Interview with Natalie Barr, Sunrise

29 November 2021

NATALIE BARR: Morning to you. We saw with Delta …

PRIME MINISTER: Good morning.

BARR: .. just how fast these things can spread, didn't we? How concerning are these two cases and do you think we opened our borders too soon?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, let me stress, firstly, our borders are not open. The only country to which our borders are open are Singapore and New Zealand. Otherwise there are- the only people who are coming to Australia are those who have very specific exemptions and those who are Australian residents and citizens. We don't close our borders to Australian citizens. That has only been done once in the case of India in a very short period of time. But, of course, it is concerning and that's why we're getting all the information we possibly can. The cases that have presented, as you say, are in quarantine, and appropriate action is being taken by the New South Wales Government in those matters. 

We moved very quickly on Saturday. This moved from a variant under investigation to a variant of concern within a very short period of time, and we immediately put those extra controls in place on Saturday. The National Security Committee will be meeting this afternoon to consider the 1st of December decisions that are pending for skilled migrants and students. And, so, we'll obviously review all of the information this afternoon, and this morning I have advised the premiers and chief ministers that I'll be convening a meeting of the National Cabinet either today or tomorrow.

BARR: So, yeah, you've got the international students and the migrant workers due to land in Australia from this Wednesday.

PRIME MINISTER: Correct.

BARR: You're now going to reconsider that?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we’ll consider that in the light of all the new information, and that's what we have to do with this. Let's not forget that we're not in the situation we were in back in the first half of 2020. We have 86.7 per cent of the population vaccinated. We have already had 13 other strains which have presented. This isn't the first of the new strains that we've seen, and the evidence to date does not suggest that it is a more severe form of the virus, and issues of transmissibility and impact on vaccine, there is no evidence yet to suggest that there are there are issues there. But should that information come forward, then obviously then we’ll be considering that and moving very quickly, as we already have on the information that has been available to us to date.

BARR: But the, as you say, the World Health Organization is calling it a variant of concern. You've got 260 passengers and crew who got off that plane, I think, on Saturday night into Sydney, where the two tested positive, and they've been told to isolate at home, I understand. Are you confident that won't get out into the community?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, they've also- all of those who were on those flights now have to isolate in home for 14 days, who were on those flights. And that's what’s occurred, where people have been on those flights. And I’m, I know that the New South Wales and Victorian Governments will be considering further how they are responding to those issues. As you know, in all the other states and territories, there is 14-day mandatory quarantine for all arrivals. 

But at this stage, I think it's important that we need to proceed very cautiously, as we are. We have moved very quickly to put in place controls. Our borders were already closed. Many countries are now moving to put in place arrangements that Australia already had in place. Let's not forget, Australia, throughout the course of this pandemic, has ensured we've had one of the lowest fatality rates in the world. And the reason for that is we have been able to use this information as effectively and as quickly as possible to ensure Australians are protected, and that's what we'll continue to do.

BARR: So, there's not currently 14 days quarantine for normal arrivals coming into this country at the moment, is there? Do you think New South Wales and Victoria should reinstate that, given this new variant?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, other than in New South Wales and Victoria, there is 14-day hotel quarantine in all the other states and territories, and there are caps on arrivals because of that.

BARR: Yeah.

PRIME MINISTER: It's only in New South Wales and Victoria where there isn't the 14-day, and in both of those states they've put in place, working together - and I was working with them on the weekend - to put in place that 72-hour for those who haven't come from those countries. For those who have come from those countries, they are taken into health quarantine in both of those states and territories, sorry in both of those states. So, they've moved quickly on that as well. And we're looking at the cases very carefully and we're getting as much information as we can about the nature of this new variant. 

But I should stress, we have had many new variants. We have had many variants of concern. This is another variant of concern and it is one that the initial information is suggesting some transmissibility, but even that is yet is not fully proven out of, out of South Africa. And, so, it's important we just calmly and carefully consider this information, work together, take the decisions that are necessary, and that's exactly what everybody is doing.

BARR: Yeah. And, look, we understand, this is the toughest of jobs. I guess because we're going into Christmas, we've got so many people …

PRIME MINISTER: Sure.

BARR: ... coming and going and people are thinking, hang on, is there a chance that before Christmas, you're going to reinstate the 14 days quarantine, either home or hotel? Do you, do you have any understanding of whether you think that could happen?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think it's a bit too early …

BARR: Ok.

PRIME MINISTER: ... and at present it's a 72-hour arrangement with those two states and territories, 14 days hotel quarantine in all the other states and territories. National Cabinet will come together over the next couple of days, and a key purpose of that is to ensure we're working off all the same information and on all the latest information we have available. 

I mean, it is coming through at different rates from different places. And, so, it's just very important that we just remain calm. The National Plan is about opening safely so we can remain safely open. Let's not forget also that we've got over a thousand cases at the moment in Victoria each day, but the hospital system there is coping very, very well. And remember, that is what it's all about at the end of the day. The issue is ensuring that our public health systems are able to cope with any infectious diseases, and particularly any new variant that occurs. And what we're seeing is that is already being successful in Victoria and in New South Wales, where we've had case numbers, but the health system has not been overwhelmed. They’ve planned well for it, we've worked well with them, and that is keeping people protected and their health secure.

BARR: Yeah. As you say, we're going to get more of these variants. Hopefully this will be a minor one. Prime Minister, thank you for your time this morning.

PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43685

Pause to Further Easing of Border Restrictions

29 November 2021

Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Infrastructure, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Women, Minister for Health and Aged Care, Minister for Home Affairs

On the basis of medical advice provided by the Chief Medical Officer of Australia, Professor Paul Kelly, the National Security Committee has taken the necessary and temporary decision to pause the next step to safely reopen Australia to international skilled and student cohorts, as well as humanitarian, working holiday maker and provisional family visa holders from 1 December until 15 December.

The reopening to travellers from Japan and the Republic of Korea will also be paused until 15 December.

The temporary pause will ensure Australia can gather the information we need to better understand the Omicron variant, including the efficacy of the vaccine, the range of illness, including if it may generate more mild symptoms, and the level of transmission.

Australia’s border is already closed to travellers except fully vaccinated Australian citizens, permanent residents and immediate family, as well as fully vaccinated green lane travellers from New Zealand and Singapore and limited exemptions.

All arrivals to Australia also require a negative PCR test and to complete Australian traveller declaration forms detailing their vaccination status and confirming requirements to comply with state and territory public health requirements.

On Saturday, the Australian Government announced the following measures:

1. Effective immediately, anyone who is not a citizen or permanent resident of Australia, or their immediate family including parents of citizens, and who have been in African countries where the Omicron variant has been detected and spread – within the past 14 days – will not be able to enter Australia. The countries are: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Malawi and Mozambique.

2. Australian citizens and permanent residents, immediate family members including parents arriving from these countries will need to go into immediate supervised quarantine for 14 days subject to jurisdictional arrangements.

3. Anyone who has already arrived in Australia and who has been in any of the eight countries within the past 14 days must immediately isolate themselves and get tested for COVID-19 and follow jurisdictional quarantine requirements which will include quarantine for 14 days from the time of departure from southern Africa.

4. These restrictions also apply to people, for instance international students and skilled migrants, arriving from the safe travel zones we have established with New Zealand and Singapore who have been in any of the eight countries within the past 14 days.

There are no flights planned from these countries.

These measures will also be continued until 15 December.

Upon further advice from Professor Kelly, Seychelles has been removed from the list of countries of concern.

Australian Border Force retains discretion to allow people in who are already in transit to enter, but these people will be subject to state based isolation requirements.

Under state public health requirements, New South Wales and Victoria have already initiated testing and 72 hours of isolation requirements for Australian citizens, permanent residents and immediate family members entering the country. In other states, 14 days of managed quarantine is required, and traveller cap arrangements are in place.

The Australian Government’s quarantine facility at Howard Springs in Darwin is available to support returning Australians each fortnight as required.

The Prime Minister has called a meeting of National Cabinet tomorrow to further discuss the Omicron variant and Australia’s response.

Australians can be assured that we are in a strong position to deal with COVID and its emerging challenges.

We have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, with 92.3 per cent having had a first dose and 86.8 per cent of our eligible population now double vaccinated, and we have one of the only whole of population booster programs being delivered, with around 415,000 Australians having received their booster.

Australia has a proven record of dealing with COVID, we have one of the lowest fatality rates, highest vaccination rates and strongest economies in the world.

We will continue to take sensible and responsive evidence based action, led by medical experts. This will ensure we can open safely, and stay safely open as we learn to live with the virus.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-44135

Combatting Online Trolls and Strengthening Defamation Laws

28 November 2021

Prime Minister, Attorney General

Prime Minister: OK, well, good morning, everyone, it's good to be with you, I understand. We'd like me to make a few remarks at the outset. I'm joined, of course, by the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. And I want to thank him for the great job that he's done in bringing together so many of the elements of this budget that are supporting our many different communities, ethnic communities across the country. And tonight, your last night's Budget address many things, but the most important thing is addresses is the strength of our economy because a strong economy means a stronger future. And regardless of what your background is, regardless of how many generations your family has been here, whether it's the 60000 years of Indigenous Australians or those who have joined us most recently and become part of the Australian family, all of us depend on a strong economy. A strong economy is what supports our pension scheme. A strong economy is what supports Medicare, our migrant support services, our settlement services for those who've come in the most trying circumstances. Even now, as we've seen, over a thousand people already arrive from Ukraine and in 5,000 in total visas have been issued for those from Ukraine to come on the weekend, I announced 2,000 specific places for visas for those who require them, humanitarian visas to flee the persecution and the conflict that is occurring in Myanmar and of course, the sixteen and a half thousand places in the budget we've announced. For those who are coming from Afghanistan and always standing with the people of Afghanistan who have suffered so much and we stood by for so long and I'm very pleased that we're able to continue to provide that support. I said that as we were going through that terrible crisis in the airlift out of Afghanistan last year that our commitments were just a floor. They were not a ceiling. And in last night's budget we're able to confirm the additional support that we're providing into those programs. Australia has a generous migration program, always has. We've always understood the value of migration to Australia and to support our economy, our workforce, but principally because of the richness it brings to our community life. And I want to thank all those community organisations that do such a fantastic job working with their communities on the ground. I'm particularly mindful of Stefan Romaniw at the moment and Ukrainian Association, who have done an outstanding job, and we've provided additional financial support to the Ukrainian Association to deal with the specific challenges that they're facing at the moment with the increased demands that have been placed upon them because of the terrible war in Ukraine. But our communities, organisations and the leadership they have shown, as we've seen through COVID, but as we've seen through every challenge, we've even floods as we see them across New South Wales and Queensland. Currently, the fires that we've seen and the many other impacts our Budget is stronger today, and it's stronger because of the hard work of Australians right around the country. We've got more people in work. Four per cent unemployment, even lower for women in terms of unemployment. A million more women in work. And that is so important in migrant communities that we're seeing more women of ethnic backgrounds coming into work and having those economic opportunities because that gives them choice. It gives families choice, it enables them to plan for their future with confidence. And the stronger economy that we've been delivering as a government means a stronger future by being able to guarantee the essential services that all Australians rely on. It means that we can invest in the Defence Forces and security services that we need to protect Australia's liberty and the freedom that we have in this country that so many from all corners of the world have come here to shelter and be part of and to build on and contribute to when they come to this country and raise their families, build their businesses. The support for small business in this budget is very significant. The support for training and infrastructure very significant in this budget. But I know, particularly in ethnic communities across the country, Australia is the most successful multicultural nation on Earth. And one of the reasons for that, I think, is the high level of entrepreneurialism that exists in the many migrant communities over many generations in this country. So by backing small businesses with lower taxes and in particular to back them in to be employing apprentices, by giving additional skills training to their staff with a 120 per cent deduction on investment in those skills training initiatives. 120 per cent reduction tax deduction when it comes to investments in data and digital expenditure, such as cloud computing and things of that nature, we're helping small businesses be successful in the post-COVID economy. Australia's economy is a standout. We're coming out of this pandemic with 375,000 more jobs than we had going into it. And all of the communities represented across Australia will know from their original home countries that Australia's performance during this pandemic is a standout. We've saved over 40,000 lives. We one of the highest pandemic preparedness of any country in the world, ranking second on the global index with one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. But our economy with more jobs, more growth, wages increasing, growth increasing, unemployment falling puts us in a strong position to capitalise on the opportunities that are ahead and our many ethnic communities across Australia will be in the engine room of that as entrepreneurs are skilled workers, that's what the migration program has brought to Australia, skills entrepreneurship community and we're backing that in very strongly in this Budget, both with cost of living relief and a strong plan for the future. Anything you wanted to add that, Alex.

The Hon. Alex Hawke MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs: No thanks PM. I just say very briefly to add to the PM's remarks. The Government is investing heavily from a prime minister who secured Australia's borders in the human dividend of what we can now return as a country in our humanitarian program. So we are going to see more people coming from Afghanistan under this Budget and more people coming from Ukraine. And what's been so pleasing about what we've been able to do is they are getting the best of services and integration into the Australian community. We're going to see them working in Melbourne. I was able to visit members of the Afghan community who are gaining employment in critical skills shortages. We now have people from Ukraine. They'll be able to work, they'll be able to study, they'll help us meet our shortages and integrate well into Australia. But also we're able to help in these very difficult humanitarian crises that we face in Afghanistan and in Ukraine. And of course, in this Budget, you'll see a return to a Liberal National mix of immigration and a long line of immigration ministers, a strong skills mix which will see our ability to meet those short shortages. We're backing the regions where doubling the regional visas. We want people from the community to migrate here and go to our regions and live. There are great jobs there, there is great accommodation there. There is a great life for people in the regions and the Government's Budget, our Budget, the Liberal National Budget, is backing people to get to the regions and we'll get them the work and that integration they need.

Prime Minister: OK, well let's get to some questions.

Host: Thanks PM and Minister Hawke, the first question is from Dinesh Malhotra from Bharat Times. Go ahead, Dinesh.

Journalist: My question is regarding the cuts to fuel excise. How are you going to monitor, is triple ACCC is the only tool that you have to to see whether that is being passed on to consumers.

Prime Minister: The right tool Dinesh, that is the powerful tool that we have, it's backed up by strong laws and stiff penalties for those who would not be passing those halving of the tax on fuel, halving of the excise on to consumers. We didn't do this to line the pockets of fuel companies. We did it to ensure that Australians could keep more of what they earn by halving the fuel taxes in this country for the next six months. That is longer than double what we've seen in New Zealand. We've done that as a temporary responsible measure, and we expect to see over the six months the oil price fall to more normal levels over that period of time. And so while they remain elevated because of the war in Ukraine, then we're providing this temporary relief. So yes, the ACCC is the cop on the beat and when it comes to these issues, they do have the powers and they do have the penalties to be able to enforce that.

Journalist: Thank you Prime Minister, thank you Minister.

Host: The next question is from Cecil Huang, 1688 Group, go ahead Cecil.

Journalist: Prime Minister, staffing shortage continues to be a big issue within our community. What's the government's position on increasing the intake for skilled migrants?

Prime Minister: Well, I'll let the Minister go into the specifics, but in the program itself, there will be increased planning levels for the skilled intake, and that's really important. It is going to take some time as we're coming out of this pandemic, and immigration levels have obviously pretty much been reduced to almost zero that we build this program up again and the wheels of it get moving again. And that's what the Department of Home Affairs is very focussed on doing and getting the processes moving and getting people on planes and getting them here. The planes are there again and to see that build up. But I'll ask the Minister to address that.

