you’ll see from Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party. We saw it at the last election. Labor are addicted to higher taxes. The answer to every question from Labor is higher taxes. That’s not our answer. Our answer is to back Australians in, grow the economy. A strong economy is what pays for social services, not higher taxes.
JOURNALIST: Isn’t it irresponsible just to go further into debt? And I’m not talking about stimulatory measures for COVID, I’m talking, you know, funding $17 billion for aged care, $30 billion for social services, without anything to offset it. [Inaudible].
PRIME MINISTER: No, no. A strong economy offsets it, Greg, a strong economy offsets it. You cannot pay for the National Disability Insurance Scheme with high unemployment. You cannot pay for the National Disability Insurance Scheme if you’re running your economy into the ground. It has always been our view that the way you pay and get for and guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on, is by ensuring that your economy is strong, that people are investing, that people are getting into jobs. Otherwise you’re just chasing your tail down a tunnel, and it’s a downward spiral. Higher taxes cuts jobs, higher taxes cuts growth, higher taxes impedes our ability to pay for and guarantee the essential services Australians rely on. That’s why you did not find higher taxes in the Treasurer’s Budget. You found it in the Labor Budget, and you’d see it in a Labor Budget under a Labor Government.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just on the mRNA vaccine facility production …development, sorry. Is it a matter of building this facility from the ground up, and when will that first locally produced dose be available?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, a couple of points. The first one is this will be a partnership. We’ve called for those proposals to come forward and to find out exactly what is needed from those proponents to see these facilities and capabilities being established here in Australia. And so that will be done as a partnership between industry and Government. The purpose of this is not just to address the, the challenges that we have with COVID‑19, because the COVID‑19 pandemic is raging and it will continue to rage. Not just now, but it could be for years to come. This is not to address any immediate vaccination issues. It is to create a capability, not just for producing vaccines to deal with COVID, but what we’ve seen with the mRNA vaccines is they are the new technology. They are the new way of doing vaccines around the world. Now, 18 months ago, apart from some trial treatments in HIV, this was largely science fiction. And so this is a very new, a very new science. And so we’re moving quickly to establish that, not just for now, but for the long-term and for many other vaccines that will be done through mRNA, not just COVID. So this is a long-term plan, with short and medium-term benefits.
JOURNALIST: Is it correct that the Queensland Government’s Wellcamp, Wellcamp quarantine proposal was only 15 pages long, with lots of pictures and contained no details about cost or operational info?
PRIME MINISTER: That is true.
JOURNALIST: What specific information do you need from them to take this to the next step?
PRIME MINISTER: They know full well what that is because we’ve asked them for it on numerous occasions.
JOURNALIST: Can you tell us, though?
PRIME MINISTER: No, they know what it is and I’ll leave it with them.
JOURNALIST: The Premier is having a press conference pretty much at the same time as this. Why, why isn’t he here?
PRIME MINISTER: Sorry?
JOURNALIST: The Premier Peter Gutwein is having a press conference …
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah I’ll be catching up with him later today, we were texting each other this morning.
JOURNALIST: Just on vaccines, what message does it send that the Queensland Premier has not yet been vaccinated, and that Jeannette Young is getting the Pfizer vaccine instead of the AstraZeneca vaccine? Is there bad messaging there? Is it vaccine hesitancy? Is it fuelling that? Are you concerned?
PRIME MINISTER: I’m encouraging all Australians, particularly those aged over 70, to go and get their vaccination. This week, we are likely to see our first half a million week on vaccinations, half a million. We may well see a 100,000 in a day today. By early next week, we will have vaccinated more than half the over 70s population in Australia. And very soon we will have fully completed the vaccination of all those in residential aged care facilities. Now, this is important because these are our most vulnerable populations. As we saw in the Victorian second wave, they are the Australians who are most at risk. So I’m encouraging, I’m encouraging, if you’re over 70 and you’ve had your vaccine, which is about almost half right now, thank you. Thank you for doing that. And I want to thank families for supporting. I’ve said my mum’s had it, my mother in law’s had it, and they’re doing great. And I would encourage families to have that discussion with their elderly parents or those that they know and encourage them to go and get that vaccination booked in. There’s plenty of opportunities to do that. Those that were getting 50 in GP clinics are now getting 150, 100 doses have now turned to 200. And that’s why we’re seeing the ramp up of this programme, it’s going from strength to strength every week. And I particularly, you know, commend the Tasmanian Government here for their job they’re doing, partnering with us on rolling out that vaccine. Thank all the GPs for the great job they’re doing. So it’s going from strength to strength every week. So my message is very clear, and that is I would encourage all those who are over 50 to go and get the jab. And particularly if you’re over 70, which is our strong focus, I would very much encourage you to do it.
JOURNALIST: What message though does it send that the Chief Health Officer in Queensland can get either AstraZeneca or Pfizer and she’s choosing Pfizer?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, she’s in the phase 1B, I think, which …
JOURNALIST: … But she could pick either.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I’ll leave those decisions to her …
JOURNALIST: … But I’m asking what message you think it sends?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I’m not making any comment on it.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, economist Chris Richardson predicts that in order to fund the extra spending on essential services, they’ll need $40 billion cuts once the economy is doing a bit better. Do you accept that there will need to be cuts in the post-COVID era, or are, is your strategy that a stronger economy would be able to pay for these?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, as, as both a Treasurer and as a Prime Minister, who worked together for this Treasurer, we went into the pandemic with a balanced Budget and we achieved that by growing the Australian economy. We’ve done it. See I think Australians understand that when it comes to a choice between the Labor Party and the Liberals and the Nationals, the Liberals and Nationals have the form in being able to grow economies that produce stronger Budgets. The way you have a stronger Budget is you have a stronger economy. That’s always been our plan. And that plan has proved successful in the past. And that’s what our plan, our recovery plan for Australia, set out in this year’s Budget, is all about. It’s about growing the economy, because it’s pretty simple maths. Someone who is in a job is paying tax. Someone who was not in a job is getting paid by the taxpayer. And that has been the principal driver as we took the Budget back into balance before the pandemic hit, and enabled us. I’m glad we did that hard work and I’m glad Australians did that hard work by growing our economy because it meant we could respond in a way like no Government in Australia has ever had to before. And that has seen Australia come through, not because of Government – I want to be very clear about this. This is not a Government led recovery. Government is not the answer here. It’s businesses like this one, family businesses like this one. It’s Australians pulling through. We just back them in. Sure we back them in with record fiscal support like you’d never seen before. And I’ve got to say, the Tasmanian Government here did a great job in backing them in, much smaller government but they did their share of heavy lifting down here. And I commend Peter Gutwein and the whole team. So I’m not surprised that he’s been returned as Premier because he’s, he’s got his plan to see Tasmania continue to recover. We’ve got our plan, a Liberal National plan to continue to see the Australian economy recover. And I think Australians have seen the demonstration of our economic credentials to achieve that in the past, and that’s why we’ll be going forward with that plan in the future.
JOURNALIST: You were against our Premier’s hard border closure at the start of the pandemic. Do you now concede that it was probably the right thing to do?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I respected his decisions, he’s Premier of his state, as I respected all the premiers’ decisions, and I continue to respect all the premiers’ decisions. And I think right across the country, as the Chair of the National Cabinet, we’ve been able to work effectively together over these, over these, over these many months, over a year now. But it was the principal decision that I think first set Australia up here was closing the international borders, and they remain closed and they’ll remain closed for as long as that is the safe thing for Australia to do.
JOURNALIST: Have you been caught up on the saga surrounding the Liberal elected person, Adam Brooks, and the saga surrounding charges and allegations that he was essentially lying to women about his, about his [inaudible].
PRIME MINISTER: [Inaudible].
JOURNALIST: In Tasmania we’re about to see the unemployment rate rise. What is being done by your Government to address that?
PRIME MINISTER: Low taxes, instant asset write-off, ensuring that businesses can invest more funding for training. I mean, the JobTrainer programme, for example, JobTrainer programme was born in the middle of the pandemic and it came from an urgent need where I was concerned, and the Treasurer was concerned, that we would be having thousands and thousands, tens of thousands of school leavers coming out of last year and facing a potentially very weak labour market and, and not with opportunities. So we agreed in a matter of a fortnight, the premiers and I, with the great support of the treasurers, to put in place a billion dollar programme that created over 300,000 training places. We also put in 30,000 additional university places as well to support that programme. Now, in this Budget we’re doubling down on JobTrainer. It’s been such a success, just like our apprenticeship programme, which saw 100,000 apprentices additional, boosted in the space of five months. We thought it’d take us 12. We got it done in five, so we’ve extended the programme. So whether it’s additional training, whether it’s the infrastructure programme, which it’s moving into the next phase, we were chatting before about the next phase of the irrigation programme here, which will unlock further opportunities which the Tasmanian State Government has been supporting too, whether it’s the Marinus Link project, the battery of the nation. All of these things are driving economic growth here in Tasmania, and particularly here in the north of Tasmania. And we will continue to support those projects and have, I think, a very excellent relationship with the Tasmanian State Government. Okay, thanks very much everyone.
Doorstop - Pakenham, VIC
20 May 2021
The Hon Jason Wood MP, Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs: I’m Jason Wood, the Federal Member for La Trobe, and it's absolutely fantastic, again, to have the Prime Minister here in La Trobe and this time at Aquaterro. You can see over [inaudible]. La Trobe is the fastest growing electorate in the country. And one of the biggest things you’ll find, it’s of most annoyance to the public, it's road congestion. And the great news is in this Budget the Prime Minister again has announced for Racecourse Road and McGregor Road upgrades. It’s now going to be a $350 million package. Clyde Road and the Monash interchange down there will be a $250 million package. And also the Prime Minister a number of years ago came out and announced as Treasurer, in actual fact it was actually March 2016, for a big package for the Monash Freeway, which included extra lanes from Warrigal Road right out to Cardinia Road. And as you would have seen today, that work is well and truly underway, including the Beaconsfield interchange. Why is this so important? Because companies like Graeme’s Aquaterro gives them the confidence to come out here to invest, and Graeme has this amazing story where he actually started from a boat shed in Tasmania, and he's built this incredible business up, protecting military, law enforcement, and as an ex-member of Victorian Police Force the detail he puts into making sure members are kept safe - and this goes right across to all his staff. So Graeme thanks very much for being here and taking the opportunity to invest in La Trobe, and in particular the Prime Minister with the announcements, and he’s been to Racecourse Road and he’s been to McGregor Road. The extra funding we desperately needed. And can I say again, thank you PM for being out in La Trobe.
Prime Minister: Thanks very much, Jason. And Graeme, it's great to see you here again at Aquaterro. It was some years ago when we first met when you were over in Dandenong and you've been in this business, what, 27 years?
Graeme Bulte, Founder and CEO, Aquaterro: Yep.
Prime Minister: But it's been these last seven, as the Federal Government has certainly upped its game when it comes to meeting our commitments to the Australian people and investing in our Defence Forces to ensure that they have the capabilities that are necessary to protect Australia's interests and to pursue our national interests. But also, we are building the self-sufficiency here in this country to ensure that we can get that job done here in Australia and we can do it in partnership with our security partners, our Five Eyes partners. What is happening here is self-sufficiency. Earlier this week, I was up in Queensland and announcing the Government's commitment to self-sufficiency when it comes to Australia's fuel supplies and our refining capability. Well, it's equally true that here, in our defence industries, that we have been building the capabilities and the self-sufficiency year on year on year, to ensure that companies like this have the capacity to meet the demands and needs of our significant Defence Force upgrades. So it's great to see that more and more and more of what we're buying, what we're producing, what we're equipping our Defence Forces with, as we are now at two per cent of the size of our economy being invested into our Defence Force each and every year, supporting them so they can do the right job for Australia. The job we need them to do. More and more of that is being done by Australian companies like Aquaterro here in Melbourne.
Now, they’ve been able to do that for a range of reasons. They're able to do it because they can run successful businesses on lower taxes. And businesses like this one have benefited, of course, from the lower rates of tax that have been applied to businesses of their size over these last few years. But equally, they've been able to do it because we have a Defence Force industry capability plan. As part of our Modern Manufacturing Initiative, we're backing six key sectors in particular, to ensure that they can continue to make things here and make them competitively and make more of them and earn more for Australia, and work with our partners overseas, particularly our Five Eyes partners, to ensure that their part in the defence industries of that supply chain into the future. That means Australians can earn more. It means more jobs, it means more capability. And the assurance that our own men and women, who are serving in our Defence Forces, are increasingly kitted up with material and other supports that are made right here in Australia.
But it's also about a Government that understands that we do need to invest in our Defence Forces. We can't leave it to someone else. We can't. We can look to others who are part of our alliances and our partners across the region, but we can't leave it to anyone else, and we're not leaving it to anyone else. We're building our self-sufficiency, not only in the capability of our Defence Forces, but our capability as a country to ensure that we can manufacture what is needed to be manufactured here in Australia to support our Defence Forces.
So right across the manufacturing areas, whether it's in food and beverage or in space and aeronautical, whether it’s recycling or minerals, or any of these areas, these are the key sectors that we're investing in as part of our Modern Manufacturing Initiative. And defence industries are a key part of that. Backed in by lower taxes, backed in by a series of grant programmes that particularly Aquaterro have benefited from over many years now. This doesn't happen by itself. It takes big investments by their company, but also the programmes that we’ve put in place to support them to build the scale of these facilities that they have done here, and to get the people and the capabilities that enables them to do such a fantastic job for Australians.
