Press Conference - Brookfield, QLD
15 December 2021
MR JULIAN SIMMONDS MP, FEDERAL MEMBER FOR RYAN: Alright, well, good morning, everybody. I'm Julian Simmonds. I’m the Federal Member for the seat of Ryan, and it's wonderful to welcome you to the electorate of Ryan today. Welcome, wonderful to welcome the PM, not just to Brookfield Showgrounds here in Brisbane's western suburbs, but back to Queensland. He has a great affinity with Queenslanders and vice versa. And I know he's looking forward to getting around our great state even more. But it's wonderful to have him here this morning. To my colleague Luke Howarth, who’s the Assistant Minister for Youth. Thank you for being here. And also to the wonderful Bruce and Denise Morcombe, who are doing an incredible job with a lot of courage and a lot of tenacity in terms of education and awareness for the safety of our kids, both online and in the real world as well. And it's great to have the PM here for what is a very significant announcement to continue to protect our kids online. It's something that I've championed as a local member during my time in Parliament because I'm a dad of young kids. This worries me, as it worries many families in our local electorates. Parents are sick of feeling powerless to protect their kids online. They just want the same rules online as are in the real world, and the suite of measures that the Government has rolled out, whether it be the eSafety Commissioner, a world first, or the Online Safety Act, or the new Anti-Trolling Bill that we're looking at at the moment. All of this helps to put the power back in parents’ hands to protect kids, and that's what we want to do as a Government, and take the fight up to big tech. So, without further ado, I'm going to hand over to the Prime Minister to make the significant announcement.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you. Well, thank you very much, Julian and Luke, and particularly to Bruce and Denise. It's tremendous to be here with you today. You are an extraordinarily inspirational couple. You have endured what parents don't want to imagine, let alone experience, and your strength, your determination, your care and compassion, the way you've reached out and helped so many other parents. But you've established an incredible legacy for Daniel, which is seeking to protect other children in so many, in so many different areas, and particularly in the area we're speaking of today. So I just want to pay a tribute to you both. You are just a great blessing to our country.
It's great to be back in Queensland. It is so good to be back in Queensland. I’ve been looking forward to this and it's wonderful to be here. It's wonderful to see the country connecting again. It's wonderful to see Tasmania open. It's wonderful to see, as I flew in today, there was a Japan Airlines plane on the tarmac here in Brisbane, as we know that Japan and Korea students and of course, skilled migrants, being able to come into Australia. You know, we’re we're living with this virus and the opening up, the National Plan, which we led as a Federal Government, that set the targets for vaccines to ensure that we could connect again has been put in place, and that has led to the opening of these borders. It has led to the easing of restrictions and, sure, there's further to go. But what we can say as a country is no country gets everything right. But it's important to get the balance right, and we've made the big calls and we've got the balance right. And, as a result, Australia has one of the lowest fatality rates of COVID anywhere in the world. We have one of the strongest economies of advanced economies in the world. JobKeeper saved 700,000 jobs.
And we have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world as well. And now the booster program, closing in on a million boosters already. Yesterday almost 100,000 of those boosters being undertaken around the country, and that's so welcome to see. Why? Because vaccination is what is enabling this country to open up. Vaccination is what ensures that we can protect against the challenges that will come, whether it's Omicron or whatever it happens to be. The fact that Australians - and here in Queensland, over 80 per cent now, they’re over 80 per cent in Western Australia - have rolled up their sleeves for the jab, that means that the country can come together in the way it has. And, so, we will hit 90 per cent double dose vaccination around the country this week. That means we are in the top 10 countries already of the OECD for vaccination rates around the world, and that is a great tribute to all Australians to put us in that position, so we can open up safely and stay safely open, so we can live safely with this virus, regardless of what the challenges that may come towards us.
