Speeches
AFR Business Summit Address
5 March 2019
Sydney, NSW
Thank you very much, it’s a great pleasure to be here. Can I acknowledge the traditional owners, their elders past and present and emerging. Can I also acknowledge any ex-servicemen or women who are with us today and those who are serving still. Could I acknowledge also Simon Birmingham, the Trade Minister who’s here with us this morning, and Simon is here fresh back from signing the Free Trade Agreement up in Indonesia yesterday. It’s wonderful that you’re able to join us this morning, Simon, and of course Peter Costello, a predecessor of my own Treasury portfolio. Ten surpluses, we’re looking forward to adding to that tally in a months’ time when Josh hands down his first budget, which will be a surplus and that’ll be the first time that’s happened in 12 years. It’s a long way back when the country takes a different course and we’ll be able to say that we’ve righted that course when we set up at the budget this year. I also want to acknowledge the support of BHP for this AFR Business Summit.
This year’s Summit has, rightly, put trust at the centre of discussions. Trust is the currency of a strong and prosperous economy. We all have a stake in ensuring high public trust in our economic institutions and it’s no secret that big business, in particular, finds itself under unprecedented scrutiny. The need to restore trust with customers, employees, the suppliers, the wider community is preoccupying boardrooms all across Australia.
As former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has written, high trust societies are richer, they’re happier, not least because trust enables efficient trade and commerce by allowing markets to function better and I think Stephen hit that right on the head when he said that. On the other hand, low levels of trust generate pressure for more laws to regulate business activities and practices. Trust is also the currency of politics, our public discourse and our policy decision-making. The public, rightly, want to assess your record. They want to assess your plans. They want to know what you believe. They want to know about what you seek to do in the future and your basis is or your claims to what you want to achieve. And with the election approaching, Australians are beginning to focus on the choice that is in front of them. They are beginning to focus on the records, the beliefs and the plans of the alternatives and what the means, importantly, for the economy that they will live in for the next decade.
I just want to pause on this point. The next election, just like in 2007, will have a profound impact on the economy that Australians and families and small family businesses all around the country, it will impact on the economy they will live in. The economy is not a theory, it’s something that affects every day of your life. And just one term of a Labor Government can change the economic course and the economy each and every Australian will live in.
So, I welcome this scrutiny. I think it’s time for that scrutiny. Our Government, of course, has been under that scrutiny, as it should. We are the Government. But equally, as you go into an election, it’s important that the alternative plans are put under the same scrutiny and an understanding of what the impacts are for the decade ahead. Labor can do a lot of damage. They only need one term – only one term to really stuff it up. We had two terms we’ve had to fix over the last six years and will have a profound effect on the next decade. So, I welcome this scrutiny because the Coalition does have a strong record – a clear set of beliefs and I welcome it because the Coalition has a strong record, clear beliefs and a comprehensive plan to keep our economy strong, to keep Australians safe, and to continue to bring Australians together. Scrutiny will be important more than ever this year because the stakes are higher than ever, as they always are in every election. The contrast between the economic plan of the Coalition and Labor, as I said, is greater than it has been, I think, in 40 years – in a generation and more.
In the past, there was at least some degree of convergence on our economic direction as a country. There was broad recognition about the modernisation of Australia’s economy resting on some key pillars – balanced budgets, competitive tax rates, low inflation, competition reform, enterprise bargaining, trade, opening it up, playing to our economic strengths including, can I stress, our traditional sectors in agriculture, in resources, in forestry, in mining. Things that we don’t shy away from as a Government, that we understand their critical importance to the future of our economy. We don’t think it’s a good thing when any of these sectors face markets with strong headwinds. We don’t think that’s wonderful like the Labor Party does. The dividend for Australian households from this economic modernisation has been substantial over the last 30 years. Between 1960 and 1991, the Australian economy had six recessions. Since 1991, Australia has enjoyed 27 years of uninterrupted economic growth – this is an extraordinary achievement. It is arguably our most significant national achievement. Half the Australians voting at this election – half, more than half – will never have experienced a recession during their working life. They would never have had to face 18 per cent interest rates as they look for a mortgage, as they started a young family. They would have never had been in a job market where there was a recession and looking for a job or trying to keep their job or looking for their wages. It would have never happened. More than half. So, it’s important that we understand the economy is real and it has real implications for every single Australian and if you make the wrong calls, then that will punish Australians – every household, every business, each and every Australian.
Our real GDP has grown faster than any other advanced economy over that period. Real GDP per capita has risen around 60 per cent since the early 1990s. This compares with an average rise of 44 per cent in the US, Japan, Germany, Canada and the UK. We’ve seen strong income growth across the income distribution sector. In the context of globalisation and rapid technological change, this has been a singular achievement of what I have called ‘the modern Australian compact’. A compact where the tax-transfer system reduces income inequality in Australia by more than 40 per cent, according to the official statistics of the Australian Bureau of Statistics. A compact where the top 10 per cent of taxpayers pay almost half of personal income tax and where the bottom 10 per cent of households by income has achieved the highest income growth of any group since the Global Financial Crisis. These are facts about our economy. This is the truth about what is happening in our economy. Not the myths, not the fairy tales, not the sentimental stories, but the hard facts of what is happening in our economy. A compact where, according to Peter Whiteford from the Australian National University, social security benefits are targeted to the poor more than in any other high-income country today.
We have a good system, we do have a fair system and the facts back that up. Over the past five and a half years and in the wake of a massive fall in mining investment, our Government has worked to sustain economic growth and secure a more diversified economy. Let’s not forget that mining investment boom moved $80 billion out of the Australian economy. To fall off the edge of the mining investment boom was a far more devastating factor impacting our Australian economy than the GFC. And over that period of time, as it impacted incomes significantly, we have been able to ensure the economy has continued to grow and, importantly, we have maintained our AAA credit rating throughout that entire period at a time that it has been under greatest threat.
Speaking of trust, we pledged to create one million jobs five and a half years ago. And we met that target before time, and we exceeded it. More than 1.2 million jobs have been created since 2013 in September. Those jobs were created by businesses – by growing a stronger economy, businesses were able to grow and employ people. In 2013 under Labor, unemployment was at 5.7 per cent and going that way, north. Today, it is 5 per cent, what some call the natural rate, and Australia’s jobs growth is now faster than in all G7 countries. Our employment to population ratio for those aged 15 to 64, the working age population, is at a record 74.2 per cent. This is the best result since records began more than 40 years ago. More people of working age are in work than in any other time in our history and as you can see in the chart, it’s been a long way back.
The female participation rate is at a record high. So too is the participation rate for Australians aged over 65. Welfare dependency is at the lowest level for three decades. More people in work, less people on welfare – that’s what Coalition economic policy delivers. Armed with this record, we have now set ourselves the goal of creating another 1.25 million jobs over the next five years – that’s my jobs pledge to the Australian people. And as you’ve just heard from the record, that is a claim, a pledge that we can make with some credibility. At the same time, we have fixed the budget mess we inherited in 2013 and turned the corner on debt and maintained our AAA credit rating. When we came to office, the budget had a deficit of $47 billion, or a 3 per cent share of the size of our economy.
In 2019-20, the Budget will finally return to surplus. It hasn’t been an easy path, it has been a long road back to both fiscally consolidate while at the same time growing the economy when there had been [inaudible] of mining investment in the country. These are the three things that had to be very carefully managed. Our discipline, fiscally, will ensure these surpluses exceed 1 per cent of GDP over the medium term. Real spending growth under our Government is at the lowest level for half a century – more than 50 years of any Government. The hard work of getting the budget back into surplus though is only the start – we need to restore the balance sheet to where it was prior to the GFC so that we’re well placed to handle whatever the global economy throws at us in the future.
The buffers that were created by the Howard-Costello Government, not just the fiscal ones but the regulatory ones around our banking and financial system, were the critical factors that ensured that we were able to move through the GFC at the time. And we need to get back into that space. The Government is committed to eliminating net debt over the next decade and it will take that long and it will be quite a challenge to achieve. This should now be the focus of our government’s fiscal management and it will be, paying down the debts of the past in order to grow the economy of tomorrow. That is our intergenerational pledge – securing our future by keeping a lid on taxes and restraining expenditure to support confidence right across the economy and, in particular, amongst business.
Obviously, the finishing line of zero net debt is in the distance, but we need to stay the course. In the same way, we will steadfastly work toward getting ourselves back in the balance. We will work steadfastly to achieve this goal also. So, this is not a time to experiment with economic management. We has seen these experiments before under Labor. They don’t end well for anybody. Our proven track record on the economy is one that we’ve worked hard to achieve over the last five and a half years. It honours the legacy of that which we’ve inherited from the Howard-Costello Government. And we’ve maintained it, and we need to maintain this course. Why? Because, as we know, in recent months, the global economy has slowed, the risks have risen, at least compared with those we’ve faced in last 18 months or so.
Both the IMF and World Bank have lowered their global growth forecasts since our mid-year update. The World Bank warns of darkening skies given global financing conditions have tightened, industrial production has moderated and the threat of protectionism remains high. There are a few own goals out there in the global economy. It warns that a simultaneous sharp slowdown in both the United States and China could have severe consequences for the global outlook and these are very obvious points. Meanwhile, domestically, we have seen dwelling prices fall in our major capitals, a correction, with prices down 10.4 per cent in Sydney and 9.1 per cent in Melbourne. The Reserve Bank Governor has been able to put these into context. We have been able to achieve, I think, a soft lending to date in the housing market. It was very over-heated, particularly in the Sydney and Melbourne markets, we know that and the measures and factors that have been in play have ensured that softening. Had it been a hard landing, the implications for our economy we all understand would have been quite dire.
This only underlines why we can’t take Australia’s unbroken run of economic growth for granted. Why we must do more to make our economy even stronger. Why we have taken the hard work of rebuilding the Budget position. Prudent fiscal management has allowed us to turn the Budget around while also I should stress investing record levels in defence, in health, in aged care, in education, all essential services that Australians rely on. Our investments in all of these essential services – 2,000 affordable medicines on the PBS without increasing taxes. The investments that I’ll announce today on domestic violence, important, bi-partisan commitments. The only difference is, I’ll be announcing them without increased taxes.
Education funding at record levels, bulk billing for Medicare at record levels without increasing taxes. I believe the way you control expenditure is actually controlling how much you tax. We should only take from the Australian public, from their efforts, as much as we absolutely need to deliver those essential services that Australians rely on. We shouldn’t have to take more in the event that you can’t manage all your other expenditure, which is what we see the Labor Party do. Why are they going to tax you more? Because they can’t manage the budget, so we’ll just tax them to cover up for all the other wasted expenditure.
That’s why we’re not raising taxes because we’ve kept a tension on the cord across all other levels of spending. This has allowed us to unlock the largest infrastructure pipeline in terms of our economic management and what we’ve invested in. Our $75 billion infrastructure plan is delivering much needed growth and nation-building capacity to all parts of Australia. In many ways, it’s been filling the gap left by the retreat in mining investment. That means less congested roads in our urban areas, so families can spend more time with each other, rather than get stuck in traffic. The new Western Sydney International, I’m pleased to say the Nancy-Bird Walton Airport which we announced yesterday, is breaking a deadlock that has eluded governments for generations, decades upon decades upon decades.
Our $5 billion investment in Tulla Rail in Melbourne will transform and reshape that city. A new Inland rail network for Eastern Australia will enhance the national freight network – creating jobs, reducing supply chain costs and connecting cities and regional Australia to markets faster, safer and more efficiently. Snowy 2.0, MarinusLink and Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation will not only create jobs where we need them but it will firm Australia’s record investment in renewable energy for the future so there won’t be dumping and shedding of renewable energy from the grid and will put downward pressure on electricity prices.
A big part of keeping Australians together is opening up new opportunities in regional Australia – through this better infrastructure, digital connectivity and the like. Our Government is determined that Australia grows together, not apart, and the key to that is the strength of our economy. All these investments are being fully funded as I said without an increase in taxes. The Coalition has embedded Australia into the major economic engines of our region through transformational trade agreements with Japan, Korea, China, and 10 other nations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and we now include Indonesia where Simon has just returned from inking that agreement.
Since the Coalition was elected, the coverage of our free trade agreements has increased from 26 per cent of our total two-way trade to 70 per cent. 26 per cent to 70 per cent – that is a massive opening up of our trade opportunities for small and family businesses in particular around Australia. New export deals have given Australian exporters duty-free or preferential access to an extra 1.8 billion customers in the world’s fastest and largest growing markets. This is the most effective hedge an open trading economy like Australia can adopt against the new protectionist sentiment prevailing around the world. And that I think is where Australia has a story, often going against the grain and ensuring that we’re opening up our opportunities where others might be seeking to close them off.
But there is more to do. As I said, an uncertain global economic outlook means Australia’s economic fortunes will depend even more on the quality of our economic management. We will continue to be an ambitious, pro-growth government, supporting individuals, families and businesses looking to get ahead and prosper. We’re all for that. We don’t think you have to pull some people down to raise other people up. That’s not our view. We believe a stronger economy can raise everybody up and I think that’s one of the key differences between our Government and the Labor Party and what they’re offering for the next election.
We will stay the course with policies that achieve this and we will ensure that those policies, our plan for a stronger economy, is in place. Strong budgets so Governments live within their means. Lower taxes, open trade, backing small businesses, promoting cooperative workplaces based on the rule of law, sensible climate policy alongside reliable, affordable energy supply. Investing in infrastructure, investing in the skills that are necessary, backing all of our industries to be world-class – not just the shiny, bright new ones – they’re fantastic, love them, they’re great, love them, fantastic, Blockchain, high tech, all of them are doing so well – but so is resources, so is agriculture, so is forestry and the jobs that they produce all around the country. It’s an incredibly important part of our economic future.
What we also won’t do is we won’t tax this economy beyond what it can bare. I put in place as Treasurer a tax cap – 23.9 per cent of the economy. This is important. That says that we believe if you go above that, you hold you economy back. It’s a sheet anchor. It holds every Australian back. I urge you to look for a number when the budget comes out and when the Labor Party puts their figures forward. What will be in the share of taxes of the economy under Labor? I can tell you what is was for the last election – it was 25.7 per cent. That meant around $50 billion a year in more tax on the Australian economy – every year, another $50 billion. And whether you’re paying that tax or not, you’re paying because of the impact it has on slowing the economy, the impact it has on slowing wage growth in a country. They have a plan to put $200 billion of extra taxes on Australians and I really don’t think they understand the impact of that on the economy. All the individual measures. It doesn’t understand the power and virtue of aspiration in our society. For our hardest aspiration is some other country, not Australia. That’s what Labor’s Deputy Leader has said as much – that’s what Tanya Plibersek has said.
Labor under Bill Shorten sneers at those who want to get ahead and only promises them a higher tax burden. If you work additional overtime to get ahead, Mr Shorten wants more from you, he wants higher taxes from you. If you buy an investment property to secure your family’s economic future, which so many small and family business owners do, which so many people who live in regional parts of the country do – you know there’s more people who negatively gear investments and have investment properties in the electorate of Capricornia based on Rockhampton than there is in my own electorate of Cook in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire and St George. More people in Rockhampton than in Cronulla. Labor doesn’t get that. They don’t understand the aspiration that would lead someone to make that decision and that sacrifice to invest in their future.