But also, their capacity is now putting them in a space to be able to export as well. So it all comes together. This is how you secure Australia's economic recovery. This is how it's done, by backing industries like this with lower taxes, with clear commitments into sectors like defence industry, which means they can invest, create the jobs that we're going to need both now and into the future. So I'm going to ask Graeme to say a few words on that as well and then happy to take questions.
Graeme Bulte, Founder and CEO, Aquaterro: Thank you very much, PM. Thanks so much for coming out. It's a real privilege for us to have the Prime Minister and Jason Wood, our local MP, here. They've certainly shown a lot of support for our team, our company. We're a small business. We're 100 per cent Australian owned. I started the business 27 years ago in a boatyard in Tasmania, working with my dad and my mum. And we've done nothing else but look at how can we protect people who work in dangerous jobs and dangerous environments. And I've been very privileged to lead a great team of people that are here around that a lot of you have got to meet today who are passionate about their work. We've got a lot of personnel here working with us who’ve got great experience - former Defence Force veterans, people that work with police departments. It's a great skill set, and we have a real passion for what we're doing and growing. And as the Prime Minister said, one of the things that we look to here is the confidence to be able to say, yes, there's a future, there's a future here for this, there's a future for jobs. The work that we're doing here, in the next six months we're going to expand our workforce by 50 per cent. And that's because we've got a clear sight as to what's coming down the pipe. And we're investing our own money into those programmes and we're doing it off our own bat. So we’re very appreciative of that and very appreciative of the support we're getting, which you would hope for, that you've got a Government and you've got a local member that works as hard as ours does, that really is looking at small business in the area and you know, not just phoning it in. They really are working for us and we are stepping in behind that. So thank you very much everyone for coming today.
Prime Minister: Thank you, Graeme. Happy to take some questions.
Journalist: Prime Minister, Greg Hunt has suggested that if people aren't comfortable with getting AstraZeneca then they can wait for Pfizer or Moderna when those, when more supplies come in. Do you agree with that? And why are we bothering to make AZ if that's the case?
Prime Minister: Well, we don't have a compulsory vaccination programme in Australia. We made that very clear. We are encouraging strongly, particularly those aged over 50 where the AstraZeneca supplies that are there and the TGA have authorised and have approved. My mum's had AstraZeneca, Jenny’s had AstraZeneca. My mother-in-law’s had AstraZeneca, Greg Hunt’s had AstraZeneca, and so have so many across the country. And that has meant that yesterday we had a record day reported of vaccinations. We were, some weeks ago it was down about 300,000, then 350,000 a week, 400,000 a week, 450,000 a week, and we're getting close now to half a million vaccinations occurring every week. And in Victoria, I think they're doing a great job. I think the state-run facilities is really supporting the tremendous work of Victorian GPs as well, so I think that's tremendously exciting. So there's plenty of AstraZeneca jabs that are out there. They’re in the GPs' clinics, we’re seeing almost 100,000 of those being done every day. We’ve got about two-thirds of the population who’re very, very happy to get out there and achieve that. We already know that overseas, where vaccination programmes have been running, they seem to be levelling out. I was advised last night around the 60 per cent mark across their population. So what we're seeing here in Australia is not terribly different to that. And so we encourage, particularly those who are over the age of 70. We’re very focused on the more vulnerable populations. They are the ones most at risk. We're almost completed now, the full vaccination of those in aged care facilities, residential aged care facilities. We're very well advanced now on over 70s, around about 45 per cent of the over 70s population that has been vaccinated. But we’ve still got a lot more work to do there, and we're still very focused. So further down the track of course we'll be moving to other age groups, and further down in the year we'll see more of those other vaccines that come in, that are there for those who are under the age of 50, and we'll move to those groups later on. But right now, it's important, particularly if you're aged over 70, it’s very important that you get that vaccination because you're most at risk from a COVID outbreak. We saw last year in Victoria, sadly, that when there was an outbreak that was unable to be contained - and look there will be outbreaks from time to time, as we've seen in all states and territories - and what we've seen is a great improvement about how the states and territories are being able to contain those outbreaks. But if those outbreaks were to move more broadly throughout the community, then it’s our older residents who are most at risk, and that’s where our focus and attention is.
Journalist: Here in Victoria, though, our state-run facilities, our state-run hubs are sitting pretty quiet, with a lot of AstraZeneca in the fridge. Is it time that we open up the floodgates, say anyone who wants to come and get it sign that informed consent form, regardless of their age?
Prime Minister: Well, we're following the medical advice on this and what we're focusing on is the over 50 population right now. And I'd say to you, in Victoria, they're leading the country in terms of the state-run facilities presently, and I congratulate them for that and I thank them for their strong support. But the overwhelming number of vaccinations are actually being performed by GPs, and so their books are pretty full, I've got to say. And so we're providing them, we’ve upped the doses from 50 to 150 for those who were on 50. Those who were on 100, they’re now getting 200. And so we’re providing that support in to the GPs. And, as I said, each week it gets stronger, the rollout goes further, and it's reaching more and in particular it's ensuring that more of our most vulnerable populations are getting vaccinated.
Journalist: There's still a lot of worry in the community for people who don't want to get the vaccine. Are you looking at doing some sort of national ad campaign to promote the vaccine to get these people on board, to want to line up and roll up their sleeve?
Prime Minister: Well, we are. There's $40 million that the Government is investing both this year and next year in the communications campaign. But I'd make this point to you. There's around 65 per cent of the population who’s very happy to go and get the vaccine. So right now, the focus is ensuring that those who are very happy to go and do it, go and do it. And there's plenty of opportunity for them to do that if they're over 50 at present. And that's why we just simply encourage those who are already happy to go and have that vaccine, to go and get that vaccine. And we'll continue to have the conversation with the rest of the population about their concerns that they may have, and the best place to have that discussion is with your GP, and that’s what we’re encouraging people to do.
Journalist: Should all state premiers and MPs who fit into that age bracket go and get the jab to show that it's safe?
Prime Minister: Well, I've had the jab. I had one of the first jabs. Greg ...
Journalist: AstraZeneca?
Prime Minister: Well, that wasn't available to me at the time. Greg Hunt had the AstraZeneca when it was available a few weeks after I did, as did Professor Brendan Murphy. And as I said, my wife, my mother and my mother-in-law have all had the AstraZeneca vaccine. So, this is a safe vaccine, as approved by the TGA. They’re one of the best, if not the best vaccine regulators anywhere in the world today. This is a broad population vaccine. We’re vaccinating millions of people here in the country. There's never been anything done on this scale before and we just continue to make the progress we need to make every single week, and you'll continue to see that ramp up over the course of the year.
Journalist: You mentioned that advertising campaign, but doctors say it's not reaching older populations. What more do you think can be done to target that group?
Prime Minister: There is more communications going into the more elderly population, and you'll see that rolled out in the weeks’ ahead.
Journalist: So what do those look like?
Prime Minister: They'll see it when it comes.
Journalist: Is the idea for a vaccine passport essentially dead in the water now that both New South Wales and Queensland Premiers have said they're not on board?
Prime Minister: No, I don't believe so. I’m looking forward to those discussions. I think it's a reasonable thing to work through, that where states and territories, I suspect, will continue from time to time to make decisions which would see lockdowns in hopefully, just in quite contained areas, put in place, that where people have been vaccinated then that they would have the opportunity, let's say they happen to be in another state, then they can return home to Victoria and not be kept out of their home state, or that they may be able to move into other states and territories. I think that's something that Australians would support and I think it recognises the reality that states and territories, from time to time, will be making decisions which will restrict movements of Australians across the country. Now, I know the New South Wales Premier would prefer that there were no restrictions, but she can make decisions in relation to New South Wales, but other premiers, whether it's here in Victoria, Queensland, WA or other places, I'm sure will continue to exercise judgements they believe to be in the best interests of their states. And so it's a practical proposal, and I look forward to discussing it further with the premiers and chief ministers.
Journalist: And it would mean that they can do that, they can move without any quarantine requirements at all?
Prime Minister: Well, that's the plan. I mean, if they're in Australia and they've been vaccinated, and that's why we have to work that through with their medical advisers. This is something we tasked all the for quarantine. There's nothing new about that. It's been around for some time.
Journalist: What's your plan to prevent unemployment rising again? We’re waiting for some jobs figures today.
Prime Minister: Here's the plan. It's in the Budget. Lower taxes, guaranteeing those essentials that Australians rely on, tax incentives that enable businesses like Graeme’s here - this piece of kit over here, $200,000. $200,000 fully instant expensed. Wherever I’ve been around the country, what I'm seeing is businesses investing in equipment, putting more people on. We've got plans to have 170,000 additional apprentices and trainees come on. I'm seeing apprentices being employed and trainees all around the country. We have seen more people come back to work in the last year, in the last year, after almost a million people lost their jobs, than we've seen in this country in an incredibly long time. More people in work today than there were before when the pandemic hit. That's what’s securing Australia’s recovery looks like. But we cannot take it for granted. You've got to keep taxes low, you've got to keep rolling out the infrastructure programmes - $110 billion infrastructure programme. You've got to keep electricity prices down. You've got to keep the pressure on them down. That's why we're doing what we're doing up in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, backing in a new gas-fired power station to put downward pressure on electricity prices. More money for training, more money for apprenticeships. All of this is designed to get more Australians into work, and it's working. It's working. You don't get 13.1 million Australians back in jobs on the other side of a pandemic if the policies that you're putting in place aren’t working, and ours have been working and they'll continue to work in the future.
Journalist: What percentage of our population do you need to get vaccinated to ensure herd immunity? What’s your advice there?
Prime Minister: There's no hard and fast rule on that. And the medical advisers continue to look at that. I've said that overseas, that what we've been seeing is that many populations levelling it out about the 60 per cent mark, but medical opinion differs on those issues. And it isn’t just a population-wide measure. You've got to look particularly when you're at a vaccination programme about your most vulnerable populations. That's why we've been focusing so much on those in residential aged care facilities, those over 70. These are the populations that are most at risk for very serious illness and indeed fatality. And that’s why it’s very important, if you're over 70, then our priority is to ensure that you're vaccinated and I encourage you greatly to make that appointment, have a chat to your doctor, and they'll be able to talk you through any of the questions or any of the issues that you have, and that's where we're finding those vaccination rates improving because people are having those conversations and they're learning that it's in their best health interests to be able to get that vaccination to ensure they're protected, in the middle of a global pandemic which is raging, and it’s raging more today than it was a year ago. So, I certainly won't be complacent about that. We'll be taking decisions that continue to protect Australians' lives and their livelihoods.
Journalist: Sorry you’ve left out a pretty substantial vulnerable population there, with people with disabilities. What’s your plan to roll, to ramp up that rollout there?
Prime Minister: I met with the Disabilities Minister yesterday and what is clear, is that there are many people with disabilities who actually have been vaccinated as part of other programmes, but haven't been counted in the numbers that already have been vaccinated, specifically with the in-reach programs. So that's being worked through with the Disabilities Minister now, and we're working with the disability sector and those providers to ensure that we're matching all of those records so we can get a much clearer picture of how much progress we've made in that sector. So you’re right, it is a very important sector. But I would say this with our disability sector, one of the great achievements throughout the course of COVID-19 has been, at the start we were incredibly concerned about our population with disabilities. And we've had incredibly low rates of COVID infection amongst people with disabilities. So those programs have been working. We were also very concerned about how COVID might have affected our Indigenous populations, another very important vulnerable community we're also making progress with, particularly in vulnerable areas up in the Torres Strait and places like that. Again, we have had a lot of success in ensuring that COVID has stayed out of those very vulnerable communities. So the vaccination is incredibly important, but it's also important we keep doing the things that have kept these Australians safe all through COVID. We’re living in Australia like few countries anywhere in the world. Our vulnerable populations here in this country have been more protected than probably any other country anywhere else in the world, and we're going to keep doing that. That’s what the vaccination programme’s for. That’s what the safety and health programmes are for, particularly for those vulnerable Australians. And for Australians, it's important that we keep them in jobs, we get them in jobs and we grow those jobs in the future, and that's what securing Australia’s recovery and our plan in the Budget is all about. Thanks very much for your time.
Interview with Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft, 3AW
20 May 2021
Host: Prime Minister, nice to catch up with you.
Prime Minister: Good morning, Ross and Russell.
Host: We were sort of, we're sorry we can't catch up in person. We're looking forward to that. We’d dressed up, I'm wearing shoes.
Prime Minister: Well, I'm sure your co-workers would be pleased.
Host: Talking about vaccination rollout, is it time for a big government ad campaign about, around vaccination?
Prime Minister: Well, we're already running them. There's $40 million that has been committed this year and next to be able, to supporting that programme, and already we’re well over 3 billion [sic]. I’ve got to say, the Victorian and Victoria, they're doing better than most of the states as well, too. So congratulations to them. I mean, the programme rolls with the, the sequencing of who's getting vaccinated right now. It's over 50s and in the residential aged care, we're well over 85 per cent of that done now, and the next few weeks that should be addressed. We’ve got over 70 population which is tracking now at well over 40 per cent vaccinated. So we're focussing on those vulnerable groups at the moment. And the second half of the year we’ll be able to be moving into the other age groups when the Pfizer vaccines will be coming through in large quantities. And so you've got to track your programme of communications to when, and no point in talking to people who are 30 years old at the moment because they can't go and get a vaccine. We're talking to those who are eligible for the vaccine at the moment, which is over 50s, and particularly those who are over 70 and in the residential aged care facilities.
Host: So, Prime Minister, though, I think it'd be fair to say it doesn't feel like it's happening fast enough. And so would, let's double the spend. Let's turn the $40 into $80 million and see if we can make it happen a bit quicker.