But today, I particularly want to talk about this very important topic, one that I know is close to Bruce and Denise’s hearts, as it is to all parents, I think, all around the country. You know, as families come together this Christmas, as they're enabled to do, I’ll tell you what they'll be talking about amongst many things, but one thing they'll be talking about is what social media and the online world means for the safety of our families and our kids. You know lots of issues get talked about in politics, but I'll tell you one issue that is dominant around the kitchen tables and in the lounge rooms and the barbecues and and the community get-togethers, is this issue. As parents, it really troubles us, and it troubles young people too. I was talking to a group of young girls in Year 11 the other day, and they were sharing with me what it's like to grow up today. And, you know, they’ve heard all the stories about what it was like when, you know, their parents were growing up. But, you know, for kids these days, I think it's a lot harder for them. I think they're dealing with more anxieties and pressures and stresses then, frankly, we did as kids growing up. And it's hard for parents because we want to be able to keep our kids safe. And the online world, for many of us, can be a bit of a mystery, and we need the tools and support and the guidance to do the right thing by our kids, and as governments, we also need that, to ensure we're putting in the right laws and the right protections to keep our kids safe online.
And so in the physical world, as as the Morcombe’s know only only too well, there are serious dangers for our kids. But they also know, as we do as parents, that those dangers are now online. And those predators, those those trolls, those who would seek to take our children from us, they are there, and they are active. And, so, as a Government, we have been a world leader in this area. I was discussing it with the Korean President last night, who listened carefully to all the things we're doing in Australia, and he was keen to know how they can be doing the same thing. And that is one of the takeouts of our meeting over the last couple of days. Up in, when I was with the Indonesian President, they know it's important there. And, as a result, we've been able to get agreement with them that it will be a major focus of the G20 next year, because it's a problem in all of these countries. And here in Australia, whether it's the eSafety Commissioner, the Online Safety Act, the new laws coming in to unmask the trolls that we're consulting on right now and we'll deal with when we come back in February, we need to make sure this is continually informed by young people, because they're living with it. They know what's going on. They understand the technology better. They understand the tricks that these monsters will use to try and trick them. And we need their feedback, and we need to help them help us guide us in this area, and help parents by giving them the right tools.
And that's why we are setting up, reporting in with the eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, the world's first, to be able to listen directly to young people about how we can even more successfully and more effectively keep their world safe online. This is a great passion of mine and Jenny's. It's a great passion of parents all around the country. You know, talk about a lot of things in politics down there in Canberra, but I tell you, not much gets over the top of this one. This is one that I think goes right to the heart of every single family in every community, every town, suburb and and part of this country. And we must continue to strive to lead the world in this area, which we are doing. So that Advisory Group is being set up.
And we've also been pleased to support the the foundation that the Morcombe’s have established. It has been an incredibly important foundation and they've been doing some tremendous work in this area, understanding the risks and the solutions that are there. So, I might ask Bruce, if you'd like to, to say a few words, and then I'll ask Luke, the Assistant Minister for Youth, to tell you more about the details of the program. Bruce.
MR BRUCE MORCOMBE OAM: Thank you. Well, thank you, Prime Minister, and thank you for your ongoing support in keeping kids safe right around the country. Of course, educating kids is about empowering them, and empowering kids with the knowledge and the skills that come from listening to other kids, other youths, perhaps 13 to 24 year olds, that have lived the life with the tablet and mobile phone for most of their young lives. They know the tricks, they know the loopholes, the anxiety, the difficult times that are out there. And it's really important that we listen to the youth of Australia and be guided by their decisions and make an impact on the new youngsters that are coming through to really make a difference, to make sure the predators know we are fair dinkum. Don't touch our kids. Our kids are well-skilled, well-tooled, well-analysed and, importantly, recognise potential danger, know how to react, and, most importantly, will report any dangers that exist both in the online world and also the real world. So there is no place to hide. And the Youth Advisory Group will indeed form an important part of structure that provides some initial skills and some tips to keep our youngsters safe online. Thank you very much.