If you buy some shares for your retirement, again, Mr Shorten will have his hand in your pocket through higher capital gains taxes. If you try to build a nest egg to pass on to your kids, again, he’ll have his hand in your pocket. Mr Shorten even wants to ensure that our legislated tax cuts - $144 billion worth over the life of our tax plan will be cut in half. Stripped away. He will reverse the tax cuts that we have legislated from last year’s budget – reverse stages two and three of that plan that will stop over $70 billion worth of tax cuts. Australians being able to keep their own money.
There are many other things that I could tell you about, but I know Phil Coorey’s interested in asking me a few questions. But let me finish on two points. I’ve already made the point about trade and the fact that the Labor Party is baulking again on this Indonesian Trade Agreement I think tells you that when it comes to the economy, their instincts just aren’t there. It’s why the China Free Trade Agreement was never completed under the Labor Party. They never took it forward. They were never able to break through. It’s why we are able to make progress on all of those agreements including the Indonesian one today, there’s a simple reason for that. They’re not in control. They will answer to their masters in the union at the end of the day. That’s why we are looking at an economy under Labor which will see [inaudible] run their businesses, through to moving back to industry-wide bargaining which takes us back to the dark ages of workplace relations in this country.
As I move around the country and I walk in and out of small and family businesses and I ask myself why are they doing so well? It’s because they have such a wonderful relationship between their staff and the managers and owners. There’s a commonality of purpose that exists in these organisations. They’re all working to the same end. I don’t want to set Australians against each other. I don’t want to set workers against bosses. I don’t want to set one group of Australians who have had success in life against those who are aspiring to success in life. I don’t want to set enterprise in this country against anything. What I want to do is ensure that the economy, the economy that Australians live in, that they depend on, that their family’s services will rely on, whether it’s Medicare or hospitals or schools, I want to ensure, and will ensure, that it is the strongest it can possibly be in the circumstances that we are faced with.
So, it will be the most important election in decades. It certainly will. And there is a big choice to make and it’ll impact the next 10 years of your life. Whether you’re a business, whether you’re raising a family, whether you’re in retirement or entering into retirement, whether you’re a young person coming out of university, I was one of those who entered the economy under Labor in the 1990s that went into recession. I am one of those who does know what it’s like to live in an economy that is in recession and I did so as a young person coming out of university and others of my generation who knew what that was like. Why parents struggled with interest rates that today’s generation can only imagine. We can’t go back to that. We must go forward and we have the plan to take Australia there.
Thank you very much.
Remarks, Western Sydney International Airport naming
4 March 2019
Badgerys Creek NSW
Thank you very much, Paul. It’s a great pleasure to be here with Premier Gladys Berejiklian and all of our distinguished guests today but, particularly, the Holman family who are the descendants of Nancy-Bird Walton, who we’re here to honour today. Can I also honour the Traditional Owners, the Darug people, and elders past and present and emerging. Can I also acknowledge and honour any Australian servicemen and women, either current who are serving or those who are veterans as well.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have some prepared remarks today which I very much want to share with you. Many great Australians have looked out across our desert expanses or mountain wildernesses and felt adventure calling. And today, we celebrate someone who answered that call. A sky-high moment in Australia’s aviation history is happening right here in Western Sydney. It’s with great pride that as a people, we officially name in honour of one of Australia’s greatest pioneering aviators, the Western Sydney International Airport the Western Sydney International Nancy-Bird Walton Airport.
[Applause]
But let me tell you why because that’s what’s really important. Australia’s story is a tremendous one and it is the story of so many amazing women in our country. We think back to the times out this way – Angus will know about this – to Elizabeth Macarthur, the pioneer of Western Sydney well before today’s times. Right through, it is the story of amazing women.
As a young girl in the 1920s, Nancy-Bird would gaze out and dream of flight. At 17, clutching her life’s savings of 200 pounds, she arrived at Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s new flying school at Mascot. She spent long days in training and it paid off. She became the youngest woman in the Commonwealth, not just in Australia but in the Commonwealth, to obtain her commercial license. Leading for Australia and leading for women all around the world. But then, for 400 pounds, she bought a Gipsy Moth and she described it as a rattle trap. And from that point, she was truly free as a bird.
Nancy-Bird once described the joy of flying as utter solitude and utter responsibility. You have time to think, she said, time to see, as she put it, how insignificant the scratches man has made upon the surface of this great world. For her great joy invited great risk and it did demand bravery. Barnstorming affairs and race meets across New South Wales and country areas was a death-defying calling. Think about it – a rickety plane brought to life by the spin of a propeller. Wings so fragile, you could put your foot clean through while hopping in. Weather so hot, a bit like today, it shrank the wood and boiled the fuel. Nancy-Bird’s only instruments of navigation were a compass, a watch and a map. But as much as she loved the sheer adventure of flying, Nancy-Bird had more to offer than a daring do. When Reverend Stanley Drummond asked her in 1935 to form the first Air Ambulance for the Far West Children’s Health Scheme, flying nurses in and out of Bourke, she immediately agreed. She served in the Women’s Air Training Corps throughout the Second World War and later devoted herself to numerous charitable works here and abroad, while raising her two young children – one of whom is with us her today – with her husband Charles.
It is now 10 years since her death and Nancy-Bird Walton lived to the age of 93. She had a gift for leadership and bringing people together. She was utterly charming, as I knew from first-hand experience when I met her on several occasions. So, I’m sure this hero of the Australian skies would be proud that the airport named in her honour will be providing much opportunity and enrichment to the workers and families of Western Sydney.
The Australian Government is investing, as you know, $5.3 billion in this airport plus $2.9 billion in surrounding road works, with the project supporting over 11,000 direct and indirect jobs during the construction period and 28,000 full-time jobs within five years of opening, delivering real, long-term benefits to the Western Sydney community. We’re looking at an airport twice the size of Kingsford Smith, which I’m sure Nancy-Bird would have appreciated, with a projected 10 million passengers annually by 2031. And already as you can see around us, it is propelling investment and economic growth in the region. Billions of dollars of road and rail projects have been planned and delivered. The Western Sydney International Nancy-Bird Walton Airport will be an economic game-changer for one of the fastest growing regions in our nation. So how appropriate is it that in the Sydney of 2026, when operations begin, two of Australia’s iconic aviators and pioneers, Nancy-Bird Walton and Charles Kingsford Smith, will be flying side by side here in Sydney.
This project is a project of our government and would not be able to be made possible without the incredible partnership our government has had with the New South Wales Government and I want to commend Gladys Berejiklian as Premier and as a previous Transport Minister and as a Treasurer, in all of these roles, has been so supportive of this project – not just what happens here on site, but what has to happen around this site to ensure the Western Sydney International Nancy-Bird Walton Airport is not just a Western Sydney Airport, which is its primary function, but is an airport for Sydney more broadly and the nation. Gladys has shown tremendous leadership on this project and has been a wonderful and willing partner as we’ve gone about the job of making this a reality.
You want to know what vision looks like? You’re looking at it here at this airport. You’re looking at it right here and it’s taken the teamwork of the Liberal-National Government at both a Commonwealth and a state level to make it a reality. I want to thank very much – I’m sure Michael McCormack would agree as the Deputy Prime Minister – I want to thank Gladys and her team for their wonderful partnership. May it long continue. Gladys Berejiklian, Premier of New South Wales. Thank you.
Press Conference - Sydney, NSW
28 February 2019
Sydney, NSW
PRIME MINISTER: Well, thank you for coming together this morning. I'm pleased to announce that I'll be recommending to the Governor-General that Ms Ita Buttrose be appointed the next chair of the ABC. The ABC plays an extremely important role in Australian life and has done for generations. It's an important Australian institution and we have seen that time and again and most recently we have seen that in the fires and the floods that have once again ravaged our nation over the summer period. It's the ABC that those who have been stricken by those disasters have turned to in their times of need to get the information and reliable news services that they have needed to cope with these debilitating disasters. But that's not the only role, of course, that the ABC plays. It plays a pervasive role throughout Australian life from our youngest to our oldest. All across the generations. And we have all had our own direct association and wonderful stories that we can tell about the ABC. So when you ask someone to take on the role as chair of the ABC, it needs to be someone you know to be trusted with that important institution. And in asking Ms Buttrose to take on this role, that's exactly who I believe we have been able to find. I'm very appreciative of her willingness to take on this role. Ita, as we know, I hope she doesn't mind me being informal…
ITA BUTTROSE: Not at all.
PRIME MINISTER: …has the strength, the integrity and the fierce independence that she is known for to take stewardship of this important Australian institution. But it is not just her extensive experience in publishing and broadcasting which equips her for this role as we know. As a former Australian of the Year, Ita's experience, whether it comes to her support for causes like Alzheimer's, arthritis, AIDS, the Smith Family, the arts, the environment, these are all issues over her professional roles both in broadcasting and journalism as well as her roles outside of those undertakings, she's demonstrated a passion, a deep knowledge and empathy for very much in line, I think, with the views and the wishes and concerns of Australians. But the other thing that I think really sets Ita apart is this: The reason she has been so successful - in publishing, in broadcasting, is she has always put her viewers, her listeners and her readers first. And you know what? That's what the ABC needs to do too. It's about their viewers, it's about their listeners, it's about their readers, and the services they provide to Australians. And in Ms Buttrose we have someone who has demonstrated throughout her career that the best way to run a broadcasting and publishing organisation is to focus on the people for whom it's for - which is the readers and the viewers, and the listeners to the ABC. Australians trust Ita. I trust Ita. And that's why I have asked her to take on this role and I'm absolutely thrilled that she has accepted our ask to take on that role and I want to congratulate her on her pending appointment obviously subject to the Governor-General and those processes we followed in the normal way. Thank you very much, Ita. I'm going to ask the Minister to make a few comments and then we'll ask Ms Buttrose to make a few.
SENATOR THE HON MITCH FIFIELD, MINISTER FOR COMMUNCATIONS AND THE ARTS: Thank you, Prime Minister. The ABC is an important cultural organisation. It is one of the important underpinnings of media diversity in Australia. It represents a significant Commonwealth contribution to civic journalism. The ABC informs us, it entertains us, it's close to the community particularly in rural and regional Australia and despite some difficulties, this important work has continued. Ita Buttrose is uniquely qualified to chair the ABC. She has worked in every form of media. She has worked as a journalist, she's worked in management, she's worked as an editor. Ita Buttrose is someone that Australians know, she's someone that Australians trust. Ita is the right person to chair the ABC at this time and, Ita, can I wish you well and congratulate you as well.
ITA BUTTROSE: Thank you so much. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Chair-designate?
ITA BUTTROSE: Thank you for those kind words, Prime Minister and Mitch Fifield. I am very honoured to have been asked to chair the ABC. I consider it one of the most important cultural and information organisations in our country and I'm - I'm honoured to be asked to lead it into the future. It is a voice of the Australian people, I think it reflects our identity, it tells our stories, it tells our stories not just here in Australia but to the rest of the world, and I have grown up with the ABC. I'm a devoted listener to the ABC. I start my day with ABC news radio - I don't leave home without it, I’ve got the App on my phone. My father worked at the ABC for a number of years and when he retired, he was assistant general manager. So, I do know the culture at the ABC particularly well and I wish my dad was still alive to see me here today but he's not. So I'm a passionate believer in the independence of the ABC. And I will do everything in my utmost power to make sure it remains that way.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much Ita, Let's take some questions on this matter. As usual I know there’ll be other questions on political matters of the day and given the fierce independence of the ABC, I won't impose on the chair-designate to be here for those questions and you might excuse Ita at that point. Yes?
JOURNALIST: Can I just ask Prime Minister why was there spending, why has the government spent money on recruiters and head hunters, if only the government has really gone against their advice with this appointment?
PRIME MINISTER: Well the Labor Party put in place a process when they were in government which was this independent process of the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet appointing a panel. And that panel undertakes that process at complete arm's lengths from the government. I have no involvement in it, the Minister has no involvement in it. They appoint the recruiters who are involved and provide the terms for those recruiters. So, the Labor Party set up a process, we have followed that process, but where I don't believe that process actually meets the requirements, then the government of the day has the ability to make the right appointment and that's what I have done today.
JOURNALIST: Ita, you have worked for Kerry Packer as a boss. You know you'll be working for the Australian public as your boss. Which do you think is the more terrifying prospect?
[Laughter]
ITA BUTTROSE: I don't have a problem with the Australian public. I believe the main shareholders of the ABC are the Australian public. I have always had a very good communication with them and I think through the ABC we'll be able to continue that conversation. The ABC does it very well. It does it much better than the commercial networks.
JOURNALIST: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the ABC at the moment?
ITA BUTTROSE: I think the most important - and in my role as chair, I think my most important role is to restore stability to the management of the organisation, to reassure the staff that life will go on as usual and to reassure the board who has also been through a period of unrest that, you know, it's time to get - it's time to get the ABC functioning again with proper stable management and good frank discussion between the chair and whoever is the managing director. If there's not a close relationship between the chair and the managing director, you cannot make an organisation work efficiently and well.
JOURNALIST: Ita, did you apply for the role when it became available and if not why not?
ITA BUTTROSE: No, I didn't.
JOURNALIST: Why didn't you?
ITA BUTTROSE: Well, I just didn't. Maybe that was a mistake on my part, but I just didn't do it.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you said on Monday that you knew Ita for years, is this a captain’s pick and can you assure the public that you won't be leaning on that relationship when it comes to matters of editorial and you will go through the formal complaints process?
PRIME MINISTER: That's the process I have always followed by the way. And from time to time I have had my complaints with the editors and I have dealt with them through those processes and I have been able to find some satisfaction in how those processes are followed. It hasn't been uncommon for the ABC to actually issue apologies to me in the past on air, in fact, and so I followed those processes and always will continue to. I respect the independence of the ABC as our Government always has, and in the new chair-designate, I know there will be a fiercely independent chair and who, I think, commands great respect for the Australian people when it comes to the integrity of the journalistic process. And that means getting facts right. It means getting things right and that's why I have great confidence in making this recommendation to the Governor-General. So, you know, we'll continue to follow that Process and I was very pleased to invite Ita to consider this role earlier this year and I'm thrilled that she's taken up the challenge.
JOURNALIST: Ita, do you believe the ABC requires more funding to fulfil its commitments to the Australian people?
ITA BUTTROSE: I haven't been through the accounts yet. I haven't discussed anything with the acting managing director or with the acting chair. And I need to look at those things. I need to look at those figures and see what's what. I'm aware what the current funding is, but, look, let me assure you that if I think there is a need for more funding, I won't be frightened to ask for it.
JOURNALIST: With the acting managing director, one of the key jobs of the chair is to find a CEO who is going to be running it. How does that process go? Does the acting managing director already have the inside track on that or is it generally an open field in your mind?
ITA BUTTROSE: Well it would be an open field. I mean, I know that the acting managing director has applied and his hast is in the ring, but the applications for the managing director role do not close until tomorrow, March 1, yeah, tomorrow. And so, therefore we'll have to look at the acting managing director's credentials in line with all the other people that have applied. I'm assuming there are quite a few.
JOURNALIST: Is there a leaning to keep someone internal given Mr Anderson’s long experience at the ABC?
ITA BUTTROSE: I have not had that discussion with anyone.
JOURNALIST: And Ita, In terms of your digital experience, some people say you haven't been a full time media executive for a while, what’s your knowledge of how the landscape has changed for media companies given Facebook and Google's dominance?