The Hon. Alex Hawke MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs: Yeah. Thanks PM and thank you Cecil that question. Skilled migration is one of the key questions labour shortages that we're getting as a Government around the country. So far since we've opened the borders. We've seen about half a million people return under our temporary visas in our programs and that's a good number. We're still about half a million people short in our economy, but the Government's put incentives in place. We have a rebate scheme for students that's provided some very strong student numbers in recent weeks. We've seen in some weeks up to 15,000 students coming a week. We have working holiday maker rebates. So for our backpackers, you get you get your money back, that's seen working holiday makers coming in about 1,400 a week, and now we're seeing about 4,000 skilled visas coming every single week. So as the Prime Minister said, we are committed to the economic recovery. We know it's going to take the whole year for us to get back. That's why we're supporting that with rebating visa fees. I'm increasing the caps in this Budget. So for backpackers will now have an 11,000 additional places internationally so people can come, more backpackers will be able to come to Australia and be here, and that's a very significant increase in that. And as I've said, we've returned to a traditional Liberal National skills mix, which is two thirds of the program will now be skills visas for the year ahead in recognition of this fact that we have these skills shortages. So that'll be about 110,000 visas will be skilled visas in the migration year ahead under a Morrison Government, and we're very committed to seeing those skilled people get visas and come here and fill those shortages at the same time, the Government is seeing unemployment hitting now, low rates historically low rates and youth unemployment as well. And the Prime Minister has committed will continue to take unemployment down to three per cent for Australians at the same time as increasing our skills migration program.

Host: The next question is from Jai Bharadwaj from the Australian today. Go ahead, Jai.

Journalist: Thank you. My question is the Minister for Immigration. Thank you for increasing the number for parents visa. However, the partner visa numbers have been reduced and is a big concern. I have talked to a lot of community people ,they are saying is a significant reduce of 32,000 places and migrants are very young and not being able to bring their partner is a big issue for them.

The Hon. Alex Hawke MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs: Yeah, thank you for that Dinesh, so the reduction is only about the last year, so we had a record year in Australian migration history on partners so what the Prime Minister asked me to do and what we were able to do while the while the pandemic was on was increase the family program. So for two years, we've had a record level of family visas processed and most of those are partner visas. The challenge we've got and it's a good one to have is partner visas are surging. We have a huge demand for the partner visa program. So this year we still have a very strong number higher than pre-pandemic levels and we intend to meet it. But of course, we are prioritising skills as well. So we were able to do both in this year's program and we'll keep working it through. Partners will be the priority in the family program.

Prime Minister: A very important point, Alex. Through the pandemic, there were many things that were done differently and they were done for temporary reasons and they were never intended to be permanent, and the opportunity to provide additional partner visas was a good one. But it was never going to be a permanent one at those levels. And so the fact that we've now started to normalise the program again but have pattern partner visa levels, as you said, higher than it was in the pandemic. I'd say very, very plainly to you that that means that it isn't a reduction, it's actually an increase on the normal levels that we've seen from pre-pandemic levels. Yes, there has been a few years from the pandemic where we used that space in that time and that opportunity to keep bringing people in. And that was a great opportunity and we're glad we've been able to do that and reunite so many couples.

Host: The next question is from Keith Tan, Australian Chinese Daily.

Journalist: Prime Minister, well, as you've touched on, just with regards to unemployment, we are really looking at the unemployment data being.

Prime Minister: Try again.

The Hon. Alex Hawke MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs: Yes, sorry Keith we can't hear you.

Prime Minister: Now he's got, he's right, he's right, Yes, we can go ahead.

Journalist: Yeah. Yes. So with regards to unemployment rate and it been better than [inaudible] did. And on top of what was already answered before. What are, what are the measures? Are the Government prepared to do to continue to promote and improve on unemployment within Australia?

Prime Minister: Well, where we're heading to unemployment with a three in front of it, that's a 50 year low in Australia where we haven't seen and we're currently in an equal low. Going back to the early 70s, you know, when I was about six years old, we haven't, you know, we've seen it at about that level before on other occasions, but it's an equal low. And that's going to keep driving down because we're driving the economy, we're growing the economy and you're absolutely right. The improvement in the Budget position of a more than $100 billion over the forward estimates is a function of getting more people into work. It's a pretty simple proposition. People go from receiving welfare payments to paying taxes that turns your budget around. And that has been significant in what we've seen in the Budget last night, which is what has enabled us to responsibly in a very targeted way pay for this targeted cost of living support in the Budget. But the additional measures investing in skills, Australians need more skilled workers and not just in the migration program. They need to be training Australians here in more skills. So we have the investments five thousand for each apprentice to the apprentice themselves and $15,000 to the employer to ensure that they will keep taking the apprentices on, keeping apprentices in the training. We've just extended out, particularly over the next three months, to ensure that the apprenticeship programs we've been running at elevated levels during the pandemic extend out another three months so we can get more intake and that be about 35,000 odd more apprentices coming in. Skills and access to skills is the most significant challenge our economy faces right now. There are many other challenges, but ensuring we get the skilled workers, we need to do the jobs that are needed in a growing economy. And they're not just in the traditional trades, they're in cyber technicians, they're in advanced engineering, they're in our manufacturing businesses, they're in our mental health support and in our health sectors. And so Australia needs more and more skilled workers, and we're investing in that. But we've also got $120 billion infrastructure program, and that infrastructure building program is connecting Australia better, which is good for our economy. It's ensuring that Australians have got safer roads and we've got faster rail, the faster rail programs in this Budget. There's also a major intermodal hub that has been built in Victoria, which is improving the connectedness for freight, which also drives our economy. There's lower taxes for small businesses, one hundred and per cent tax deductions for both investments in skills training and in addition to that, for investment in taking on new technologies, new data and digital technologies to ensure your businesses is more connected into the future economy. We've got a $21 billion investment in the regions, and Alex makes the great point about regions and for migrants coming to Australia, go to the regions because the opportunities there are significant. We are investing at record levels in regions and particularly those where we're going to see a major wealth unlocking up in the Hunter, up in central Queensland, up in the Northern Territory, the Northern Territory is a great migration state. The Chief Minister up there, more and more people he says, keep sending me more people. I've got plenty of jobs for them and plenty of opportunities, and we'll match them on the services up in the Pilbara. But our regional accelerator program, a $2 billion program which is investing in skills and education and training and infrastructure and medical services that is investing in telecommunications infrastructure. All of this is what drives your economy forward because we're investing in the things that enables our economy to grow. And when you grow your economy, that means you can pay your bills. That means you can continue to have the highest bulk billing rate we've ever had in Medicare in this country. It means that you can invest in the two thousand eight hundred pharmaceuticals that we've been able to put in new and amended listings on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, breast cancer drugs, drugs to deal with cystic fibrosis and other terrible conditions, to do genetic testing for things like spinal muscular atrophy. Now, all of these things may not be aware, you may not be aware of of those particular conditions but there are thousands of Australians, particularly also in our ethnic communities, who suffer from this every day. And Australia has a very strong social program and to support that, we need a strong economy to fuel it.

Host: Thank you. Next question is from Winmas Yu, SBS Cantonese programme.

Journalist: Good morning, Prime Minister and Minister Hawke, my question is sort of build on just a question earlier regarding the partner visa and family visa quota allocations. So we're seeing a reduction in partner visa to make way for the increasing numbers of skilled migrants. Prime Minister, you mentioned earlier that we actually not reducing it, but it's actually higher than the pre-pandemic pandemic levels. So without increasing the total one hundred and sixty thousand planning levels, is the Government able to guarantee like the waiting time for partner visa as well as parent visa applicants, would remain the same or potentially quicker than before? Or if not, how long were the wait be expected to be.

Prime Minister: I'll ask the Minister to address that. Some 50,000 places to support family reunion in the family stream. You mentioned the 160,000 cap. I don't think we're going to trouble that cap in the immediate future because we're gearing the whole system up again. And people, even those who have been visaed are already in many cases, some of them are still having to remain in their home country. And China is a good example of that in Hong Kong and places like that because of COVID. And so it'll take a little bit of time for the migration program to gather its pace again. But those 50,000 places are there, and the Minister can talk to the processing times.  

The Hon. Alex Hawke MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs: Yeah, thanks, PM. This is a good question. So in the pandemic, because our borders were shut, obviously, if you go to the website, processing times look large. Since we've reopened, we've been able to bring down week on week those times are falling for people in different programs, including partner visas, depending on different country restrictions and requirements. But the department will be meeting those processing requirements month in and month out. They'll be coming down. You'll see those those reflected in weekly and monthly updates. I just say the partner visa program is very well supported inside the family program. The parent visa program is a whole different program. It's a difficult area of migration, but you're looking at to you looking at a Prime Minister and a Minister, he tasked me originally with the new sponsor parent visa program, which we designed in Government, Coalition Government and implemented so that people could sponsor their parents to come here for three years, five years and ultimately with two visas, 10 years to multiple entry exit. You're familiar with the program. Every country in the world wrestles with its parent program, but we have been innovating and our Government has been innovating to allow for more family groups to sponsor their parents to come here and visit them and stay with them, and will continue to seek those innovations and make sure that's accessible for people's parents to come and go. But obviously, parents are very different to the partner program.

Host: Thank you. The next question is from Rajesh Sharma, Indus Age.

Journalist: Good morning.

Host: We're just we're just having a little bit of trouble hearing you.

Journalist: [inaudible].

Host: Sorry Rajesh, I've got your question in front of me, so I can just convey that to the Prime Minister, if you like, we're having trouble with your connection. With record investment in defence and unstable global security. What roles do you visualise for the Australia India partnership to play? And has Australia invested enough in this relationship from a defence point of view?

Prime Minister: Thank you. Australia's relationship with India is at a whole new level and the wonderful personal relationship that both Prime Minister Modi and I have been able to forge over these last three and a half years has been very important. And and it goes back to the relationship that Prime Minister Abbott was able to have with Prime Minister Modi and former Prime Minister Abbott, I tasked as my special envoy in that trade relationship with India, and that is that is yielded much and the Trade Minister has been working with his counterpart Minister Goyal, now for several weeks, has been working towards a new economic partnership agreement. I only had our rather extensive bilateral virtual meeting when I was in Brisbane the other day with Narendra, and we worked across the full suite of issues that we've been working on. We have a lot of like minded passions and ambitions, not just for our own countries, but how they're complementary that our policies are complementary, particularly in the region. Australia, together with India, Japan, the United States, we have a very re-enlivened the Quad at a leaders level and that is providing us, I think, with a stronger platform to pursue the bilateral relationships within the Quad and with the India relationship, I have focussed far more, frankly in the first few years on the security and defence relationship to build a platform of trust and strength in that defence and security relationship upon which we can build the economic relationship. I know that there are a lot of suitors to India in terms of wanting to get greater trade access into the Indian market. And I think where Australia has been able to stand out in terms of all of those suitors is one, we're like minded. We're on the same page. We believe the same things. We want to achieve the same things for our region, the level of people to people engagement, particularly with the very strong levels of Indian migration to Australia. The care that we provided for those Indian students that have been in Australia, and Narendra was was very quick to say to me at our meeting the other day how grateful he was for the care that has been provided to Indian students in Australia over the last couple of years, especially during the pandemic. But yes, we are have invested heavily in our defence partnership and I think that has provided a very, very strong platform for a much expanded economic partnership with India, and I look forward to being able to say more about that in the not too distant future. We've been working closely on this now for some period of time, and this will, I think, take our relationship even to a higher level.

Host: Thank you, PM. We've come to time this morning. If you'd like to make some closing remarks before signing off please.

Prime Minister: I might throw to Alex as well, but I do want to thank you for joining us today after the budget, there are many interviews and discussions that we have with media, around the country, but this is an important engagement that I've always been keen to keep every year and to ensure that we're communicating the Budget into all of the many communities around the country. Whether it's specific issues that you've been raising today on on matters of immigration and settlement policy, timing of visa applications. And these are these are the practical things that your readers and your viewers, I know are keen to understand. In addition to the headline issues of the Budget around economic supports, tax cuts and other income assistance that is helping people get through. So I really do want to thank through you, the many communities that make up Australia and our big Australian family, the community associations especially that really keep the vibrancy and support of those communities. And we'll always seek to continue to support them and respect the important role that you play. But Australia is the most successful multicultural immigration nation on Earth. I don't say, arguably because I don't think it is arguably, I think we are. And I think daylight is second when it comes to this because we have achieved a level of social cohesion across so many different nationalities, ethnic and language groups and religious groups that I think we are the, the standard that other countries would seek to achieve. And that is because of the good heartedness and good faith of those Australians who come from so many different backgrounds. Australia is a great country because of the Australian people. It's not just that we're a beautiful country and blessed with great resources to support a wonderful standard of living. It's because Australians are amazing and those who have come from so many parts of the world have made Australia stronger. And that's what I believe this Budget backs in, but Alex.

The Hon. Alex Hawke MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs: Thanks PM, and to support what the PM is saying under the Budget, we have some more good news for multicultural communities that I'll be unpacking with you and through you to all of the communities in Australia. And we're minded as a Government and the Prime Minister as he's moved around Australia, we will be supporting multicultural communities to resume the fullness of, of community life we've seen, you know, churches are not as full, temples, mosques not as full and festivals have been cancelled over many years and I'm announcing some grants through the Budget from the Morrison Government to support community activity. We want communities to get back to as like normal as possible. We know that it's going to need some support around the country, so we'll communicate some of the details there. But let's get some of those great applications in, we want communities to be back and thriving. Holi, I think the PM agrees it was still colourful, but it was the most muted I've seen it ever in my life because of the pandemic. We need to get Holi back. We need to get these great festivals back and the Government will be practically supporting communities with with some resources to do that, right?

Prime Minister: Great, well thank you very much for your time.

The Hon. Alex Hawke MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs: Thanks, everyone.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43683

$15 Million in Support for Women's Footy and Community Sport in Port Adelaide

27 November 2021

Prime Minister, Minister for Finance, Minister for Sport

Women’s football and community sport across Port Adelaide will be the major winners with the Morrison Government throwing its support behind the transformation of Alberton Oval into a world-class recreation and sport precinct.

This $15 million funding contribution from the Morrison Government will go towards new facilities for use by the Port Adelaide Football Club, community sporting organisations, local SANFL affiliated women’s teams and transform the ground into an elite match day venue, ready for the club’s entry into the AFLW in 2022-23 season.

“As the Club song says, ‘it’s more than a sport’, and that’s what this redevelopment is all about,” the Prime Minister said.  

“The new precinct will ensure Alberton Oval continues to be the heart of the community and an inspiration for generations to come.

“Our $15 million investment will support Port Adelaide’s plans to redevelop Alberton Oval into a multi-use high performance and community sport precinct. 

“Importantly, our investment will ensure Alberton Oval will be match fit when Port Adelaide’s AFLW team debuts in 2022, with broadcast quality lighting to shine a deserved spotlight on women’s sport.”

South Australian Senator and Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said this investment would kick goals for the local community, particularly women’s football from the grassroots to the elite level.

“As a South Australian and avid footy fan, I am incredibly proud that from next year our state will have two AFLW teams in the national competition,” Minister Birmingham said.

“We are making sure that Port Adelaide has the best possible facilities to take the competition by storm and inspire more girls and women across SA to have a crack at footy.

“This is going to be a cutting-edge sporting hub for the Port Adelaide community to use and enjoy for decades to come as well as help to further boost participation in sport and football across all age levels and abilities.”

Minister for Sport Richard Colbeck said the investment at Alberton Oval would benefit the entire community.

“We understand more than ever the benefits of being able to participate in sport,” Minister Colbeck said.  

“Improved community sport facilities offer greater opportunity to improve our physical wellbeing and strengthen social connections.

“This has never been more important as we navigate our way through the impact of the pandemic on grassroots sport.”