Prime Minister: Well, that doesn't bring the Pfizer vaccines here any time sooner, Russell, that's the point. You’ve got to focus on the communities, as you'd know, you got to talk to the groups that you're actually trying to get vaccinated at the moment. We've already got two thirds of the population, which is, you know, very comfortable with getting vaccinated. That's what the, sort of, public surveys are saying. Let's not forget that overseas and where they're finding is that their vaccination levels are sort of rounding out at around the 60 per cent mark of the population. So we’ve got plenty of people out there that are very happy to go and get the vaccine, we’ve just got to connect them up with their GP, connect them up at the various vaccination centres. Victoria rolled out another one yesterday. And we will get through this over, and the intention is to do this as quickly as possible. But towards the end of the year, well there'll be a big ramp up because that's when all the supplies come in. So you've got to, you know, you've got to manage your product of the vaccines being available with when you're actually talking to people about when it's their turn.
Host: Righto, you mentioned the word Pfizer, and I've had a few vaccines in my life. I’ve had the polio vaccine, the flu vaccine, I had a yellow fever vaccine in order to go to the Rio Olympics. No one said which …
Prime Minister: … That one, that one would have been a fun one, the yellow fever one. I heard that one’s a pretty vicious one.
Host: It is, but no one said, which yellow fever vaccine do you want? Which polio vaccine do you want? This spoilt for choice is creating a bit of a problem. Have you got a definite timeline on when the Pfizer's getting here?
Prime Minister: Yeah, we do. And that's what the programme is built around. And Pfizer have been hitting their marks for the supply of the vaccines into Australia. But right now, the major vaccine for over 50s is the AstraZeneca vaccine, and that's rolling out of CSL here in Victoria. And that's the vaccine that's sitting in GPs offices and respiratory clinics and, and state vaccination centres. And, and they’re the numbers which we're seeing, when we had a record day of 95,530 just the other day. And so it is ramping up every week. I mean, several weeks ago, six weeks ago, we were down around the less than 300,000. Now we're up to about 450,000. And those numbers are week, and they keep rising every week. And we'll see that continue to occur as the vaccination programme reaches more and more of the population.
Host: Prime Minister, we're interested in the idea around vaccine passports. How would that work?
Prime Minister: Well, look, the next steps, people want to know, how do we sort of open up again. It's not closed one day, open the next. That's, the vaccine, the virus is raging around the world and it's now ravaging the developed, developing world. And that is likely to see more strains, more variants come through. So we have to be exceptionally cautious. Now, that's why the borders remain closed. And, and that's why we look for ways to try and further liberalise things that are safe. Now, that would mean, for example, if you're fully vaccinated and the state government decides to close the border for whatever reason at a particular time, there may have been a breakout and they're looking to contain it or impose restrictions on, on their local populations, but if you're vaccinated then you might be able not to be subject to those restrictions. Now that's something I'm happy to talk through with the states because, ultimately, they're the ones who put those restrictions on, under their public health orders. So that's, that’s how that would work. So say if you booked a trip to Cairns and you wanted to be able to come back home into Melbourne after you've had that holiday up in Cairns, then you'd be able to come back to Victoria and not get stopped at the border.
Host: Righto. I’m going to Cairns in June, I will, I'll bear that in mind. And you, you spoke about being here in Melbourne, and welcome to you. When did you last speak with Daniel Andrews?
Prime Minister: I haven't spoken to Dan since he, he fell ill. I mean I’ve texted him a few times. But yeah he’s, I look, I feel for him. He's obviously had a very serious injury. And I heard from him the other day that, you know, he's progressing and hopefully we’ll see him back soon and rejoining the National Cabinet.
Host: So Prime Minister, in the Northern Territory, they've got Howard Springs and they seem to have done a brilliant job up there. We're pretty keen to have something similar happening here. And I know, well, we all know the State Government's looking to the Feds to help make that happen. Any progress?
Prime Minister: Yeah, look, we're making quite a bit of progress there. James has proposed, James Merlino’s proposal that came through was very comprehensive. It made it clear that the State Government would be running these facilities. They have the health workers, they have the systems. Up in the Northern Territory we put half a billion, but that's a national centre. The Northern Territory Government obviously has a different capacity to the Victorian Government. But here in Victoria it's close, you know, to a major CBD. You'll be able to support flights that normally come in to Melbourne. That's one of the challenges, it’s got to be near the major cities. If it’s a long way away then, well the commercial flights don't fly to those other places. They fly into Melbourne. And they've also made it clear that it's in addition to what they're doing in hotel quarantine, not instead of. And so that's another key, key requirement. And so I think it's a very, I think it's a very well thought through proposal. There are some other options there we're talking to them about. And so we’ve only had it a few weeks but we're working through it with them in good faith.
Host: Righto, you mentioned Cairns, which means that I'm now going to put to you one of my theories about modern Australia, which I'm sure you will enjoy. Prime Minister, my theory is that it's increasingly difficult to be a Prime Minister in Australia because you've got to sell a policy to North Queensland and Melbourne at the same time.
Prime Minister: Yeah, I don't have a problem with that. I say the same thing in both places. Always.
Host: Fair enough.
Prime Minister: My opponents don’t always do that, they sort of say one thing up in the Hunter Valley and they say another thing down in Melbourne. But anyway, I'll leave them to explain that.
Host: So, Prime Minister, I want to pitch an idea to you. So, obviously, Brand Australia’s important for all of us. And I had this thought, we should brand Australia triple-A Australia, and spell, we need to spell our country differently - A-A-A-U-S-T-R-A-L-I-A. So when you arrive at Tullamarine Airport you see a poster that says, welcome to triple-A Australia. How's that sound?
Prime Minister: You're the expert mate, so I think you're the one to make the calls on your own work. But there's always plenty of ideas about how to sell Australia.
Host: I know.
Prime Minister: I know from experience, you know, everyone's got their [inaudible] and everybody, everybody's idea is the best one.
Host: I know. Prime Minister, Paul Keating said always back self-interest, you know it's trying. This question of mine is very much of self-interest. At the last election you promised a railway duplication between South Geelong and Waurn Ponds. I catch that train a lot and I haven't seen a shovel raised in anger.
Prime Minister: Yeah, that starts construction in early 2022, $700 million was committed to that and that's in the Budget. Obviously, the State Government builds these things. We don't build them directly as a Federal Government, and that's the timetable they've given us that they’re, that can start in early 2022. So I look forward to that happening. It’s an important part of a broader $2 billion investment that we have speeding up the line between Geelong, of course, and Melbourne.
Host: And tell me, in 20 years’ time what will people say is Scott Morrison's legacy?
Prime Minister: That will be up to them. I just focus on what I need to do every day, keeping, saving lives and saving livelihoods. We’re in the middle of a pandemic. I don't frankly think about that too much. I’ve just got an important job to do right here and now, which is where people need my focus, not thinking about what someone's going to say about me 20 years’ from now. That can look after itself.
Host: And Prime Minister, you mentioned CSL. It's an amazing opportunity for us in this part of the world, as in Melbourne, to really have a cluster of amazing medical facilities. Is there any, is there any chance the Feds will help us do that as well?
Prime Minister: Well, the mRNA vaccine, vaccine manufacturing capability we announced in the Budget, working to that down that path. And I know states and territories - New South Wales, Victoria - are also committed to that. I mean, it was 18 months ago. I mean, an mRNA vaccine was almost science fiction. I mean, it was being used in HIV and things like that. But it was really at the extreme end of what was happening in vaccine science. And COVID-19 has changed the world on vaccines and, and mRNA vaccines are now going to play a big role in the future. So we’re going to be part of that. And that fits in as part of our Modern Manufacturing Initiative Strategy. So that's everything from what we're doing in space, minerals and resources, recycling, clean energy and those priority areas that we're focussing those, those funds to support new development and technologies for our manufacturing industry. We’re making things here in Australia. I was out at Kenworth yesterday where, you know, they're making trucks, and they're making trucks for Australian roads, for Australian conditions, and they're rolling them off the line at twice what they were previously because of the Budget's instant asset write-off, which means lower taxes mean people are investing more in big equipment, which means more jobs. That's what Australia's recovery strategy is based on - lower taxes. We’re going to keep those taxes low so Australians can keep more of what they earn. They've already got lower income taxes now and when we change the schedules for this current financial year. And if you're earning $40,000 dollars a year at the moment, when you earn an extra dollar, you don’t pay 32.5 cents like you did last financial year, you pay 19. You earn $91,000 this year, and you're not going to pay 37 cents on every extra dollar, you're paying 32.5. And so we're already delivering that, those tax, personal income tax cuts that are leaving more money in people's pockets. And that's fair enough because they earned it.
Host: Prime Minister, we know there are many claims on your time. We're very grateful you've given us some time. Go well.
Prime Minister: I've got another slogan for you.
Host: Oh yeah.
Prime Minister: Come to Australia, home of lower taxes.
Host: Good on you, Prime Minister. Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Doorstop - Bayswater North VIC
19 May 2021
THE HON MICHAEL SUKKAR MP, ASSISTANT TREASURER, MINISTER FOR HOUSING AND MINISTER FOR HOMELESSNESS, SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY HOUSING: Okay, well, good morning, everyone. Thanks for joining us here at PACCAR. It's wonderful to have the Prime Minister with us here today in the Deakin electorate, Bayswater North, at PACCAR, which manufactures, amongst other things, the iconic Kenworth truck. Kenworth is an iconic brand. It's a brand that I know holds a special place in the hearts of many Australians. And we're very proud that this is a manufacturing success story for Australia, and as Andrew and the PACCAR team have shown us here this morning, and Noelle from an engineering perspective, this is a thriving business. And it was only a year ago when COVID‑19 hit, the uncertainty that fell over the whole economy also impacted this business. But with the Morison Government acting swiftly, with the instant asset write-off, instant expensing measures, we've actually now seen at PACCAR the number of Kenworth trucks that are coming off the production line right here has virtually doubled. And that just means more jobs, more jobs for the people who live in my electorate, and it’s a really outstanding success story. So it's wonderful to have the Prime Minister joining us here today. It’s recognition of the outstanding work of the entire workforce here at PACCAR. They've risen to the occasion, like so many Australians, in extraordinarily difficult times, and now we’re seeing some of the fruits of that hard work. So, Prime Minister, we're very grateful to have you here today, and I know the PACCAR team’s been really excited to have you here as well.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Michael. Well, it's great to be here at Kenworth. It's great to be joined by Andrew and Noelle. She’s got a team of 120 engineers here making all of this happen, making sure that we've got Australian trucks for Australian conditions, made by Australians, made here in Australia. It's great to be here with Michael Sukkar and can, before I go to what I was going to address today, Michael, congratulations on the HomeBuilder fund, particularly here in Victoria - $128 million already out the door supporting people here in Victoria. First homeowners, in particular, families, build their first home, not just buy their first home, build their first home. Some 38,000 applications have come through that programme here in Victoria, and Michael you’ve done a great job getting Australians into their first home. Nothing better than the look on the face of an Australian when they've got a job or they've got and bought their first home. It's a tremendous accomplishment and we're helping Australians achieve that.
Our plan for Australia's recovery from the COVID‑19 pandemic is fuelled by keeping taxes low. It's fuelled by lower taxes. Right across this plant here, Australians are paying lower taxes now because of the cuts we've put to taxes so they can keep more of what they earn. But more significantly, I suppose, than that, is what they're working on is being bought by businesses that are paying lower taxes. And because of the instant expensing measures, and indeed because of the loss carry-back measures and the many other supports, lower tax rate now for small businesses - 25 per cent from the 1st of July of this year. All of this support, lower taxes, is underpinning Australia's economic recovery from the COVID‑19 pandemic.
Now is the worst possible time that anyone could think of raising taxes, if there's ever a good time to raise taxes. Coalition, the Liberal Nationals, we don't agree with raising taxes. We know that if you keep taxes low, then Australians can keep more of what they earn, and they're going to do a good job with it. They're going to look after their families. They're going to continue to participate in a rebounding and strengthening economy, which keeps everybody else in work. And so lower taxes is absolutely critical to Australia's economic recovery. That's why it concerns me that taxes are rising here in Victoria under the Labor Government. And equally, the Federal Labor Party is looking to increase taxes as well. That's not how you grow your economy. That's not how you get people in work. That's not how you help them buy their first home. You achieve those things by keeping taxes low. And to see Kenworth here as the, some of the workers I've spoken to here this morning, they've been working here for more than 30 years and they’ve never seen it this busy, never seen it this busy. Putting out over 20 trucks a day - that's what they're seeking to achieve at the moment, and that's just to keep pace with the demand that is being fuelled by ensuring lower taxes for Australian businesses right across the country.
There's a big job to do here in Australia, a huge job to do. And businesses are rolling up their sleeves. Workers are rolling up their sleeves, and they're being supported by the lower tax environment that we've created. Andrew’s going to talk more, a bit more about that, about what it means here for Kenworth. But congratulations on what’s a banner year for them. And I've got to tell you, it was pretty exciting to get behind the wheel. These are big machines and they do an important job keeping Australia in the way we've been able to keep Australia over the course of this pandemic. Keeping those trucks moving has been critically important. And keeping them rolling out of the factories here will be very important as we build our recovery under a lower taxes environment. Thanks Andrew.
ANDREW HADJIKAKOU, MANAGING DIRECTOR, PACCAR AUSTRALIA: Welcome everyone to PACCAR Australia, the home of Kenworth. We've been building these glorious machines here for 50 years, celebrated this year in March. We want to thank the Government for their foresight in extending the instant asset write-off, which has helped our customers now buy more trucks than ever before. And it's kept us busy and we've been employing many hundreds of people in order to meet that demand. Thank you very much to the Prime Minister for coming today and Federal Minister Sukkar to share in this moment with us. Last year was a year like no other. The uncertainty that surrounded us all and the fact the Government had designated PACCAR as an essential service kept us moving and supporting our communities during a 100-year pandemic like never seen before. On behalf of all of our great employees here at PACCAR, I wanted to thank the Government once again for their foresight and helping the Australian economy move forward. Thank you very much.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks Andrew. Happy to take some questions.