THE HON. LUKE HOWARTH MP, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR YOUTH AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICES: Well, thanks very much, Bruce. Thank you, Prime Minister. I'm Luke Howarth, the Assistant Minister for Youth and Employment Services in the Morrison Government. And the message today is all about the Morrison Government listening to youth and young people throughout Australia. The Youth Advisory Council that we’re setting up is very important as a way of practically listening to young people from teenage years right through to the age of 24. And it's about listening to them about how they can be kept safe online and how their mates can be kept safe online. Now, this is a new policy, new council that will be set up, and it builds on our Youth Policy Framework that we announced earlier this year, where the Morrison Government has been listening to youth all around the country - issues that are important to them on employment, skills, mental health and the environment. So listening to young people is very important, and I know members like the Member for Ryan, the work that he's done on committees in Parliament and here in Ryan, and other members right throughout the country, is really important. So it's an exciting announcement today and really want to appreciate and thank Bruce and Denise Morcombe, who have done a lot of work in this space already. We know that people, Denise was telling me that young people as young as, children now as young as three, know how to work mobile phones and tablets. And so it's really important to listen to them so we can shape policy around that. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, Luke. And some more good news for Queensland - $315 million for the Coomera Connector, which we're announcing today, delivering on a serious commitment to the people of South East Queensland. And we've been getting on with the job of major infrastructure. That's a project we're doing 50-50 with the Queensland Government. We're pleased that they're on board and we can get moving on this important project, which effectively duplicates the M1. And it's so important in South East Queensland that we keep building the infrastructure that can support the growth that is taking place here - families who are making South East Queensland their home, and ensuring that the infrastructure can support their future going ahead. So the Coomera Connector’s great news, and I want to, particularly want to thank Bert van Manen especially, the Member there who’s done a great job, together with our Liberal colleagues there on the Gold Coast who've been such strident advocates for this funding. And I'm pleased the State Government’s come on board and we're getting on with it. So with that, I'm happy to take some questions.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, we're hearing from Sydney that guests, including yourself, at the Sydney International Convention Centre last Friday night, are being asked to isolate. Has this news reached you and what's your response? In light of the fact that QR codes are going today in New South Wales, what seems to be the point in such an order?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I did get that advice. I was there at that event and and I've been double PCR tested since, and both both negative. I think I'm one of the most tested for COVID Prime Ministers anywhere in the world, and probably the most quarantined as well. And so we always take that health advice very seriously and we fully comply. And before we came up here today, we ensured that we were fully compliant with the Queensland rules for coming into Queensland. And, so, of course, we've done that. And I welcome the fact that in New South Wales and in Victoria, where they're living with the virus, they're living with it, and successfully. And, you know, the issue now is we're taking the Omicron very, very, very seriously, but we're not going to let it take us back. We've got to keep moving forward, and what we're seeing in the, in the southern states, is that their hospital systems are planned for and coping with the surge in cases. I mean, Victoria’s had over 1,000 cases a day now for many weeks. I was there yesterday and with the Acting Premier there, and their hospital system is is dealing with the demand, and quite confidently. And the same is true in New South Wales. And, as you know, we have a a 50-50 funding arrangement with all state governments and territories, for their hospitals, for the impact of COVID. And, so, to the extent there are additional impacts on the hospital system here, we share those costs 50-50, as we have all the way through the pandemic, with the Queensland Government. That has, that has seen us invest, with many other measures, some $33 billion as a Commonwealth Government on our health system over the, over the course of this pandemic. So the Commonwealth Government has certainly been stepping up and providing the additional support on the health system.
But as we live with the virus, the key weapons we have are the vaccines, and those vaccines, and particularly now the booster shot, are our best defence against the Omicron variant, and it's our best defence against going back. It's our, it's our best opportunity to go forward, and that's why I encourage everyone around Australia, I've had my booster shot and now almost a million other Australians have, and we want to continue to encourage Queenslanders, if you're within five months of having that booster shot - and that that range may come down, we'll see what the medical advice is - I encourage you to go and get that booster shot now. And we're obviously working with the states and territories to make sure we keep all those points of presence as open as possible over the summer break so people can get their vaccine.