Funding to upgrade the Alberton Oval precinct will help support:

• the creation of a family-friendly AFLW match day venue

• a new high performance centre, including:

  • a large indoor training facility incorporating two basketball courts for community use

  • an outdoor soccer pitch and training field to support Port Adelaide’s AFL and AFLW programs as well as community sport

  • AFL and AFLW standard changerooms and other amenities including expansion of the high performance gymnasium and administration offices

  • upgraded medical and rehabilitation facilities.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43682

Interview with Ali Clarke, ABC Adelaide

26 November 2021

Prime Minister: Well, g’day, Ali. It's good to be here in Adelaide. It's great that South Australia is opening up. It’s, and I can confirm we’ve got at 79.5 per cent on double dose vaccinations here in South Australia. So, as South Australians wake up and head to work today and many of them are already out there since early this morning, as many go out there and get vaccinated today, they’ll all wake up tomorrow and South Australia will be 80 per cent vaccinated. So, there's a challenge and I have no doubt South Australians are up to it.

Clarke: Prime Minister, today you are actually sending every Australian household a letter about the importance of a vaccination. Have you actually spoken to South Australian Alex Antic to try to talk him down from some of his threats to your agenda over what is essentially state-based vaccine mandates that push people to get vaccinated?

Prime Minister: Well, as you know, Alex is vaccinated and double dose vaccinated, and of course I've spoken to him over the course of this last week and been working with him. I mean, as you know, the Commonwealth's policy on vaccine mandates is that is as was agreed by all the medical expert panel right across the country, and vaccine mandates were agreed right across the country in relation to health workers, aged care workers and disability care workers. And those mandates are very important because they deal with people who are working with vulnerable people, and one of the most important parts, I mean, we now have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, as well as one of the lowest fatality rates and the strongest economy coming through COVID. But that is particularly so for older Australians, and our rate of double vaccination for older Australians is over 96 per cent. And, so, that's been really important starting with that group. And now, as I said, with South Australia about to crack 80 per cent, that's tremendous news. We want people vaccinated, but we want people to live with the virus, but live together with the virus.

Clarke: But Prime Minister, when you speak to Alex Antic, or maybe even Queensland Liberal Senator Gerard Rennick, who who has been sharing misinformation, vaccine misinformation, do you say to them, ‘Look, these, the way that you're going about this is actually making it harder for the Government to get consistent traction with the message that it's the community as a collective that needs to get together on this, to put us in the best place possible against COVID-19?

Prime Minister: Well, look, I think I've been very clear about my support for the vaccination program and, as I said, we're writing out to all Australians and also encouraging them to now go and get their booster shots. I had, I had mine last week and I’m encouraging everyone to do that. And that's very important that everyone get those booster shots, not just your first and second dose vaccination. So, if you've, it's been six months since your first vaccination, since you've had your second dose, now's the time to go out there and book up your your booster. We’re one of the few countries in the world that have gone to whole of population booster vaccinations, and that's very important. What you're seeing over in Europe at the moment with a further wave, I think it's very important we keep, we keep rolling on.

Clarke: But, Prime Minister, the question actually was, when you speak to people like a Liberal Senator and Gerard Rennick, who is actually actively putting out misinformation, do you take him to task, behind the scenes, at least?

Prime Minister: Yeah, of course I do, of course I do, and I do publicly as well. I mean, there's no doubt about the Government's position on the importance of the vaccination program, and any suggestion otherwise is absurd.

Clarke: You've warned your own MPs and senators the disunity and instability in these final weeks will, you know, can be electoral death. Yet, as we touched on just earlier, one of your own crossed the floor to support an Independent’s motion for an urgent debate to establish this Federal Integrity Commission, saying that your Government is ignoring the will of the people and now the will of the Parliament. Do you concede you haven't handled your election promise of establishing this federal anti-corruption watchdog well enough?

Prime Minister: No, I don't accept that, because the the plan we have for a Commonwealth Integrity Commission is not the sort of kangaroo court that you see in in New South Wales where you've had, you know, an outstanding Premier in Gladys Berejiklian investigated in terms of who her boyfriend is. I mean, that's not examining criminal corruption conduct. What we want and what we've put forward is one that actually does provide sufficient procedural fairness, but one that actually does provide and doesn't allow for coercive powers to be used in an inappropriate way, that does safeguard against vexatious, baseless and politically motivated and time wasting referrals. We don't want to see these things used as a political weapon. And our proposal safeguards against that. What Labor and others are proposing is the sort of, sort of kangaroo courts that we don't think serves the issue of justice. This should focus on criminal conduct, not who your boyfriend is.

Clarke: Well, where is the legislation at right now?

Prime Minister: Well, the legislation we've had out for some time, and that's, that is our proposal. The legislation we have is out there and the Labor Party don't support it, and neither do others in the Parliament. So, that’s not going to be able to be passed through the Parliament. We've got our proposal. It's very clear. We developed it up. We did a lot of consultation. It's there for everyone to see. So, the suggestion that the Government does not have a Commonwealth Integrity Commission proposal is absolutely false. It's just that the Labor Party doesn't support it. They have an alternative model, which is the sort of circus that we see in other jurisdictions. And I don't want to see that applied at a federal level. I want to see a proper one which has the proper powers, which ours does, which has the ability to investigate these matters, but not to be misused for the sort of show trials that we've seen in other places.

Clarke: But the point that Liberal backbencher Bridget Archer was trying to make when she crossed the aisle was that this is so important that it should be debated and that if this legislation isn't being supported, the one that you have put forward, then maybe as politicians, we need to go back, take a step back and debate, do the job, and actually come to something that will deliver a federal anti-corruption watchdog.

Prime Minister: Well, you don't just do anything at any cost. You, as a Prime Minister and the Government, we’ll put forward the proposal that we think is in the best interests of Australia, and we've done that. So, there's no, there's no question about us not wanting to have one. What I'm opposed to is one that takes you down a path like we've seen in other places. Now, I acknowledge the good intentions and particularly of my very dear friend Bridget Archer. I understand how strongly she feels about this. I understand that, and I think these things are motivated by, in good faith. But, you've also got to be aware that if you design this thing wrong, it turns in to the sort of show trials that we've seen and the way that these things can be manipulated and used for political purposes. That's not what they're for. They're there to deal with criminal corruption, not to be misused in the political realm and weaponised for political purposes.

Clarke: You talk about not doing things at any cost. Given just days ago the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, who signed the original submarine deal, which obviously we pay very close attention to here in South Australia, but he described this as a trust crisis and some sort of betrayal by the Government. Would you have done anything differently to make things less diplomatically painful in how this has unfolded?

Prime Minister: This was always going to be difficult. We were, we were, we were not going ahead with a $90 billion contract, and there's no simple way as a, to actually ensure that you can make that decision in a way that ultimately isn't going to cause great disappointment and offence. That was a reality. As I've said on numerous occasions, we had alerted, very clearly alerted, the French Government that the submarines they were building for us were not going to meet our strategic needs in a changed environment. I couldn't have been clearer about that. And they sent Admiral Morio out here to Australia to seek to convince us about that. We weren't convinced and we decided not to proceed. And you know, when you're Prime Minister, you've got to have the strength to make decisions which sometimes are going to offend people and upset people. But when they’re the right decisions for Australia, then they're the right decisions to take. I understand the French Government is upset about it. I understand President Macron is upset about it. But it's time to move on. We need to go and build the nuclear-powered submarines, that are the right decision for Australia. And they’re, you know, obviously South Australia will have a huge role in that, just as they have a huge role in the nine Hunter-class frigates that are being built here …

Clarke: So, can can South Australia trust, can South Australians trust you that they will actually get jobs on these nuclear submarines in the future?

Prime Minister: Well, of course, that’s where, to the extent we're building them here in Australia, which will be significant, because that is why we're doing it. That's why the Americans and the British …

Clarke: I know that, I know that we're building them in Australia. But just to be really, really clear, for all the South Australians that are so close to this …

Prime Minister: It’s Adelaide, it’s Adelaide.

Clarke: And we can trust you on that?

Prime Minister: Well, why wouldn't we be able to, because we're doing full cycle docking here in South Australia and that, every time I've been to South Australia over the last few years, that has been the issue that is raised, and I want to commend Premier Marshall because he has been very, very consistent on this and we've talked about this over a long time. South Australia got full cycle docking right for the Collins class. And that's why we decided to keep it here because they did the work and they got it done. And can I tell you, one of the reasons why the United States was keen to go forward with us on the nuclear-powered submarines, part of it was because of the great work that was done here in South Australia on getting the Collins class full cycle docking right. So, that was the right decision for Australia too, to keep that happening here in South Australia. And I commend everyone who's been working on that project. But it's not just that - there's the Hunter class frigates, there's the Hobart class destroyers. So I don't think there can be any question, Ali, about our Government's commitment to building naval vessels here in South Australia. We're actually doing it. Our predecessors didn't build a barge.

Clarke: Prime Minister Scott Morrison, we are hard up against the news, so thank you very much for your time.

Prime Minister: Well, thank you. I'm looking forward to being with Dr Rachel Swift today, who’s our Liberal candidate for Boothby. She's an outstanding candidate and she will bring great experience to the, to the Parliament and particularly with her medical background. At a time like this, it's exactly who we need here from South Australia. Thanks very much, Ali.

Clarke: Prime Minister Scott Morrison, thank you.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43681

Interview with David Penberthy and Will Goodings, FiveAA

26 November 2021

Host: Prime Minister, good morning to you.

Prime Minister: G’day Will, g’day Penbo.

Host: Good to have you here, PM. It feels a bit surreal because, you know, you've been, spent a lot, even though you're the leader of the nation, you've spent quite a long time this year incarcerated in the, in the Lodge and elsewhere. I don’t, I don’t mean that in a sort of ICAC sense, but you know, this week we've opened the borders here in SA.

Prime Minister: Yeah.

Host: And you would have seen all those wonderful photographs of families being reunited. 

Prime Minister: Yeah, that was a real ‘Love Actually’ moment.

Host: It was.

Prime Minister: And it's been happening all around the country. I mean, it was happening in Melbourne and and now in South Australia. Looking forward to it happening right around the country. Australia is reopening and we're already seeing the dramatic impact that’s having on the economy, and with 350,000 people in five weeks going back into work, now, that is a spring back of the economic story here in Australia. And, you know, there was, the Australian economy has been arguably one of the strongest, if not the strongest, of advanced economies coming through the pandemic. You combine that with the, one of the lowest fatality rates from COVID in the world and and now also one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, and a big shout out to South Australia, and a challenge to South Australians today - as you're waking up today, it is absolutely achievable today that that South Australia will hit 80 per cent double dose vaccinated. You’ve got about a half a per cent to go, based on the figures …

Host: One last push, folks.

Prime Minister: ... I just got it today from this morning, so you're just a half a per cent away. So, if you're in, South Australians, go out and get vaccinated today. Wake up to the news tomorrow morning that South Australia is 80 per cent vaccinated. 

Host: It is funny. If a week’s a long time in politics, then six months is an, is an eternity. I reckon it’s six months since we spoke to you, and I would admit that we, like other radio hosts that week, were slightly unpleasant and possibly even bordering on disrespectful.

Prime Minister: No, no.

Host: Well, no, it was in the, it was in, it was in …

Host: Part of the mission statement [inaudible].

Host: But it was in the back draught of the, you know, it's not a race stuff and everything else. And people felt like the whole vaccine thing was just, you know, stuck. Now, I mean, if it was a race, it feels like we might have won. 

Prime Minister: Well, I think you're right about that. And as I said, look, we had some challenges, but I said, you know, I take responsibility for fixing those challenges, and we did. And we have. And now we've gone past the United Kingdom. We've gone past so many countries in Europe. We raced past the United States, and particularly we've been able to do it for those most vulnerable in our community - our elderly. I mean, our over 70s vaccination rates is is over 96 per cent, and that means that our hospitals won't be as vulnerable to any, you know, potential outbreaks or anything like that. So, Australians have done amazingly well. When I say Australians, yeah, sure, we've done our part, and Steve Marshall has done a great job here too. But Australians have done their part, and that's what the National Plan was all about. I saw it as a deal with Australians. I said, ‘You go and do your thing and we've got to do our thing,’ and that's why I'm pleased to be here today. I wanted to be in South Australia the second I could after it opened up, because that says the National Plan is being implemented. And I want to thank Steven, Premier Marshall, for getting this National Plan happening here in South Australia.

Host: So, South Australia leading the way, unsurprisingly, everyone at home saying right now. When when's the date you've got circled or or the period, sometime probably next year, when you can reasonably think we talk about border restrictions in the, we talk about it in the past tense?

Prime Minister: Well, look, we've always just taken this one step at a time, and I would hope it would, you know, be well in the first half of, you know, in the first half of next year. And we've just opened up from the 1st of December. We're opening up to all skilled migrants, which is very important for South Australia, and to students, and they can all come from the 1st of December if they’re double vaccinated. We've opened up fully to people coming from Singapore, from the 1st of December fully from Japan and Korea, and we're looking to see what more we can add to that before the end of the year. We're obviously watching closely what's happening in Europe and North America because they're going through another wave. So, we’ve worked pretty hard, very hard to get to where we are, and we don't want to put that at risk. Now, my motto’s been, open safely so you can stay safely open. That's what the National Plan is about. I, particularly in a state like South Australia, which has been so successful in not having the COVID impacts that we've had in in the eastern states, particularly New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT, you know, we've got to be careful, but at the same time, we have to move forward. I mean, you wrote, you've written about it today, David, and it was a great piece, vintage Penbo, going back to your days at The Daily Tele. I think many more years ago ...

Host: Flattery will get you everywhere, Prime Minister.

Prime Minister: … when we first met many years ago. But you know, that is right. We've got to live with this virus and we've got to live together with this virus, too. I mean, you know, once, that's the whole point of getting everybody vaccinated. 

Host: But does it worry you then, PM, to hear Mark McGowan say yesterday, ‘Oh, we're keeping a close eye on SA.’ There’s, you know, there’s three cases, three cases, three cases since November 23. He's quite seriously raised the prospect of shutting the border to South Australia now that we've reopened. 

Prime Minister: Well, I think the experience of the rest of the country will be its own testimony. It will show, as we’re already seeing, as I said, 350,000 people getting back into work. Now, I know in the West and, you know, they've done a great job, just like here with Steven Marshall, in keeping people safe. And, you know, the Western Australian economy works, you know, different to many others. And it is an economy with a very big mining sector and and can support itself, but it can't do that forever. And I I'm quite sure that Premier McGowan understands that. But, you know, once you hit, I mean, they're not at 80 per cent yet either, they’ve still got a bit of work to do. So, when I'm asked about it that in the West, well, the first answer to that question is we've got to get to 80 per cent. And, so, let's get there in WA, let's get there in Queensland, and as South Australia can get there today, and that means you can, you can move forward, Australians can step forward and, frankly, governments can step back. 

Host: You’ve come to South Australia on a day when newspapers right around the country are telling the story, well News Limited papers the very least still, but Chinese spy ship that was in the economic zone off of Darwin, spent a bit of time in September and August off of Sydney as well, having a look at things that weren't, there was no naval operation going on, but they were clearly taking a little bit of a peak. It coincides with the Indonesian Government beginning to bristle about some of the deep sea mapping that's going on in their territorial waters. Is this, are we starting to see the sort of South China Sea style belligerence of China in our own neck of the woods?

Prime Minister: Well, they were in the economic zone and, of course, we knew who were there. I mean, they can be in those areas, just like we can be in the South China Sea. And, so, we don't make an argument about that. And, you know, that's entirely consistent with the rule of international law. But, it also does, you know, very, I think, firmly highlight the nature of what's going on in the Indo-Pacific. I mean, people aren't making this up. I mean, what is going on in the Indo-Pacific is real. It does mean that Australia has to be on its guard. It does mean that Australia has to stand up for its interests and stand up to those who want to coerce us, who want to slap unfair trade sanctions on our wine and things like that, which has an impact, particularly here in South Australia, and our Government is standing up to that. And when I was in between those long stints at the Lodge and I was meeting with others around the world at the, both when I was in Rome at the G20, but also earlier that year at the G7, the rest of the world, liberal democracies, are so proud of what Australia has done in standing up for itself. I mean, if we didn't do it, who else was going to do it? And we did stand up for it, whether it was on COVID or whether it's been on these trade issues or whether it's been on the coercion. I mean, right now, quite sadly, we're seeing a very upsetting situation up in the Solomon Islands. And yesterday we made a decision to send AFP and ADF personnel up there to get to, to restore peace and stability. But, you know what I, as difficult as that situation was, and you never take these decisions lightly because it is a dangerous situation. The Solomon Islands reached out to us first. They reached out to us as family because they trust us, and we've worked hard for that trust in the Pacific. And that's important because they're family. But it's also important because that is our region and we're standing up to secure our region with our partners, our friends, our family and allies. 