ITA BUTTROSE: Well, I think anyone working in the media knows the impact that digital has had on all our operations in whatever line field, whatever line of media work we're in. And I think it's - I actually think it's improved, opened so many new doors for all of us, things we can now do that we couldn't do before, that the fact that we can have instant communication is something that's really excited me. When I started as a very young journalist, it used to take 40 hours to fly film out from London before we even knew if we had a decent shot. Look at what we can do now. I think I have never been frightened of what technology offers to us in the media. It is the way of the future. We all know that. And the ABC has a part of that and it's already working very hard in this field and I don't intend that it shouldn't keep doing so. We have a right to be there. It is the way of the future and the ABC must have that future.
JOURNALIST: There is a loud view by some of the community that the ABC is a nest of left-wing vipers in terms of its journalism that it doesn't represent - I see nods and smiles from the Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: I'm just amused.
JOURNALIST: What is your take on it?
ITA BUTTROSE: 80 per cent of Australian’s say we're unbiased. 80 per cent of Australians say that they trust our news more than they trust any other kind of information. So we must be doing something right. But look, there's always room for improvement.
JOURNALIST: If you had a politician or someone from the Prime Minister's office make contact with you about a journalist or a story or something of that nature, how would you handle an issue like that?
ITA BUTTROSE: I'd listen and I want you to know that, you know, I'm sure - it's not only the ABC that gets complaints from politicians. I have copped plenty of complaints from politicians in previous roles especially when I was editor-in- chief in News Limited.
JOURNALIST: Do you think we need to you do away with the independent panel process, if they are not providing us with the most qualified candidate?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm not proposing that. But what I can assure you is that all the processes of the Act have been followed. You asked about the process through cabinet as well. It followed the normal cabinet process. It went to cabinet. It's my responsibility as Prime Minister to put forward a nomination to cabinet which I did and that was enthusiastically supported earlier this week and to work with the Minister for Communications in that process in the department. All of those processes were followed. I think that's the important point. And when you follow all the important processes and you make decisions having followed those processes, which is what we have done, which leaves open where I feel that the recommendations that were made to me, if in my view and the government's view, don't meet the standard or the requirement that we have, then we're at liberty to make a further nomination which we have and we'll be doing that to the Governor-General. We will table our reasons for doing so in the Parliament in the normal process which is required under the Act. So the processes have been followed. That's including the requirements for official consultation with the Leader of the Opposition which was done earlier today.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you said in your opening remarks that we all have a wonderful story to tell about the ABC. What's the wonderful story you have got to tell about the ABC?
PRIME MINISTER: Behind The News. I remember it as a kid and that's where I started getting my first current affairs reporting from - was Behind The News. And it was a bit different back then than what it is today, but - the fact it's still there, I think is great.
JOURNALIST: Has there been nothing since then?
PRIME MINISTER: No, there has been a lot since then, obviously. I always understand in all the roles that I have had, the importance of, you know, appearing on the flagship interview programs on the ABC. I have never been a stranger to those whether it's the 7.30 or Insiders in the past or most recently AM, all of these. I mean they play an important role. I have always treated those with the respect they have earned and their presenters as well. And I have dealt with many of those presenters and they're always a gruelling and tough interview, I have got to say. And that's as it should be and I think as leaders we - we are in a position to having to put ourselves forward for that as indeed we are here today. So look, there are more, Hugh and we'll have a coffee one day and I'll share more with you. But the one - perhaps the first engagement is always the sweetest and that was Behind The News all those years ago.
JOURNALIST: Ita, do you consider one of the main responsibilities of your role now to rebuild trust from the public after the Michelle Guthrie, Justine Milne situation?
ITA BUTTROSE: I don't - I don't think the public has really lost trust in the ABC. You know, I think the - you know, I think the ABC occupies a very special place in the hearts and minds of Australians. The Michelle Guthrie matter is something else again. It's a management issue. It's being dealt with. It's still in mediation and I'm not sure how that's going to end yet.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, have you conveyed or communicated or spoken to Ita about any concerns or thoughts or improvements that could be made to the ABC?
PRIME MINISTER: I can assure you that any conversations I have with the chair-designate on these matters will always remain between the Chair’s designate and indeed the Chair and I. If I have any formal issues that I need to raise with the ABC, then there are appropriate channels for doing that.
JOURNALIST When do you expect the Governor-General to sign off or to give (inaudible) on this?
PRIME MINISTER: That should be in place next week.
JOURNALIST: And when do you intend to start working at the ABC as the Chair?
ITA BUTTROSE: I've already had a text message from the Acting Chair, so I would think not long after I leave here, I will give her a call.
JOURNALIST Ita, what’s the best piece of reporting you have seen?
ITA BUTTROSE: I'm sorry?
JOURNALIST What's the best piece of reporting that you have seen from the ABC recently?
ITA BUTTROSE: Oh there are so many. I'm a big fan of Leigh Sales and the 7.30 report, I think it consistently breaks stories, it gives you views on the world. Four Corners is without doubt the leading investigative program in Australia. ABC news radio consistently breaks stories. ABC News Breakfast, the TV show, is a good little show and its doing lots of great work there, there’s so many parts of the ABC that are breaking news and again, they’re stories we wouldn't get on commercial networks.
JOURNALIST Is the Project Jetstream dead?
ITA BUTTROSE: I have read about it, of course, but I need to have that discussion with the board and the Managing Director and we haven't had that yet, so I can't really comment on it.
PRIME MINISTER: Any more questions on this issue before we move on?
JOURNALIST: Your good friend Kerri-Anne Kennerley, you might be aware she suffered the loss of her husband this morning.
ITA BUTTROSE: Look I did just hear the very sad news that Kerri-Anne’s husband John died. And I am really to sorry to hear it because I liked them very much.
PRIME MINISTER: Can I also pass on my best wishes to Kerri-Anne as well. We, Ita and I just heard about that before we came here.
ITA BUTTROSE: They were a great couple and she adored him.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah. That is a true love story, a love story that shows how lucky we are to have people who we love in our lives and I'm sure Kerri-Anne will be deeply comforted by that relationship over such a long period of time and I'm sure she will get enormous waves of comfort and support from the Australian people. They shared their story openly with the Australian public and they let people into a very private part of their lives and I think the strength and determination, care and compassion that was shown in that relationship was an encouragement to all Australians. We love you, Kerry-Anne and we just hope that these days and weeks ahead are not too arduous, but we know they will be, and you have the love and care of the nation with you. So with that, we might thank Ita again and we will get on to the other matters of the day. Thank you.
ITA BUTTROSE: Thank you very much everybody.
PRIME MINISTER: Can I also thank the acting chair Kirstin Ferguson for the role she’s been performing since taking on the role of acting chair, and she’ll obviously be engaging with the chair-designate as we move through that next phase and after those events of last year that required quite a bit of skill and experience to ensure that the ABC could get back to what they need to focus on, and that, I think, has occurred and I want to thank Kirstin on what she has done, I'm sure Mitch would, too.
SENATOR THE HON MITCH FIFIELD, MINISTER FOR COMMUNCATIONS AND THE ARTS: Yes, I thank Dr Kirstin Ferguson for her work as acting chair. She is a substantive deputy chair and she will continue in that role, but in what has been a difficult time for the ABC, Dr Ferguson has led the organisation well.
PRIME MINISTER: On other matters today, as you know, the last four remaining children who are on Nauru at the regional processing location - of course, they hadn't been in detention for quite a period of time, they were living on Nauru - they have been transferred to the United States and that means there are no longer any children on Nauru at the regional processing location. There were no children on Manus Island, it was the former government that put children on Manus Island in an inexplicable decision to that that in the first instance. That was rectified a long time ago.
And so I am very pleased that were are in a position now to say that has been achieved and the only way you can ensure that children don’t go back on Nauru is to ensure that your border protection regime is not compromised and that you do not allow vessels to legally enter Australia with children on board. And the only way you can do that is maintain the strength of our border protection regime. That’s what our Government is doing and that’s what Bill Shorten and the Labor Party demonstrated they do not have the ability or conviction or determination to do. They will just blow over in a hair’s breadth, whether it’s in the people smugglers or indeed from other sections of the community which would have them undermine our border protection.
JOURNALIST: Is the Government interested in pursuing prosecution in relation to the Jihadi bride that has fled Syria?
PRIME MINISTER: This will be a very complex case and Australia will make decisions consistent with our national security interests. Obviously the issue of the children involved is also a very sensitive one. The children can’t be held responsible for the crimes of their parents. They are in a very dangerous part of the world and Australia is not in a position to offer any safe passage for people who are in that part of the world. And that is very concerning for the fact that there are children involved in this and their parents, Khaled Sharrouf in particular who committed despicable crimes, have placed their children in harm’s way. So look, we will deal with that issue sensitively but we must remember that both parents, including Khaled Sharrouf’s wife, committed crimes being where they were and doing what they were doing.
JOURNALIST: On another matter, there’s a case involving an ATO tax office whistleblower Richard Boyle is processing through. It’s been reported that he faces potentially six life sentences for breaching privacy rules and informational laws that are based around his role formerly in the ATO. Do you have any concerns about the circumstance in which a public servant who has revealed problems with the practices of the tax office faces more time in jail, theoretically, than a mass murderer?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I’m not familiar with the circumstances of that case, Hugh, so I can’t really comment.
JOURNALIST: With Cardinal Pell, former Prime Minister John Howard wrote a reference to him at his sentence hearing. Many of his supporters believe his claim that he is innocent of these crimes. What do you think, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: Well Australians, whether they’re former Prime Ministers or not, have every right to express the views that they have. What I have said about this issue is my thoughts remain with all victims of institutional child sexual abuse. Having, as I said yesterday, led the national apology following the Royal Commission – which I must say, Hugh, is one of I think the outstanding achievements of the ABC in the way that they addressed that issue of institutional child sexual abuse – my thoughts are with them. Because all of this will be stirring up all of those most horrific and painful of experiences they endured. And to be honest, that’s what I’m particularly focused on at the moment in my concern for them and how they’re processing all of this. Having met so many of them through the process of the apology, it just… it really just makes my heart terribly sad to know the pain they will be feeling today. It just… they just relive it all, and it’s just horrendous. So to be honest, I’m more concerned about that.
OK, thanks very much.
Climate Solutions
25 February 2019
Well thank you very much for joining us here today. Can I also acknowledge the Boon Wurrung of the Kulin Nation, the land on which we meet. Can I acknowledge elders past and present and emerging.
Can I also take the time to acknowledge all the people who are gathered with us here today. Of course, I want to also acknowledge David Kemp. Doctor Kemp, it’s great to have you here because today we speak of a tradition the Liberal Party’s commitment to doing what is practical and what is right for our environment. And no one better encapsulated that than yourself in that role so many years ago, like so many others.
And of course you are joined by other great environment ministers in Greg Hunt, my good friend, and Josh Frydenberg, who have also taken on those roles. And of course today’s Environment Minister Melissa Price who is with us here today and has been integral to what I’m announcing today. And Melissa, I want to congratulate you on the great work you have been doing on the portfolio as we’ve come to make these important announcements that we are today.
And Angus Taylor is here as well, he has also been a key part of our team as we’ve pulled all of this together and particularly when we’re talking about issues around Snowy 2.0 and the hydro projects in Tasmania.
Can I also acknowledge Jane Hume and James Paterson who are here and can I also particularly acknowledge these powerhouse candidates. We’ve got Gladys Liu.
[Applause]
Of course, Kate Ashmor here in Macnamara.
[Applause]
And a very, very, very special welcome to Doctor Katie Allen.
[Applause]
And congratulations on your selection yesterday.
What this says to me when I look at the calibre of our candidates here with Katie, Kate and Gladys joining the team that you see here before us. A great improvement, a sign-up to where we’re going as a Party, where we’re going as a Government.
And so to have Doctor Allen added to our number yesterday, I think was a further endorsement to that approach. And so it’s great to have you on the team, I look forward to catching up. I know you caught up with Josh last night as well and so you are very, very welcome.
But to the subject of today. It falls to each generation to provide a road map for our nation’s future. This has always been our focus as Liberals and Nationals. David understands that.
And not just a road map, but a detailed plan that sets out how we will pass the prospect of a brighter future onto the next generation of Australians.
Over the past five years, our Government has kept faith with our traditions of what we believe as Liberals and Nationals to address the many tasks that have been set before us when we came to Government five and a half years ago.
Restoring the Budget to balance, from Labor’s years of deficits, to the point where Josh Frydenberg will hand down the first surplus Budget in 12 years. That is a significant turnaround in our nation’s finances.
Reducing taxes so working Australians keep more of what they earn, for them and their families. They have more in their pockets to deal with the rising cost of living.
Securing Australia in an uncertain world. We understand the world as it is, not as we’d like it to be, because we have to deal with it as it is. There is a clarity in how we pursue these issues.
Record defence spending, stronger borders and a comprehensive plan to keep Australians safe. Whether it’s in the classroom for kids, or online with bullying and sexual predators, or so women can walk the streets and not fear the violence that is too often visited upon, particularly in this city here in Melbourne.
Guaranteeing – and fully funding – the essential services we rely on. No one knows this better than Greg Hunt. Record bulk billing for Medicare achieved under our Government.
[Applause]
Do you want a strong Medicare? I do, we all you, you need a stronger economy if you want a strong Medicare. And that’s what we’re delivering and the Pharmaceutical Benefits listings now at 2,000 since we came to Government. Changing and saving people’s lives. Well done Greg, you’ve done an extraordinary job on all of those issues.
Now, across all of those issues, the NDIS, medical care, the infrastructure that supports our quality of life.
This is what we’ve been doing. These are achievements we can be proud of.
And they speak to why we can be trusted when we say we have a plan to make Australia even stronger.
That’s what these credentials are, that what these achievements demonstrate. That the plans we are now putting in place that you can have every confidence that they will be achieved because that is what we have done.
So today, I want to focus on our ongoing plan to address climate change, with practical solutions that reduce carbon emissions, while preserving our economic strength and our living standards.
Because you know, as Liberals and Nationals we don’t believe we have to choose between our environment and our economy. Such an approach I consider is not measured, it’s not balanced, it’s not practical and it’s not helpful.
It pushes debate, when you think it’s an either/or choice between your economy and your environment, if that’s what you think this debate is about, you know where the debate goes? It goes to the extremes, it leads to people making reckless decisions, not balanced ones, that can have very dire consequences for our country and future generations.
So that’s not our approach, it’s not an approach that a sensible Government like ours embraces. And that’s why we haven’t embraced that approach which says you have to choose between your economy and your environment.
We acknowledge and accept the challenge of addressing climate change, let’s be clear about that. Our Government, my Government, acknowledges that we must accept the facts of climate change, address it, and we do so with cool heads, not just impassioned hearts. Because it takes both.
Our approach is to take care of our environment but also take responsibility to ensure we acknowledge, understand and manage the consequences of the decisions that you make to address climate change.
Our actions and plans to address climate change build on our strong traditions and record of achievement as Liberals and Nationals over generations to protect, preserve and value our environment.
Now, no one politician, no one political party, no one government can claim a mortgage on understanding the obvious fact that we only have one planet. Plenty try to, but it’s just a simple truth.
It was the Menzies Government that signed the Antarctic Treaty - protecting this last frontier from mining, weapons testing, and military bases.
It was John Gorton who established the Office of the Environment, and took on the then shibboleth of ‘federal-state relations’ to ban drilling and mining on the Great Barrier Reef. An action far ahead of its time.