JOURNALIST: Do you think Queenslanders will punish you at the polls for the slow start to the vaccine rollout?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you know, you get setbacks in programs, but the, what you do in a crisis is you overcome them, which is exactly what we did. We have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, and we said we'd get it done in October, and we did, despite the serious setbacks we had with non-supply of vaccines and the challenges we had with those who were talking down the AstraZeneca vaccine and discouraging people from getting that AstraZeneca vaccine. And we've, we made 25 million AstraZeneca vaccines here in this country, and that was the backbone of our vaccination program, and that those vaccines ensured we were able to hit those targets, that we were able to meet that objective despite the challenges that we faced. So, in any crisis, no government gets absolutely everything right. No government has anywhere in the world. But when you look at the fact that we have the lowest fatality rate, the strongest economy of advanced economies amongst many, and the highest vaccination rates in the world, well, that says to me that as a government, we got the big calls, right.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] your best advice that it is effective against Omicron?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, certainly for for the two doses you've had, it has been highly effective vaccine, like the other vaccines, and now the booster shots, which are mRNA based vaccines. Then those are the booster shots, which provides that additional protection, and the clear medical advice we have is those booster shots are extremely necessary. And so that's why I'm encouraging everyone to go and get those booster shots because that's our best defence against Omicron.
JOURNALIST: Why is it necessary to overhaul the pensioners reverse mortgage scheme, and what are you hoping to achieve out of that?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we’re improving it to make it more accessible and to make it more cost effective. That's what we're doing with this scheme. This scheme was introduced many years ago and it expanded when I was Treasurer to all people of pension age, not just those who are on the pension, and what it enables people to do is to use the equity in their own home to increase their income in their retirement without having to draw down on their superannuation, more than they may be otherwise. And this just gives them another choice. The Liberals and Nationals, we’re all about giving people choice, ensuring that they can boost their own incomes, make their own way. And this scheme makes that even more possible now by adjusting downwards the interest rate which is applied, which gives more people, I think, the opportunity to go and take on that program. So whether it's using the equity in your own home to boost your income in your retirement, or it's actually helping Australians get into that home, our Government has been doing the right thing by Australians. You know, we've had almost, more than 320,000 Australians, since the last election, we have been able to help into their first home or into their home - 320,000. It's not easy to buy your first time wherever you are in Australia, but our policies, through the First Home Loan Guarantee, the HomeBuilder program, the Family Home Guarantee, which in particular is getting single parents into their first home, thousands of single parents under this scheme have got into their first home. Talk about things that people talk about when they come together at Christmas, yep they'll be talking about social media and their kids. But I'll tell you, there's 320,000 Australians who will be able to say they've been able to get into their home, and that's something as a Government we're very pleased to have been able to partner with them on.
JOURNALIST: Under your Government, grants are overwhelmingly going to Government seats. How are other parts of the country not being disadvantaged by this taxpayer money being politicised?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's predictively, selective analysis of 11 programs out of 1,700. So I think people can form their own judgements about that. But what I do know is that when we make a commitment, we keep it. That's what we do as a Government - when we commit to support local community organisations, when we commit to bust congestion in urban areas, whether it's here in Ryan or in any other parts of the country - when we make that commitment, Australians know that we'll keep it. And in addition to that, when Australians are facing tough times, I mean, the programs you're talking about have predominantly gone into rural and regional areas, particularly here in Queensland, because they were dealing with drought-affected communities and grants going into drought-affected communities. So people in rural and regional Australia understand that when they're doing it tough, they know that the Liberals and Nationals, the LNP here in Queensland, will actually be there to support them. So others might want to criticise us for keeping our commitments, they might want to criticise us for the support we've given to drought-affected and flood-affected communities. But I can tell you, when I make a commitment to do those things, I take, I carry it through.
JOURNALIST: There’s been the same criticism though from the National Audit Office and parliamentary committees. Are all of those reviews of the way your Government’s used grants wrong?