JOURNALIST: You touched on the Victorian Budget a bit earlier, how the Andrews Government plans to increase stamp duty. What do you want to see from the Victorian Budget?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, look, that's for the Victorian Government to address and we’ve worked closely with the Victorian State Government over the course of the pandemic. But what we're focussed on is Australia's recovery. And what I know is that Australia's recovery is built on lower taxes. And if you put taxes up, it slows growth. If you put taxes up, it takes away incentive for people. If you put taxes up, it takes away jobs. And anyone who's interested in increasing taxes has to square with the Australian people - how many jobs are going to go? You know, we guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on by growing our economy. That's how we're able to commit what we're doing on aged care and on mental health support, which you’ve seen in this Budget. That's based on having lower taxes and a growing and stronger economy.
JOURNALIST: You’ve had the proposal for our independent quarantine facility for a couple of weeks’ now. When are we going to hear whether or not [inaudible]?
PRIME MINISTER: You’re right, it’s only been a couple of weeks. It just came in just before the Budget. And so we're working, officials are working closely together through those proposals now. And when we’re in a position to say a bit more about it then, then we will. But I've been, I think, pretty clear that I think it's a very comprehensive proposal. I think it addresses critical issues that haven't been addressed by other proposals. I’ve just come from Queensland. Who’s going to run the facility, how’s the infection control work, all of these kinds of things, what are the capital costs involved, how are the operational expenses going to be handled and what are they? I think it's a very comprehensive proposal. And importantly, what the Victorian Government is saying is this is not coming to replace hotel quarantine. This is, this would be there to supplement hotel quarantine. So they see it very much as these two things coming together. And so I think it's a very constructive and comprehensive proposal, and we'll keep working together with the Victorian Government, and when we're in a position to say more we will.
JOURNALIST: Why is it a good use of taxpayers’ money to spend up to $600 million on a gas-fired power station in the Hunter Valley?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm glad you asked me about that. There's a 1,000 megawatts that's coming out of reliable power in New South Wales. It's coming out because the Liddell Power Station is closing down. You saw what happened here in Victoria when coal-fired power stations closed down - electricity prices went up. And so what we're doing is we're, we're closing that gap. We're ensuring that there’s 660 megawatts of additional reliable energy going into the, the energy capacity of our country, on top of the 330 megawatts which is being done by EnergyAustralia, to ensure that that gap, that hole that is left in reliable power, dispatchable power in New South Wales will be closed. In Victoria, when they closed the coal-fired power stations and didn't replace them, the power prices went up. I want to see the downward pressure on electricity prices. And the other thing about gas-fired power stations is this: it supports the renewable energy in the system. Wind doesn't always blow, sun doesn't always shine. And you need firming power from gas to ensure that those renewable energy investments are effective. Battery development is still at a very early stage and gas is an important transition fuel to support the transition of Australia's energy economy over the next 20, 30 years. So it's an important investment to keep downward pressure on electricity prices. If you don't fill that gap, Australian households, Australian businesses will be paying more for their power, just like we saw here in Victoria where there was no plan to ensure that we filled the hole left behind by closing down those plants.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] believe it won’t boost reliability. They don't think it's needed [inaudible]. They, and they feel it drive, it won’t drive down prices ever. Are they wrong and you’re right?
PRIME MINISTER: I’ve heard the criticisms, I've heard the criticisms of those who don't mind electricity prices going up. I don't agree with them. I don't want electricity prices going up. Those in the energy industry don't mind it when energy prices go up because their profits go up. I'm for energy prices going down so Australian households can afford costs of living. So I'm not here to spruik for the energy industry. I'm here to spruik for Australian households. I'm here to back them in and make sure their electricity prices go down. So I know there's plenty of clever people out there who don't mind electricity prices going up for the big energy companies. I want to see those energy prices under control and going down, as we’ve seen since the last election.
JOURNALIST: If vaccine passports are introduced to Australia, will they only be necessary when borders are closed, or would you be implementing that at all times?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, look, this is a next step. And what's important is it's, it's not safe and won't be for some time for Australia's international borders to open fully. That's just not a safe thing to do. It's been critical to Australians living the way we are. And that's why we will continue to be very cautious on that. But we are working on the next steps. And this is one of those important next steps. I look forward to working through, in a comprehensive way, those proposals with the state and territory governments, and, and I look forward to a constructive way forward. We've got to plan for when we reopen, but it's not safe to do it yet. And so we'll keep planning and we'll get those processes in place. And it's not like, you know, think we’ll be closed one day, open the next. It will be a gradual process, as I've said many times.
JOURNALIST: Australians stuck in India have called for more repat flights from the Government. Is that something you’re considering?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're running five at the moment this month. And, and I want to particularly thank here in Victoria, who will have one later this month, Queensland, as well as New South Wales. I mean, New South Wales has been doing the heavy lifting on Australians coming back home now for, for months and months and months. And I'm looking forward to Victoria lifting their caps in the future, which means we can bring more Australians, but especially we can bring more Victorians home. A lot of people from New South Wales have been coming home because the caps have been a lot higher in New South Wales, and they've done a fantastic job both with their quarantine as well as their, their further rings of containment on contact tracing. And I think the Victorian Government have really stepped up there as well. So we’ll, we've got five flights in place at the moment, and we'll do that safely. We will bring people home safely.
JOURNALIST: The State Government is considering setting up a new safe injecting room on Flinders Street. Considering your experience of Melbourne, what do you think of this idea? And do you think it's an appropriate site for such a facility?
PRIME MINISTER: They’re matters for the Victorian Government.
JOURNALIST: With regards to the vaccine, there’s a survey today that up to 30 per cent of Australians don't feel confident to get a jab. Do we have a major confidence problem on our hands here?
PRIME MINISTER: 70 per cent of Australians do want to get vaccinated, and I'm looking forward to them taking up that opportunity. I want to commend the Victorian Government for the great job they're doing here on the rollout of the vaccine. They've got another major centre opening up today. I thank them for that. So those 70 per cent of Australians, when it's when your opportunity, particularly if you're over 50, then I’d encourage you to do that.
JOURNALIST: There are some doctors, though, who are saying that people over 50 are not getting the AstraZeneca jab because they're worried about blood clots.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we’re now running at around, just shy of 450,000 people getting vaccinated a week. It’s growing, it’ll continue to grow, and I look forward to that continuing. And I thank the Victorian Government for their partnership.
JOURNALIST: If a third of Australians don’t get the jab though, how is that going to impact how we move into the future with regards to borders?
PRIME MINISTER: We’re just focussing on making sure that we're giving that opportunity for Australians to get vaccinated.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, have you politicised for domestic benefit the tensions with China, as Labor suggests?
PRIME MINISTER: No. Australians can always rely on the Liberals and the Nationals, the Coalition Government, to do what's right in Australia's national security interests. Australians under a Coalition Government will always stand up for Australia, always stand up for Australia, and we've demonstrated that, whether it's the additional support you've seen in this Budget for our intelligence and security agencies, whether it's the fact that it was this Government that brought defence spending back to two per cent and more of, of our the size of our economy. I mean, when we came to Government defence spending in this country under Labor, which was basically sacrificed for Labor's mismanagement of the economy, fell to levels lower than before the Second World War. We have spent the time rebuilding our Defence Force capability and looking forward into the future and backing that up. But I can tell you how we do it. We do it because we have policies that are focussed on having a strong economy. If you don't focus on the economy, then you can't guarantee the essential services Australians rely on. You can't support investments in defence and our national security that Australians rely on, that enables Australia to stand up for itself. So our policies on lower taxes are as much about supporting every business out there in the country, and every employee out there in the country, as it is about keeping Australians safe and keeping Australians supported by the services they rely on.
JOURNALIST: The, there’s obviously the proposal about quarantine, but then there’s also one about international students and economic cohorts being able to come back to Victoria. That's been on the desk up there in Canberra for quite a few weeks’ now, as well. Is there any feedback on whether that could happen?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think, again, quite a few weeks, that's not quite a few months or it's not even 12 months.
JOURNALIST: There’s a sense of urgency about their situation [inaudible], Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: Of course there is, and we'll look at all of those. We've taken those proposals in, in good faith and we'll work in good faith with the Victorian Government. These are all things that you need to prepare for. But I want to be very clear with Australians that I will act in Australia's economic and safety interests. That's what I will always do. Throughout the pandemic we've protected lives and we've protected livelihoods, and we're going to keep doing this. Australians are living in this country like few people in developed economies anywhere in the world today, and that's been hard work by Australians. It's been hard work by the people working in this plant here, who worked through the pandemic, put COVIDSafe practices in place, kept the trucks rolling out so the trucks can keep rolling around the country. Australians have worked so hard to achieve what we've achieved over the last 18 months. As a Government we've sought to back them in, and now we’re going to need to keep taxes low so we can support Australia's recovery. Thanks very much for being here today.
Interview with Ray Hadley, 2GB
19 May 2021
Ray Hadley: Prime Minister, good morning to you.
Prime Minister: G’day, Ray. Good to see you on 360 last night.
Hadley: I'm glad you were able to watch it.
Prime Minister: Yeah, I got, I got in last night, and if I find myself there at about that time, I'll switch it on. So yeah.
Hadley: Well it’s a good catch up when you’re flat out about what's happened in rugby league over the past week or so.
Prime Minister: It is.
Hadley: Now, I mean, I don't understand it. You’re copping a hammering at the moment about the borders and the sensible decision. You’re erring on the side of caution, as you've done through most of this, and thinking, well, we'll just have to wait a bit and maybe next year. But you see, if you go too early, everything that you and the state premiers have done in the last 12 months will come asunder. It'll all be brought undone if you go too early. That's your problem, is it not?
Prime Minister: Yeah, it's called rushing to failure. And Australians, I think, are demonstrating a great deal of patience. And I think the position that we have been maintaining is the sensible one. That doesn't mean we're not planning for when we can do it. And we do have to plan for that, whether that's how people can, you know, not be subject to domestic restrictions if they've been vaccinated, or potentially travel overseas and and quarantine differently when they come back, or how we can bring students and all that sort of thing when it's safe to do so. We've got to get all that right. And that's, the work goes on now. But for now and for sort of some time yet, we need to play it safe. That's what protects lives and that's also what protects livelihoods, people's jobs.
Hadley: We've had this 47-year-old lose his life in India, an Australian citizen …
Prime Minister: … Yeah …
Hadley: … who went there of his own volition last month, to I believe attend his mum's funeral.
Prime Minister: Yeah.
Hadley: She'd passed away with COVID. But you see what worries me, the variants we're talking about, this was apparently a fit, healthy man at 47, and it grabbed him and took him down very, very quickly.
Prime Minister: It's, look, it's a dangerous place. Since the 23rd of April, I think, Ray, more than 1,000 people have sought to travel to India. Now, we haven't let them go for obvious reasons. Earlier, you know, you know, last year and there were arrangements where people, if they, you know it's terrible what's happened to this, this relatively young man. And it's a tragedy, and when it, when we lose an Australian anywhere, and sadly that happens in all around the world when people are in dangerous places. And so I feel for the family, but, you know, it's not, it's not a safe place. And we're trying to bring people back safely. But, but equally, we've got to do it in a way which doesn't put at risk everything that's been achieved here in Australia.
Hadley: You had a word to say yesterday about the CEO of Virgin Jayne Hrdlicka. And I didn't crucify her yesterday. I thought maybe, you know, she said things that she may regret, and I think the airline is now making statements to …
Prime Minister: … Yeah …
Hadley: ... in some way mitigate what was said. But you and I have discussed this before, Prime Minister. There are some people in the media who talk about, oh, if you don’t die of that, you don't die with COVID, you die, but, you know, and all the rest of it. And it's not a problem. It's no worse than the flu. I think people have got to understand, and this is how I feel, any life is precious.
Prime Minister: Of course it is.
Hadley: I don't care whether it's an eight-year-old or a 48-year-old or a 98-year-old.
Prime Minister: I agree with that and have all the way through. Look, I said yesterday, I don't really want to say much more …
Hadley: ... No …
Prime Minister: … because I think, I thought it was insensitive but I think the company has walked that back. I appreciate that. And it was, you know, said in the business environment. But, that, still it is what it is. But look, I think it is important that we acknowledge. I mean, we've had 910 people pass away in Australia because of COVID. And, yes, the majority of those have been quite elderly, particularly in Victoria when that second wave went through. But every single one of those lives is somebody's mum, dad, sister, brother, cousin, aunty, uncle. It's, and, you know, we've, we've avoided 30,000 deaths in this country. If you take the average fatality rate of what has been experienced in countries just like Australia, what are known as the OECD countries - you know, similar, you know, advanced economies, good health systems, prosperous economies - if we had their average fatality rate, 30,000 more Australians would have died in this country. And that's what we've avoided together. So as you said before, we don't want to rush to failure. We want to make sure we preserve that. The Budget’s all about securing that recovery. And, and we're going to stay on that track, keep doing what's working and working together.
Hadley: It looks like I'll have my AstraZeneca next week, I now qualify. But I'm seeing a lot of pushback. There's a poll published in the Herald today, about 29 per cent of Australians, for varying reasons, not want or having any, whether it's AstraZeneca or whether it's Pfizer or whether it's, you know, one other, Moderna or whatever. Is that concerning, that we've been so good as a nation, but there seems to be just a core of people at the moment who are resisting for varying reasons, being vaccinated, particularly with AstraZeneca?