Host: Is that what you get, though, for for adopting the position of standing up, as you say, you get Chinese warships on your doorstep?

Prime Minister: Well, you've got to be who you are and you've got to stand up for what you believe in. And that honestly takes a lot of strength. It takes a lot of persistence. You've got to put up with a, with the, I remember when we first started doing this, people were accusing us of being racist. I mean, that was ridiculous. We're standing up for Australia's interests. There might be others who want to join the chorus of those who might want to attack Australia. But, as Prime Minister, that's your first duty - stand up for Australia and stand up to those who who want to coerce you.

Host: Speaking of standing up to those who want to coerce you, PM, how’s Alex Antic and the rest of the gang? Can you, can you get them all back in the tent?

Prime Minister: Yeah, look, look, there's a lot of games in Parliament this week. You guys are very familiar with all that and, you know, people get very focused on all the games. But what's important is that, as Prime Minister and as a Government, we don't get distracted by all the political theatre. I mean, there was a lot of showboating going on over the course of the last week, right across the Parliament, there were all sorts of games going on. But, you know, we were dealing with serious issues and we're dealing with serious things like we were just talking about, issues around national security and the threats that present there, dealing with the very serious issue we were doing with the Solomon Islands ...

Host: But could it affect, could it affect the, could it affect your ability to do all those things? I mean, is it that serious that it ...

Prime Minister: No, look, I was engaging, particularly with Alex, over the course of the week, obviously a Senator for South Australia. You know, the whole point of the Parliament, and this is the thing about the Liberal Party, you know, we’re, they're not a bunch of drones. They're not a bunch of, you know, just warm bodies that we move around in the Parliament. They, you know, they come to Canberra. They come to Parliament with strong views and beliefs. They listen to their community. They raise issues. And as Prime Minister, I've always sought to respect that. I might not always agree with them, but I always listen to them. And and we work through some issues this week and we've improved some things, and particularly in relation to the indemnity scheme, because on the indemnity scheme, I mean, vaccinations have gone very well here, but of course, with any vaccination program, there will be some adverse reactions that people will have. I don't mean politically, I mean physically. And we need to ensure that the the scheme that we have to support them is adequate and we've strengthened that. And I think that was a good outcome.

Host: Well, PM, we thank you for coming in today. I've got to say it feels a little bit odd and otherworldly sitting here like, you know, two feet away from each other, even the, even the nation's leaders spent a large part of 2021 locked, locked up at the Lodge.

Prime Minister: We did, looking like, looking at screens like the one you've got in here. I was, in fact, I was just on one last night with Asian and European leaders, and there we all were doing the whole Zoom thing, but it has been great getting back. I mean, Cabinet is all sitting around the one table now, and I think that's a positive thing. But it's great to be back here in South Australia. Congratulations for opening up and that one last challenge - if you haven’t been vaccinated in South Australia, get out there today. Let's wake up to the news tomorrow that 80 per cent of South Australians have been vaccinated. Well done, South Australia.

Host: Good stuff.

Prime Minister: [Inaudible] get one of those shirazes you like so much down [inaudible].

Host: Oh yeah, they’re pretty good, hard to buy a bad one here in SA.

Prime Minister: It is, it is.

Host: Dave will have some recommendations for you, don’t worry about that.

Host: I’ll write down a short list for you after the interview finishes. 

Prime Minister: Good to see you guys.

Host: Thanks. 

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43678

Townsville Small Business Awarded Outstanding Veterans' Employer Of The Year

25 November 2021

Prime Minister, Minister for Veteran's Affairs, Minister for Defence Personnel, Federal Member for Herbert

Australian Expedition Vehicles (AEV) has been named the Outstanding Veterans’ Employer of the Year in the 2021 Prime Minister’s Veterans’ Employment Awards.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Townsville-based business had been recognised for its exceptional support of veteran employees, after previously winning this year’s Veterans’ Employer of the Year small business.

“AEV is a worthy recipient of Outstanding Veterans’ Employer of the Year, with veterans making up around 50 per cent of the AEV workforce,” the Prime Minister said.

“AEV design, build and deliver specialised military and civilian off-roads vehicles as well as vehicle engineering, modification and maintenance support services, providing the perfect opportunity for the men and women who have served in the Australian Defence Force to transition their skills to the civilian workforce.

“It fills me with great pride to see a local Queensland business providing targeted employment opportunities for veterans and working with employees to adapt jobs to the needs of the veteran. It’s businesses like AEV that provide hope and support for anyone wishing to translate those skills learned in the ADF.

“I want to congratulate AEV for creating a workplace where veterans not only thrive, but where they gain qualifications and share their skills with others.”

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel Andrew Gee praised the Townsville business on its significant achievement.

“AEV is a local veteran-owned business supporting veteran employees, including some with health issues who have been supported by AEV through their rehabilitation,” Minister Gee said.

“They are a success story that should be a beacon for other Australian businesses. It makes good business sense to employ our veterans as we know they have a strong work ethic, work well in a team and bring the abilities learnt in the ADF to the workforce.”

Federal Member for Herbert Phil Thompson said AEV is a renowned manufacturer in Townsville.

“It’s fantastic to see a local veteran-owned company support our servicemen and women in their transition from military to civilian life,” Mr Thompson said.

“We need to continue to do everything we can to make sure our veterans and their families are given all the support they need and deserve.”

Managing Director of AEV Michael McMillan served in the ADF and said he wants to create opportunities like the ones he enjoyed.

“Understanding the needs of veterans is very important when creating a workplace that meets their needs,” Mr McMillan said.

“They want to be part of a team that is delivering something, whether that be a product or a service, and they want to be part of a like-minded group.

“I am proud we have created a business where we make sure the role fits the veteran, their skillset, help them gain qualifications and where they can see opportunities once they leave the ADF.”

This year the Australian Government is investing $11.7 billion to support more than 336,000 veterans and their families across the country.

More than $17 million has been provided to establish the Joint Transition Authority to better prepare and support our ADF personnel and their families as they transition to civilian life.

The Government also provides veterans with free mental health care for life, and has expanded access to the 24/7 counselling services for both veterans and their families.

Find out more about the AEV commitment to veteran employment here.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43675

Solomon Islands

25 November 2021

Prime Minister, Minister for International Development and the Pacific

Solomon Islands is part of our Pacific family and is among our closest neighbours.

We have been watching the ongoing protests in Honiara with concern. We continue to call for calm, for an end to any further violence and emphasise the importance of resolving tensions peacefully.

Australia has received a formal request for assistance from the Solomon Islands Government under our 2017 Bilateral Security Treaty. Australia has agreed to provide assistance to Solomon Islands in line with our Treaty arrangement.

A Royal Australian Air Force aircraft has departed Canberra this evening to provide airlift for members of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in support of the Australian Government response to the request for assistance.

On 26 November, approximately 40 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel from Army’s 3rd Brigade, 6th Brigade and 17th Brigade will depart Townsville for Honiara.

A further ADF aircraft will also depart Canberra tomorrow with additional DFAT officials and AFP members.

The AFP and ADF elements will support the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force in helping to stabilise the situation.

The ADF will also deploy a Navy vessel to the Solomon Islands to support the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force with maritime security.

This deployment expands upon our longstanding bilateral security relationship, underpinned by strong cooperation between police, border and defence agencies in Australia and Solomon Islands.

The Australian Government is committed to a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

The Australian High Commission in Honiara remains operational. Australians in Solomon Islands in need of assistance should contact the High Commission or for 24 hour emergency consular assistance contact DFAT’s Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 and monitor smartraveller.gov.au.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-44134

Further Steps to Reopen Australia and Secure Our Economic Recovery

22 November 2021

Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Education and Youth, Minister for Women

Australia continues to take further steps to safely reopen to the world, with additional changes to our international border arrangements coming into effect on 1 December.

Consistent with the National Plan to safely reopen Australia, these changes will ensure we continue to protect the health of Australians, while reuniting families and securing our economic recovery by opening our border to skilled and student visa holders.

From 1 December 2021, fully vaccinated eligible visa holders can come to Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption. Eligible visa holders include skilled and student cohorts, as well as humanitarian, working holiday maker and provisional family visa holders.

Under these arrangements, travellers must:

• Be fully vaccinated with a completed dosage of a vaccine approved or recognised by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)

• Hold a valid visa for one of the eligible visa subclasses

• Provide proof of their vaccination status

• Present a negative COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test taken within three days of departure.

Travellers to Australia must comply with the quarantine requirements in the state or territory of their arrival, and any other state or territory to which they plan to travel.

The return of skilled workers and international students to Australia will further cement our economic recovery, providing the valuable workers our economy needs and supporting our important education sector. 

From 1 December 2021, Australia will also welcome back fully vaccinated citizens from Japan and the Republic of Korea. Under these arrangements, citizens of Japan and the Republic of Korea who hold a valid Australian visa will be able to travel from their home country quarantine-free to participating states and territories, without needing to seek a travel exemption.

Under these arrangements, travellers must:

• Depart from their home country

• Be fully vaccinated with a completed dosage of a vaccine approved or recognised by the TGA

• Hold a valid Australian visa

• Provide proof of their vaccination status

• Present a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within three days of departure.

Today’s announcement follows earlier changes which have seen us welcome home fully vaccinated Australians, permanent residents and their immediate family members since 1 November, and follows the commencement of the Singapore safe travel zone yesterday.

These changes demonstrate the success of our National Plan, as the Government continues to get Australia back to normal and reopen to the world safely.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-44133

Work Kicks Off on Sydney's Newest Airport Terminal

19 November 2021

The Hon. Scott Morrison MP
Prime Minister

The Hon. Paul Fletcher MP
Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts

Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham
Minister for Finance

The Hon. Dominic Perrottet MP
Premier of New South Wales

The new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport has hit another major milestone with construction now underway on the world-class passenger terminal.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said today’s announcement marked a significant step in this once-in-a-generation, city-shaping infrastructure project for Western Sydney, and Australia.

“The delivery of the Western Sydney International Airport proves once again our Government’s ability to get things done,” the Prime Minister said.

“We have made this happen. It is already delivering major benefits for Western Sydney, as we knew it would, and it only gets better from here.

“The Coalition will continue to invest in job-creating infrastructure that drives investment and secures Australia’s economic recovery.

“Our total $14 billion investment in the airport and transport links is transforming this powerhouse region, attracting investment and supporting jobs for generations to come.

“Around 11,000 jobs will be supported during construction alone, and currently around one in two workers are from right here in Western Sydney, driving income and opportunity for families across the region.

“Tens of thousands more jobs will be created when the airport is up and running in 2026, and millions of travellers are arriving into Sydney’s newest airport every year.

“The airport will also play a crucial role in the nation’s aviation future, delivering dynamic global connections for the region and opening up even further possibilities for new routes and services.”

Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher said construction on one of the most significant infrastructure projects in Australia was now around one quarter complete.

“Despite the challenges of the global pandemic, work has continued to progress with nearly 22 million cubic metres of earth now moved to date across the site – which is about three times bigger than the Sydney CBD – and the airport on track to open in late 2026,” Minister Fletcher said.

“Today we announce another important milestone has been reached, with work now underway on the new state-of-the-art integrated passenger terminal, which will have the capacity to handle up to 10 million passengers a year once open.

“With this unique opportunity to build an airport from the ground up, we are able to roll out cutting-edge technology to make the passenger experience smoother and easier than at existing airports, and the security systems more effective but less intrusive.

“The new airport will not only be a state-of-the art piece of infrastructure but is an integral element of the surrounding aerotropolis and the broader Western Parkland city.

“In its own right, Western Sydney would be Australia’s fourth largest city and third largest economy, which is why the Morrison Government has committed $14 billion to the airport and vital metro rail and road links that will transform the region.”

Minister for Finance Simon Birmingham said construction of Western Sydney International’s world-leading innovative domestic and international airport had fastened its seatbelt and was ready for take-off.

“One of Australia’s largest infrastructure projects is now visibly taking shape and is delivering long-term jobs and economic benefits to Western Sydney,” Minister Birmingham said.

“Economic stimulus and job creation in Western Sydney is critical right now. Start of construction on the world-class terminal will see more jobs begin to flow in the coming months.

“Acting to build a second Sydney airport has been in the too hard basket for many years but our government is delivering this critical piece of infrastructure that will lift productivity and growth for decades to come.”

Federal Member for Lindsay, Melissa McIntosh welcomed the airport exceeding its local employment targets, saying the project would continue to create local jobs, for local people.

“Over $100 million has already been injected into businesses in Western Sydney, supercharging our local economy,” Ms McIntosh said.

“The airport will continue to provide more opportunities for local small businesses, opening up new markets and opportunities across Australia and beyond.

“This will drive more job creation for generations, particularly in the emerging industries recognising Western Sydney is at the forefront of fields including advanced manufacturing, research, and space, as a result of the Morrison Government’s investment.”

New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said the airport would boost economic activity and provide employment opportunities for the Western Sydney region.

“This new airport integrates with our vision for Western Sydney and the future of how people will live, work and travel,” Mr Perrottet said.

“It means jobs for Western Sydney and will create new, convenient travel options for those who live in our west.”

The contract for the airside pavements package, which will include the 3.7-kilometre runway and rapid-exit taxiways, was awarded in September, with construction due to begin next year. Bulk earthworks are around 75 per cent complete.

In addition to the $5.3 billion investment in Western Sydney International, the Morrison Government has committed another $9 billion for the vital rail and road links that will transform the Western Sydney region.

This includes the $3.5 billion investment to deliver new major road infrastructure and upgrades under the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan and $5.25 billion towards the first stage of the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport rail link.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43670

$111 Million Investment To Back Australia's Quantum Technology Future

17 November 2021

Prime Minister, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy, Minister for Women's Economic Security

The Morrison Government is investing $111 million to secure Australia’s quantum future, supporting the commercialisation, adoption and use of this new technology to create jobs, support Australian business and keep Australians safe.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison today released the Blueprint and Action Plan for Critical Technologies, identifying quantum technologies as one of the Government’s nine technologies for initial focus.

The quantum investment includes $70 million for the Quantum Commercialisation Hub to foster strategic partnerships with likeminded countries to commercialise Australia’s quantum research and help Australian businesses access new markets and investors.

The Hub will be supported by the development of a National Quantum Strategy and quantum technologies prospectus, designed to align industry and government efforts and unlock greater private sector investment. 

The strategy will be informed by a National Committee on Quantum, comprised of a group of industry stakeholders and experts which will be led by Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Cathy Foley.

“This investment will help secure future economic opportunities for Australian businesses, create local jobs and importantly, it will help keep Australians safe,” the Prime Minister said.

It is estimated that the development, commercialisation and adoption of quantum technologies can deliver Australia $4 billion in economic value and create 16,000 new jobs by 2040.

Minister for Science and Technology Melissa Price said quantum technology offers incredible defence industry, scientific and economic opportunities for Australia.

“Australia is a world leader in quantum,” Minister Price said.

“These investments will enhance our global reputation and help us work with other like-minded countries to develop this critical technology.

“This is a fantastic technology that will improve our lives and transform our industries like finance, communications, energy, health, mining, manufacturing and agriculture.

“Australian scientists are at the cutting edge of quantum development and our research in this important area punches well above our weight internationally.

“Australia now has an important mission to commercialise our research, particularly given quantum technologies are increasingly vital for industries in key areas like defence and national security, as flagged in the recent AUKUS agreement.”