PRIME MINISTER: No, what I'm saying is we keep our commitments and we're very clear about what they are before an election, and then we go and we deliver on them. As I said, there’s 1,700 programs. These analysis have looked at very, very small numbers of those programs, and we run programs which go to every single electorate in this country. And when we make a commitment to you, you know that we will follow through. And that's what this shows.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the Queensland Government has retreated …
PRIME MINISTER: Sorry, I couldn't quite hear.
JOURNALIST: The Queensland Government has retreated from its earlier position of imposing a 14-day quarantine period on those passengers from Newcastle to Brisbane and on to Townsville.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah.
JOURNALIST: Is that, was that a sensible review, do you think, to restrict to those people who were immediately next to the carrier?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, look, when I heard of this overnight and this morning, it's so important that when we deal with the Omicron variant that we keep our head and that we apply common sense and we think these things through. And what we do must be sustainable, and I'm pleased that some common sense has now been applied to this issue. I raised it on Queensland, on Brisbane radio this morning, and I urged, I urged the Government to ensure that they found a way to get these Australians to be with their loved ones at Christmas. So I welcome the fact they've made some movement on this. But let's not forget, in New South Wales and Victoria, it's seven days with testing. So I would encourage them to take that up. Queensland's moving to that in just a few weeks anyway. And I think it is very upsetting for those families and it creates uncertainty too. And this is important for the Queensland tourism industry. You've had to wait long enough to see your visitors again. I don't want to see the way we we respond to the opening up, and there's a few teething problems, we understand that and we understand what the intention is, but we make sure, we must make sure we get it right and that common sense prevails and that we can connect Australians up again. And we do that in a way that encourages more Australians to come here to Queensland and have that holiday that they've had booked for some time and now are able to come up here and enjoy. But there are so many families who come through at Christmas. I can just imagine how shattered those Australians must have been finding out that they weren't going to be able to be there for why they’d come to Queensland to see their families. So I welcome the common sense. But our medical advice and what we're seeing in other states and territories means that we can add a bit more
JOURNALIST: Ryan is one of only two electorates where the Coalition's margin decreased at the last election. That was due in part to a surge in Green vote. Do you think you and your Government have done enough to address environment issues, to stop that margin decreasing again?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm very proud of the fact that it is our Government that has made the commitment to net zero by 2050, but with a practical plan that focuses on technology, not taxes. It focuses on the choices that Australian makes, Australians want to make, not having them imposed on them and mandated by them on them, in the way we've seen the left side of politics do, not just here, but in many places around the world. That's not how we can achieve it. We're very confident about the technological advances that will enable us to meet our net zero commitments out to 2050, and also continue to meet and beat the targets that we've set. Every target we've set, we've met. Every target we’ve set, we’ve beat. And then on top of that, what has been really important here, is the practical environmental issues we're doing here on the ground. The work we have done and the ground-breaking work we have done on recycling, in particular, the bans we've put on the export of waste, the investments that we've made in biodiversity and ensuring the resilience to climate change, not just here in Australia, by the way, but through significant climate finance support to countries in our region, in the Pacific and in South East Asia. So we have a strong record of delivering - our emissions have fallen by over 20 per cent. That's more, that's five times more sorry, four times, five times more than Canada. It's almost 10 times more than New Zealand. It's more than the United States. It's more than Korea. It's more than Japan. So Australia is getting our emissions down and we're getting them down through the choices Australians are making and the technology we're investing in, and we have got $21 billion invested in achieving that over the next decade. You’re being very patient.
JOURNALIST: Thank you, Prime Minister. Back to those grants that, yes, they are, there's, they’re an allocation, but they make up 19 per cent of all grant money. How can you explain two neighbouring seats - Dickson receives $43 million in grants over three years. The next seat is Lilley, receives $900,000. How do you explain that?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Dickson must have a very good local member. They have a great local member. The Member for Ryan is a great local member. The Member for Petrie is a great, great local member. They’re doing great jobs, and they're advocating for their communities. And what Queenslanders can know is when I tell them that we're going to get something done in their, in their electorates, they're getting it done.