Prime Minister: Well, no, I'm not, I'm not overly troubled. I mean, we've obviously got to work on it. But that, what it also seems to me, around 70 per cent of people want to have it, Ray. So let's just get on with them. They, there's plenty of time to have the chat with the others who are still a bit hesitant. That’s, that's alright, free country, and they should talk to their doctor. Those who are hardcore against it is a much smaller number.
Hadley: Yeah.
Prime Minister: Much, much smaller number.
Hadley: Sure.
Prime Minister: But there are others, I think, who are open to the conversation, and we'll have that. I think we've also got to remember in a country where, as you just announced the COVID cases before I came on, zero community transmission too. It's different to the UK or certainly the US and across Europe where it’s a choice between having the vaccine or putting your life at risk.
Hadley: Yeah.
Prime Minister: So there's a different equation here in Australia. And so even with a very, and people, I heard someone this morning on the radio in an interview I was doing up in Newcastle, and they were talking about, you know, we know it's a really small risk. But the risk of getting COVID is not perceived as great here. But the truth is, it's good for the health of the country to do it. We're making great progress, I think we’re well over three million now. We’ve got over 85 per cent of the aged care facilities covered, and we're on track there. So, you know, we’ll just keep working through the 70 per cent who’s happy to get it done. So, like you, you're in that 70 per cent, make your booking, and you're over 50, and we'll get ahead and we'll get it done.
Hadley: I know you're flat strapped …
Prime Minister: … You’re right …
Hadley: … but one comment about PETA. I mean, look, they're totally irrelevant. And it became more irrelevant with their nonsense this morning about this mouse plague in New South Wales, all parts of New South Wales. I’m watching vision on TV in the studio at the moment. It’s horrendous. And they want some sort of Pied Piper solution to drag them away and rehabilitate them. I mean, they’re stark raving mad, aren’t they?
Prime Minister: Oh, it’s pretty dopey. It's pretty dopey. And the devastation and heartbreak that's being experienced by, by farmers in New South Wales, it's just so hard to see. We've been, like, we've been through drought, we’ve been through fires. We've gone, I was up in, up around the Manning River floods recently on the mid-north coast. And now we've got this, and it is just one thing after another. And I, apart from the comments, being, I think very, again, insensitive, to the plight that those farmers are going through, I just think they’re pretty dopey. The New South Wales Government’s dealing with that and good for them. Good on Gladys for getting on about that. It's, you know, it’s in New South Wales. And if they need help, they'll ask for it, but they're on it. So good on to them.
Hadley: Okay. I've said this to the Premier, I’ve said it to the Queensland Premier. You still find the energy to stump up every day, all of you. I mean, I think the day that COVID no longer is a problem in Australia or across the world will be a day that perhaps it's a bit like Bob Hawke saying after the America's Cup win of the 80s, everyone can have a day off. And if the boss won't give you a day off today, they're not much good.
Prime Minister: Yeah, well, I think sadly, I think that day’s still some way away. I mean, we're doing, we’re doing really well here, and I've spent most of this week when I've been meeting with people - I was up in Gladstone earlier in the week and down through Brissy, down in Melbourne at the moment - and what Australians have done, particularly small business owners have done to get, you know, to just hold their staff together, of course, JobKeeper all that, that all helped them. But all of those policies would, basically had they, had one assumption that Australians were going to persist, they were going to look after each other, they were going to keep pressing ahead, and that's what they've done. So I'm incredibly grateful for the way that Australians have just pressed on. Yeah a few people here and there had a bit of a whinge. But overwhelmingly Australians have been just absolutely amazing. And that's the secret to our success.
Hadley: You see, I think, what the point you made through the conversation earlier was we've been so successful and we think we're totally immune from it, and that's where that 29 per cent figure comes from. For herd immunity we need to be over 90 per cent. But I think because of that success and the zero cases in the community, which I read out every day …
Prime Minister: … Yeah …
Hadley: … people became a bit apathetic. I mean, it’ll only take one outbreak somewhere. And we've dodged a bullet in New South Wales. We've dodged a bullet in other areas. And let's hope we keep dodging them. But one more outbreak and it could go the other way.
Prime Minister: Well, we saw that in Victoria and we're seeing it in Singapore at the moment. They’re shutting things down and Singapore's done very, very well. In Taiwan, a country that has done extraordinarily well, they’re going into restrictions, I think, for the first time. So the virus is a, is quite a, quite an opponent. And the only person I'm fighting is the virus. That's my job as Prime Minister. Others might want to fight with me. But I'll keep fighting the virus on behalf of Australians.
Hadley: Alright, as always, thanks for your time. We appreciate it.
Prime Minister: Thanks a lot, Ray. Good to chat, cheers.
Hadley: All the best.
Interview with Richard and Shanna, 2HD Newcastle
19 May 2021
RICHARD: Good morning, Prime Minister.
SHANNA: Good morning.
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Good to be with you, too. Good day for the Hunter.
RICHARD: Yes and, well a great day for the Hunter. So it's definitely happening this, this gas-fired power station at Kurri Kurri on the old Hydro site, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, it is. And it's going to bring with it some 600 new jobs during peak construction there and 1,200 indirect jobs across the state. Importantly, it's going to keep the pressure down on electricity prices across New South Wales, in particular. But in addition to that, a gas-fired power station is actually, works in together with our renewables strategy because it supports and firms up all the renewable energy that's coming onto the market. We’ve got a lot of renewable energy coming in, but when the wind doesn't blow in and the sun doesn't shine, well you need the gas-fired power plants to be able to make up that difference and ensure that you keep the lights on and you keep prices down. So it all works together as part of a plan. But I think it's great for the Hunter and it comes on the back of the more than $60 million I announced when I was up there the other day to widen the Newcastle Airport. So all good news for the Hunter.
SHANNA: Prime Minister, just on the cheaper electricity prices. Our emails, our listeners have emailed in this morning and they want to know, how is this going to guarantee, though, to deliver cheaper electricity prices?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, because it increases the supply of reliable energy. And when you've got Liddell coming out at some 1,000 megawatts, then that reduces the supply and that puts pressure on prices going up. So we were saying, well, if a thousand’s coming out, we need a thousand to come on. And the industry have delivered around 330 megawatts. And this puts the balance of the 660 megawatts back into the system to ensure that we can keep that downward pressure on power prices. And since the last election, we've seen a 13 per cent average fall in, in household prices since the last election. And so prices are not going up like they were some years ago. We've been getting that pressure on them through what we've done with the retailer guarantee and all of these things. But we've got to keep the pressure on, and that's what this is about.
RICHARD: Right. And just to clarify, it's what we call a peaking plant. So it'll only be turned on, turned on when it's needed, and, and that's the advantage of gas over coal. It's very easy to turn it on and turn it off.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah. That's exactly right. That's exactly right. So that means you're using your renewables when you can, and there's a lot of additional capacity coming on there. But then, you know, the lights go out when you can't turn one of these things on. And with the others, you've got to keep them running all the time. So that's why, you know, gas is a great transition fuel for Australia as part of what we're doing on the, on the changing nature of our energy market. So, you know, it's a very, it's been worked through very finely by the Snowy Hydro Corporation who do a great job. And, and they're stepping up and I basically said, well, let the big energy companies have the first crack at this. But if they're not going to turn up, then we will.
SHANNA: Is there a timeframe, Prime Minister, when the project will be complete, and how much is it going to cost the taxpayer, the project?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're putting in an additional $600 million into the Snowy Hydro Corporation to ensure that they can, they can do this. And we understand that they'll have this done by the end of 2023.
RICHARD: And, and, where will the gas come from? There was a report the other day saying that there is at this stage no gas supply for that proposed plant and it might have to run on diesel fuel for at least six months.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's a contingency, and we don't necessarily anticipate that contingency having to be realised. And those elements of the project will be settled in the months ahead.
RICHARD: When, while we're talking about gas, it's been, I think, now three months since the PEP 11 exploration licence expired off the coast. I think all the New South Wales ministers, well, and certainly MPs along the Eastern Seaboard, don't want it. You've said you don't want it.
PRIME MINISTER: That’s right.
RICHARD: And yet our Resources Minister Keith Pitt has not yet made a decision on, on the PEP 11 exploration licence.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think I've been pretty clear about what my view is and the Government's view is. So I ...
RICHARD: Well, why, why hasn’t a decision been announced?
PRIME MINISTER: There's a process that it's following that, look I've made it pretty clear about what my view is and what the Government's view is, and I think people take a lot of confidence from that.
RICHARD: Well, it's been three months since the licence expired.
SHANNA: Yeah, the 12th of February.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, and what you've seen is it hasn't been renewed.
RICHARD: Right. Okay.
SHANNA: Prime Minister, what would you say in response to Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese’s recent comments that your Government's failed Australian citizens who are still stranded overseas due to COVID-19?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it’s just the facts don't bear that up. He says lots of things that aren't true. We've had, you know, 166,000 people have come back to Australia, when we were trying to get back just 26,800. Last September I said we're going to work to get people home who were registered with us at that time. That was 26,800, 166,000 people have come back since that time. Multiple flights that we've run to bring Australians home, it's a big task. People have gone overseas, they've found themselves in difficulty. Like in any case, we seek to provide support to people in those circumstances. We're in a global pandemic, it's not easy. But we've got a hardship fund which has seen $30 million of support gone out to people all around the world, not just in India, but many places around the world, supporting them with medical expenses or emergency accommodation or cash support that they've needed. We're giving as much support to Australians as you can in these circumstances and we're bringing them home as well, including out of India. But we've got to do it safely.
RICHARD: Well, and so, so much of the recovery from the pandemic, you know, relies on us all getting vaccinated. A survey out this morning shows that 29 per cent of Australians don't want to get the vaccination. What's your message to those people that still have a question mark about being vaccinated?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, my message is more to the 70 per cent that are quite happy to go and have it. And of that 29 per cent you refer, they're not hard against it. It's only a small proportion of those who are hard against it, which is fairly normal with vaccinations. Now but for the 70 per cent of people that are happy to get along with it, and I'd encourage them to go and make that booking. If you're over 50, you can go and do that with your GP now. The State Government is setting up other clinics to do the same thing. So I’d just encourage people to get on and do it. We're over three, well over three million now, and those numbers keep climbing every single day. And it's an important part of what we're doing. It's not the only part of what we're doing. And it's important we all work together to achieve that. That's why I’m sort of disappointed that the Labor Party, and I'm fighting the virus, they seem to be fighting me. I'll just keep fighting the virus and I'll let them do whatever they want to do.
SHANNA: Now, Prime Minister, you copped a bit of flak for the red carpet treatment you received when you were in the Hunter just the other week. But you must feel pretty special because even your Sharkies didn't receive the red carpet treatment when they won the grand final in 2016.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we, we have nothing to do with that. I mean, I just walk out of the plane and whatever's there’s there. I mean, some suggestion that, by those who sort of seized on this, I mean, I have nothing to do with what the Defence Forces do when you get out of the plane. That was nice of them to receive. It wasn’t the first time that's happened.
RICHARD: No. We're on radio, it's theatre of the mind. That’s, that’s the sound effect of rolling out a red carpet. So we've done it again for you this morning.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm more grateful for the service of our Defence Force personnel, personally.
RICHARD: Hear hear.
PRIME MINISTER: I’d be rolling out a red carpet for them, if it was my, it was my decision.
RICHARD: Definitely, definitely. Thank you very much for your time this morning, Prime Minister.
SHANNA: Thank you, thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks a lot. Good to talk to you.
RICHARD: Have a good day. Thank you.
Interview with Steve Austin, ABC Radio Brisbane
18 May 2021
STEVE AUSTIN: Prime Minister, thanks for coming on this afternoon.
PRIME MINISTER: G'day Steve. And can I just send a shout out to Luke Howarth and his family today. I know he’d normally be joining you around about this time. But going through, they’ve had some bad news lately, and I just want to send them all the best on this difficult day for them.
AUSTIN: I’m sure he appreciates it. What do you need from universities to allow them to fly in international students on charter flights to start getting the higher education back up and running again?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Steve, let me just sort of pull you back a bit. I mean, the reason why the borders are shut is because of the global pandemic. This is not made up. It's real. And it's worse today than it was a year ago, and it's raging through the developing world as we speak. So the protections we have on the borders is keeping Australians safe. But at the same time, it's enabling the Australian economy to have more people in work today - despite all the challenges and all the issues that you said in your introduction - there are more Australians in work today than there were before the pandemic. And we're, in an Australian way, managing to work our way through this great challenge. It's the pandemic that is the issue here. It's the virus that is the reason for all of these things. If we had the same average rate of fatalities from COVID that other countries just like us have had, 30,000 more Australians would have perished as a result of this virus. So we'll do everything that we can do to ensure that we can start to bring back as much of that activity as we can. But in the meantime, we will continue to do things that keeps the Australian economy moving forward, and that's what the Budget’s about. That's how it's securing Australia's recovery …
AUSTIN: ... I understand that …
PRIME MINISTER: … [inaudible] these challenges, we deal with them. But when it comes to students and, or when it comes to Australians returning in larger numbers and all of these sorts of things, that will, of course, be guided by the health advice. But, equally, for students of universities and universities who have made significant revenues in recent years and they have significant capital to be able to support the type of facilities that would assist those students coming back, if the state government wishes to support their return with the health arrangements that would allow that, over and above the bringing Australians home, then we've always been in favour of that. We already have a …
AUSTIN: … I understand that. Let, if I may interject, let me, I understand that and accept what you say, but the Commonwealth has told the universities to come up with some plans, trial plans, some trial projects …
PRIME MINISTER: … Yeah …
AUSTIN: ... to test bringing international students in from overseas.