Minister for the Digital Economy Jane Hume said the Morrison Government is grasping the opportunities in quantum technology for Australians - as a jobs creation vehicle and game changing technology for research, innovation and productivity.

“The global quantum industry is expected to be worth at least $86 billion by 2040, and I’m determined to see Australians secure their share of those jobs and economic activity” Minister Hume said.

“By embracing and fostering this technology we can increase the power of computing, as well as help create more reliable navigation and more secure communications. It’s the logical extension of our investment in digitisation and a focus of the Digital Economy Strategy.”

More details on the Quantum Commercialisation Hub and National Quantum Strategy can be found here https://www.industry.gov.au/news/new-investment-in-australias-quantum-technology-industry

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43667

Interview with Neil Mitchell, 3AW

12 November 2021

NEIL MITCHELL: Prime Minister Scott Morrison, good morning.

PRIME MINISTER: Good morning Neil, and I'm looking forward to being at Bert's funeral as well today and joining everyone else here in Melbourne at what is a really important event, I think, for Australians. And our hearts go out to Patty and the whole family today.

MITCHELL: Yeah, I was going to ask you, as a man who grew up in New South Wales, what was your impression? What did you know about Bert Newton?

PRIME MINISTER: The Don Lane Show, when I was a kid, when I would convince my parents to let me stay up late to watch. And it was always Bert you wanted to watch because he was just so funny and he was just so easy. And as I said when he passed, he was welcomed into our living rooms at a time when, you know, there was no streaming or watching that, it was on at 9:30. And it was that sort of thing and the family would come together and he was there with us. And they're my memories.

MITCHELL: Other business, the pandemic legislation in Victoria has caused uproar. The legal profession seems united. I mean, the claims are it could lead to government by decree. People could be detained indefinitely without charge, without right of appeal to a court. Would you try to block it?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, let me make this point first. I mean, today, Australia has gone past 90 per cent, those figures have just come in this morning, over 90 per cent first dose vaccinations. In Victoria there's actually 92.6 and over 86 per cent second doses. So Australians, and particularly here in Victoria, have been keeping their side of the deal when it comes to the National Plan, which is all about opening up and for governments to be getting out of the lives of Australians. That's the direction we need to be heading in. So look I really understand why Victorians, who have gone through the worst of the pandemic, the pandemic has had its biggest blows here in Victoria and particularly in Melbourne, and at a time when everybody's now opening up and moving ahead, I can understand their frustration of, you know, where governments may be seeking to have more involvement in their lives. So at a Federal Government, at a Commonwealth Government, we're heading in the opposite direction. We're about opening up and giving people back what they've, what is theirs. And they've kept their side of the deal to ensure that they have that.

MITCHELL: So, can you do anything to dissuade or stop this undemocratic approach in Victoria?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, this is entirely a matter for the Victorian parliament. That's the nature of our Federation.

MITCHELL: Your Assistant Attorney General, Amanda Stoker said that you could have a look at Section 51 of the Constitution and you might be able to take action.

PRIME MINISTER: That's not my advice. My advice ...

MITCHELL: You can't do anything.

PRIME MINISTER: This is a matter for the Victorian parliament and the Victorian Government. And you know, that's the thing about the Federation. We're all responsible for the things we're responsible for and we're accountable for them. And so, you know, we take our policies to the election. I'm accountable for the decisions that we make and what we put into our parliament. And the same is true for every single Premier and Chief Minister in the country. So we've all got to be accountable for what we're doing, and the public make up their mind.

MITCHELL: Do you agree this legislation is deeply scary and undemocratic?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, as I said, I mean, we're going the opposite direction.

MITCHELL: No, I know, but what do you think of this legislation?

PRIME MINISTER: [Inaudible] trying to free up. So, you know, this is something for the Victorian people to determine and for the Victorian Government to determine. What I'm saying is that Australians have had enough of governments telling them what to do.

MITCHELL: [Inaudible]

PRIME MINISTER: That has been necessary for a couple of years Neil in restrictions that have been in place and we've saved over 30,000 lives, but we're coming out of that now.

MITCHELL: But surely as Prime Minister, as Prime Minister, you are really well entitled to have a view on it? Senator Stoker says deeply scary and undemocratic. Do you share those concerns?

PRIME MINISTER: I have concerns that governments are continuing to want to be involved more and more in people's lives, that's what I'm concerned about.

MITCHELL: What about this legislation, Prime Minister?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, look, I'm always respectful of the Federation, Neil. I am respectful. I don't give lectures to other governments about what they should be doing.

MITCHELL: Josh Frydenberg has given a few over the years, there's been a few through this pandemic.

PRIME MINISTER: As Prime Minister, I respect the Federation. I work with all the Premiers and Chief Ministers, but the clear message about it is this – your call, your responsibility. And don't expect the Federal Government to go and argue your case when it's not a policy that we have.

MITCHELL: But would you argue the case of the people here? Because the people, I would argue, are furious about it. We know you're getting on better with Daniel Andrews, wouldn't you just raise it?

PRIME MINISTER: I think I've set out my principles pretty clearly, Neil. I've been doing it all week. I don't think government should be seeking to get more involved in people's lives.

MITCHELL: But you're not willing to criticise this legislation. You're not willing to criticise this legislation.

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm not a Victorian, one, and I'm not in the Victorian Parliament and I'm not the Victorian Premier, and I'm not the Victorian Leader of the Opposition. They should all do their jobs and I'm going to keep doing mine. But my principle is very clear here. I put the National Plan in place to get Victoria to open up. And we're opening up now, which I think is fantastic. We set the benchmarks of vaccination, they're being achieved, Victoria is opening up. And frankly, I think you should be getting on with it, not seeking to put more controls on people.

MITCHELL: There's inconsistency there. You won't criticise or be involved in Victoria, but you took direct action against the Belt and Road deal we were signing with China. You were willing to get involved in Victorian politics there and stop it.

PRIME MINISTER: No, I was willing to get involved in federal politics because that was a federal issue. The government was responsible for foreign relations and that was in direct constitution to what we believe was the constitutional authority of the Federal Government. And so we stood up for what the Federal Government had actual responsibility for. So I think it's quite different.

MITCHELL: So those vaccination figures, you've just got those have you? 90 per cent first dose.

PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, over 90 per cent first dose, which is great news and that's an extraordinary, we're going to have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. That goes with having one of the best records in the world on saving lives, 30,000 lives, well over that have been saved in our country throughout the course of the pandemic, lowest fatality rates. And we've got one of the strongest developed economies who have been coming through the pandemic, from the pandemic recession. So those three things together, those three things together, I think, show an extraordinary performance by Australians through the pandemic. We've obviously been very pleased to take that lead role in achieving these outcomes, but it's been the Australian people who've endured some of the toughest times that they've ever known in their lives and no one has going through more than the Victorian people on that.

MITCHELL: When will the other states, sorry, Queensland and WA come into, you must be concerned that the virus is going to get in there and cause havoc because of their low vaccination rate.

PRIME MINISTER: Well, their vaccination rates to be fair, I mean, Queensland has just gone past the 80 per cent first dose mark yesterday, Western Australia we're there, South Australia is already above that. We're expecting to see the balance of those states to get 80 per cent before the end of the year. And that's the mark that the Doherty Institute has made very clear in their regular advice to the National Cabinet, to all the Premiers and Chief Ministers that that's the mark you need to achieve to be able to open safely and then stay safely open. So that's what the science says. It's also what the economics says, that once you get above 80 per cent that if you have to have restrictions beyond that point, then you're actually doing more harm to your economy than good.

MITCHELL: Prime Minister, we're talking to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, you ever told a lie in public life?

PRIME MINISTER: I don't believe I have, no.

MITCHELL: How does it feel when a former mate, Malcolm Turnbull calls you a serial liar?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, look, in politics people take sledges, sadly, all the time, Neil. Anyone in public life...

MITCHELL: But he's a mate, he was a friend and he's saying you have always been a liar? That must hurt.

PRIME MINISTER: Look, Neil, I've learnt in public life over a long period of time to not have a thin skin and to not get bitter, to just stay focussed on the job. You'll get slings and arrows from everywhere. You'll get, there'll be politics, you'll get them from the media, you'll get them from time to time. And if you haven't got the thick skin to deal with that, you're in the wrong job. And it's not something that distracts me. I tend not to take things personally. I think that's a good practice if you want to be in public life. Just stay focussed on the job and don't get distracted by the sledges.

MITCHELL: So have you spoken to him?

PRIME MINISTER: No.

MITCHELL: Don't want to?

PRIME MINISTER: No.

MITCHELL: You've got a former Prime Minister of Australia, you've got the French President both calling you a liar. And it doesn't worry you? Even politically? I mean, personally...

PRIME MINISTER: No, because I'm making the right decisions, Neil. I'm making the decision to protect Australia's national defence interests, to ensure that we got rid of and didn't proceed with a contract which wasn't going to do the right thing for Australia. I wasn't intimidated by the fact that might upset some people and ruffle some feathers. And I knew it was the right decision for Australia to work with the United States and the United Kingdom to get access to technology that only one other country has received since 1958 and to ensure that Australia had access to that. And so I was prepared to make the decisions that I had no doubt was going to draw some flak and people would disagree with it. And if you don't have the strength to do that, if you don't have the strength to deal with the sledges and other things that come your way, well you shouldn't be in this job. And I certainly, I think, got a pretty good track record of being able to cop what comes and to be able to keep focussed on the job and get things done and stand up for what I think's right.

MITCHELL: Well do you want Malcolm Turnbull out of the Liberal Party?

PRIME MINISTER: That's not a judgement for me, it's a matter for the Liberal Party and I don't see the need for that. I mean, if others do, that's fine, but it's just not something I think about, Neil. Why would I spend a second worrying about ...

MITCHELL: Well because Malcolm Turnbull has written, Malcolm Turnbull has written the Labor Party campaign strategy for the next election. All they do is here's your saying he's a liar. A serial liar. There's their advertising campaign, you must have to worry about that.

PRIME MINISTER: Neil, we've spent more time in this interview talking about it than I've spent time actually even thinking about it.

MITCHELL: Well, let's get onto something else. The US inflation figures, highest in 31 years. The US interest rates will have to go up. This has to affect Australia now, whether the Reserve moves interest rates or not, the banks will. We have to see increased interest rates in this country, do we not?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, what I would say is it does highlight that we're moving into a different economic phase and the economic uncertainty that is going to come with the post-pandemic period is very real. Now what's going on in the United States is different to what's going on here. Our Reserve Bank Governor, I think, has also made that very clear. So I don't think it is a direct knock on or a direct follow on here.

But it is right to say that, and I made this point earlier this week in my speech to the Victorian Chamber of Commerce, that the changes of what's happening in the global economy means an environment in which economic management of Australia is going to be more important than ever. I mean, we've done extremely well through the pandemic to get to where we are. Next month's jobs figures, I think will look very different. I mean, the last most recent ones that came out yesterday, that was still at a time when both Victoria and New South Wales were still in heavy lockdowns. So obviously we'll see that turn around and the more recent data is demonstrating that. But you are right to say that, of course, there is uncertainty ahead when it comes to the global economy and what we're seeing with inflation and supply chain pressures and, you know, there are labour shortages now in Australia and that will put pressure on. So economic management will be more important than ever and the choices we make about that. And that's why we're for a business led growth economy, not governments being at the centre. And that's what our plans are about.

MITCHELL: But are you saying here though, the average person having just been through a couple of years of pandemic is looking at a tough economic few years?

PRIME MINISTER: Challenges are what I'd more say, Neil. I think there are great economic opportunities, too, in the years ahead. I think Australia is well positioned at a whole range of new sectors. I mean, today, making further announcements about our manufacturing plants. I mean, we've got a million people back in manufacturing jobs now. Under Labor, one in eight manufacturing jobs went. We've got those jobs back and we're growing our manufacturing sector. We've got over $30 million further investments we're making, announcing today in the food and beverage manufacturing sector, which is our biggest manufacturing employment sector. I'm catching up with the Premier later today to talk about medical manufacturing in particular here in Victoria. And that's an area which I think Victoria, and Melbourne in particular, has a real strong advantage in. We'll be talking about infrastructure and a few other things as well. But what's important is getting people into jobs and having certainty of employment, and our government has a very strong track record when it comes to getting Australians in jobs and off welfare.

MITCHELL: Well, the election is next year. You're not going any earlier, correct? It will be next year?

PRIME MINISTER: Yes, I've been saying that for a year.

MITCHELL: Yeah, no, so you'll decide, what, sometime January when you're going to call it?

PRIME MINISTER: We'll decide next year.

MITCHELL: Okay. Do you believe you'll start the underdog, will you start from behind?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think that's where we are now, I think that's true. I mean, that's not uncommon for incumbent government, on more than one occasion that's been the case. And, you know, as we get closer to that time, I think people will start to frame their decision. And the point I'm making is simply this. How we secure Australia's economic recovery is the big challenge now. We've come through this pandemic. It's not over yet, but we've come through this pandemic with one of the lowest fatality rates, strongest economies and highest vaccination rates in the world, and now we've got to embrace this economic recovery. And that means shifting from the pandemic mindset where you get government at the centre telling everybody what to do. We need businesses to lead our economic growth, not governments. Governments need to support it. So whether that's investments we're making in clean energy technology or manufacturing or skills training or the digital economy. We're doing all of this as part of our economic plan. But it's also important that we get these regulations which will impede investment, and that'll enable businesses now to move ahead. That's what's going to drive our growth, not governments telling people what to do.

MITCHELL: That's going to win it for you, not climate change?

PRIME MINISTER: Well climate change, we've got, you know, a very significant commitment we've made. And I think that sets that out in terms of our, the actions we're taking there, but the way we're going to ... sorry Neil.

MITCHELL: What's going to win it for you? People driving to work now, and a lot of people are driving, what's going to convince them to vote for you? What is your winning strategy? Is it climate change? Is it more car parks, more pork barrelling? What is it?

PRIME MINISTER: I answered your question a second ago. Securing Australia's economic recovery. That is the major challenge Australians face and Australia faces coming out of this pandemic. Your job, your business, how much you're paying on your household bills, on your electricity costs, because our approach to dealing with climate change isn't about putting the cost up of your petrol or your electricity. It's about putting down the costs of the choices you want to make when it might come to other forms of things that you want to buy, what sort of car you want to buy, or whatever.

But we're not about forcing people's choices. We're about giving people their choices and not having governments tell them what to do. That is really the big difference we've seen between Labor and I think Liberals and Nationals over the course of the last couple of years. I mean, the things that have had to happen over the last couple of years, these are not things that Liberals and Nationals have, you know, instinctively moved towards. And that's why we will move as quickly away from them as we possibly can when it comes to government trying to control people's lives. It's just not what we do. And we want to get back in this country to where governments support people rather than try and control them.

MITCHELL: You mentioned discussions on medical manufacturing, is that the mRNA facility?

PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, we'll have a discussion about that today. I mean, there's a lot of interest in that around the country. And so I'm looking forward to the conversation with Dan about that this evening.

MITCHELL: You going to have a holiday through Christmas?

PRIME MINISTER: I will. Yes, we will take a few days. Jenny and I and the girls are looking forward to that in January and we'll just be not far away out of Sydney

MITCHELL: And have a think then about an election?

PRIME MINISTER: Well we're always thinking about the best plans for Australia, Neil, all the time. That's my 24/7 job, whatever time of the year.

MITCHELL: Just one other thing I was going to ask you, looking at the US inflation figures, fuel prices are a big part of it. Do you think $2 a litre fuel is inevitable in Australia?

PRIME MINISTER: No, not necessarily. No, I don't think so. And I don't, see I don't take a view that almost anything is inevitable, Neil, and that's why economic choices that you make over energy policy is important. I mean, we were talking this week about fuel standards. Now the last election, and it's still Labor's policy, they want to have a fuel policy which actually puts up the price of fuel to try and force people to make other choices about what cars they're going to buy. Now, I think that's a good illustration of the difference between Liberals and Nationals and Labor. They want to put prices up on people to force them to make other choices. We want to grow the economy and let business run it and so Australians can make their own choices. That's what freedom is about.