It was the McMahon Government that appointed the first Minister for the Environment, Peter Howson, who as Greg reminds me, led our delegation to the inaugural United Nations Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment that approved a moratorium on the commercial killing of whales, an international convention to regulate ocean dumping, and the establishment of a World Heritage Trust to help preserve wilderness areas and other science natural landmarks.
This was backed up by the Fraser Government that banned whaling in our waters, Australian waters, declaring the Great Barrier Reef a marine park, banning sand mining on Fraser Island, and making Kakadu and South West Tasmania World Heritage areas.
It was then the Howard Government that established the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target in 2000, which created incentives for investment in renewable energy.
The Howard Government established the Climate Action Partnership between the Australian and United States, initiated collaboration on climate change with Japan, and signed bilateral climate change agreements with China, New Zealand and the European Union.
It was also the Howard Government that established the Natural Heritage Trust, as David remembers very well. The Australian Greenhouse Office, passed the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and increased the green zones in the Barrier Reef Marine Park from 5 per cent to a third, 33 per cent.
And it was the Howard Government, with Malcolm Turnbull as Environment Minister, that first tackled the vexed – and it remains vexed - issue of the Murray Darling Basin and established the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, with bipartisan support I stress, that was carried on by the Rudd and Gillard Labor Governments, and we have carried on indeed as a Government with bipartisanship, it’s foundation for success. You play around with bipartisanship on the Murray Darling Basin and you really do pout all of what can be achieved in these sensitive areas at risk. You don’t play politics with the Murray Darling.
Our direct action initiative when we came to Government, commenced under Tony Abbott with Greg as its architect, enabled us to successfully meet Australia’s Kyoto emissions reduction targets, as promised.
Our Government, also under Tony Abbott, then set and confirmed a new target of 26-28 per cent emissions reductions on 2005 levels by 2030.
We established the Asia-Pacific Rainforest Partnership, knowing that about one billion tonnes of CO2 is released each year in our region as a result of deforestation and land degradation. Now this is nearly double the amount of emissions Australia produces annually from every sector of our economy combined.
We have kept our commitment to support our neighbours, including $300 million to support climate resilience projects in the Pacific.
And under Malcolm Turnbull we invested in the first stage of Snowy 2.0 and through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and Renewable Energy Agency, where they made further investments in pumped hydro, battery storage and large-scale wind and solar.
Malcolm Turnbull put pumped hydro, again, back on Australia’s map from where it had been all of those years ago when Snowy was first conceived.
Our commitment and action to conserve our environment is grounded in our understanding of the intergenerational compact.
The obligation we have to future generations.
Our children should not have to pay tomorrow to subsidise the living standards and lifestyle that we enjoy today.
Now, this is as true for our environment as it is for getting the Budget back into surplus, for paying for our health and education services. We shouldn’t be borrowing from future generations to pay for the recurrent services that we today expect.
One of the biggest things that happened in the last couple of years in the Budgets is we stopped borrowing money to pay for recurrent services, be it welfare, hospitals, education, all of those everyday expenses. That stopped under our Government.
Or building indeed the infrastructure we need to support population growth.
Our air, waterways, fisheries, soils, biodiversity, our oceans, our reefs and our lands are all vital parts of the inheritance that we leave for future generations.
We hold them in trust today for those who will come after us. This is not a new concept. Indigenous Australians have been living these principles for tens of thousands of years and we acknowledge that here today.
Reducing our carbon emissions to address the real challenge of climate change requires practical policies. It’s not about armbands, it’s about policies that actually work and do things.
What matters is what works and whether you are achieving what you set out to do.
So what have we set out to achieve? And how have we performed? These are the reasonable benchmarks, in fact the only benchmarks, that you can use to assess.
Australia’s share of the global carbon footprint is 1.3 per cent.
Now that compares to 1.6 per cent in Canada, Germany 1.9, South Korea 1.4.
China at 26 per cent and the USA at 14 per cent are the world’s largest emitters.
So that’s the playing field.
In 2015, we committed to reduce our emissions as I said by 26-28 per cent by 2030, from 2005 levels.
This percentage is higher than countries like Japan and Korea but slightly below Canada and New Zealand.
But when you dig deeper, you can see what the real nature and significance of this commitment is.
Our 2030 target is the equivalent of reducing emissions per capita by around 50 per cent - one of the largest reductions of any G20 economy.
In terms of the emissions intensity of our economy, our effort is even greater - a reduction of around 65 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.
In 2015, Australia was the 14th largest emitter. After taking into account all countries' commitments, we are on track to drop to being the 25th largest emitter by 2030.
So our target is no slouch and let no one tell you it is. It’s a fair dinkum commitment, it’s a serious commitment, that requires real effort to achieve. And we are playing our part, we are doing our bit.
But nor is our target reckless, nor is it extreme.
By contrast, Labor is proposing a 45 per cent emissions reduction target.
This requires more than three times the amount of emissions reduction by 2030, compared with our Government’s sensible and achievable target is currently pitched.
Independent modelling released last week by BAEconomics has confirmed that Labor’s reckless emissions reduction target will put, as Angus has said on so many occasions and rightly, a wrecking-ball through the Australian economy. Something the Business Council of Australia have also said in similar terms.
Now the work shows that compared to our Government’s targets, Labor’s 45 per cent reckless target and 50 per cent reckless RET will:
Cost the economy an additional $472 billion. I’m not kidding - $472 billion, almost half a trillion dollars
It’ll slash more than 336,000 jobs,
It’ll cut the average wage from what it would otherwise be by over $9,000 a year. That makes the carbon tax look like a mosquito bite. This thing is a chunk out of people’s living wage.
It’ll increase wholesale electricity prices by more than 58 per cent.
That’s not a sensible target, it’s a reckless target. And it will come at a tremendous cost to Australians.
Sure you can have them, you can have higher targets. But they come at a tremendous cost.
A cost far worse, as I said, than the Carbon Tax Labor said they wouldn’t introduce, and then did and then our Government had to abolish. Which again Greg Hunt led the charge on.
So Labor runs around the country telling industries and businesses about their target and say ‘you’ll be exempted and you’ll be exempted‘. They go up to the aluminium smelter in Boyne Island and say we’ll exempt you and we’ll exempt you. Well, they both can’t be true. It cannot be true because if they were to do all of those things, they would have absolutely no hope of meeting their emissions reductions targets as they’ve set it out.
Their targets depend, in fact they rely on shutting industries and businesses down. You can’t achieve that any other way.
So they’re either lying about the targets they’re setting or they’re are lying about the impact on jobs, especially in heavy industries and the agricultural sector. Either way, you can’t trust Labor when it comes to this issue.
That’s why I say it is important to have balance in your emissions reductions policies – You’ve got to have the cool head as well as the passionate heart – which is our approach.
Based on our performance to date, our target is also achievable.
If you measure the success of policy by whether it achieves the objective you set for it, the success of our policies on climate change policy is clear.
Australia beat our first Kyoto 2012 greenhouse gas reduction target by 128 million tonnes.
After our election in 2013 it was our Government’s job to get Australia back on track to meet our Kyoto 2020 targets.
In November of last year, the United Nations Environment Programme released its annual Emissions Gap reporting which confirmed Australia was on track to meet our 2020 targets.
But this was no small achievement. This didn’t happen by accident, by good luck. It happened because we took important decisions and we took action.
In 2013 we inherited from Labor a 755 million tonne projected deficit on our Kyoto 2020 targets. That was our starting point. We are now expecting to over achieve on that same target by 367 million tonnes. That is a $1.1 billion, sorry 1.1 billion tonne turn around. I’m used to talking about the turnaround we’ve made on deficits – and they usually apply to the budget.
[Laughter]
But I tell you the work that Greg and Josh and Melissa have been doing in this area is just as significant. That’s what we’ve been able to achieve by our budget – when it comes to finances.
Not all other G20 countries can say this. Australia is right out ahead. Canada can’t say it about 2020. They might say they’ve got higher targets but they’re currently not meeting the targets they’ve already set. Indonesia, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, South Africa, the USA and Germany, they’re not on track to meet targets they’ve previously set – let alone exceed them.
So let’s not talk down what Australia is doing and the heavy lifting that we’ve been doing to achieve those targets and as Melissa was reminding me yesterday, they come to us when we go to these conferences – and ask us how we’re achieving this so well.
So we are in a very small club. A club that has been exceeding our targets under our policies as a Government.
And also I should stress, unlike other countries such as New Zealand and I met with Prime Minister Ardern on Friday who reminded me that they will need to meet their targets by doing business with foreign carbon traders. They will need to do it by spending taxpayer’s money on foreign carbon credits. That’s not what we are proposing today. That’s not what we are going to have to do based on the plan that I’ve set out today.
Our Government has achieved our goals through a combination of successful policy measures.
The Emission Reduction Fund, which was the centrepiece of the direct action initiative, supports farmers, landholders and Indigenous communities to deliver practical projects such as savannah fire management, energy efficiency, capturing methane from local landfills and storing carbon in soils.
So far, the Fund has contracted 193 million tonnes of emissions reduction at an average price of around $12 per tonne. There remains around $226 million uncommitted in that Fund – and that will be used to roll out those options.
The Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET) is set at 33,000 gigawatt hours by 2020. The Clean Energy Regulator (CER) has said the 2020 LRET will be met.
According to the CER, 2018 was a record year for installations of large-scale renewable power stations, Angus has reminded us of on many occasions, with more than 360 power stations representing 3,300 megawatts of capacity completed and beginning generation.
That’s a lot of power.
This comfortably exceeded the record of around 1,000 megawatts that was set in 2017.
Now forgive me for going into such length and into so much detail today so early in the morning but I think this is important to set out the facts when it comes to our action on climate change – and so I pray your indulgence because I’ve got a bit to get through yet. Because there’s a lot we’ve been doing.
The CER has forecast another record (of around 4,300 megawatts) in 2019.
Now the CER has not yet published data for rooftop solar installations in 2018, but has forecast it will be in the order of 1,600 megawatts, which will comfortably break the 1,100 megawatts record set in 2017. One in five Australian households have rooftop solar and this is expected to grow to one in four over the next four years.
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) continues to invest in renewable, energy efficiency and low emissions technologies, including energy storage and electric vehicles. It is the largest organisation of its kind in the world today investing in clean energy, with countries lining up, as Melissa reminded me again yesterday, looking to learn from its success.
The CEFC has committed $6.4 billion in finance to over 110 projects across the country and around $3.6 billion remains for future projects.
ARENA provides grant funding to emerging renewable energy and enabling technologies (including energy storage). It supports projects at the research, development and demonstration stage of the innovation cycle.
ARENA has provided over $1.4 billion in grant funding to 441 projects, and around $350 million remains for future projects.
Under the National Energy Productivity Plan, the NEPP as they like to call it. They’ve got as much like for acronyms as the defence industry in the environmental sector. The minimum energy performance standards or energy rating labels apply to 20 residential, commercial and industrial equipment’s and appliances, including refrigerators, washing machines, commercial chillers and industrial motors.
This is all really practical stuff.
These standards are saving households, on average, between $90 and $190 per year on their energy bills. Over 2001-14, they reduced Australia’s emissions by around 29 million tonnes.
So it’s a win win.
The Commercial Buildings Disclosure scheme requires owners or landlords to measure and disclose the energy efficiency of commercial office space to prospective buyers and tenants. By driving improvements in commercial building energy efficiency, the scheme is projected to save owners and tenants almost $100 million on their energy bills over 2010-2019.
The CEFC has provided $170 million in concessional finance towards the construction of energy efficient community housing. This is incredibly important.
On the back of our success in reducing ozone, we have legislated the phase-down of ozone depleting HFCs, the potent greenhouse gas used in refrigeration and air conditioning equipment.
Our phase down - 85 per cent by 2036 - is ahead of the global response, yet again, agreed under the Montreal Protocol.
The Australian Government’s carbon neutral certification is also helping businesses voluntarily reduce and offset greenhouse gas emissions.
So that’s a lot, isn’t it? That is a lot.
Our task is to now meet our commitment to reduce our emissions by 26 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.
That’s the task now before us.
That is why today I am announcing the Australian Government’s Climate Solutions Package.
It is a comprehensive, fully costed, $3.5 billion plan, over the next decade, to deliver on Australia’s 2030 emissions reduction targets, and to do so in a canter, just as we have on our targets to date.
It is a plan that builds on our success that I have outlined, in comprehensively beating our Kyoto commitments.
As Liberals and Nationals we say what we will do and we just get on and we do it. That’s our form. Whether on this issue, or any issue you care to nominate.
Unlike Labor’s plan, our policies mean we can reduce emissions while growing our economy and keeping electricity prices lower.
In 2008, official estimates suggested we would need to reduce emissions by 3.3 billion tonnes to meet our 2030 target.
Today, as you can see, that task, as a result of the actions we have taken as a government over the last five and a half years combined [inaduble], is now 328 million tonnes to reach a 26 per cent target and it’s falling.
That is an extraordinary turnaround that we’ve been able to preside over.
To help us achieve this task, I’m announcing today a new Climate Solutions Fund, to carry forward the work of the Government’s Emissions Reduction Fund – that’s at the heart of our Direct Action Imitative when we came to government in 2013 – with an additional $2 billion investment over the next ten years.
As I mentioned, the ERF has already secured 193 million tonnes of abatement through 477 projects across Australia. This is the largest ever emissions reduction commitment by Australian businesses and landholders.
Our new Climate Solutions Fund will deliver additional practical climate solutions across the country, and it’s going to do it in partnership with businesses large and small, local communities in particular remote Indigenous communities and farmers.
Floating everybody’s boat.
Agricultural projects will cover activities such as revegetating degraded land and increasing soil carbon to improve farm productivity and resilience. This not only reduces emissions but has clear economic advantages as well, in many cases providing much needed income in farming communities.
The benefits go well beyond abatement. The purpose goes well beyond abatement. The abatement we bank. The benefits of improved productivity in a growing economy, stronger local and regional communities, we bank that to.
Under the existing ERF, soil carbon sequestration projects are being conducted across a number of properties, including right here in Victoria.
We’ve shown what can be achieved working with remote Indigenous communities to reduce the risk of severe bushfires. Late season wildfires produced over 50 per cent more carbon emissions than controlled burning early in the dry season.
On Fish River in the Northern Territory, Indigenous rangers are working with conservation groups to introduce traditional, traditional I underscore, early dry-season burning practices, in the process reducing methane and nitrous oxide emissions released by savannah wildfires.
Other areas of focus under the new Fund include support for local communities to reduce waste and increase recycling rates.
Melissa Price, as Minister for the Environment will work with stakeholders to build greater co-benefits into program design under the Climate Solutions Fund, including biodiversity, water quality, Indigenous employment, recycling and productivity improvements.
It goes well beyond abatement. Melissa will be driving that cause to ensure the multiple dividends that can be achieved from this significant investment.
The Government will also improve the operation of the ERF Safeguard Mechanism, to reduce costs for business and make it fairer and simpler.
The Climate Solutions Fund will deliver an additional 103 million tonnes of greenhouse gas reductions by 2030. This represents almost a third of the amount of reductions needed to meet our target.
The second pillar of our Climate Solutions Package is Australia’s renewable hydro-electricity reserves in the Snowy Mountains and Tasmania. Renewable and reliable.
We will continue the work of turning world class renewable hydro into Australia’s largest batteries.
These reserves are world class. I’ve seen them myself. They already deliver low cost renewable electricity to millions of Australian families and businesses.