PRIME MINISTER: Correct.
AUSTIN: So, what, let me go back to my original question. What do you need from universities to allow them to fly in international students on charter flights?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what has already occurred in the Northern Territory, where they've been able to do that around facilities, get the support of the Territory Government to ensure that the health issues are covered off because the public health orders that are put in place by states and territories have to be observed. You need a workforce to support that and the facilities to make them possible. This is the same thing we've been saying to them for over a year, over a year.
AUSTIN: The State, the State Government is pushing, as you know, for a dedicated facility to be built at the Wellcamp Airport near Toowoomba. But the proposal’s been rejected by you. Given that quarantine is a Federal responsibility, what do you need from the State Government?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, again, Steve, I’ve got to pull you up there. The quarantine is enforcing a state public health order, which was agreed to over a year ago by the National Cabinet, including the Queensland Government. It's a Queensland state public health order that they're enforcing with the hotel quarantine that is in place. Now ...
AUSTIN: … I know, but they look to the Commonwealth to manage the borders. You're responsible for the Northern Territory quarantine facility. I'm just trying to understand what else you need from the state to get something up and running.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we've, we’ve written to them and told them, they won't tell us how much it costs. They won't tell them whether they're going to run the facility. They won't tell us whether, on top of that, whether it’s being in addition to bringing Australians home, so supplementing what is already being done, or is to replace it. These are the things we've been asking for for ages. This is a ...
AUSTIN: … So you want a dollar figure from them?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I mean, this is what Victoria’s done. I have a very comprehensive proposal from Victoria and we’re, we are in the …
AUSTIN: … With a dollar figure attached?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, absolutely, and we're working that through with the Victorian Government. It is a comprehensive proposal that deals with workforce, the medical controls, how the State Government will operate that facility, the capital requirements, all of this. It's all set out and we're working through those details. It's a comprehensive proposal. We didn't get that from Queensland.
AUSTIN: So you're looking for a dollar figure from the Queensland State Government on the Wellcamp proposal?
PRIME MINISTER: [Inaudible] what we need because I've written to them and told them, and we've been seeking it from them for some period of time.
AUSTIN: Let me play you Professor Sandra Harding, Vice-Chancellor of James Cook University, Chair of the Queensland Vice-Chancellors’ Committee. She wants the Wellcamp option looked at.
[Excerpt plays]
AUSTIN: So your position is the State Government only needs to provide a dollar figure on what a Wellcamp quarantine facility will cost, and you'll be happy to make it a goer.
PRIME MINISTER: No, that's not what I said, Steve. There was a range of issues that I said that remain unresolved ...
AUSTIN: … What are the other ones other than dollar figure?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I already went through them - how it's going to operate, who’s going to operate it, where’s the workforce going to come from, who's running the infection control procedures, or where is the security workforce coming from. All of this needs to be established. That's what the Victorian Government is doing. But the Victorian Government, like the New South Wales Government, Steve, is working with us. New South Wales is working with us on arrangements to bring students in as well as we speak. They're not doing it as some sort of political show out there in the, they’re just working with us, and I would encourage the Queensland Government to do the same thing, not looking to [inaudible].
AUSTIN: I spoke to the Premier's office today and they were having difficulty understanding what the impediment was …
PRIME MINISTER: ... getting [inaudible] for New South Wales and Victoria.
AUSTIN: They’re very, the State Government’s very keen to work with your office to see it happen. The impression they left me with that the blockage is in your office.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm sorry. I completely reject that. We’ve, on numerous occasions, set out the additional information that we require, and it just hasn't been coming, forthcoming. But I'll tell you what people need first though, Steve. They need us to keep us focused on keeping Australians in work, getting Australians home safely, and ensuring that we keep Australians safe from a pandemic that is raging. It'd be great to have students back. But frankly, right now, the most important thing is we secure this recovery and the jobs that people have here, and we protect Australia from a virus that is ravaging the rest of the world. It'd be nice to turn everything back to normal in a heartbeat, but the pandemic is real and happening and it hasn't gone anywhere and it's getting worse.
AUSTIN: Do you have any concerns about the ability of the Wagner’s Wellcamp Airport to take jets and process people in any physical capacity?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the planes don’t fly there, they fly to Brisbane.
AUSTIN: No, but they could. I mean, frankly, international freight planes fly there now.
PRIME MINISTER: But no, but the airlines [inaudible], and this is one of the other problems with that proposal. It's not where the planes fly. We already have facilities that enable us to bring charters in. But for normal commercial flights, where we need that capacity, this is why the Victorian proposal is a far superior one. It's actually in Melbourne, close, you know, it’s within proximity to the hospital.
AUSTIN: Yes.
PRIME MINISTER: It enables you to attract workforce, to that proposal. And the other thing I'd stress is people in Toowoomba don't want it either. The community has not been brought on board with this proposal. They're not on board with it. And where we've worked with the Northern Territory Government - Michael Gunner worked with us, he went out there directly and got the Northern Territory community on board for the Howard Springs facility. So, you know, I'm working really well with the states and territories, but they have a role in actually bringing things forward that are in a position to be considered. And when that can happen, well, maybe they should, they can look at how the Victorian proposal worked out and that might assist them.
AUSTIN: My guest is Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison. So the Gladstone proposal didn't get up, you don't like the Toowoomba proposal, some time ago I spoke with your counterpart Warren Entsch in North Queensland. He wanted Cairns to be considered an international quarantine hub. Did he ever raise that with your office or raise that?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, well we pursued whether there would be hotel quarantine that would be run out of Cairns, where international flights were coming into Cairns, and the Queensland Government did not want to do that.
AUSTIN: So there's three different options, all for international quarantine hubs and all of them have been rejected.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the Cairns one that the Queensland Government didn’t want to do, hotel quarantine in Cairns. I'm not criticising them for that. That was just that, they looked at where they had their workforce and how they could work that. I think the Queensland Government with hotel quarantine, which has a 99 per cent effectiveness rate, has been, you know, done extremely well. And I think they're testing and tracing regime here in Queensland is also very good. So I'm not making criticisms of how they've been managing it. They’ll make calls based on the health advice and I respect that. But equally, when it comes to other quarantine facilities, the hotel quarantine facilities have been very effective. And we will look at comprehensive proposals with states and territories, and as we are already doing in other states, where they’ve been able to work with us rather than seek to negotiate things through the media.
AUSTIN: Whenever I speak with business they express concern that they can't get hold of the skilled workers they need. This doesn't sound like they're going to be able to get skilled workers any time soon, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think you'll, you'll see over the next sort of six months or so, and you'll see further solutions being brought to bear there. We just keep dealing with this problem one step at a time. That's what you do in the pandemic. There's no magic answer. It doesn't turn up, you know, tomorrow afternoon. You just keep working the problem, as we have been, and let's remind ourselves of these. Here in Australia we are living like no other country, almost, in the world.
AUSTIN: Yes.
PRIME MINISTER: People are back in jobs. Businesses have been maintained.
AUSTIN: Yes, we're very fortunate. I agree.
PRIME MINISTER: [Inaudible] had 910 deaths from COVID. It could have been 30,000 more.
AUSTIN: Yes. No, I agree, we’re ...
PRIME MINISTER: … That has been as a result of the decisions we've taken together, backing Australians. The HomeBuilder programme, there's another one. 120,000 applications, $2.7 billion of support, which is unleashing up to $39 billion in investments in residential housing by, including by first homeowners, which is at its highest level in 11 years. So we're making our way through this and we'll keep doing that and we'll get there by working together.
AUSTIN: Yeah, I agree we’re very, very fortunate. One final question. In today's Australian newspaper, which I understand you read, it's been written that Australia is one of the only countries in the world failing to publicly report the number of people who are fully vaccinated. Why is this?
PRIME MINISTER: We release our vaccination numbers every day, every single day, and we've got 13 per cent of the country …
AUSTIN: ... Fully vaccinated? ...
PRIME MINISTER: … of the adult, of the adult population that we've been able to achieve those doses, first doses with, and we're pleased about achieving that. And in addition to that, we're about 85, more than 85 per cent of the way through the residential aged care facilities. We release additional information on the Monday morning, which also goes into state allocations and vaccination rates across the population. We’ve still got a long way to go on the vaccination program. We’ll still keep releasing all of that information every single day.
AUSTIN: So we do report publicly the number of people who are fully vaccinated. That’s what’s happening - number one and number two vaccine?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you can see that on the aged care figures we release every …
AUSTIN: … Okay, great ...
PRIME MINISTER: … the aged care figures we release, how many people have had first doses and how many people have had second doses.
AUSTIN: Alright. Well, that’s the last time I'll trust The Australian newspaper. Finally, Scott Morrison, how much longer you going to be here in Brisbane?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm heading, I’m heading [inaudible] I’ve been, I got up to Gladstone on Sunday and we've been here around Brisbane for the last couple of days, which has been great. I’m looking forward to coming back soon.
AUSTIN: Thanks for your time.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks a lot, Steve. Cheers.
Doorstop - Caboolture QLD
18 May 2021
TERRY YOUNG MP, MEMBER FOR LONGMAN: Thanks everyone. We're here at Taipan Hoses in Caboolture and it's a great story because Allan Sandilands, the business owner here, actually promoted his HR Manager Tianah to what they call [inaudible] Manager. And the idea was that they had a lot of staff here who maybe thought they were never going to get into their own home. And Tianah’s job was to make that happen. So Tianah went through and she helped them with the process of getting a home, getting a HomeBuilder grant. And it's really changed lives. We got how many people got involved in the last four months? 5 staff now who had their lives changed and they got that dream of owning their own home. Allan, what do you think?
ALLAN SANDILANDS, CEO of TAIPAN HYDRAULIC HOSES: It's a great result. So we started out with 14 who were [inaudible] in time and effort. But at the end of the day, to achieve 5 houses out of the whole exercise is great. We're not only working on the houses, we're working on a lot of other stuff, but the secret is surround yourself with people who are a lot smarter than yourself, like Fiona and you’ll achieve a lot. A great initiative.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much Terry. Well, thank you, Allan and thanks to everyone here at Taipan. You know, there are two things that I've always, you know, celebrated - when an Australian gets a job and when they can buy their own home. They are big outcomes in life. You might be training yourself to get the skills to get that job and then go and buy that first home. And then on top of that, to be able to save to support yourself in your own retirement. These are the big achievements. And for Allan, starting his own business here out the back of the truck many years ago, back in the 1990s and look at him now. He's putting not only people into jobs, he's putting the people who he put into jobs into houses into their own homes. First-home ownership now is at its highest level in 11 years. The Home Builder programme has been an enormous success. 120,000 applications, up $2.7 billion being invested to generate, as the Master Builders say, $39 billion in additional investment in residential construction. That is a game changer. And it has been a game changer for our recovery plan out of this pandemic. Our investment in getting people into their first homes, to build their own homes and in particular in this Budget. And our new homes initiatives for single parents, with a 2 per cent deposit, enabling 10,000 of them to get into their first home. The last election, 2 years ago today, we said that we were going to put in place the first home loan deposit scheme. 20,000 of those places already being utilised. Another 10,000 in this Budget. Another 10,000 to get the 2 per cent for single mums. Then there's the first home supersaver scheme and of course, HomeBuilder, which is ensuring that not only are first home buyers and any other home buyers getting themselves into homes that they’ve built, but this has been one of the key supports that we've put in place to secure our recovery coming through the COVID-19 pandemic. So this has been a massive initiative on behalf of the Government, and it's based on one simple premise, and that is we want to back Australians in. So we put $25,000 in, but they’ll put the $300,000 in or the $250,000 or sometimes much more than that. This isn't just about government. This is about government enabling Australians to be able to get themselves into their first home or a home that they've had built for them and their family. And so it's incredibly pleasing to know that not only has Allan here and his business been making use of whether it's the instant expensing and the other lower tax rates that are being applied now for businesses. He's making sure that he's putting people on, he's putting trainees on and he's helping his employees realise their dream of getting into their first home. And so this is an exciting thing to see that the policies that we've put in place to support Australians, to back Australians in through the course of this pandemic, not thinking Government’s the answer. The Government isn’t the answer, Allan is the answer. Allan and his employees here at Taipans, they're the answer because they're the ones who are investing in their future and the HomeBuilder programme backs them in just like the instant expensing programme backs them in. Just like the tax cuts that are already in this financial year. This financial year alone, we've increased the threshold up to $45,000 on that level, those lower tax thresholds. And we've also increased them up to $120,000. So this is already happening in this country. We’re already putting more money back into people's pockets, letting them keep more of what they earn and look what they're doing. They’re building homes, they’re creating businesses. They're employing people. They're getting trained. That's how the recovery plan works, backing in Australians. Now, there's alternatives to this. You'll hear this from the Labor Party. They want to spend more to build less homes. Spending more to build less. We saw them do that before because they thought the Government was the sole answer to this challenge. And as a result, they're going to spend $10 billion, four times as much to build two thirds less homes. Now, that just doesn't add up. The programmes that we've put in place and then supported by things like the National Housing Finance Investment Corporation, which has provided low, low interest loans to community housing organisations that are also getting on with it. Some 2,700 specifically financed through that programme for affordable housing and many thousands more refinanced. And through the housing infrastructure programme, some 4,400 additional dwellings also being supported in their development. So we enable Australians to get into their first home and build their home and support the economy and support jobs in the economy, which this business is benefiting from greatly. But on top of that, we're doing the right thing by working with community housing organisations, enabling them with their dreams to see more people in affordable homes. So that's our plan. Our plan is to enable Australians to keep more of what they earn. The worst thing you can do in the middle, particularly of an economic recovery, is to increase people's taxes or tell them you're going to increase their taxes in the future. That just kills dreams. That just kills the idea of incentive and working hard. And to be one of those people on that picture board over there getting into their first home. You don't get there by putting their taxes up. What you do is you enable them to keep more of what they earn. And keeping taxes low is a key part of our economic recovery plan that we've released in this year's Budget. Happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the Virgin CEO Jayne Hrdlicka suggesting that the borders should open earlier and you should accept the fact that people get sick but do not go to hospital and some people will die?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I understand that everyone is keen to get back to a time that we once knew. The reality is we're living this year in a pandemic that's worse than last year. I understand that we want to be able to prepare to get us in a place that when it's safe to do so, that we can make changes in there. But right now, it's not safe to do so. And we are working on plans, as I've said many times, working on plans to enable vaccinated Australians firstly to be able to travel around Australia and to be able to move around when states, from time to time, might have to put restrictions in place, but also potentially to travel overseas and have different quarantine arrangements on their return with the sign-off from state Chief Health Officers, and of course look at travel bubbles with other countries like Singapore, but we're some way off from that. And how we can bring others into the country that we need to support our economy. Now, we're putting all the plans in place to achieve that, but only when it is safe to do so. And it's not safe to do it now. During the course of this pandemic, Australia has avoided 30,000 lives lost when you compare it to the average fatality rate of like-countries in the OECD. 30,000 lives could have otherwise been lost had we not had the success we've had as a country working together. And so, I think that has to be understood. And I regret that those comments were somewhat insensitive. Somewhat insensitive and I would encourage people - you know, 910 Australians have lost their lives. Every single one of those lives was a terrible tragedy, and it doesn't matter how old they were. Some were younger, some were older. They were someone's mum, someone's dad, someone's aunty, someone’s cousin, brother, sister, friend. 910 - all felt extremely consciously by those loved ones around them. And so, no, I find it very difficult to have any truck with what was said there.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, what is the definition then of “safe”, what do you mean when you say only when it is safe to do so?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that has always been assessed by the evidence that we have at the time, and it's done by the medical professionals advising both myself as Prime Minister, the Health Minister, the Premiers and Chief Ministers and their Health Ministers. The pandemic is raging. The pandemic is morphing. It's changing every day. When you see the pandemic this year raging through developing countries, then the great risk as we're already seeing is new strains, new variants coming through. That not all the vaccines will be equipped currently to deal with. And so, it's important that we make decisions based on the best medical advice at the time and on the medical advice we have right now, it is not safe to take those paths, but we will know when it is, based on clinical, proven evidence. I'm not going to take risks with Australians' lives. I'm not going to do that and I'm going to ensure that we maintain a regime that has so far avoided the loss of 30,000 lives in this country and has seen more Australians come back into work after the pandemic than were there before.