JOURNALIST: Ms Wells said she took the funding submission to Mr Frydenberg in March last year, and not one of those projects has been funded.
PRIME MINISTER: They have to comply with the guidelines and then they have to be able to, to be able to be executed by the Government in accordance with the policies that are laid down. I just commend my members for the great job they're doing on the ground. Queenslanders can have confidence that with the LNP members that are representing them, they're getting great results for them in their communities. And that's why, you know, I've heard about the Voices Of movement. It's the Voices Of Labor, at the end of the day, because they're only, they're only running against Government candidates. Their intention is to remove the Government and put in Anthony Albanese. So the Voices Of movement, backed by big financiers down there in the southern states, are trying to tell Queenslanders about who their voices should be in their community. They're the voices of Labor. And if you vote for an independent from that Voices Of movement, you may as well vote Labor.
JOURNALIST: Is there really room in the Budget for tax …
PRIME MINISTER: Sorry?
JOURNALIST: Is there really room in the federal Budget for tax cuts, with the NDIS $25 billion over Budget and the cost of COVID?
PRIME MINISTER: It's a very important question. There are very serious pressures on the Federal Budget and they have been exacerbated, of course, by the significant commitments we've had to make as a Government to pull Australians through the biggest crisis we've seen since the Second World War. And we've achieved that. We've saved jobs, we've saved livelihoods, we've saved lives - and some 40,000 lives, I hasten to add. And so those investments have been worthwhile and much needed, but there are pressures on the Budget. The NDIS is an important program which our Government is fully committed to and the demands are increasing. And that's why you need a government that has the financial management experience and proven performance, as we've seen from our Government. We act when we have to and we know when we have to cease programs when we have. Remember with JobKeeper, we said, ‘We're bringing it in and we're telling you when we're taking it off.’ The Labor Party just wanted to keep spending and keep spending and keep spending. Well, that's not how you manage a Budget. You have to be very clear when you make these big fiscal decisions about how you start them and when they should cease. And when it comes to ceasing the JobKeeper program, which ensured that we got Australians back off those payments and back into the jobs, absolutely critical for our economy, the Labor Party would have people continuing to receive government cheques when it was, the opportunity was there to go back and earn more.
Now, when it comes to taxes, we guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on. We guarantee the pension, for example. I mean, a strong economy delivers a pension. A strong economy has delivered record hospitals and schools funding from our Government, record mental health funding - some $2.3 billion. The reforms we're putting into aged care. All of this is done by ensuring we have a strong economy. But what you also need to do to run a strong economy is ensure that Australians keep more of what they earn. And I can assure you that under a Liberal Nationals Government, you will always see lower taxes then you will see from the Labor Party, particularly with the Greens, because whether they form a coalition with the Greens or they rely on their support in the balance of power in a hung Parliament, then the Greens will be calling the tune on Labor - their 43 per cent target, an opening bid. It's not that, it's not the gavel down. That won't come for some time later. So at this next election, it is a choice between Labor driven by the Greens, or the Liberal Nationals Coalition.
JOURNALIST: At the next election, who do you think's going to be your toughest opponent during the campaign, Anthony Albanese or Annastacia Palaszczuk?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm only running against Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party, and I work with all the states and territories. If Anthony Albanese thinks he needs to be propped up by others, and if they think they need to prop him up because they don't think he's got the goods, well, the more you see of the premiers, they'll more be, they'll be telling Australians every day that they don't think that Anthony Albanese has the goods to be Prime Minister.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] have had Gladys Berejiklian on your team. So in the same way, do you think Mr Albanese could cash in, as it were, on the Premier’s popularity and …
PRIME MINISTER: No, Gladys and I were having conversations about her being in the Federal Parliament. Annastacia Palaszczuk isn’t running for the Federal Parliament. I'll work with here [sic], as we've demonstrated with the Coomera Connector here today - $315 million, done 50-50 with the Queensland State Government. Yesterday, I was in Victoria with the Labor State Government announcing that we're putting in place the mRNA manufacturing facility there in Victoria. I work with Labor premiers. I work with Liberal premiers, because we're leaders who have to get the job done.