We have a once in a generation opportunity to redesign our world class hydro assets into new pumped hydro stations. Pumped hydro can deliver 24/7 round-the-clock renewable and reliable power.
It is used extensively and effectively overseas, but not on a wide scale basis here in Australia. Almost all energy storage capacity in the United States is supplied by pumped hydro; a technology that can be some 50 times less expensive in supplying electricity compared with lithium batteries.
We will shortly make an announcement on our investment in Snowy 2.0, initiated by Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister. Today I want to detail our plan, working with the Tasmanian Government, to deliver additional reliable, zero-emissions electricity generation to mainland Australia.
Our Government will commit $56 million, right now, this year, to fast track the development of a second electricity transmission interconnector – the MarinusLink – to unlock Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation.
The Battery of the Nation is expected to deliver up to 2,500 megawatts of reliable, renewable hydro power to Tasmania and Victoria - including up to 16 gigawatt hours of storage.
Through the MarinusLink, the Battery of the Nation is also expected to reduce national emissions by 25 million tonnes by 2030.
MarinusLink will enable over 400 megawatts of existing – it’s right there, right now – existing dispatchable, reliable generation to be transmitted here into Victoria; power currently unavailable due to limited BassLink interconnector capacity. 400 megawatts is enough to power up to 400,000 homes.
The type of reliable generation was sorely needed during the recent Victoria heatwave when lack of access to reliable baseload power caused major black-outs across this state.
Subject to development of the business case and funding arrangements, we expect the MarinusLink to be able to supply Victorians with electricity from 2025. It will also open up opportunities for intermittent renewables in Northern Tasmania.
The construction of the Marinus Link is expected to generate between 500 and 1000 jobs during construction in Tasmania and between 900 and 1500 jobs in regional Victoria.
Ultimately, MarinusLink and Battery of the Nation mean lower prices, greater energy security particularly for Tasmania, Victoria as well as other mainland states, while helping Australia achieve its 2030 emissions reduction target.
I want to thank Premier Hodgman and Guy Barnett, the Energy Minister in Tasmania for the great work they’ve been doing with Angus and myself and Josh as we’ve been working through the details in recent times.
Premier Hodgman has a great vision for the Battery of the Nation project. We share his vision and we are investing in it as I’ve announced here today.
Now other measures to lower emissions – there are three other parts of our Climate Solutions Package and I’ll touch on them briefly.
The Government will make a substantial investment in helping households and businesses improve energy efficiency to support practical action on emissions while also delivering lower energy bills.
Energy ratings labels on appliances and equipment allow consumers to compare the running costs of different models and the financial savings of buying a more efficient appliance. Giving them the tools they need.
The Australian Government will work with industry and state and territory governments to also expand the Energy Rating Label.
We will also cooperate with other governments and industry to improve energy efficiency standards for both commercial and residential buildings. Through the Climate Solutions Package, we will provide resources, training and tools to help commercial and residential building owners and occupiers reduce their energy use.
Taken together, these measures are expected to reduce emissions by 63 million tonnes by 2030. We will have more to say on the detail of those measures shortly.
The Government is developing a National Electric Vehicle Strategy to ensure the transition to new vehicle technology and infrastructure is carefully planned and managed.
Through that Strategy the Government will investigate mandating an electric vehicle plug type to improve the consistency and interoperability of public charging.
It’s got to be practical. It’s got to be [inaudible]
Our goal is to secure benefits for all Australians in the form of cleaner air, better health, smarter cities, lower transport costs and, of course, lower emissions.
This Strategy is expected to yield up to around 10 million tonnes of abatement. It will build on the work of the COAG Transport and Infrastructure Council, as well as support through ARENA and CEFC.
Finally, we are also committed to continue to work on cleaning and greening our communities through Landcare and other community grants to support local communities taking practical action to reduce emissions, improve air and water quality, protect the environment and make Australians healthier.
I saw that for myself in Gippsland yesterday when I was meeting with local Landcare workers on the ground in dealing the drought there in Gippsland.
There is further impetus coming from technological change and improved efficiency, ensuring Australia is well placed to achieve our targets.
In the 2018 Australian Emissions Projections report, Australia’s task to reach its 2030 target, as I said, has fallen to 328 million tonnes – that included an improvement of 173 million tonnes on the back of technology changes, improved productivity and other sources of abatement.
We’re on the curb. We’re on the path with many of these other things that are happening and that will ensure we were able to reach our targets.
On conservative estimates, more than 100 million tonnes is expected from these ongoing abatement sources, including as a result of investment of unallocated funds in the CEFC, faster uptake of technologies such as improved refrigeration and air conditioning equipment standards and the ERF safeguard mechanism.
So in conclusion.
Our Government will take, and is taking, meaningful, practical, sensible, responsible action on climate change, without damaging our economy or your family budget.
This has always been our pledge. It’s what we said when we were elected in 2013 and we’ve been delivering on it. It’s our record. It remains our commitment.
Our Climate Solutions Package will ensure Australia meets our 2030 emissions reduction target in a canter - a responsible and achievable target - building on our success in comprehensively meeting and beating our Kyoto commitments to date.
We’ve got the record.
By 2030, we will have slashed the emissions intensity of our economy by two-thirds compared with 2005. That’s no slouch of a commitment or achievement- a truly remarkable one given our country’s size, population density, growth profile and economic strengths in agriculture and resources.
We will continue to play our part in meeting the global challenge of climate change in the 21st century – and we can hold our head up high in what we are doing. And we will not, and I will not allow others to talk down what Australia is achieving in this area.
Australians have been working very hard on this issue led by a Government with practical policies and I will not have their efforts talked down and degraded. They are doing a tremendous job – both a passionate heart and a very clear and cool head.
And so we’ll do that without taking a sledgehammer to our economy.
Without putting our electricity market at risk. Without putting pressure upward on electricity prices. Without destroying jobs in our traditional industries and in regional Australia.
This is the responsible and balanced course. Today I have set out how we’re going to meet our targets.
Our targets are sensible and practical. People may disagree with what our targets are. But today I believe I have set out why they are credible, responsible, achievable targets.
I’m yet to see that from the Labor Party. I’m yet to see how they plan to achieve their target which will require three times what you can see there on that chart.
And for them to be honest about the impact on jobs. About the impact on agriculture. On our minerals and resources sector. Our forestry’s sector. All of which support Australian’s livelihood.
Labor are not telling you the truth about their plans. They’re either lying to you about what they are claiming to be wanting to do or they’re lying to you about what the impact of that will be.
I’m being straight up with you. Absolutely straight up. We know what the target it. I’ve set out the way to get there.
Our team will meet that target because we have the plans and commitment in place. And at the end of the day, that’s what matters. Being able to deliver on what you say you are going to do.
Whether it’s on addressing climate change, addressing our economic challenges, addressing our national security challenges. We are saying clearly what we’re going to do – and how we’re able to achieve it which is why you can trust us. To do what we say we are going to do.
And that is why we must stay the course.
Thank you very much for your time.
Press Conference with the Prime Minister of New Zealand
22 February 2019
Auckland, New Zealand
RT HON JACINDA ARDERN MP, PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND: It’s my pleasure to welcome Prime Minister Morrison to Auckland today, it is great to have you back on Kiwi soil Prime Minister. I’d like to open by acknowledging that today is the eighth anniversary of the second Canterbury Earthquake. 185 lives were lost and one of those was an Australian. We remember that people today are and are reminded of the ongoing grief for their families. When natural disaster strikes, we get by with help from our friends and after the Canterbury Earthquake, Australian support was fast and hugely important to us. 600 Australian emergency service workers assisted with recovery efforts. People in Christchurch will recall the Australian police officers sworn in with New Zealand policing powers, who worked alongside their Kiwi colleagues to reassure locals and support order.
New Zealand has no better friend and no greater ally that Australia. Our economies are amongst the most integrated in the world with significant trade and investment flows. We are stronger together on the international stage. But our relationship transcends the normal dealings of government and like most of our international relationships, Australia is family in every sense of the word. We’ve always had a special bond that continues to benefit both countries and that I believe will only expand given the intertwined nature of our societies.
Today, PM Morrison and I enjoyed a friendly and very useful discussion during our annual leaders meeting. We covered a whole range of issues including the dynamic opportunities from running an ambitious trans-Tasman single economic market agenda, our shared interests in the region and our shared neighborhood in the Pacific. As in any family, it’s inevitable that occasionally we’ll see things differently. Prime Minister Morrison and I discussed some of the areas where we do not have the same starting point and I feel we have a pretty good understanding of each other's perspectives. We did have a very frank discussion about New Zealanders who have made their homes in Australia and how they can be given every opportunity to thrive while living there. We also talked about deportations of New Zealanders. In my view, this issue has become corrosive in our relationship over time. I made it clear that New Zealand has no issue with Australia taking a dim view of newly-arrived noncitizens committing crimes. But equally, the New Zealand people have a dim view of the deportation of people who move to Australia as children and have grown up there, with often little or no lasting connection to here. I’m sure it is a matter that we will continue to discuss. At last year’s meeting, we said we’d look for innovative ways to create a more seamless economic environment and we’ve done a lot since that time. We said New Zealand would match Australia's removal of departure cards and we have done that, making trans-Tasman travel faster and easier. We commissioned work on how to advance the digital economy and maximise opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses. Our Productivity Commissions have delivered a report and we are now looking at how to implement some of those key findings. We announced a city symposium and our respective ministers are hosting this next week in Sydney. We said we would work together to make e-invoicing possible to both our countries. And today we’re announcing the creation of the Australian-New Zealand Invoicing Board and the interoperability framework we will jointly adopt. Implementing e-invoicing across business and government will drive savings of over $30 billion over 10 years across two countries.
I’m sure we’re both looking forward to meeting this afternoon with business leaders to talk about what more we can do and we’ve talked about some of those already. Ideas such as improving SME’s cash flow - we know cash is king when you're a small business – and work towards mutual recognition of digital identity and so on.
I’d like to finish though by saying again how much I've enjoyed the time that we have spent together today Prime Minister Morrison. I'm sure Clarke and Jenny have enjoyed their time together as well, in fact Clarke has already sent me an image of the wonderful gift you have given Neve. Can I say he is a very lucky and a very spoilt child.
[Laughter]
So I thank you for that and I look forward to the next prime ministerial meetings in due course and of course, any opportunity we have to engage in dialogue in the meantime.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much Prime Minister, kia ora it's wonderful to be here back in New Zealand for both Jenny and I and I want to thank the Prime Minister and Clarke for the very warm welcome and I’m getting similar reports back from Jenny as well, she's loving being back here today.
I just want to also begin by acknowledging that this is a significant day for all New Zealanders and all of those who were touched by the terrible earthquake eight years ago. It shook New Zealand literally but it should Australians as well in a very different way. The 500 police officers who turned up at a moment’s notice, I think was a great demonstration of the relationship that exists between Australia and New Zealand. It is very much like this; it's hard to see where one finishes and the other starts, between our two countries. It's beyond politics, it's even beyond sport on occasion.
[Laughter]
It's beyond all of these things and that’s why these meetings are so important. That’s why it’s so important to me to be here today. It’s a big year in Australia as we know – elections on, Budgets to prepare, but this is an important relationship as are all of our relationships throughout the Pacific.
It was in the context of reflecting on those very difficult days all those years ago in Christchurch that we reflected on many other disasters that have been occurring lately, and I express my thanks to those brave New Zealand firefighters who have been fighting alongside our firefighters in Tasmania over our summer. Thank you very much. They have very specialist skills to go into the wilderness heritage areas and to be able to fight those fires. We thank them very much to their bravery and their skills. They have made a big difference.
We also discussed today the lessons that we can learn post disaster. Whether it's from eight years ago, whether it's from 10 years ago in the Black Saturday Fires in Victoria, or indeed the lessons that have been put into practice now in Australia in north Queensland, whether it's on the coast of Townsville or inland in northwest Queensland where we are suffering terrible losses to our cattle and livestock industry in that part of the country. But equally down in Victoria where the drought has further encroached into places like Gippsland where they have seen fires. All of these require not just immediately dealing with the event, but the recovery programs that follow and we agreed today that our teams will do further work on how we do the response of the other side of disasters and learn the lessons from those.
A $30 billion boost to our collective economies comes from the initiatives we were talking about today. Whether it's the e-invoicing or the other measures to ensure we totally embrace the economic opportunities from the digital economy, I cannot think of two other national economies more integrated than Australia's and New Zealand's. Our banking system, our financial system, all of these are closely integrated. That means there are bigger opportunities to yield big economic dividends by further cooperation. The measures that we’ve been working on, I think, demonstrate that.
I also want to thank Prime Minister Ardern and her government for their leadership of the Pacific reset programme. It works hand-in-glove with our Pacific ‘step up’ programme. Both of these programs, in my moving around the region and I’m sure also Prime Minister Ardern, have been well received, because the Pacific is family. Whether it’s whanau or whether its vuvale or whatever term is applied; whenever you might be, that’s what it’s about. We want to see a sovereign, independent, strong Pacific with all of those Pacific Island nations and between New Zealand and Australia, they will not find a more friendly family partnership than with both our nations. It’s been good to talk about that.
Finally can I once again thank New Zealand for their participation together with Australia and the other allies, in what we’re doing in the Middle East. In Iraq together, we have trained 42,000 Iraqis to make their country safer and more secure. That has come from those we’ve asked to go and serve in our name and train those who need our help to restore their country. I think that is something Australians and New Zealanders can be very proud of. The work that our men and women who serve in our defence forces have done – and I met them just before Christmas, I met a few of the Kiwis too - the way they work together and the respect they have for each other, just reflects the relationship we’ve spoken of. So thank you very much and happy to participate in the question process.
JOURNALIST: Hi to both prime ministers, Mike Pompeo has said today that the US won’t partner or share information with any countries that do deals with Huawei. [Inaudible] not possible [inaudible] use them and would you discuss taking a united approach to sharing info?
PRIME MINISTER ARDERN: Actually in the nature of our discussions were often prefaced by the fact that we have our own processes and systems. We of course make our own decisions based on our own national interest and based on our own independent foreign policy. I’d say that is the case regardless of whatever the foreign policy or national security matter, would be. Of course, we are close friends and allies. We talk frequently, we are both part of Five Eyes. But ultimately what determines our position on issues around national security, will always be our nationally determined position.
On Huawei, of course you well know that our process is governed by TICSA. We are still in the middle of that process at the moment, the option of mitigation sits with Spark and that is who the GCSB deal directly with. As I’ve always said, we of course are aware of other countries’ positions, but our position is our own.
PRIME MINISTER: I would only concur. We have different processes, but we arrived at similar decisions in our own independent way. In fact it was a decision I took as Treasurer last year, consistent with our own legislation and our own national interests. So we will take those decisions in our own interests and work with those who share an outlook on these matters.
But it’s also important to note that as we discussed today, that I think – and forgive me if I join New Zealand in saying this, but I know you won't disagree - we both welcome China’s economic development. We think that’s a good thing. We want to see that continue, because it’s meant a lot for our economies as well. So we welcome the growth in the Chinese economy. We are heavily integrated. They are Australia's single largest trading partner and our free trade agreement with China has been one of the most significant elements of the expansion of our trading opportunities as a nation in decades. So we welcome the growth, we welcome the strength in their economy and we would only encourage that. But as with all things, every country has to make judgements in their own interests. Both Australia and New Zealand have always done that.