JOURNALIST: What about vaccination passports? Is that an idea that appeals to you?
PRIME MINISTER: We've seen that operate in other countries and I think they're the types of things that can be used particularly to enable Australians who are vaccinated to move around Australia. That's one. But also, when people are potentially in a position where they might be able to travel. So I do think those things, I've seen that and spoken to many leaders around the world who have been using similar types of mechanisms. But at this stage, we'd have to line those up. I think that the next most achievable step, because Australia, with our international borders up, means that vaccinated Australians would be in a much lower risk position when restrictions were to kick-in on Australians going on public transport or going to theatres or going to the footy, or whatever they might do, family get-togethers. They're all vaccinated and then obviously the risks are a lot less and that's why I'd continue to encourage people to move on making their booking to get those vaccinations.
JOURNALIST: So a couple of major sporting events coming up, Prime Minister, where the players are vaccinated largely. The Australian Grand Prix and the Australian Tennis Open. They seem to be saying that particularly the tennis players, they're operating in an international bubble every day. Could they come to Australia and avoid the 2-week quarantine? Could the GP Drivers Cup avoid the [inaudible]?
PRIME MINISTER: I think it's a bit premature to be making those decisions at this point. What I would note, though, is it's very different coming to Australia, because in most of the countries, they're moving around in, COVID is riddled through those countries. Australia is not riddled with COVID. Most of the rest of the developed world is and increasingly in the developing world. And so, the risk profile there is very different. But those events are still some time away. And I thought that the decision they made on the Formula One previously was a wise one - largely because they were used to operating in countries where COVID was already in. And Australia, we don't have it to the same extent as other countries. And so, that is something that we certainly want to protect. But I think we'll be practical about those things and I think technology and systems are improving each day.
JOURNALIST: PM, just back to housing. Labor’s policy they announced last week targets areas of specific needs, middle aged women who struggle to find affordable housing service providers, who can't live in the inner suburbs in which they service. What is your response to that? Do you have anything in your arsenal to combat that?
PRIME MINISTER: Over $1 billion provided every year to the states and territories to deliver on those tasks. One of the things that I found frustrating working in housing policy over a long time is that every time the Commonwealth invests more in state government responsibilities in public housing, the state governments do less. I mean here, Terry was telling me that they've just sold 4,000 public housing units here in Queensland. So the great risk is, this is where sometimes the states would see Anthony Albanese coming. Every extra dollar he'd spend is a dollar less they'd spend. So nobody goes any further ahead. That's why as Treasurer, I initiated the National Housing and Finance Investment Corporation to work directly with community housing organisations to ensure that we were leveraging what they were seeking to achieve. There are some amazing organisations to do that around the country and we've also already facilitated thousands of new dwellings being built, state-of-the-art, to support exactly the groups that you're talking about. And we've made permanent, that also as Treasurer and Social Services Minister, where we made permanent our National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness. Supporting not-for-profit organisations around the country, supporting people in need. So we invest a great deal when it comes to supporting affordable and social housing initiatives. But, when it comes to stimulating the economy, getting people into their first home, it is at its best level in 11 years, and we've ensured that people have been able to save better for their deposit with the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme. Save better under the first home supersaver scheme. And then be backed into building their own house with those grants. But we put the 25 down and they put the 350 down or the 300 down. Labor's plan is just to spend the lot themselves and put it on the taxpayer. And state governments have responsibilities here and we support them to do that through the National Housing Finance Investment Corporation, and that was an initiative that I pulled together with the state and territory Treasurers to enable that. It was a great piece of cooperation and partnership and I think it's making a really big difference.
JOURNALIST: PM, is it as David Littleproud said this morning, good enough that just 999 people living in disability accommodation have been vaccinated?
PRIME MINISTER: No, we've got to step up the performance there, there's no doubt about that. We’re working with our health officials to achieve that. I'm very pleased that on aged care facilities, we are about just over 85%, particularly by the end of today when we get the numbers, we'll be over 85% of first doses in aged care facilities, which is on track. I think that's very important. And we welcome that. We are really starting to see the daily on a weekday, the doses that are being delivered, but principally the Commonwealth Government through the GPs and through the in-reach services, into whether it's aged care or other facilities. That's really starting to pick up pace and we welcome that and we welcome the support of the states and territories in doing their bit as well.
JOURNALIST: He’s also suggested that there’s been no known coronavirus cases in disability accommodation facilities. Is that correct?
PRIME MINISTER: That's my understanding, that's my understanding. Going through the COVID pandemic and particularly when we went through the second wave in Victoria, that was an area of deep concern for us. And in the area of disabilities, Australia has actually performed extremely well in preventing the virus impacting on those communities. And that's welcome. But we can't be complacent about it and that's why we do need to do more and do better when it comes to ensuring that we're getting the vaccination levels up in our disabled community. And I'll be working closely with Linda Reynolds of course and Greg Hunt to ensure that we achieve that.
JOURNALIST: They are part of phase 1A off the roll-out. When do you expect that to be completed?
PRIME MINISTER: As soon as possible. It's always been our view that we wanted to move through the priority populations. Professor Brendan Murphy has said mid-year, so we're working towards that, so as I said on the aged care population, where over 85% now and that has been the population which was most at risk. We saw that when the contact tracing failed in Victoria and we saw the second wave just wreak havoc in that state. And we saw the hundreds of lives lost there in Victoria. And they were the most elderly and the most vulnerable and that's why we've made aged care such a high priority. But, right here what we're seeing here at Taipan is a business that's benefited greatly from the HomeBuilder programme and the lift in their business, and that has enabled them to keep people in jobs and take more people on, take more trainees on. And through that same program, they're getting their own employees into their first home and there's nothing better than the smile on a small business person’s face when they employ someone, and then even more so than that, when they see them go and have been able to go and buy their first home. And the same smile that's on Allan's face is the same smile that's on my face when I see that every time. Thank you very much, everyone.
JOURNALIST: The Nine newspapers have a poll out today, that the punters don’t want an early election. Can you rule out an election this year?
PRIME MINISTER: I've said constantly, the election is due next year. Thanks very much.
Doorstop - Lytton QLD
17 May 2021
Prime Minister, Member for Bonner, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction
ROSS VASTA MP, MEMBER FOR BONNER: I acknowledge the traditional custodians on the land in which we gather and pay my respects to their elders past and present and emerging. Well it’s wonderful to be here in the AMPOL refinery in Lytton, in my electorate of Bonner. And we are joined by the Prime Minister and Minister Angus Taylor and by Matt. And it's great to be here because we have an incredible announcement. And it's all about the jobs for the local economy. 500 direct jobs here and over 500 indirect jobs. It's an incredible announcement. It's about the future of our country, it's about the future of our fuel security. Without any further ado, we introduce the honourable Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia.
PRIME MINISTER: Great to be here, thanks very much Ross. I am very pleased to be joined by Angus Taylor, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction. Also Matt and the team at AMPOL, it’s great to have you here. And Daniel from the AWU, it’s great to have you here. This is a partnership for jobs. The Budget is a plan for Australia's recovery. And recovery is all about self-sufficiency. There's one thing I think that's been reinforced over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s just so important that we have self-sufficiency. Whether it's in medical supplies, vaccines, or treatments, but also when it comes to things like fuel security. This is an increasingly tough business, margins in the fuel refining business are tough. And we've seen big, large multinational companies over recent years make decisions a long way away from here because of the technology and the upgrades that they put in plants in other parts of the world has meant they’ve made decisions that have impacted us here in Australia. And here in this Budget, under Angus’s leadership, working with the sector, we have a plan to ensure that we can preserve the refineries, these Australian refineries, Australian companies to enable them to continue to operate here with a plan to keep them going out to 2030. Now, it wasn't that long ago I was standing with Angus down in Portland, ensuring that we were keeping that aluminium smelter going. Well, here we are today on a very sunny day in Brisbane, ensuring that we're keeping our fuel refineries operational here and down in Geelong. Fuel security is important not just to ensure the more than 1,200 jobs that are directly employed, both here in Geelong, 550 jobs here, and the many hundreds of contractors that also support the work that takes place here. But the businesses and the others who are part of the economy that make up this part of Brisbane, also significantly supported by the operations here in Lytton. All of that is incredibly important for those jobs. But it's every job that sits in the transport sector, every job that relies on diesel, whether it's in the agricultural sector, the long-haul transport sector. All of these sectors are supported by ensuring that we have a self-sufficient refining industry here in Australia. The plan involves an up to 1.8 cent per litre support payment for refined fuel here in Australia. That’s out over the next 9 years out to 2030. Now, the way it works, I’ll let Angus Taylor explain it to you in more detail, but what it basically means is it supports the refinery and AMPOL here to be able to keep in business to ensure that they can keep the doors open and they can do this on a commercial basis. And the up to 1.8 cents per litre means that it allows the prices to drop and it ensures when there is pressure on prices going up, it takes that pressure off and that means it’s good for your fuel bill when you go to the bowser. It’s all about trying to reduce the cost of living and keep people in jobs and this plan is about doing just that. There are also important parts of this plan which relate to fuel standards in upgrading fuel quality and investing in the infrastructure. You would’ve seen we were observing the keen science that goes into ensuring the fuel standards that exist across Australia. We don’t apologise for those standards. It's important for people's health, and this package supports improving those fuel standards, while at the same time making sure that our refineries remain viable. And there's also support here that relates to ensuring that we have the minimum holding requirements of our fuel reserves in Australia. It’s also addressing national security, we need to be self-sufficient. We need to stand up for ourselves. And this policy, this program, this very significant commitment is ensuring that Australia will be self-sufficient and that's an important part of our economic recovery plan that’s recovering from the pandemic recession and the health pandemic caused by COVID and this is part of Australia’s recovery plan. I’ll pass you onto Angus Taylor.