MITCHELL: Thanks so much for your time. It's started, hasn't it, the election campaign.

PRIME MINISTER: Well, some people say it never ends. You know, that's the good thing about Australia. We're a liberal democracy and we love working with other liberal democracies. I particularly welcome the comments by the National Security Adviser in the United States, overnight. I think that's tremendous. Our AUKUS partnership is a strong and solid one. We work closely together with our like-minded partners here to deal and ensure we have a free and open Indo-Pacific. We're not double minded about that as Liberals and Nationals, the coalition government. We don't have an each way bet on those things. When it comes to national security, just like on the economy, I think Australians know that we've got the strength to continue to make the right decisions in both cases.

MITCHELL: Thank you so much for your time again, thank you.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43661

Securing Australia's Economic Recovery

12 November 2021

Prime Minister, Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction

The Morrison Government is securing Australia’s economic recovery by backing businesses to succeed and create jobs with a further $33 million to support Australian made food and beverage companies.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the funding was part of the latest round of the $1.3 billion Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI).

“Liberals and Nationals will continue to protect and grow manufacturing jobs to secure Australia’s economic recovery,” the Prime Minister said.

“More than one million Australians are once again employed in manufacturing and we want businesses to be successful and create even more jobs.

“Under Labor, one in eight manufacturing jobs were lost and Australians can’t risk this sort of economic mismanagement as we begin to open up again.” 

Seven Australian companies will share in the funding, which will unlock new manufacturing opportunities, boost production, and create more jobs across the country.

The investment would boost manufacturing from Kingaroy in the north, to Hobart in the south.

Food and beverage production is the largest manufacturing sector in Australia, employing one in four manufacturing workers and contributing around $22.4 billion to our economy.

Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said these grants would bolster the thriving food and beverage sector and unlock further significant investment from the sector.

“This funding will help some of the most innovative producers leverage technology to increase their production, while meeting growing export demand and creating new local jobs,” Minister Taylor said.

“Not only will this funding help maximise the agricultural advantages we enjoy, but it will also help regional Australia and the supply chains that operate throughout it.”

The successful Food and Beverage recipients under the Initiative are:

• Sabrini Foods (VIC, NSW, SA) will use $1.4 million to become the first local manufacturer to transform Aussie dairy into extended shelf life and frozen paneer, overcoming one of the constraints to export.

• Bulla (VIC) will use $4.5 million for a purpose-built facility to make new ice cream lines such as cones and sandwiches from Australian dairy for sale here and overseas.

• Plenty Foods (QLD) will use its $9 million in funding to transform Australian nuts into locally-made protein nut flour.

• Turbine Sunshine Coast (QLD) will use its $8.7 million in funding to establish a research and development centre and large-scale contract beverage manufacturing facility.

• Mulgowie Fresh (QLD, VIC) will use its $5.1 million in funding to expand its processing capability and capacity in sweet corn and beans, increasing its supplies both domestically and in South East Asia.

• Sullivans Cove Distillery (TAS) will use its $3.3 million in funding to help build its new state-of-the-art production facility, which doubles as a world-class tourism experience.

• Ennio (SA) will use its $ 1.3 million in funding to develop its world-first patented technology for manufacturing nettings and casings specifically for the global meat and poultry industry.

The MMI is the centrepiece of the Government’s $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy, designed to position Australia as a globally recognised, high-quality and sustainable manufacturing nation.

Food and Beverage is the fourth stream of funding across priority areas identified under the MMI, and follows $100 million invested in Space, Medical Products, and Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Processing announced in July. 

Funding across the remaining areas of Recycling and Defence will be announced soon.

To learn more about the Strategy and the MMI visit www.industry.gov.au/manufacturing

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43660

Interview with Brad Smith, Microsoft President and Vice Chair APEC CEO Summit

11 November 2021

Brad Smith, Microsoft President and Vice Chair: Thank you, Vanessa. It's a real pleasure for me to be here with Prime Minister Scott Morrison from Australia today. Mr Prime Minister, thank you for joining us.

Prime Minister: Well, thank you, Brad and Kia Ora, to everybody in New Zealand and everyone joining us for this important session. Very happy to be here.

Brad Smith, Microsoft President and Vice Chair: Well, Prime Minister Morrison, I think one thing that's apparent to somebody like me who has the opportunity to work on a global basis on technology, is that Australia has become such a global leader. I think the country has become a global leader in the use of technology, the growth of the tech sector, as well as really in some ways, defining the next frontier in legislating and regulating technology. You have the critical infrastructure regulation, the news media bargaining code. You remain on the forefront of protecting consumers and addressing competition issues through the ACCC. I thought I might start with a question that captures all of that as you have needed to lead the government and address such a variety of issues and factors. How have you sought to prioritise issues and just to balance all of the societal interests that are at stake here?

Prime Minister: Sure. Well, look, thanks for the question. It's a very practical response that we've had here in Australia. We recognise the massive opportunities that can be delivered, obviously through digital platforms and digital technologies. That's a no brainer. And that section of our economy is growing four times faster than the rest. So it's obviously an important source of income and wealth and jobs for our country. And we embrace it 100 per cent and we have the goal of being one of the top 10 digital economies in the world by 2030. But when you're looking at your digital sector, it has developed well ahead of where the regulatory settings have been. And we have a very simple rule. The rules that apply in the real world should apply in the digital world. So whether that's antitrust or whether that's consumer protection, whether it's paying tax, whether it's respecting content and all of those sorts of issues, I mean, we can't treat the digital world like it's the Wild West and it's a lawless space and you can't have business models, which depend on it being that, either. And so the way we approach it is to set that up as a very clear rule. If you can't do it in the real world, you shouldn't be able to do it in the digital world. But equally, if you can trade in the real world, you should be able to trade in the digital world, if you can share information in the real world, you should be able to do it in the digital world as well. And so it really is about a process of modernising and bringing up to speed all of our rules, that weren't written for a digital world, and making sure that they're relevant in one. Now, we think it's very important, as I know, you know, at Microsoft and others we work with, whether it's Google or whoever, Facebook, or the many others who are involved - Amazon - it's important that those who are creating this digital world are part of that process because if you just leave it to governments to do it, well, they'll stuff it up. Because they don't understand it the same way. And I think there's always been a lot of benefit in a regulatory partnership which sees these, these rules that are put in place, which get the best out of digital platforms, but also don't let those digital platforms operate with a free kick, ie, different to what would happen in in the normal real world. So that's how we approach it. It's just a very practical project. And so whether that's our Online Safety Act, as you said, the media bargaining code or making sure that companies pay tax and where IP is recognised and all of these are just practical issues, they're not ideological questions, they're just straightforward technical issues that need to be resolved. They're better resolved in partnership because if they're not, governments will just do it anyway. And when we will do it, we won't do it as well as I think we possibly can. And each time we've done this now, I think it's got better and better and better because the partnership has got better. I think the sector hasn't resisted these things as much as it frankly did originally. And business models now, I think, are taking into account a broader accountability and responsibility for the safety of the digital world in which in which citizens, and particularly Australian citizens, reside.

Brad Smith, Microsoft President and Vice Chair: But at the same time that you've been moving forward with this legal framework, the tech sector in the Australian economy has continued to grow. It's been an interesting, as you said, you want to be a top 10 digital economy by 2030. I think you might achieve that result well ahead of 2030. What I find interesting in part, is when you look at the Australian economy today, the two largest sectors are financial services and mining. That's probably not surprising to people who follow Australia. But technology is now the third largest sector in the economy. When you just take stock of what the Australian economy has been doing in recent years, to what do you attribute that rapid growth?

Prime Minister: Well, "getting it", for one. Understanding that that's where the world's heading, and being very practical about our response, and the responses aren't just what we've just been talking about in the regulatory space. I mean, if I go back to what we've been doing in fintech and when I was the treasurer, we created the regulatory sandbox, which was enabling, you know, the developers to be able to operate and try new products and get them to a point. It's very frustrating, I think, in the tech sector where the regulation can kill a venture before it even gets out of the ground, basically. And so creating that space and that room for innovation and the technology to, to be able to flourish. In addition to that, I think it's about getting the right skill sets in place. We are investing a lot in the digital skills of our population, of our workforce. It's one of those critical skill sets that we want in our workforce. And it really doesn't matter what industry you're in. Whether you are in the manufacturing industry, the services industry or even the high tech sector itself. These critical skills, whether at a vocational level or a high end level in our universities, you know, where we're looking to make advances in critical technologies like AI and so on, we need the high end skills. But basically your population needs those skills. Australians are actually quite good at applying technology. Kiwis are the same. You know, we develop quite a bit ourselves. That's true. But much of it is developed elsewhere. The real value comes, as you guys know Microsoft, is when you apply it to problems. Apply it to businesses. Get it utilised within your small business sector in particular. I mean, take this, for example. I mean, we've put in place our payments platform now, which is 24-7. And one of the most important things, for financial architecture, is to ensure you can get immediate payment. Now, if you're a small business and you don't have to wait seven days to get paid, your cashflow completely changes. All of your financial risks change. Everything that you can potentially do changes. Something as simple as that infrastructure investment, which is similarly what we're doing with the National Broadband Network, which is rolled out right across the country now. And the other thing I'd add to this, in addition to the infrastructure, is cyber security. Cyber security now is more important than ever. All systems are vulnerable both to, you know, criminal actors, state actors. This is the real world of cyber security. And, you know, for it to be successful, people have to feel very safe in there from a commercial point of view. And we've always given that a very high priority as a government, not just for our own systems, but to ensure we're working with our corporate sector to ensure that they can have confidence about their cyber security systems.

Brad Smith, Microsoft President and Vice Chair: Why don't we pick up on that last theme for a moment, because you have been, and the whole government has been so focussed on cyber security, including in the context of supply chains. Can you tell us a little bit about what you're aiming to accomplish when you're thinking about the resilience and security of supply chains for technology and what that means to Australia?

Prime Minister: Well, you've just hit it on the head. Security and resilience. I mean, that's what it's about. And Narendra Modi, I quote him often on this, supply chains used to be about cost and efficiency, and that is still true. But he says now more than ever, they're about trust. And that trust is about who you're doing business with and we've learnt that during this pandemic. Trusted supply chains are frankly more valuable to you than some, that might actually be a bit cheaper, because you know they'll always be there. And the resilience of those supply chains, yes, it requires their digital security, but it also means that there is a a like mindedness between partners now that is probably more important than ever. Those supply chains, yes, they have to be resilient. Yes, they have to be secure. But they also have to be competitive. And what I mean by that, particularly in the rare earths and critical minerals sector, we discussed this at the the summit, which President Biden pulled together at the end of the G20 in Rome, just last week. And both Canada and Australia were making these points very, very strong. Justin and I were making these points. That, you know, the critical minerals rare earths supply chain and what it feeds into with new energy technologies and what will take the world towards net zero, at the moment is very dependent on largely one supplier, which has the ability to apply a lot of monopolistic power to prevent other supply chains being developed. Now, Australia feels very strongly about ensuring that the alternative supply chains around rare earths and critical minerals can be developed and support whole new lists of customers that operate at various points down the chain. And this is something we've been championing through the Quad. Together with Australia, the United States, Japan and India. Four countries that, between us, can encompass entire supply chains, particularly in the technology and clean energy supply chain space. And so that is a very important project for us. We all have different roles to play in it and ensuring that we can build that up over time. We'd love to see European economies become part of that as well. I've discussed it in the past with President Macron, for example. And so whether it's in the UK or across in Europe, we do see real opportunities to develop these alternative supply chains. Because it also feeds, not just in sort of digital technologies, but it plays a huge role, obviously, in the in the new energy technologies as well. And next year, early next year, we're hosting, through the Quad, a clean energy supply chain summit in Australia. Now, that's not about getting politicians together, they get together often enough through APEC and all the other events. This is about getting the scientists, the technologies, the entrepreneurs, the industrialists. Yeah, there will be a few of us there too. But there will be regulators there as well. And getting those minds in the room about, you know, where we can actually develop these partnerships for these supply chains to be durable, resilient, trusted and secure. And most of all, competitive.

Brad Smith, Microsoft President and Vice Chair: And let's, if we could, build a little bit more on that looking forward. Obviously, the world is not yet out of COVID, but I think around the world people are increasingly looking beyond it. They're talking about what needs to come next. Technology played a role during the pandemic of just sort of sustaining economic activity. When you look at Australia's economy and the country's needs, say, a year or two from now post-pandemic, are there new or different challenges we're all going to need to talk about? Is the role of technology going to need to adapt in any particular way to help support that?

Prime Minister: The short answer is yes, but the short answer to that question is always yes. I think regardless of what's occurred. During the pandemic, our digital pathway just accelerated like most, I think, advanced economies around the world. There'd always been a bit of a resistance, not through anything other than people were comfortable with the way they were doing their books, the way they were invoicing, the way they were talking to their customers. There was a familiarity to do that, particularly in the SME sector. Enter COVID, the only way you can talk to people then is on a digital platform. And so businesses, you know, radically changed their business models overnight to survive and that has caused an innovation in the application of technology to so many businesses in Australia and really given us a very strong leap forward in this space. Similarly, for consumers, I mean the amount of retail and so on, which is now being done through parcels and post - in the United States, that's already been happening for some time - but that really has come on very strongly here. And so the role of big distribution centres and the technology that support those and how that feeds in, you know, operating in real-time and the competition is now on is how quickly can you get it from the click to the front door that's all happening now in Australia. And that's, I think, good for our economy because it's challenging our economy and our business models. Then you've got the consumer interface with this. One of the disturbing and distressing parts of the pandemic is because all of our kids have been online doing school and frankly, just catching up with their friends and doing all of those sorts of things, the presence of criminal behaviour online and predators and all of this actually is accelerated also. You know, the crooks are just as good as applying technology as anyone else. And we've seen that in this country, we've seen it all in all countries. And that's why our regulatory systems and our protection systems really have to kick in and go to a whole other level. And that's where I do really appeal to the digital platforms in the sector themselves. We remember after Christchurch - the terrible events there with the massacre - and I took a proposal to the G20 following that and of course, there was the Christchurch Call led by Prime Minister Ardern together with President Macron. And the digital platforms have responded to that and they do have the technological capabilities, I think, to prevent the digital platforms, the internet being used as a weapon for terrorists. But we need to now make sure that it's not being used as a tool for people to harass people, to exploit people, to intimidate people. We're seeing this more and more the impact on the mental health of our young people, through cyber bullying and cyber abuse. And there are two key issues here, I think. The first one is to recognise that, you know, digital platforms are publishers. And the second one is free speech only works in a free society where there isn't anonymity. Free speech isn't about to say whatever you want and not be accountable for it. That's the whole point of free speech. Say whatever you like in our country, but you're accountable for what you say. We can't have digital platforms providing a shield for people to engage in online abuse, because if we allow that to happen, digital platforms will not be a safe space for consumers, for our children - we won't get the right outcomes on education and skills development and the broader, you know, commercial opportunities that are there. So we all have to work, I think, even more closely together to make the digital world safe. And that's not just about hacking and cyber security. That's about the interactions of people online. And we don't think those rules are tough enough and we are moving forward on that. Online privacy for young people, I mean young people, particularly children, shouldn't be able to have their data used in such a way where they can be targeted and we all know how the algorithms work. You know, adults are different. Kids need protection. So they're the challenges I think we have to have an environment that keeps the world safe online. Just like as I started out saying, they're the rules that exist in the real world - they should exist online too.