JOURNALIST: Hello Prime Minister, there are no families or women on Manus Island, only single men. Some of them have some serious security issues, as we are finding out about in recent days. Australian Department officials have not denied that New Zealand officials have said; “We don't want to take,” New Zealand does not want to take, “any single men from Manus Island”. What is your position on taking single men from Manus Island? And Prime Minister can I get an update from you as well on the security issues in relation to some of those asylum seekers on Manus Island?
PRIME MINISTER ARDERN: I welcome the question from the Courier Mail and the opportunity to correct the record. We have been utterly consistent. The UNHCR themselves of course in the way they work through with refugees, does place some priority on women and children and of course, that was something that we acknowledged and shared. It was never, however, the case that our offer across Manus and Nauru was solely around women and children. But of course we acknowledge the special need that existed there in the same way that the UNHCR does. That is the first point.
The second point is that of course New Zealand will apply its own rigour around that process, as well. We are simply not benign recipients of individual refugees. We have a role to play in ensuring that our national security is protected at the same time.
PRIME MINISTER: Well that’s true - every country has to decide the circumstances in which people come to their country. My only regret is that in the Australian Parliament in the last week, that our ability to do that was compromised by the bill that passed the Parliament. On Manus Island, it is true that the only people who are there, are single males. We are aware that there are quite a number there who, if you would apply the normal character test that applies to all other persons who would seek to come to Australia - whether they are a student, a visitor or anything else - you wouldn't allow them in. That is why we are concerned about what passed the Parliament last week, because it compromises our ability to prevent the transfer of people who would otherwise not pass that test.
But whether it’s, certainly with the United States, where we have an arrangement where more than 450 people have already been transferred to the United States and as you know, the last four children who are on Nauru already have their bags packed, ready to go to the United States. That remaining cohort of people, whether it’s on Nauru or Manus, is about the 1,000 mark, the majority of those that are on Manus Island. The process of engaging with the United States will continue and many are still engaged in that process. But ultimately it is up to the United States who they decide to take and who they don't. They are no more a passive participant in that process than anyone else would be. When it comes to the New Zealand arrangement, it’s something we touch on every time that we are here. The Australian Government has no plans to take up that arrangement whatsoever and that is particularly now more pertinent on the basis of what happened in the Parliament last week. That I think now makes it even more difficult than it was before. We weren't taking it up before, but that would make it even - ee appreciate the offer I should stress, it has been made by successive governments in New Zealand. We appreciate the friendliness of the offer and its’ genuineness, but in terms of Australia's security interests and how we manage our borders, we don't believe it’s consistent with that, particularly now after what happened in Parliament last week.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] Australian coal coming into Chinese ports, does that point to a souring of the relationship with China and could it affect New Zealand and our exports of kiwi fruit, milk powder and meat?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, no is the short answer to the question and I think people should be careful about leaping to conclusions about that. This is not the first time that on occasion local ports make decisions about these matters and so there is nothing, no evidence before me or us that would suggest it has those connotations, that it has anything to do with anything more broadly than that.
This happens from time to time. We will just work constructively with our partners in China about those issues. So what we’re engaged in, as indeed New Zealand is, is just pursuing a constructive relationship with China, a very constructive relationship with China. Our coal exports remain our single largest mineral export in Australia. It supports 55,000 jobs in Australia right across our economy. We, our Government, is certainly in favour of being able to continue to engage in our minerals resource industry, to ensure it flourishes. We would certainly think that if there was any weakening in that market, I certainly wouldn't think it was wonderful. I would think it would have a very serious impact on the Australian economy and I would be concerned about it and I would act upon it.
PRIME MINISTER ARDERN: Last year actually, our goods exports went up and in recent times, there has been some discussion around New Zealand's relationship and any knock-on effect for exporters, you’ve had exporters themselves come out and say that from their perspective, it was business as usual. In fact, we undertook our own assessment and when you do a comparison between any issues, regulatory issues with consignments at the border, of which we have many, last year there were only issues with 0.26 per cent of the time, and in January we only saw that 0.29 per cent of the time. So there is nothing to suggest that we are seeing any of those impacts on our exporters beyond what you might expect with just regulatory, administrative issues.
JOURNALIST: Mr Morrison, thanks for the question. Can I ask, you refer to the problem with those five northern ports and Australian coal exports as a regulatory problem, I gather, rather than a political decision.
PRIME MINISTER: There’s nothing to suggest otherwise.
JOURNALIST: Have you sought assurances from the Chinese Government, or has DFAT sought assurances from the Chinese Government that that is the case and if it is a regulatory issue, do you have any explanation as to why it appears that Australian exports have been targeted, but exports from other countries in those ports have not yet been targeted?
PRIME MINISTER: Well no, I can't offer any further comment than what I’ve already said before. These are local decisions that are made and there is nothing before me to suggest or that would be consistent with any of the conclusions that some are drawing. So I think in these circumstances, my approach is always just to remain very practical about these things. We will of course continue to engage with those local ports and those authorities and work through the same regulatory issues that we have worked through in the past. This isn't the first time this has happened, this is not new. It has occurred before and there are any number of issues practically that need to be addressed in these circumstances and that’s what we will do.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister Morrison, some may not be aware here that in fact you lived in Wellington for a couple of years about 20 years ago. You were the head of the Tourism and Sport office. In that capacity, of course, you developed a slogan; 100 per cent New Zealand pure.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, George Hickton did yes.
JOURNALIST: You were involved in it, as I understand?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, it was a great period of time.
JOURNALIST: I’m just wondering whether that slogan would apply to what the Prime Minister said was a corrosive part of our relationship; that is sending people that are classified as Kiwis in Australia, if they have committed a crime, back to New Zealand, when they’ve had about as much association with New Zealand as Barnaby Joyce did.
PRIME MINISTER: The simple answer is this; Australia has very well defined immigration and citizenship laws and our Government has taken a very strong line when it comes to those who are in Australia who are on visas. Visas are not citizenship. Visas are provided on the basis of people being compliant with those visas and that doesn't include committing crimes. So we take a very strong view about this. It is a view that is not restricted to New Zealand, I should stress. I understand that New Zealand understand that this is not targeted at New Zealand in any way, shape or form. As Immigration Minister, I made many such decisions with people who were deported back to the United Kingdom and other parts of the world. So we do have a very strong view on this. We do maintain very strict rules around our immigration in Australia. It has always been a hallmark of our Government and governments like us. We might not always agree in these meetings, as Prime Minister Ardern has said, but I can tell you that we do always listen and I think that is an important part of the relationship. We will seek to manage these issues sensitively, but at the same time Australia will always be a country, under my Government, which will treat the seriousness of the integrity of our immigration system very, very seriously.
JOURNALIST: So there’s no chance of a relaxation of those particular [inaudible]?
PRIME MINISTER: We will work through individual cases sensitively.
JOURNALIST: Thank you so much, so my question, my first question is to Prime Minister Ardern. What have you learned, if anything, from how Australia handled pressure from China in the current diplomatic issues you are having with Beijing? And to both prime ministers, are you open to Japan and Germany either joining the Five Eyes intelligence alliance or cooperating with them further?
PRIME MINISTER ARDERN: On the second matter, that’s not something I have given individual consideration to and I don’t think it’s something that would be considered at an individual level, but rather as a collective of Five Eyes. On the first matter, you know we’re close friends and allies. There’s no doubt that we observe one another's international diplomacy and issues of national security. So I have made observations around of course, some of the decisions that have been made previously. But I think probably the point that I would like to still place emphasis on, is that none of that changes the nature of our own decision-making, or ultimately our own decisions. They are merely observations.
PRIME MINISTER: I would agree with Prime Minister Ardern's response on the second matter. But I would also say this; we work closely with both countries particularly when it comes to our region and particularly Japan. Prime Minister Ardern and I when we were in Papua New Guinea at the APEC Summit, we were there with the Americans and the Japanese and we were engaged in the most transformational project you could probably manage in PNG; the electrification of the nation of Papua New Guinea. I mean this is a game-changer of human development and opportunity that frankly I haven't seen in my lifetime, to have the opportunity to participate in and Prime Minister Abe is such an excited participant in this. As we continue to work with our family in the Pacific, we see a real opportunity for both countries to draw in the support of our friends and partners all around the world, which can include China, to see the realisation of the opportunity of the Pacific peoples. We feel deeply about this as nations and where we can work with other countries to realise their independence, their future, well, we will be happy leaders of that process.
Remarks, Leaders' Meeting - Auckland
22 February 2019
Auckland, New Zealand
THE RT HON JACINDA ARDERN MP, PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND: Prime Minister Morrison, can I begin by thanking you somewhat unofficially in the middle of our engagement. We’ve just had a fantastic informal lunch, a good chance for us to catch up on some of the issues of the day and a bit of a cricket chat and of course covering off all of the issues we that have shared and mutual interests, which we will do in the course of our next conversation as well.
But it is a great pleasure to welcome you here. I will repeat again what I said at lunch, the fact that you are at an incredibly busy time in your political schedule and have just obviously had a trip also within the Pacific. The fact that you have prioritised New Zealand is significant for us and that’s a shared sentiment. We prioritise our relationship with you, you are a friend unlike any other we have. A friend and an ally, and I want to recognise that and of course the great cooperation we have in many areas which I know will continue.
But welcome and thank you for also bringing your wife Jenny. A lovely time has been had by all.
THE HON SCOTT MORRISON MP, PRIME MINISTER: Well thank you very much Prime Minister, it’s a great thrill to be here. Kia ora. It’s wonderful to be back in New Zealand, a place of great fondness for Jenny and I. She didn’t need much convincing, I can tell you that, in joining me today and I’m sure she is enjoying that.
Can I also join with you, this is a very significant day for New Zealanders, the eighth anniversary of the Christchurch earthquake all those years ago. Australians grieved and shed tears with their Kiwi cousins on that day, along with people I think all around the world. And so for us to be able to meet on that day is a sign of our friendship.
And when it comes to these meetings, it is always families first and we’re family here in the Pacific, particularly between Australia and New Zealand. So we appreciate the cooperation, particularly just in December I was in Taji visiting our troops there and quite a few of your troops too. They’re working so well together with our team there and they have been for some time. I really value that part of our partnership as well. We always turn up in these places together, always have, always will, and we thank them very much for their service.
PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND: Thank you. We did have a discussion around some of the disasters which we have had.
PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND: And I acknowledge some of the really testing times you have had in that regard, whether drought or fire. But I acknowledge the contribution you made eight years ago alongside us in the wake of the Canterbury earthquakes and of course you lost people too. So thank you for that acknowledgement and we will probably say a little bit more on that later on as well. Thank you, thanks everyone.
Statement On Indulgence - Aus-Israel relationship
19 February 2019
Mr Morrison: (Cook—Prime Minister) (12:01): On indulgence, I rise to acknowledge the 70th anniversary of Australia's formal diplomatic relationship with the State of Israel and affirm our deep friendship with the people of Israel—and, in doing that, I welcome the ambassador here with us in the chamber today.
Honourable members: Hear, hear!
Mr Morrison: In any long friendship there are moments that matter and moments never forgotten. For Australia and Israel it was in 1947 and it was in the United Nations. There was at that point no nation of Israel. Instead, there were broken and scarred Jewish people scattered around the world in places like Auschwitz-Birkenau, Dachau and Buchenwald. Though they no longer existed as state-sponsored machines of death, they seemed more real than a permanent home for the Jewish people at that time. It was as if darkness and hopelessness had covered the Jewish people as the true extent of the Holocaust became known. Maybe it was for such times that the Book of Joel spoke of young men seeing visions and old men dreaming dreams—and the age-old dream, in the words of David Ben-Gurion, was 'the redemption of Israel'.
It was in this setting that Australia chaired the 1947 UN committee that voted in favour of dividing the territory of mandate Palestine. On 29 November 1947 at the United Nations General Assembly, Australia joined 32 other nations in successfully voting for the partition plan. Looking back across seven decades it might seem that that was a simple thing to do and an obvious choice to make, but it was neither of those things. Australia made, in the words of Doc Evatt, who was instrumental in this recognition, 'an inevitable and just choice to stand with the Jewish people of the world and their vision for a Jewish state and a place of sanctuary where they would never again, and should never again, face persecution'.
Australia extended official recognition to the State of Israel in January 1949. In May of that same year Australia was proud to preside over the vote which formally admitted Israel as a member of the United Nations. As that new nation formed, the Jewish people arrived, in the words of David Ben-Gurion, 'with the dew of dreams still moist in our hearts'. Our small part, Australia's part, is a legacy of which we are proud and one we hold dear today as we mark this anniversary. In the words of our then Prime Minister: 'The new nation of Israel will be a force of special value in the world community, and its recognition was fair and just'—and so it has proved to be.
Today Israel's light is now a beacon of democracy in the Middle East. Ours is a 70-year-long friendship between two peoples which share a commitment to democracy and the rule of law, have a multicultural character and are committed to science and research, to a free press, to prosperity for our people and to innovation to overcome the challenges of our often hostile natural environments.
My government has resolved to ensure our commitment to Israel remains as firm today and in the future as it indeed was 70 years ago for Australia. That is why our government has acted for Australia to now recognise West Jerusalem, the seat of the Knesset and many institutions of government, as the capital of the State of Israel. We look forward moving our embassy to West Jerusalem when practical in support of and after the final status determination of a two-state solution. And, in the spirit of a two-state solution, we acknowledge the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a future state with its capital in East Jerusalem.
My government is also currently establishing a trade and defence office in West Jerusalem to enhance and support our deepening collaboration on trade, defence industries, investment and innovation. Just as it was 70 years ago, it remains in our national interests to see Israel continue to flourish as a liberal, participatory democracy in the Middle East. And, now as then, Australia continues to strongly support Israel's right to exist within secure and internationally recognised borders.
But my government won't just proclaim these words and sentiments; we will continue to act on them and not step back from or shrink from our commitments. This includes standing by Israel in the face of biased and unfair targeting of Israel in the UN General Assembly. The UN General Assembly is now the place where Israel is bullied and where anti-Semitism is cloaked in the language of human rights. Think about it: a nation of immigrants, with a free press and parliamentary democracy, which is financially prosperous, the source of innovation in the world and a refuge from persecution and genocide, is somehow now the centre of cruelty in the world, according to some in the UN. That is intellectual fraud. Last year, there were 17 UN General Assembly resolutions critical of Israel. This compared with a total of five covering all other countries, including Myanmar, the Syrian Arab Republic, Russia's actions in Crimea and the Ukraine, Iran and North Korea. This year the Human Rights Council passed six motions condemning Israel compared to a total of 14 across the rest of the world.
Last year, at my direction, Australia opposed six resolutions that attacked Israel in the UN General Assembly. These included the Jerusalem resolution, which contains biased and one-sided language attacking Israel and denies its historical connection to the city, and the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine resolution, which confers on the Palestinian Authority a status it does not have. In the past, we'd abstained on these resolutions—not anymore and not on my watch.
My government will not turn a blind eye to an anti-Semitic agenda masquerading as defence of human rights in the UN. This is also extended to calling out those who would seek to wipe Israel from the map. Again at my direction, last year, Australia supported a UN General Assembly resolution to condemn the egregious and ongoing violent acts of the terrorist organisation Hamas. Hamas are violent extremists, terrorists who use the Israel-Palestine conflict as an excuse to inflict terror. They should have no friends at the UN. The failure of that resolution to pass with the requisite majority was an indictment, I think, of the UN. Australia condemns Hamas's activities in the strongest possible terms.