THE HON. ANGUS TAYLOR MP, MINISTER FOR ENERGY AND EMISSIONS REDUCTION: Thank you, PM. Well it’s great to be here with you, with Ross, with Matt Halliday, with Dan Walton who we’ve worked with very closely throughout this process. This is a great day for fuel security in this country. Of course it’s fuel that keeps our economy moving and it’s fuel that keeps our country moving. And, of course, this is a commitment to our national security, our fuel security, having the fuel available even in the worst possible circumstances in a world that is far less certain than even a few short years ago. It’s a great day for the jobs here at the refinery and the refinery down in Geelong. 1,250 direct jobs and many more indirect jobs that rely on these refineries being in place, but of course, it’s the job of every fuel user. Every truckie, every tradie, every farmer, every commuter, every emergency service worker who relies on that fuel to get their job done. That's what this is all about, their jobs and their ability to do what they have to do in their jobs every day is what this is all about. And there's a couple of features of this arrangement I want to highlight. The first, is that the payments of up to 1.8 cents per litre depends on the refining margin. As the refining margin goes down, that payment goes up to 1.8 cents, but as the refining margin goes up and businesses like this are more profitable, the payment goes to zero. The whole point here is only to provide support when it is needed for the fuel security of this country. Another key feature is the commitment from the refineries to upgrades of their refining to reduce the sulphur in our fuels. This is absolutely critical to getting moving towards much cleaner fuel to allowing vehicles into this country to use that cleaner fuel and reducing pollution from cars. This an important commitment and it is a part of the overall package. Now, it’s also part of a broader fuel security package. Not only are we providing support to the refineries, we’re putting in place a minimum stockholding obligation, which is particularly focused on increasing the level of stocks for diesel. A 40 per cent increase in the diesel held in stocks in this country and alongside of that, a commitment to increasing the onshore storage facilities here in this country. We haven't had enough onshore storage, we are committing $200 million alongside the private sector to get more storage into place. The combination of those initiatives ensure that we have the fuel we need at all times, including those worst possible circumstances to keep our economy moving. Thank you very much.
MATT HALLIDAY, CEO AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF AMPOL: Thank you very much. It's great to be here today. This is a very important day for Lytton, for AMPOL and I think for the broader Australian refining and manufacturing sector. We're really proud today to be partnering with the country and the government on the dual objectives of fuel security and energy transition. I think it's a very proud day for our employees, I think it's a very proud day for the broader community. As has been noted, this package enables the protection of 550 jobs here at Lytton and hundreds more indirect jobs. It enables AMPOL in parallel with continuing ongoing refining operations to be developing future uses for the site and protecting critical manufacturing jobs that will play an essential role in the longer term energy transition. AMPOL is a proud, independent Australian company. We play an important role in the local economy and we play a really important role in delivering national prosperity. Accordingly, our discussions with the Government right throughout the last 12 months have been very open and productive and have led us to where we are today, which I think is a fantastic outcome for our sector, for the country and for our company. I'd like to to extend my thanks to the Government, especially to Minister Taylor for the role he has played very openly and constructively in allowing us to reach this outcome and we look forward to continuing to work with the Government in continuing to deliver safe, reliable and efficient operations here at Lytton while we continue to build for the future.
DANIEL WALTON, SECRETARY OF THE AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION (AWU): Well, thanks very much. It would probably be very remiss of me not to mention that we rarely share the stage with the Prime Minister and Minister Taylor here today, but we’ve done so for our members. Our 1,250-plus members right around the country are breathing a sigh of relief today because they know that their jobs are secure and that they've got a long term future in to the years ahead. 1,250 employees are very important, but it's also the indirect jobs between [inaudible] companies that rely so heavily on the refineries remaining open to continue to make the great products they do. It's also important to remember that as a nation, we can't ever lose sight of our sovereign capability, and if we rely entirely upon our borders and our shipping lanes remaining open to provide the crucial fuels [inaudible] we must keep and remember the agriculture industry, the mining industry, the Defence Force, our aviation industry who so desperately rely on good quality fuel, which this site and the site down in Geelong produce. We welcome the announcement today. It's a great announcement by the Government. We look forward to continued work to ensure the viability of this facility, the viability of the facility down in Geelong and we certainly welcome the announcement today.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much Dan. Over the course of the pandemic, everyone who has wanted to support jobs has worked together and I think that’s been tremendous so I appreciate that very much Dan, you being here today and just like when I joined your Union colleagues down there in Portland not that long ago as well. We’re all here for jobs, which is very important and making things, making petroleum here. Yesterday, making steel fabrication in Gladstone and here today making petroleum. We have to keep making things here in Australia. Ok, happy to take some questions. If I could just keep it to this announcement first and then we’ll go to other issues and we can excuse our friends.
JOURNALIST: PM, fuel security is an element of this announcement, [inaudible], are we still exposed as well [inaudible]?
THE HON. ANGUS TAYLOR MP, MINISTER FOR ENERGY AND EMISSIONS REDUCTION: Having two refineries puts us in a position where we can provide the fuel we need from the crude oil we produce for those essential services we need to keep the economy going. That's why having two refineries is so important. Because we want to keep that production of crude oil you referred to, Phil, that has got to continue, obviously, and Bass Strait is important to that, Cooper Basin as well, and so too potentially is the Beetaloo Basin. That fuel supply will be something we will continue to work on. It's crucial to these refineries and it supports our fuel security.
PRIME MINISTER: The point I’d make Phil is, as you know the G7+ is coming up and many of these other forums. And one of the most important issues we've been discussing amongst like-minded liberal democracies, market-based economies, is the security of supply chains amongst those type of countries. It was part of the discussion I had with Boris Johnson just last week and I'm sure there will be many more of those discussions in the months ahead over the course of the many international meetings. You have to have self-sufficiency here and you've got to have partners you can rely on as well and we're working both sides of that.
JOURNALIST: PM, just in terms of different types of fuel and perhaps Minister Taylor as well, what about aviation fuel in Australia? How exposed are we, how much supply would we have to even keep our jet fighters in the sky?
THE HON. ANGUS TAYLOR MP, MINISTER FOR ENERGY AND EMISSIONS REDUCTION: I mean, the good news is, Chris, at the moment, we've got more than enough aviation fuel. With what has happened with the pandemic, there's been an enormous amount of aviation fuel and the challenge has been to produce a little less, not more. But over the long term, that's also part of the minimum stock holding obligation. You’ve got to have enough aviation fuel. Defence has its own requirements and it deals with that separately. But we do need to have enough aviation fuel and the minimum stock holding obligation applies to that and these refineries produce that.
PRIME MINISTER: The defence reserve capability is also addressed elsewhere in the Budget as part of the defence IIP.
JOURNALIST: This minimum security payment [inaudible] to keep refineries going …
PRIME MINISTER: Correct.
JOURNALIST: And this payment goes up to, I believe, 2030. What happens after that? How do you know [inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER: Well look, we can't guarantee every uncertainty that's out there. What we're doing here is working together to provide that certainty over the next 9 years. And I think what we've shown as a government, is our preparedness to work with everybody to provide further security and certainty in the future. Whether it's an aluminium smelter in Portland or indeed up in Tomago, up in the Hunter and the work that was done there around energy prices which is also supporting them to remain in the market. Or indeed here, these are practical challenges and we're constantly coming up with the practical answers to those. I think today is another good demonstration of that. No doubt there will be challenges in the future and I can assure you we'll address those with the same application and I believe the same success at that time and in the lead-up to that time. Very good.
JOURNALIST: So is it correct that the Company is only committing to 2027 [inaudible]?
MATT HALLIDAY, CEO AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF AMPOL: So the company under the packages are continuing to operate until mid-2027. And the package is funded for obviously nine years. That's a long way into the future and it will enable us to continue investing with confidence and supporting the jobs here at Lytton over that period.
JOURNALIST: Have you made a decision beyond 2027?
MATT HALLIDAY, CEO AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF AMPOL: In the longer term we'll make those future decisions.
PRIME MINISTER: Okay. If there's no more questions on that matter, I might thank very much all of our friends from AMPOL and the AWU, thank you for being with us.
JOURNALIST: A couple of things on international borders. What's the benchmark for
the Government to start considering opening the borders? Is it a level of vaccination of the population and effectively if the States believe they’ve reached a level of their vaccination programs where they believe it’s safe for international travellers to come into their borders, could the States go it alone separately and open up designed tourism areas, or their own States, or will it be a blanket decision?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, first of all, I welcome the fact that I think Australians by and large share the view that Australia has done incredibly well throughout the course of the pandemic and we have been able to not only save lives but save livelihoods as well. And Australians want to see that continue. And I think they understand the importance of a cautious approach when it comes to maintaining our border arrangements. Now those border arrangements, it's not one day the borders are open, one day the borders are closed. That's not how it works. There's a sliding sort of scale here. And we're working on the next steps. Now, it's not safe to take those next steps right now. It's not. But we'll keep working on what those next steps are. I have talked about those next steps. Those next steps are for Australians to be in a position when they're fully vaccinated to be able to not be subject to any domestic restrictions that are put in place by state and territory governments. That they might be able to travel with different types of quarantine arrangements on their return. And also the step of, in a managed and safe way, starting to bring back those who we need to come into the country, whether it's for international students or indeed for specialist occupations. And I know we have a lot of challenges in the agricultural sector and the hospitality sector, in regional areas, and facilitating those types of arrangements. So I’d say more, Mark, that there are some practical challenges that we are working on now and finding solutions to, and you'll move incrementally. Not all in one day. But right now it is not safe to be flicking the switch on those. I'm looking forward to further discussions with the Singapore Government about them being the next potential country. Now I still think that is some way off. Particularly as we've seen, and it's a telling reminder, in Singapore, we are seeing lockdowns come back in, and that has been one of the more successful countries, like Australia. In Taiwan, I’d argue, probably the most successful country in the world, is now going through a challenging period and seeing restrictions come back in. That's why in the Budget we talk about securing Australia's recovery, because we understand you cannot take it for granted. And so we won't be taking decisions that put Australians' lives and livelihoods at risk. We will be doing it cautiously, we will be working closely with states and territories on innovative ways to keep the borders safe, but at the same time address some of these other needs that are there, and to specifically answer your question in relation to states, just like we've had proposals come forward from South Australia when it comes to international student pilots, and we've already been doing those, or Northern Territory, in terms of bringing in horticultural workers and things like that, and we're already working on them with a proposal they have around Bladin, which has been in the works for some time. These are practical initiatives that we lean into with them. But the key thing is, is the overall border arrangements, they remain in place, until it's safe to do anything different. And then we work within that to do practical things that I think support the economy but keep Australians safe.
JOURNALIST: PM, do the cricketers get a rails run home?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JOURNALIST: So how would you describe it?
PRIME MINISTER: No. They had to do what everybody else did. And they did not take one place in quarantine that anyone else might have otherwise had. That's something we insisted on with the New South Wales State Government when they were going to allow that flight back in. And we said well, it has to be over and above the caps. But that said, I'm very appreciative of the way the New South Wales Government has kept their caps high. If it wasn't for New South Wales working with the Commonwealth, on keeping those caps high, there would be thousands upon thousands, if not tens of thousands of Australians who wouldn't have been able to get home, were it not for the working relationship between the New South Wales Government and the Federal Government.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible question]
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, working with the Northern Territory Government. When I was in Darwin recently, it's a proposal that Chief Minister Gunner and I have discussed. It's been used for defence purposes, and ag workers as well in the past, as I understand it. But mainly for defence purposes, with the US Marines, I understand. So it hasn't been going unutilised. But when those contracts finish, then there is the opportunity to do further work there, particularly dealing with workforce requirements, in the Territory, and that is a matter that we're already working with the Northern Territory Government on, and the farmers up there, who put that proposal. We're very open to these well thought through, detailed, comprehensive proposals where costings are provided, and who's running the health side of things and the operations and where’s the workforce coming from, and how is the capital being addressed. And we've seen a number of those. As you know, we are working through the Victorian proposal, which I think meets vastly, I think, that level of detail that we need. You can't just sort of throw a photo on the ground at a map and say that's a proposal. That's not something we can respond to. So it's important that we do these things safely and we do them constructively.
JOURNALIST: How far away is a decision on the Victorian proposal?
PRIME MINISTER: We’ve still got a little bit of time. The information we only received not that long ago, actually. So it's been worked through by my Department, the Department of Home Affairs as well. The precise points of the proposal, there's discussions going back and forth with the Victorian Government. I have got to say it's a very constructive, positive process. There are other alternatives in Victoria as well that we know that are available there. And I think they present some good opportunities as well.
JOURNALIST: But weeks, not months?
PRIME MINISTER: It's a bit hard for me to say at this point, Mark. Once we have gone through that process in the next couple of weeks, I think we'll be in a better position to give an answer to that question.
JOURNALIST: PM, you didn’t mention the Toowoomba quarantine facility. Is it fair to say once and for all that proposition is just not going to happen?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the problem with it is, we’ve never actually had a proposal. And the details, when you compare what has been put forward by the Victorian Government is chalk and cheese. Victoria's put a very comprehensive proposal to us. Something we can actually work with. And we are. One of the biggest difficulties with that proposal is it's not near a major capital city where there's a major hospital. That's the big problem with it, amongst many others. The idea that you can just put it in the desert somewhere, and I know that Toowoomba is not the desert, but the point being they need to be close to major capital city airports. Because the planes aren’t going somewhere else, they're coming into Brisbane. That's a very long trek to Toowoomba. We have facilities up in the Northern Territory to bring our charters into and that's what we're actually doing. We invested half a billion dollars in this Budget to upgrade the facilities at Howard Springs from 850 to 2,000. So we saw that as a much better way of increasing that capacity for those charter services. So where there's an opportunity to supplement what is happening in hotel quarantine, well, that's what the Victorian proposal is about. It's not replacing what is happening with hotel quarantine in Victoria. We still couldn't get straight answers on whether this proposal in Toowoomba was about replacing hotel quarantine or supplementing hotel quarantine. So there was just not enough detail, not enough answers to the questions that we need to properly assess this. I think it's reasonable to say that it hasn't been stacking up very well, particularly when you compare it to a very comprehensive and well thought through proposal from the Victorian Government.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER: I can't hear you, sorry.
JOURNALIST: What if the Queensland Government was to fund it?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's for them to put proposals and it's for them to do the homework. It's for them to get the detail right and it's for them to put forward a comprehensive submission like the Victorians have. And if they were to do that, they could expect the same sort of hearing that the Victorian Government is getting. All good. OK. It's great to be here.