JOURNALIST: Relationships have been pretty poor on both sides, though?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, look, what, the sledges that others have directed at me I haven't engaged in. I've let those go through to the keeper. But what's important is that we work together, as Chair of the National Cabinet. We have met 57 times.
JOURNALIST: Notwithstanding that the extent you cooperate with the Queensland Premier, nonetheless, do you think her popularity here and the approval she's had for minimising the COVID death toll to just seven, will work, as it happens, in Mr Albanese’s favour … ?
PRIME MINISTER: I'll tell you what, after the next Federal Election, Annastacia Palaszczuk will be the Premier of Queensland. How you vote will not change that. In, in Victoria, Dan Andrews will still be the Premier of Victoria. Mark McGowan will still be the Premier of Western Australia, however you vote at the next Federal Election. But I can tell you one thing - if you don't vote for the Liberal National Party, then Anthony Albanese will be the Prime Minister of Australia, and not myself. And that's what this election is about. Ultimately, it's a choice between those two alternatives. Others will have their view. But if, as I said, if Anthony Albanese needs to be propped up by premiers, take that as a vote of no confidence in him, because they don't think he can do the job. I know how to do this job. We have gone through one of the toughest three years that any government has gone through since the Second World War, and the countless chairing of meetings of the National Security Committee and the Expenditure Review Committee - that's, that's the experience you build up over over the years we've had in Government, and that's the experience we're going to need with the many challenges we're going to face, whether it's managing the Budget, whether it's dealing with the serious security issues in our region, whether it's ensuring that we secure the economic recovery, which is the way that you guarantee the essentials that Australians rely on, whether it's ensuring we can continue to do the right thing to keep our kids safe online, to ensure we're protecting women and children through the next National Plan for protecting women's safety, with over $1 billion already committed to that project - the biggest investment by any Federal Government on that issue ever. So that's what's at stake. There's a lot at stake at this next Federal Election, and there is a clear choice. Thanks very much, everyone.
JOURNALIST: About the cricket?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, the cricket.
JOURNALIST: You're probably lucky a few of those balls weren’t hit for six.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think the second one, we got pretty close there. I didn't, I didn’t go for the appeal, but plenty of others did. But it's great to be here with the kids and it's great to see everybody out there and good luck to the boys at the Ashes in Adelaide. It was great to see the test here in Queensland, got us off to a fabulous start. I’ll have both of the teams in Sydney on New Year's Day, looking forward to that. And, again, just really pleased to see that given the test can't be played in Perth, that Tassie will get their game.
JOURNALIST: It’s just come through, Prime Minister, 25,000 cases a day is, based on the latest modelling in New South Wales. Can we just get your response to that?
PRIME MINISTER: The cases when it comes to COVID-19 are now not the primary issue. What matters now is the impacts on the health system and hospitals and health support and serious illness. Now, we've seen this in other countries in the world, and the UK is getting 60,000 cases a day. So I think we need to get it in that sort of perspective. But we are one of the most vaccinated countries in the world. We have one of the strongest health systems in the world that is already standing up to the challenges that we’ve faced over these last two years. So what I'd say to Australians is, yes, we can see those cases and yes, they will increase with Omicron. There's no doubt about that. They will continue to increase. But what we are watching very closely, myself and the premiers, is what the impact is on our public hospital system and on the incidence of serious illness. And there's nothing to suggest at the moment that the Omicron variant has a more serious illness outcome than the Delta variant. If anything, it is suggesting the alternative. So, you know, we need to live with this virus. We cannot go back to where we are, we were. That's not sustainable. That will impact and injure Australians also. So we must live with this virus, keep our heads, and get vaccinated and get your boosters. Thanks very much, everyone.