Of course, our partnership has always been underpinned by the peoples of our nations. Australia's Jewish community began with those who arrived on the First Fleet. Though they were persecuted in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Australia has been, to quote the words of the member for Berowra, a land, 'almost uniquely in human history, good to the Jewish people'. Though numbering about one-hundredth of our population, Australians of Jewish heritage have made a remarkable contribution to our national life and our story. We are the nation of John Monash, Isaac Isaacs, Sir Zelman Cowen, Governor Linda Dessau, Frank Lowy, Harry Triguboff, Joan Rosanove and thousands more who, in their own way, have all sought to be the light unto the nations, performing the mitzvot, or good deeds, according to the law of Moses.
Australia has been a steadfast and loyal friend to Israel since its very creation, and I can assure this House, the people of Australia and our friends in Israel that the Liberal and National parties will never walk back or shrink from the recognition that Australia now affords Israel and the commitments and support for the State of Israel, whether in the General Assembly of the United Nations or elsewhere.
We know this is about Israel. They are a steadfast and loyal friend. Seventy years on, this parliament restates our commitment to Israel, to its people and to the deep friendship between our nations. We are friends who have always stood with each other, and may that always be the case.
Statement to the House of Representatives - Parliament House, Canberra
18 February 2019
Canberra, ACT
PRIME MINISTER: Mr Speaker, I move that the resolution of the Senate be agreed to.
Mr Speaker, I take the issue of abuse and the neglect of people with a disability very seriously and so does the Government I lead as well. We take it seriously, because abuse and the neglect of our most vulnerable is abhorrent. As we have seen in other areas, institutions who we expect to provide care and support have often failed in providing that care. In the past, all too often we thought abuse or neglect in institutions were isolated occurrences. Instead, we discovered it was systemic failure, as we noted last year in relation to the National Apology.
So we must be vigilant in ensuring the standards of care for people with disabilities are at their absolute highest. That is why our Government is undertaking substantial reform to improve the treatment of people with disability.
We have established a royal commission into abuse and neglect in the aged care sector, including the abuse of young people with disabilities in aged care facilities. We were able to establish this quickly, as the Commonwealth has responsibility for the funding and legislation of aged care. As well, there have been a number of inquiries looking into issues of abuse and neglect of people with a disability, at both a federal and state level. These inquiries have identified many issues relevant to the disability sector and have been incorporated into the NDIS quality and safeguarding framework.
As Members know, the focus of the Government has been on rolling out the National Disability Insurance Scheme, as well as ensuring a new national quality and safeguard system to support people with a disability. As part of that the Government has established new, significant and comprehensive safeguards to prevent abuse and neglected people with a disability under the NDIS.
The Commonwealth provided $209 million to establish the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission , the NDIS Commission, to regulate the delivery of services under the NDIS and protect the rights of people with a disability. The NDIS Commission has a number of critical functions, including registering providers, handling complaints and reportable incidents, enforcing a code of conduct for NDIS providers and worker and national policy setting for consistent worker screening. It also has strong investigation and regulatory powers and can take tough, appropriate action including deregistration, banning orders and civil penalties. The NDIS Commission has extensive powers over both registered and unregistered providers. The NDIS and the associated quality and safeguarding arrangements are still in the process of being rolled out across Australia. The NDIS Commission commenced operations in New South Wales and South Australia on 1 July 2018 and will commence in the ACT, the Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria on 1 July 2019 and in Western Australia, on 1 July 2020. This means that the Commonwealth currently has very limited jurisdiction in regulation of disability services.
Mr Speaker, on Friday I received correspondence from Senator Steele-John which contained a draft terms of reference for the proposed royal commission into disability services. I thank him for doing so and I appreciate the very concrete and very detailed suggestions that he has been able to provide to us on this issue. They of course will be of assistance as we consider now, this motion and move forward on this matter. I note his terms of reference seeks to look into the experiences - rightly I should stress - of people directly or indirectly affected in institutional, residential or other contexts.
As the Attorney-General noted on the weekend, a royal commission looking into past issues, backwards, into issues around disability care is essentially then a royal commission that would look into state facilities. That at the very least would require consultation and agreement with the states and likely letters patent from the states. We understand this to be true. This should not be a royal commission that only looks at a narrow area of responsibility that has only become part of the Commonwealth's responsibility in recent times. The issues that are relevant here go back over some period of time, certainly back a decade and they principally involve the conduct of state and territory governments in the delivery of disability services. They should, obviously, be considered in any royal commission that was held into this area.
I do note, as I did in Question Time today though, that the establishment of a royal commission was previously discussed through the Council of Australian Government and the COAG Disability Reform Council and at that time, states and territories did not indicate support for a royal commission. So these are hurdles that would have to be addressed.
I want to keep all Australians safe, Mr Speaker and to use whatever powers we have to do so. But this work often requires us to work in partnership with the states and territories and that's what we'll have to address ourselves to, going forward.
Violence, abuse and neglect of people with disability outside service settings such as at home or in the community is mostly covered under state and territory law. So working with the states and territories in this area, both looking at matters in the past as well as looking forward, will be absolutely essential. So I will be seeking further advice from all states and territories to discuss this important matter of establishing a royal commission, as well as consulting directly and extensively with stakeholders about what the precise terms of reference might be and what other royal commissions, in particular the Aged Care Royal Commission, might be able to offer as a way to address these issues.
Now these are the options before the Government. As the House knows, calling a royal commission is a matter for the Executive Government. The House - as has the Senate - has put forward a motion and it won’t be opposed by the Government. It will be supported by the Government. But it will be the Government that then will take that matter into consideration and work through all the necessary issues to be able to do something positively in this area and to act on these issues. That's exactly what we'll do.
We have no interest, Mr Speaker, in making any partisanship of this issue. One of the reasons I decided to establish the Royal Commission into Aged Care, is I believe the Royal Commission into Aged Care would provide a fact base, a new platform to support a further decade of bipartisan in action on aged care, because I was concerned that that bipartisanship was waning. I sincerely hope that that is not the case in relation to the disability care and to be able to go forward with this issue, that is the good faith in which I will engage the issue and seek to lead the issue forward. So, I will report back to the House when I have further advice and able to make announcements as and when the Government is in a position to do so. With that, I move that the resolution of the Senate be agreed to.
Statement - National Security
18 February 2019
Mr Morrison: (Cook—Prime Minister) (12:00): by leave—Australia's democratic process is our greatest asset, our most critical piece of national infrastructure. Public confidence in the integrity of our democratic processes is an essential element of Australian sovereignty and governance. While we will vigorously argue over many issues in this place, we are all united in our parliament in our commitment to democratic principles.
Members will be aware that the Australian Cyber Security Centre recently identified a malicious intrusion into the Australian Parliament House computer network. During the course of this work, we also became aware that the networks of some political parties—Liberal, Labor and the Nationals—have also been affected. Our security agencies have detected this activity and acted decisively to confront it. They are securing these systems and protecting users. I do not propose to go into the detail of these operational matters, but our cyberexperts believe that a sophisticated state actor is responsible for this malicious activity.
Let me be clear, though: there is no evidence of any electoral interference. We have put in place a number of measures to ensure the integrity of our electoral system. I have instructed the Australian Cyber Security Centre to be ready to provide any political party or electoral body in Australia with immediate support, including making their technical experts available. They have already briefed the electoral commissions and those responsible for cybersecurity for all states and territories. They have also worked with global antivirus companies to ensure Australia's friends and allies have the capacity to detect this malicious activity.
We have acted decisively to protect our national interests. The methods used by malicious actors are constantly evolving, and this incident just reinforces yet again the importance of cybersecurity as a fundamental part of everyone's business. The Australian government will continue to take a proactive and coordinated approach to protecting Australia's sovereignty, economy and national security. That is why the government has invested in cybersecurity, including strengthening the Australian Cyber Security Centre by bringing all of the Australian government's cybersecurity capability together in one place. Our political system and our democracy remain strong and vibrant and are protected. We stand united in the protection of our values and our sovereignty. The government has chosen to be transparent about these matters. This, in itself, is an expression of faith by our government in our democratic system and our determination to defend it.
Disability services
18 February 2019
Mr Morrison: (Cook—Prime Minister) (15:39): I move:
That the resolution of Senate be agreed to.
I take the issue of abuse and neglect of people with disability very seriously and so does the government I lead. We take it seriously because abuse and neglect of our most vulnerable is abhorrent. As we've seen in other areas, institutions we expect to provide care and support have often failed in providing that care. In the past, all too often we thought abuse or neglect in institutions were isolated occurrences; instead, we discovered it was systemic failure, as we noted last year in relation to the National Apology.
So we must be vigilant in ensuring the standards of care for people with disabilities are at their absolute highest. That is why our government is undertaking substantial reform to improve the treatment of people with disability. We have established a royal commission into abuse and neglect in aged-care facilities, including young people with disabilities in aged-care facilities. We were able to establish this quickly as the Commonwealth has responsibility for the funding and legislation of aged care. As well, there have been a number of inquiries looking into abuse and neglect of people with disability at both federal and state levels. These inquiries have identified many issues relevant to the disability sector and have been incorporated into the NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Framework.
As members know, the focus of the government has been on rolling out the National Disability Insurance Scheme as well as establishing a new national quality and safeguard system to support people with disability. As part of that, the government has established new, significant and comprehensive safeguards to prevent abuse and neglect of people with disability under the NDIS. The Commonwealth provided $209 million to establish the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission to regulate the delivery of services under the NDIS and to protect the rights of people with a disability. The NDIS Commission has a number of critical functions, including registering providers, handling complaints and reportable incidents, enforcing a code of conduct for NDIS providers and workers, and national policy settings for consistent worker screening. It also has strong investigation and regulatory powers and can take tough, appropriate action including deregistration, banning orders and civil penalties. The NDIS Commission has extensive powers over both registered and unregistered providers. The NDIS and the associated quality and safeguarding arrangements are still in the process of being rolled out across Australia The NDIS Commission commenced operations in New South Wales and South Australia on 1 July 2018 and will commence in the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria on 1 July 2019 and in Western Australia on 1 July 2020. This means the Commonwealth currently has very limited jurisdiction in regulation of disability services.
On Friday, I received correspondence from Senator Steele-John which contained a draft terms of reference for the proposed royal commission into disability services. I thank him for doing so and I appreciate the very concrete and very detailed suggestions that he has been able to provide to us on this issue. They, of course, will be of assistance as we consider now this motion and move forward on this matter. I note his terms of reference seek to look into the experiences—rightly, I should stress—of people directly or indirectly affected in institutional, residential and other contexts.
As the Attorney-General noted on the weekend, a royal commission looking into past issues, backwards, into disability care is essentially then a royal commission that would look into state facilities and, at the very least, require consultation and agreement with the states and likely letters patent from the states. We understand this to be true. This should not be a royal commission that only looks at the narrow area of responsibility that has only become part of the Commonwealth's responsibility in recent times. The issues that are relevant here go back over some period of time, certainly back a decade. They principally involve the conduct of state and territory governments in the delivery of disability services, and they should, obviously, be considered in any royal commission held into this area.
I do note, though, as I did in question time today, that the establishment of a royal commission was previously discussed through the Council of Australian Governments and the COAG Disability Reform Council and, at that time, states and territories did not indicate support for a royal commission. So these are hurdles that would have to be addressed. I want to keep all Australians safe and to use whatever powers we have to do so. But this work often requires us to work in partnership with the states and territories, and that's what we will have to address ourselves to going forward. Violence, abuse and neglect of people with disability outside service settings, such as at home or in the community, is mostly covered under state and territory law, so working with the states and territories in this area, looking at matters in the past as well as looking forward, will be absolutely essential. I will be seeking further advice from all states and territories to discuss this important matter of establishing a royal commission, as well as consulting directly and extensively with stakeholders about what the precise terms of reference might be and what other royal commissions, in particular the aged-care royal commission, might be able to offer as a way to address these issues.
These are the options before the government. As the House knows, calling a royal commission is a matter for the executive government. The Senate has put forward a motion and it won't be opposed by the government. It will be supported by the government. But it will be the government that then will take that matter into consideration and work through all the necessary issues to be able to do something positively in this area and to act on these issues. That's exactly what we'll do. We have no interest in making any partisanship of this issue. One of the reasons I decided to establish the royal commission into aged care is that I believed the royal commission into aged care would provide a fact base, a new platform, to support a further decade of bipartisanship on action on aged care, because I was concerned that that bipartisanship was waning. I sincerely hope that that is not the case in relation to disability care and that we are able to go forward with this issue. That is the good faith in which I will engage with the issue and seek to lead the issue forward.
I will report back to the House when we have further advice on these matters and make announcements as and when the government is in a position to do so.
Statement to the House of Representatives - Closing the Gap 2019
14 February 2019
Parliament House, Canberra
PRIME MINISTER: Mr Speaker, as we always do in this place, we meet on Ngunnawal land.
We acknowledge and pay our respects to Ngunnawal Elders past, present and those emerging.
I pay my deepest respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here today and right across our land.
I acknowledge our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders who are also the democratically elected representatives of the people:
The Member for Hasluck and Minister for Indigenous Health and Senior Australians and Aged Care, the Honourable Ken Wyatt. The Member for Barton, the Honourable Linda Burney. And Senators Patrick Dodson and Malarndirri McCarthy.
I welcome the co-chairs of the Indigenous Advisory Council Andrea Mason and Roy Ah-See as well as all who have travelled to be here for this occasion, including Warren Mundine.
I also acknowledge the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Scullion.
I also wish to acknowledge the Member for Warringah, both as Special envoy and as someone who has a profound impact on my understanding and appreciation of indigenous Australians and the challenges they face in our country.
I want to acknowledge his long standing compassion, advocacy, commitment and dedication to the first peoples of our nation.
I want Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to have the same opportunities as all other children growing up in Australia.
But this is not true for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australia today. It’s never been true. And I don’t know when it will be true. And that is the truth we must confront again today.
I remind myself of this truth each day as I walk into my office, as I have done for many years.
In my office is a photo of a plaque embedded in a rock memorial at a remote outstation in Central Australia that I visited with the Member for Warringah and Senator Scullion many years ago, outside a small school that was attended by Shirley Ngalkin.
When Shirley was away from her community, she was brutally raped and drowned by teenage boys in Hermannsburg in 1998. She was six years old. She would be a young woman now, probably raising her own family, perhaps her own daughters.
On her memorial it says “I am Jesus’ little lamb”, with the prayer that she now rests in His care. I pray that is true, because we certainly failed to provide it. And we still do.
I’d like to tell you that this no longer happens. But we all know it does, even though we are often told we shouldn’t say so, but we should.
Young girls are taking their lives in remote communities, so are young boys. Lives are being consumed in a hopeless dysfunction that seems to defy any sensible response.
While I am not going to pretend today that this situation does not remain in an unforgivable state, I am going to say that we can never rest as a nation until we change this for all time.
And I am here to say that there is hope. That progress is and can further be made.
So that one day we can say that a young indigenous boy or girl growing up in Australia will have the same chances and opportunities in life as any other Australian.
That is what Closing the Gap is all about.
Mr Speaker, in 2008 we began this process of Closing the Gap.
Successive Prime Ministers have reported since on our progress on meeting these national goals.
Born out of the National Apology, Closing the Gap was recognition that words without deeds are fruitless.
The process that began in 2008 was born of good heart.
It recognised that accountability is vital if we are to bring about a change and meaningful progress that has eluded our nation for two centuries.