Brad Smith, Microsoft President and Vice Chair: Well, I know we're now coming to a close so I want to say thank you, but I think you've just laid out in such an exceptional way a framework for all of us to think about. We're accelerating use of technology, as you put it - it's not just about development, but it's about deployment, it's about applying technology. And that really requires that we learn from the pandemic. As you said, invest in the digital skills for people, stimulate its use, make sure it's subject to the rule of law, that we have supply chain resilience and trust and that we keep people safe. So I think in short order, you've given us a lot of the formula that we're all going to need to talk even more about. So thank you. Certainly, from my perspective and on behalf of Microsoft, it's a real privilege to have the opportunity to talk.

Prime Minister: You guys are a great partner and I appreciate the work you do with us as well, because government has to do their bit too. And we've learnt that in the pandemic as well, you know, everything from downloading a digital vaccination certificate, to scanning codes when you're going into restaurants, you know, the government has been doing its bit, ensuring that we're delivering more of our services directly, which is a way of getting your whole population digital. So it's the big challenge, but I think it's going to mean a lot for all of our economies and I'm very pleased it's on the APEC agenda. Thanks for the chat.

Brad Smith, Microsoft President and Vice Chair: Ok, thank you. Thank you again.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43659

Interview with Allison Langdon, Today Show

11 November 2021

Allison Langdon: Prime Minister, good morning. 

Prime Minister: Good morning, Ally. 

Langdon: Well, why haven't you kissed a baby yet? Because then we'd know for sure. 

Prime Minister: Well, today, as you know, it's all about Remembrance Day. And I'm here at the Doncaster RSL, I'll be at the Shrine a little later and we're just giving thanks and paying our respects to all those who have sacrificed so much for Australians over so many generations. And whether it's most recently, on the way back from overseas recently I had the great privilege to call in in Dubai at AMAB and thank all of those who were so involved in evacuating 4,100 people fleeing to safety. And now so many of those are living in Australia now, becoming Australians. And so whether it's saying thank you to them or of course, those who went ashore at Gallipoli all those years ago, we honour them and their sacrifice. 

Langdon: Well said, it is an incredibly important day. Let's just talk election for a moment, because Albo wants December. Are you running a little scared of a Christmas election? 

Prime Minister: No, I always said it was next year. I've been saying that all year. Others have speculated, he thought it was going to be this year, I don't know why he would think that. I've been pretty clear. I said, you know, governments are elected to serve for those three years and that's always been my intention. We've got a lot of work to do. The job now, particularly, is focused on securing our economic recovery. We've come through COVID incredibly well compared to so many other countries around the world, which was reinforced to me when I was overseas. And we're now going to have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. Victoria, here, will soon hit the 90 per cent mark. New South Wales is already there. The other states are really starting to catch up, which is great. And so with that, one of the lowest fatality rates in the world from COVID and one of the strongest economies coming through COVID as well, the figures we've seen just this morning on jobs data picking up, confidence coming back. And certainly here in Melbourne as I've been out and about catching up with people who are just so pleased to be out and about, whether it's at the pub last night or other places. Melbourne is really coming back to life, which is great. 

Langdon: All right. So look, it's next year. Whether it's March or May, the Coalition is behind in the polls. Do you have a trust problem? 

Prime Minister: Of course not, because at the moment and at all times, you know, elections are always closely fought in Australia. They always have been. And what this election is going to be about is who is best placed to secure this economic recovery and ensure that we can stand up for Australia's interests, particularly in a part of the world, which is becoming increasingly uncertain. You've got to have the strength to stand up for Australia and stand up for the policies that are needed to secure this recovery and keep Australians safe …

Langdon: But when a world leader and a former Prime Minister call you a liar, and whether that's true or not, you must be concerned that that will stick?

Prime Minister: Well, no. I see Anthony Albanese backed in the Chinese Government and a number of others in having a crack at me as well. I mean, that's up for him. What I'm always going to do is stand up for Australia's interests. And whether that's making sure we make the right decisions about what submarines Australia needs to defend our interests or what's the right set of climate policies to protect jobs in rural and regional areas and the suburbs of our major cities, I'm always going to be standing up for Australia. I'm not seeking to pander to others in other places and try and impress them. I have one audience and that's the Australian people. And I have to do the right thing for them. And that often means you've got to be strong on these things and you've got to be prepared to cop the flak and the sledges that they come from, whether it's from Anthony Albanese or elsewhere. 

Langdon: I'll tell you what, over the last couple of weeks you've had to have broad shoulders. There's been a few coming in from different directions.

Prime Minister: Well, it goes with the job, Ally. 

Langdon: You just mentioned climate policies there too, the $1 billion fund for low emission technologies that you announced yesterday. So we've got the likes of Matt Canavan, he's going to cross the floor on it. One Nation thinks it's a waste of money. You'll need Labor's support and Anthony Albanese told us this morning that you don't have it at this point. So is it dead before it even gets started? 

Prime Minister: Well, it's important that we do do it, and Labor should support it. They've already voted against, in the Parliament, us being able to invest in carbon capture and storage. Now this is an important technology. Not just me saying it, President Biden is saying it, Bill Gates is saying it. These are the technologies that actually will get you to net zero by 2050 without having to put taxes on, without telling people what to do. See, the Australian way that we're getting emissions down, and it's important to recognise Australia's emissions are down by more than 20 per cent. There are only four countries in the G20 that has a better record than that. And when you look at our emissions reduction as a share of our economy, only the UK has, we rank second in the G20. We've got the highest rate of rooftop solar in the world. And so Australians are getting on and doing it. But we're doing it, not by telling them what to do and taxes. That's the Labor way. The Liberal-Nationals way is to invest in this technology, so we'll be able to hit those marks and let the entrepreneurs, the risk takers, the scientists, the manufacturers, they're the ones who are going to make this work. Not governments getting together and telling everybody what to do. That's Labor's approach. 

Langdon: It's very strange hearing a Coalition leader put climate change front and centre of an election. Electric cars, do you think we'll see any more of Bill Shorten's policies in the lead up to the election? 

Prime Minister: Well, it all depends if he tries and rolls Anthony Albanese, I suppose.

Langdon: Nice come back. 

Prime Minister: But you know, who knows what their policies are. Because, you know, it's after COP26 now. We still don't know what their 2030 target is. We still have no idea how they think they're going to get to net zero by 2050. They're always happy to be rubbishing our plans, but our plans are about backing Australians in the decisions they want to make, not telling them what to do. So if he doesn't like our plans, he must be wanting to tell people what to do and put taxes on them. Because that's what we've seen before. I mean, their electric vehicles policy was about pushing up the price of petrol to force people to change. That's not our view. I'm not going to go and send lots of taxpayers money to multinational car companies to bolster their profits so they can try and sell cars in Australia. 

Langdon: So when are we going to see your modelling? When are we going to see that, the modelling? 

Prime Minister: Well, before we get back to Parliament. 

Langdon: So will we potentially see that this week? 

Prime Minister: You’ll see it soon.

Langdon: All right. Hey, I want to talk to you, too, about Paul Keating. It was an extraordinary defence of China yesterday saying it's not a threat. Is he out of line? 

Prime Minister: Well, I don't think he's out of line with a lot of people in the Labor Party, he's certainly out of line with what our Government's policy is, and we certainly don't share that view. As people know, we've taken a very strong position here in the Indo-Pacific and we've taken a very strong stance standing up for Australia's interests. And we've worked closely with our allies and our partners right across the region, not just the United States, but of course, Japan and India and the many nations of ASEAN who we work closely with, to make sure that we aren't pushed around in this part of the world. But the views that Paul Keating has expressed is in line with many, I think, in the Labor Party. And that's why, you know, I said at the start, how we secure Australia's interests in our part of the world, you've got to be strong. You've got to be able to stand up for it. You've got to be able to see things clearly. And we are. That's why we're investing more than the nation has invested in our defence at any time since the Second World War. And so that is why, you know, our Government is focused on this challenge. And I think Australians get it. We want to have a positive relationship with countries like China and trade with them. But at the same time, we're not going to get pushed around. 

Langdon: What did you think about that line, about the submarines being toothpicks? It was quite odd yesterday. 

Prime Minister: Oh look, again, the Labor Party walks both sides of the street on these issues, and that's why you really can't trust them when it comes to these national security issues. I mean, Anthony Albanese was joining with the Chinese Government and others from overseas having an attack on me the other day. So when it comes to these issues, you need someone who actually is prepared to stand up for what Australia wants, stands up for the decisions that we're taking. And sure, you get a bit of flak here and there, but you've got to be prepared to cop that to do what's right for Australia. With the Labor Party, on these issues, people know they're just not solid. 

Langdon: So just give us an idea then. Campaigning, are we looking at four months here or are we potentially looking at six months? 

Prime Minister: Well, the election is due, of course, in May of next year. That's when it has to be held by. And I've always been pretty open about this as you probably know, Ally. People have been asking me about it for ages and they were saying it was going to be this year. I said, no, it's not. It's going to be in 2022. 

Langdon: So May 2022, is that right? 

Prime Minister: It's due, it's due in May of next year. So the election will be next year. And I've always been very clear about that. Others have speculated, I don't know why they've done that. I've been pretty upfront about it, actually. 

Langdon: I think we just all want to know, you know. I mean, I know we haven't seen you kissing babies yet, but we did see you pouring beers. 

Karl Stefanovic: There we are. 

Prime Minister: Yeah, that was fun. 

Langdon: That's alright, so if this job doesn't work out for you, there you go. I mean, you know, a bartender.

Prime Minister: I can get down to Northies.

Langdon: Well pubs are crying out for workers, so there you go. 

Prime Minister: They certainly are. 

Langdon: Prime Minister, always nice to talk to you. 

Prime Minister: You too, Ally, take care.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43657

Interview with David Koch and Natalie Barr, Sunrise

11 November 2021

David Koch: The Prime Minister joins us now from Melbourne. Prime Minister, thanks for your time. Why do you think the Australian public has fallen out of love with you? 

Prime Minister: Well, what matters now is the economic recovery out of this pandemic. I've been down here in Melbourne this week, it's fantastic to see how the economy's opening up again. It's great to see people out and about here in Melbourne. Today's Remembrance Day, of course, a very important day. I'm here at the Doncaster RSL and people will be coming together and frankly giving thanks for the tremendous sacrifice of our Diggers over more than 100 years. And so we, you know, we think of them today. And my job is to focus on securing this economic recovery. That's what matters to Australians. We're seeing people getting back into jobs, we're seeing the recovery lift off, which is exactly what we want to see. And securing that recovery and the decisions we make to do that is really what the future is all about. 

Natalie Barr: Yeah, you're right. It is so important for this country, isn't it? But the polls, 54 to 46, that's a big gap. Is that why you've started this election campaign so early? 

Prime Minister: Well, I said before we went to Glasgow that it was really important that we go and explain the decisions that we're making. I mean, Australia has reduced our emissions by more than 20 per cent. There are only four countries in the G20 that have actually done better than Australia on that front. And when you look at emissions as a share of our size of our economy, only the United Kingdom has. We've got the highest rate of rooftop solar in the world. We put more renewable energy installed into the grid in one year than the Labor Party did in six. So Australia is getting this done, but we're going to keep getting it done, not by telling people what to do. We're going to do it by the “can do” spirit of Australians who just get on with it. Our entrepreneurs, our scientists, the people who risk their own money to get these things happening in Australia, which has already seen us achieve more than 20 per cent reductions in our emissions. So Australia's track record is strong, it's positive and we're getting on with it. And we're not going to do it by telling people what to do in their lives. I think Australians have had enough of governments telling them what to do in their lives, particularly over the course of this pandemic. And so it's now important that we get governments out of the way and let the Australian people and businesses get the economy roaring back to life.

Koch: Yeah, Prime Minister, you've launched this Low Emissions Technology Fund and a new electric vehicles policy. You've got a big focus on sort of reducing our emissions, encouraging electronic, electric vehicles. But Australians remember this back in your last election campaign. This is what you said. 

[Excerpt plays]

Koch: It's a massive backflip, isn't it? What changed your view? It was almost a come to Jesus moment for you.

Prime Minister: Well, Bill Shorten and the Labor Party wanted to force people to do this. And I still don't want to do that. You don't get people to do something else by pushing up the price of what they're currently doing. And that's still what Labor wants to do. They want to put up your petrol prices. They want to increase your cost of living to force you to make other choices. We want to respect the choices people make. People want to buy electric cars. Fantastic. That's what our policy was at the last election. But the way you achieve that is ensuring you drive down the technologies. And that's our approach to getting emissions down. Not by forcing choices on people. It's about respecting the choices Australians want to make. We back them, they make good decisions. Remember, the Labor Party wanted to spend $6 billion paying people to get the vaccine that they'd already got. We trusted the Australian people and look at our vaccine rates now. On the pandemic, we're going to have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, and that goes with having one of the lowest fatality rates for COVID and one of the strongest economies amongst the advanced world as we've come through COVID. So that's a pretty good trifecta of achievements that the Australian people had been able to put out there.

Barr: Prime Minister, the Labor Party weren't forcing people, were they? It wasn't a mandate at the last election that they were introducing. It was a non-binding target of 50 per cent. Wasn't that the same as yours? 

Prime Minister: Well, no. They were going to put up the price of fuel. Now that's not going to help anybody sitting out there commuting on their way to work today from the outer suburbs, whether it's here in Melbourne or up in Sydney or Brisbane or elsewhere. They were going to put up the cost of fuel to try and force people to switch over. That's not how we do things. We don't, we're not a government that goes around trying to tell people what to do. I think Australians have had a gutful of governments telling them what to do in their lives. That's not how you're going to spark up your economy, going around telling businesses what they have to do with more regulation. What they want is to be able to get people, staff back in their businesses. They're opening up again. We're seeing that happening. I mean, having come through this most difficult part of COVID, getting those vaccination rates to one of the highest in the world, now we've got to secure that economic recovery. Economic management has never been [more] important than right now. And the choices we make, the way we seek to run our economy and let the business sector get ahead now, that is going to be crucial to securing people's prosperity going forward. Now the Labor Party likes to tell people what to do. They love telling people what to do. That's not my approach. That's not my government's approach. 

Koch: OK. Just finally, New South Wales Premier Bob Carr, would be interested in your thoughts on his comments, has called for anti-vaxxers to be stripped of Medicare for ignoring the warning signs of the virus. Has he got a point?

Prime Minister: Well, again, again, I mean, we don't have a mandatory vaccine policy as a Federal Government. That's not something that we have done. We respect people's choices. Of course, we want people to get vaccinated and they have been getting vaccinated under these policies. I mean, New South Wales is now at 90 per cent double dose. Victoria will soon be there. We've got other states we've had less COVID now at 80 per cent up in Queensland when it comes to their first doses. We'll hit 90 per cent first dose this weekend for the whole country. And we got there because we've just trusted Australians. They know what they need to do. But, you know, we live in a country where we're not going to go around demonising those who want to make their own choices. I think that's very important. That's not how our government sees it. Of course, we want people to get vaccinated, but we're not going to take that heavy handed approach, which the Labor Party just always seems to like doing, whether it's Bob Carr or many of the others who we've seen come down with those types of views. It's not our approach. 

Koch: All right. Prime Minister, appreciate your time. Thank you.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43656

Additional Vaccines For Indonesia's Recovery

10 November 2021

Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Women

Australia will share a further 7.5 million COVID-19 doses with our good friend and partner Indonesia as we deepen our cooperation on fostering a shared regional recovery from the pandemic.

The additional doses committed brings the Morrison Government’s total pledge to 10 million doses for Indonesia from Australia’s supply.

Tomorrow, 1.2 million of these doses will arrive in Indonesia, bringing our total shared to date to 3.4 million, with more deliveries planned soon.

These commitments, together with a $107 million vaccine procurement through UNICEF will deliver over 20 million doses to Indonesia under our health partnership to support Indonesia’s national vaccine rollout.

Supporting equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for our region and ensuring their safe roll out are the highest priorities for Australia. Australia has committed to supply up to 60 million doses to the Indo-Pacific by the end of 2022. Nearly 7.2 million of these doses will have been delivered to countries across the Indo-Pacific by the end of this week.

Through the Australia-Indonesia Health Security Partnership, we are partnering with Indonesia to strengthen health system foundations to ensure the continuation of quality health services during the pandemic.

Australia has also committed more than $25 million in emergency assistance for Indonesia in 2021.

This has included the delivery of a $12 million package of oxygen-related and other medical supplies, as well as a commitment of $13 million to expand our work with NGOs, UN agencies, community organisations and provincial governments to support Indonesia’s local health response and enhanced community resilience.

Our previous support has included ventilators, oxygen concentrators and rapid antigen tests. Australia will continue to partner with Indonesia as we stand together to strengthen our region’s health security through the recovery and beyond.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43655

Q&A, Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

10 November 2021

MR PAUL GUERRA, CEO, VICTORIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY: Thank you, Prime Minister. We’ve got time for some audience questions, which I know you’re open to as well, so start thinking about what those questions might be. But, I might kick it off, Prime Minister. Can-do capitalism and a highly vaccinated population that we will be, and almost are in Victoria. In fact, I look at that across the rest of the country as well. Those two together, with the innovation that you talked about, all the way back to Sir John Monash. We've got people from Monash University here today. How do we use that, in your opinion, to Victoria's advantage, and perhaps the rest of Australia's advantage as well?

PRIME MINISTER: One of the biggest challenges I think we're facing at the moment is we've got to get regulation out of the way of our economy. When I was speaking to the clean tech entrepreneurs and financiers in Glasgow, I said, ‘What can we do?’ They didn’t ask for subsidies. There was no sort of, sort of rent-seeking fiesta, well at least at that occasion. It was simply, can you please ensure that when we develop these technologies and we seek to establish manufacturing and we seek to do all these things, that we're not going to get tied up in all of these approval processes that put costs onto these things that don't have to be there. And this is one of the important things we did, I mean, National Cabinet has got a pretty bad rap from some, but it, what many people wouldn’t have seen is a lot of the things that have changed underneath the surface. 

You know, one of the key things that has chaired is the group that Josh chairs - The Council on Federal Financial Relations - which has been around a while, but plugs into this new National Cabinet structure, and their job, and Josh has a tough job, convincing states and territories to streamline and deregulate, because we can do that at a federal level, but as you know, at the Victorian Chamber - if I was talking to other chambers they’d have a similar view - much of the and most of the regulation that businesses face is actually at a state and local level. We have to do our job and ASIC and APRA and in super and financial institutions and so on. That’s our bailiwick. And the EPBC Act, which we're seeking to reform at the moment and getting no help from the Labor Party who tend to like telling people what to do with their lives. But it's, what's important is that we break through that. And you're right, we are primed and ready to go in this country. We’re set up, but we've got to make sure that governments in Australia remember that we are a can do capitalist country, not a don’t do Governments country.

MR PAUL GUERRA, CEO, VICTORIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY: That's the theme that we're going to continue it on, now we’re going to push, because it resonates so much in the room. Have we got any questions from out there? We’ve got one on down, one down here. Table eight. Pascale Quester from Swinburne’s got her hand up.

QUESTION: Prime Minister, thank you for being here today. You’ll be pleased to know that despite my French accent, I'm not going to ask anything about submarines.

PRIME MINISTER: The answer will still be the same.

QUESTION: So my question relates to the message that you have for young people and students today as they kind of face Australia's future coming out of the pandemic. Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER: Get excited, be positive, be optimistic. Alan Tudge knows this. I’ve been chatting to the students at Wesley. I really feel for those kids who, particularly been through eleven, Year 11 and Year 12 the last two years. I mean, they’ve had what are often two of the, you know, hopefully for most young people in Australia, two of the best years of their lives. And they’ve had them taken away from them by this pandemic. And that's a terrible thing that they've had to endure, but they’ve pushed through. I think they’ll be a resilient generation like, unlike others, because of what they've had to get through, and parents of of kids in those years I’m sure will appreciate that, and well done to you as well helping your kids get through. 

What we've pumped into mental health support, particularly for young people right over the country, is very much about recognising that, and I think the services, particularly headspace - I mentioned Pat before - has been quite extraordinary in, I think, seeing people through. Australia’s had a very strong focus on mental health during the pandemic. I’d say we’ve been a world leader in that space, to get us through the pandemic. But having come through that, I really just want young people to feel excited. 

You know, when I was at COP26, I sat there and I listened to people, one after the other, talking about the problem, but not enough people talking about the solution, and being optimistic about it. And when I sat around the G20 table, particularly looking directly at like-minded, market-based, capitalist, liberal democracy countries. And Australia’s saying, this is how we've always done this, as countries. I don't know why we want to borrow from from other countries that have a, have a more interventionist approach from governments. I mean, we've had to do our fair share of that, but I think we have to realise and recognise, you know, what we sprung from. Alan’s trying to do that in our education curriculum and make sure our young people understand what makes this country tick and what makes it vibrant. You know, I go to all these events and honestly, Australians are always, aren’t they Alan, the most optimistic people in the room. Alan Finkel knows that too. They go, you Australians, you are hopelessly optimistic. And I go, yes, because we see the world differently and we look at things like climate change and go, we can deal with that. We're not going to be beaten by it, we're not going to get depressed about it. We're going to fix it, because that's what you do in Australia. You don’t whinge and whine about it. You just get on with it and you get through the challenge. And I think that's one of the reasons why Australians have pushed through this pandemic so much better than other countries. Yeah, it's tough. It's been awful, particularly here in Melbourne. It's been just awful. But here you all are, here you all are. We’re going to roar back. That's my message to the young people. We’re going to roar back in this country, and we’re going to roar back with them.

MR PAUL GUERRA, CEO, VICTORIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY: Finding solutions to problems is one of the aspects that business is very, very good at. And as the young kids come through …

PRIME MINISTER: They’re better at it than governments.

MR PAUL GUERRA, CEO, VICTORIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY: Yeah, that's why we like it. I'm going to come to table 18. Richard, I think you've got one.

QUESTION: [Inaudible], a small to medium-sized enterprise here in Melbourne. The skilled immigration, when will we get some staff to help with this recovery? We need people and we just can't get them. I mean, I can take ten today if they were available. Can you make a comment on that, please.

PRIME MINISTER: I want to get them back as soon as possible, and [inaudible] I believe we’ll have, certainly skilled migration happening, well, it will be, it’s happening already now. But Singapore opens up on the 21st of November. I think we’ll move fairly quickly beyond that into Korea and Japan, and before the end of the year I hope we're opening up even more. We've just got to get through these next couple of weeks. And, you know, Australians have been through a lot. They don't want to see it get the wobbles now in terms of how we're managing the safely reopening process. And I think it's going really well. I commend both the Victorian and New South Wales Governments for what they've done in abolishing, you know, quarantine for those coming from overseas who’ve had two dose vaccinations. I mean, vaccination was the key part of the answer. So, people have been vaccinated, so that has to be honoured. And I think, you know, the experience that is being lived out now is a positive one in both states. I think both states have, I give credit where it's due in terms of planning for the impact on hospitals. That has been a key focus of the National Cabinet for many, many, many months now, preparing for this moment, and the plans are working. And I think that should be encouragement to other states that will remain locked up for a bit longer. And we hope that will end as soon as possible. Because once you get 80 per cent, as the Doherty Institute shows, well, you can, you can move on, you can move on. And, so, I think we'll see that here in Victoria and New South Wales very soon, is my, is my short answer to that question. I wish it would be true for the rest of the country. And I think other parts of the country, which will be suffering the same skill shortages that you already are here, will need to see those borders open for their own economic performance. And otherwise it will cause more harm, having things locked up, than opening them up.

MR PAUL GUERRA, CEO, VICTORIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY: Thanks Tim. And I know Minister Tudge, sitting with Duncan and Pascale today, would’ve, the reflection back on international students as they start to come back in, with international students ...

PRIME MINISTER: Students will be back, I think, before the end of the year, particularly here in Victoria.

MR PAUL GUERRA, CEO, VICTORIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY: That’s great to hear. That is very good news and, of course, it flows to the tourism side as well, and I’ve got members out there …

PRIME MINISTER: Touch wood, everything continuing to go as it is.

MR PAUL GUERRA, CEO, VICTORIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY: I know time is precious, so I'm just going to finish with one, then we'll take you back down into the audience, perhaps finish off with a coffee and meet with a couple of people. But speaking of coffee, the next couple of days in Melbourne, what's in store?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, what I'm just really enjoying doing, cause like all of you, we've been, we've been kept at home or kept in the office. If I’d had to do another 14-day quarantine after coming back, it would have been my fifth in the last year, and I'm probably the most quarantined Prime Minister anywhere in the world. They were all pleased to know when I was over there that I wasn't going to have to quarantine this time. So, it was good to be there, but it's great to be back. And I think Australians know that there's nothing I love more than just getting out and about and amongst amongst the country - whether it's out in the far reaches of northern Queensland or, you know, the great streets of Melbourne. And that’s why it’s just a real thrill for us all to be, you know, we, I think we've really rediscovered, if there's one big lesson we take out of these awful times, it’s just to never take those liberties and freedoms ever for granted again. 

We had a period of prosperity in this country, unmatched anywhere in the world. And if there was one thing that, if there was only, if there's another side to that coin, it was that we could possibly get a bit complacent about how important that was. We cannot take our economy for granted. We cannot take the freedoms we have for granted. The most simple of things - whether that's the freedom of our our political structure here in Australia and our democracy, which many other countries in the world don't enjoy, the way our economy works, and the important economic decisions and decisions we’ll have to make in, next year and into the future. The pandemic has taught us not to take our economy and our freedoms for granted. And, so, the choices we make about that and the importance of the leadership that is needed to to protect our country to ensure that our economy is secured and our recovery is secured, I think is the big reminder for me, and I'm looking forward to sharing that with Australians all around the country and connecting again.

MR PAUL GUERRA, CEO, VICTORIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY: Great way to finish, great to have you back in Melbourne, great to have you back in Victoria. We hope it's not too long before you come back again. Thank you.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43654

Billion Dollar Fund to Drive Low Emissions Technology Investment

10 November 2021

Prime Minister, Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction

The Morrison Government will establish a new $1 billion technology fund to turbocharge investment in Australian companies to develop new low emissions technology.

The Low Emissions Technology Commercialisation Fund (the Fund) will combine $500 million of new capital for the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) with $500 million from private sector investors.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Fund would back Australian early stage companies to develop new technology.

“Our Plan to reach net zero by 2050 is an Australian one that’s focused on technology not taxes and this Fund backs in Australian companies to find new solutions,” the Prime Minister said.

“Australia can become a world leader in creating low emissions technology that is both affordable and scalable, helping get emissions down while creating jobs.

“We are backing Australian businesses by creating an environment for their successful ideas to thrive in contrast to Labor’s approach to always wanting to tax success.”

Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said the Fund demonstrates the Government’s commitment to achieve net zero emissions through investments in technology.

“The Fund will support Australian innovators to develop their intellectual property and grow their businesses in Australia,” Minister Taylor said.

“It will address a gap in the Australian market, where currently small, complex, technology-focused start-ups can be considered to be too risky to finance.

“Together with other new initiatives, like the increased investment in establishing seven Clean Hydrogen Industrial Hubs around Australia, today’s announcement brings our commitment to more than $21 billion of public investment in low emissions technologies by 2030.

“Our investment will leverage 3-5x that amount in co-investment from the private sector and other levels of government, or between $84 billion and $126 billion in total investment by 2030.”

The Government will introduce legislation to establish the Fund in this term of Parliament. The Fund is expected to earn a positive return for taxpayers.

The Fund builds on the CEFC’s success as the world’s largest government-owned green bank. The CEFC has committed $9.5 billion across 220 large scale projects and 23,700 smaller-scale transactions, driving $33 billion in new investments across the economy.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43652

Driving Consumer Choice & Uptake of Low-Emissions Vehicles

09 November 2021

The Hon. Scott Morrison MP
Prime Minister

The Hon. Angus Taylor MP
Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction

The Morrison Government has released the first national Future Fuels and Vehicles Strategy backed by an expanded $250 million Future Fuels Fund investment.

The technology-led Strategy will see the Government work with industry to enhance consumer choice, create jobs and reduce emissions in Australia’s transport sector.

The expanded Future Fuels Fund, will focus on four key areas of investment, including:

• Public electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure

• Heavy and long-distance vehicle technologies

• Commercial fleets

• Household smart charging

The Government will deliver the Strategy with an expanded $250 million Future Fuels Fund, including $178 million in new funding. The Strategy is expected to result in more than $500 million of combined private and public co-investment directed into the uptake of future fuels in Australia and the creation of more than 2,600 new jobs.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Future Fuels and Vehicles Strategy delivers on the Government’s recently released Long-Term Emissions Reduction Plan, which provides an Australian way to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

“Our Plan promised technology not taxes, choices not mandates and driving down the cost of new technologies, and that’s exactly what this Strategy delivers to Australians,” the Prime Minister said.

“Australians love their family sedan, farmers rely on their trusted ute and our economy counts on trucks and trains to deliver goods from coast to coast.

“We will not be forcing Australians out of the car they want to drive or penalising those who can least afford it through bans or taxes. Instead, the Strategy will work to drive down the cost of low and zero emission vehicles, and enhance consumer choice.

“We will do this by creating the right environment for industry co-investment in technology development.

“Just as Australians have taken their own decision to embrace roof-top solar at the highest rate in the world, when new vehicle technologies are cost competitive Australians will embrace them too.”

Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said the Strategy is about helping motorists embrace the increasing range of technologies available to keep them moving in an informed and fair way.

“The Future Fuels and Vehicles Strategy sets out the Government’s technology-led approach to reducing transport emissions while ensuring Australians can drive their preferred type of vehicle – be that petrol, diesel, hydrogen or electric powered,"   Minister Taylor said.

“Our technology-led approach is already helping to enhance consumer and industry confidence.  In the last eight months there has been a 20 per cent increase in the number of low emissions vehicle models available in Australia.

“We are continuing to invest in the right infrastructure, while ensuring both those in the cities and regions can access this $250 million Fund.

“Like we saw with our world-leading rooftop solar uptake, we know that when new technologies reach price parity, Australians rapidly adopt them. We will take these lessons from solar integration into our reform work to ensure our grid is ‘EV ready’ to keep the lights on and bills affordable for everyone.

“Voluntary adoption of electric vehicles is the right pathway for reducing transport emissions over the long term. Stringent standards, bans or regressive taxes will limit choice and increase the upfront costs of cars for Australians.”

The Government will also take the lead on reforms through Energy Ministers to ensure the electricity grid is ready for an increase in electric vehicles. These reforms will help to keep the grid reliable and affordable, along with avoiding the estimated $224 million in electricity network upgrades needed by 2030. Without this action, these costs would be passed on to all electricity consumers, even those who do not choose to buy an electric vehicle.

In addition, the Government will continue to work closely with the states and territories to address barriers to low emission vehicle uptake in their jurisdictions. We will also ensure consumers have access to reliable, easy-to-understand information on low emission vehicles to enable informed choices.  Many Australians are already making the choice to switch to new technology vehicles, with the EV Council reporting that battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles hit a record 8,688 sales in the first half of 2021. This is compared to 6,900 in 2020.

The Future Fuels and Vehicles Strategy contributes to Australia’s Long Term Emissions Reduction Plan by enabling the accelerated deployment of electric vehicles and other low emission transport technologies.

It also complements other government policies that will deliver strong economic and emissions reduction outcomes, including the Technology Investment Roadmap, Modern Manufacturing Strategy, National Hydrogen Strategy and the forthcoming Bioenergy Roadmap.

The additional investment in the Future Fuels Fund come off the back of a successful round one of funding, which leveraged $55 million in private sector co-investment to drive a seven-fold increase in the number of fast charging stations across urban and regional centres.

https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-43651