But I must say, that while guided by the best of intentions, the process reflected something of the hubris of this place.
It did not truly seek to partner with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
It believed a top-down approach could achieve the change that was rightly desired. That Canberra could change it all with lofty goals and bureaucratic targets.
It was set up to fail. And has, on its own tests. And today I am calling that out.
This was not a true partnership – not with the states and territories, or with Indigenous peoples themselves.
Yes, there was more funding, programs, workers, and accountability – but this was just another version of what we were already doing, so often unsuccessfully, in different forms, for generations.
So, while there has been incremental and meaningful progress on many fronts – as of 2019 only two of the seven Closing the Gap targets are on track.
What we’re doing has to change and our Government is leading a process to change it.
That is why, two years ago, we embarked on a Closing the Gap refresh – because our efforts were not meeting our worthy ambitions.
Late last year, a Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Bodies made representations to me about Closing the Gap.
They came to me seeking a partnership.
One where we listen, work together and decide together how future policies are developed – especially at a regional and local level.
This is a message I’ve also heard from the Indigenous Advisory Council.
At COAG in December last year, all governments committed to share ownership of, and responsibility for, jointly agreed frameworks, targets and ongoing monitoring of a refreshed Closing the Gap Agenda, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples at its heart.
COAG asked that this work be finalised by the middle of this year.
This is a major step toward the genuine and mutually respectful formal partnership between governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians that will empower individuals and allow communities to thrive.
Governments fail when accountabilities are unclear. When investment is poorly targeted, When systems aren’t integrated. And when we don’t learn from evidence.
This is why clear accountability will be at the centre of a new approach to Closing the Gap, with states and territories and the Commonwealth Government and Indigenous Australians having clear responsibilities for delivering on targets.
This is also why the progress we jointly make will be subject to regular independent Indigenous-led reviews.
This is about delivering action on the ground.
And this is about giving us all the best chance for success.
Our communities need the jobs and economic growth that makes true aspiration viable – and we need a renewed focus on education so that the next generation of Indigenous men and women will have every opportunity to participate in and contribute to our economic prosperity.
As we commence this refresh of Closing the Gap, it is important to report on what has occurred over the past ten years of reports.
While it is important to acknowledge the gap that exists and the gap that must be closed, we must careful not to take a deficit mentality to our task.
This is a long journey of many steps. We cannot allow the enormity of the task to overwhelm our appreciation for what we are achieving.
If we focus only on the gap and not what is being achieved, we are at risk of losing heart. We may fail to recognise achievements and strengths that can be built upon.
Sure, those achievements are still not enough.
But in this space, every achievement is hard won.
Every child that gets into school and stays in school is a a victory.
Every child born healthy is a victory.
Every parent in every town who gets a job and stays in a job is a victory.
Every woman or child who is kept safe from abuse is a victory.
Every night a family can rest their heads in a home that is clean, safe and not overcrowded is a victory.
This process must claim it’s victories, while being honest about it shortcomings. Because it is the victories upon which success built, and our failings from which lessons are learned.
Over the past ten years the life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians has increased – men born between 2015 to 2017 can expect to live for an additional 4.1 years and women 2.5 years compared to those born 10 years earlier.
This improvement is encouraging. It points to better work being undertaken drawing together the different threads of health: physical, social, emotional and mental.
This progress is the culmination of incremental progress in communities across Australia.
Across Australia there are hundreds of services making a meaningful difference.
In Queensland, the Institute of Urban Indigenous Health provides clinics, eye examinations, dental examinations and support to deal with addictions.
In Central Australia, the Purple House is taking dialysis services to patients - with a mobile dialysis unit, the Purple Truck.
And in communities across Australia it requires sustained effort. It’s intensive and it’s absolutely vital.
However, despite the progress, we are not on track to close the gap on life expectancy by 2031.
Since 2008 Indigenous child mortality rates have fallen by 10 per cent.
The child mortality rate is a rate per 100,000 children, and so with a small population, the rate moves around a lot from year to year.
That means we have to be cautious about any claim of improvement.
While the Indigenous child mortality rate has fallen, the non-Indigenous infant mortality rates have fallen at a greater rate.
While we welcome both falls, the gap has not narrowed.
But there are positive signs – the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers attending antenatal care has risen from 41 per cent in 2010 to 60 per cent in 2016; the maternal smoking rate has decreased from 54 per cent in 2005 to 43 per cent in 2016; and we are seeing significant increases in immunisation rates.
I acknowledge the work being done on the ground that is making meaningful differences.
In Queensland, the Apunipima Cape York Council’s Indigenous health workers, through the One Baby program, are conducting health checks, immunisation and treatments in homes and through clinics.
In the Northern Territory, a team of Aboriginal women is helping young mothers through the nurse-family partnership program - and imparting an understanding of what contributes to good health and wellbeing.
This is work that is extremely targeted and helping families make the best choices when it comes to the health and wellbeing of their young children.
The target to have 95 per cent of Indigenous children in early childhood education by 2025 is on track.
In 2017, 95 per cent of Indigenous children were enrolled in early childhood education.
New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the ACT now have enrolments at the 95 per cent benchmark rate or above.
We should note that attendance rates for Indigenous children were lower in remote areas – particularly Very Remote Areas – up to 16 percentage points lower than the rates for Indigenous children in other areas.
So there is still work to do.
Nevertheless, there is significant progress overall and this should be celebrated – because enrolment and attendance are precursors to improving developmental outcomes ahead of attending school.
Much of this work has been supported by National Partnership Agreements with the States and Territories - ensuring that every child has access to a quality preschool education in the year before school.
Since 2008, there have been improvements in schooling outcomes.
The Commonwealth, working with the States and Territories, through the National School Reform Agreement is bolstering these improvements with $308 billion from 2018 to 2029, with a priority focus on driving improved outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
The biggest improvement over the past decade has been in Year 12 or equivalent attainment.
We have witnessed an almost 18 percentage point jump in the proportion of Indigenous Australians achieving this milestone since 2006.
More Indigenous students are now graduating and moving into employment or further studies.
We can be particularly proud of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island young people who face the additional challenge of living in Very Remote Areas – they have achieved the largest leap in attainment, with rates rising from 23 per cent in 2006 to 43 per cent in 2016.
However, the target to close the gap in school attendance is not on track.
Attendance rates for Indigenous students are at around 82 per cent compared to 93 per cent for non-Indigenous students.
While there is a disproportionate share of Indigenous students below the minimum standards for reading and numeracy, we have made progress over the past decade.
The proportion of Indigenous students at or above minimum standards are 11-13 percentage points higher than in 2008 – for reading in Years 3 and 5 and for numeracy in Years 5 and 9.
This Government understands that one of the keys to transform Indigenous employment rates is to encourage Indigenous businesses to grow.
Indigenous enterprise means Indigenous jobs.
Since the commencement of the Indigenous Procurement Policy three and a half years ago, the Commonwealth has awarded almost 12,000 contracts to over 1,470 businesses.
Those contracts have a total value of over $1.8 billion.
Last financial year, 366 Indigenous businesses won their first Australian Government contract.
The Commonwealth and all portfolios exceeded their three per cent Indigenous Procurement Policy contract target.
To ensure this growth continues, from 1 July this year, we’ll introduce a three per cent target based on value, beginning at one per cent and phased in over eight years.
We’ll also expand the reach of the mandatory minimum requirements for Indigenous participation in major contracts to include additional service categories from 1 July 2020.
It is through the development of small, family and medium sized Indigenous businesses that we will tackle the Indigenous employment gap.
I am aware that many have entered this place with grand plans and lofty promises. All soon forgotten.
As Prime Minister I am not going to add further well intentioned promises to what is a long and disappointing list.
The Closing the Gap initiative seeks to promote action across a broad range of fronts. It must and will continue to.
As Prime Minister I intend to have a more specific focus. To seek to make an impact in just one area that I believe can achieve generational change.
And that’s education.
I want to get kids into school and to stay in school for longer.
Education is the key to skills.
It is the key to jobs.
It is the key to building enterprises – and giving young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians the opportunity to create their futures.
It’s the key to a good life.
If you can’t read, if you can’t write, there is no possible way you can share in the prosperity of Australia.
I am yet to meet a person who says they regret studying.
Because even if we take a different path to our studies, it becomes a foundation on which to build.
As Ian Trust, the Chair of Wunan an Aboriginal Development organisation in the East Kimberley, puts it: “If you want to have things you have never had before, you must be prepared to do things you have never done before. For us, this will mean getting more of our people educated and into a job in order to break the cycle of poverty for our people”.
Education is the foundation: for skills, jobs, health, prosperity, and longevity.
As the Member for Warringah has noted: when Indigenous students finish school and complete a degree – they have much the same employment outcomes as other comparable Australians.
We are seeing good signs from around the country.
The number of Indigenous women enrolling in university education has continued to rise and Indigenous women are graduating in increasing numbers.
For example, only last month, five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women graduated as doctors from the University of Western Australia. This is a tremendous outcome and I congratulate these new doctors.
And last week, on the other side of the continent, in Port Macquarie, the first Indigenous graduate in the University of Newcastle’s Bachelor of Midwifery completed her studies.
While there has been progress, we need to accelerate our efforts, particularly in our work in remote areas.
We must start with incentivising and rewarding teachers in remote communities.
I know you can’t be a teacher in a very remote area without having a deep commitment to teaching and making a difference.
If you are a teacher in a very remote area, what you are doing is more than a job, it’s an expression of love.
We should never take advantage of that great act of love. If anything we should reward it.
That is why the Government will provide incentives to teachers working in Very Remote Areas to help them pay their Higher Education Loans.
For these teachers, their HECS debt will be frozen. From today, teachers working in a Very Remote Area will not have one cent of interest added to their debt whilst they are working in a Very Remote Area.
For teachers, who from today, work for four years in a Very Remote Area, their HECS debt will be scrapped.
As well, the Minister for Education, the Special Envoy, and the Minister for Indigenous Affairs will work closely with a small number of communities to improve attendance rates.
Community by community. School by school.
This could include providing additional school facilities such as community infrastructure or learning centres helping disengaged students return to school. The goal being supporting and addressing school attendance.
We have seen the success of organisations that provide scholarships and mentoring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boys and girls.
The Australian Indigenous Education Foundation, the Clontarf Foundation, and so many other programs are producing great outcomes and we need to invest in that success – helping indigenous boys and girls choose the futures they aspire to.
The Government will provide an extra $200 million in support over the forward estimates for scholarships, academies and mentoring support.
The Indigenous Youth Education Package will provide further certainty for scholarships, academies and mentoring of Indigenous students.
This is an area which is working, and we are investing in success.
Mr Speaker.
There is change happening in our country: a shared understanding that we have a shared future.
The change is manifesting itself in thousands of small ways, each cascading to create change.
I remember being a boy, just 12, and travelling with my older brother Alan to a property 30 kilometres east of Cloncurry in North West Queensland, that property is under water today.
It was the family property of my late uncle Bill. The grandson of Dame Mary Gilmore who sensed and wrote of the yearning and mourning of Indigenous Australians long before most others.
I remember being in awe of the land – and marvelling at seeing a horizon on land rather than just at sea. I’d never seen that before, I grew up on the coast.
There was a large Indigenous family working on the property.
They were skilled stockmen.
I had had almost no interaction with Aboriginal people in my life – and my first reaction as a young boy – was to withdraw.
We too often withdraw what we do not know or understand.
My uncle sensed my unease. So he helped me to connect, to see, to appreciate and understand.
During the days that followed I came to learn about their deep connection to land and country, and got to know a family that was beautiful, generous and kind.
I fast forward a generation – to the evening before Australia Day this year.
And I took my family to the shores of Lake Burley Griffin to spend time with representatives of the Ngunnawal people.
My girls are just a little younger than Alan and I were when we went on our country trip.
But my children had no apprehension, only enthusiasm – and they already have an understanding and appreciation of Indigenous culture that I didn’t have as a child.
And on the shores of our man-made lake, they encountered the same beauty, generosity and kindness that we had a generation before.
That afternoon, all of our faces were painted by our hosts – and we danced – some of us not that well – and we laughed and we listened.
We listened not just to the Elders, but to the very country that is home.
That afternoon, I again saw the great grace of Indigenous Australia.
Despite the dispossession; the loss of identity; the renaming of their lands; the ignominy of our history, including the crimes and the misguided good intentions; there was a good and open-hearted grace.
There was an offered hand where you might not expect any.
The miracle worked in any Apology is not when it is offered, but when it is accepted and that forgiveness takes place. That is when true reconciliation occurs.
In an age of offence, and where the bonds between us are under strain, there is much we can learn from our Indigenous brothers and sisters.
So we draw strength from their grace and renew our efforts to address the gaps in health, education, safety and housing.
We owe it to history, we owe it to the country that we share, to work together and to make the difference that is vital to so many lives.
Mr Speaker, I present the 2019 Closing the Gap Report.
Remarks, International Women's Day Parliamentary Breakfast
14 February 2019
Canberra, ACT
Good morning, how good is Aunty Violet, how good was that? Thank you so much for your welcome to country. Can I also acknowledge that Ngunnawal people and elders past and present and indeed emerging, and pay my respects to Indigenous peoples all around Australia. It’s a very important day today for Indigenous Australians, for all Australians in fact, as we gather in the Parliament and we deliver the Closing the Gap report. And I can tell you in terms of a future Aboriginal Prime Minister Jacinta price is running in the seat of Lingiari and she's fantastic. So we wish her all the best.
Well good morning and thank you for being here today. Can I acknowledge the many parliamentary colleagues who are here with us today. Of course Kelly and Bill and Penny and Richard who are here. Can I particularly though, and I'm sure they won't mind, that we have so many people I'm not going to acknowledge each individually but I want to pay tribute to Julie Bishop for the wonderful work she's done all around the world for women.
[Applause]
Starting early gives us some time to reflect on the extraordinary achievements of women all around Australia and all around the world. Because the story of Australia is a story of strong women. Women who have had the courage of their convictions who have lived out their beliefs. They haven't all been famous. But they have all been brave. They've all been courageous. They have all showed a determination, a compassion, and a love that has extended beyond generations.
My late great great Aunt was Dame Mary Gilmore as the Member for Kennedy, as Bob said to the House the other day. And she has been growing up in our family, she was the great icon of our family. She wouldn't have shared the same political views of me today, I suspect. But that said, she was a great Australian woman who championed so many important causes and blazed a trail in this country that left her on the ten dollar note. But on this day of all days, Dame Mary was a woman who understood the disposition of Indigenous peoples probably better than anyone of her time and was speaking out about it at the time when it was neither fashionable nor popular and she blazed a great trail. And I'll be very pleased to stand in this Parliament today and speak of these issues knowing that Dame Mary had gone before me. She was courageous and determined.
It is those qualities that we can draw on to work to ensure equal opportunity and more choice for women in this country, something that I know Kelly O'Dwyer has been a real leader on I want to congratulate you Kelly for the work you've done in this portfolio.
[Applause]
Last year Kelly addressed the National Press Club and she had something to say that I think is timeless. She said, “Gender equality isn't about pitting girls against boys. Or women against men. It's about recognising that girls and women deserve an equal stake in our economy and our society. It's not about conflict.” It's about what the message of the day is about. Which is about doing this together. She said, “Life is not a zero sum game, we’re on a life journey together.” And she's right about that. Kelly said she was speaking as the mother of a son and a daughter. I suspect on occasion, those boys and girls are against each other occasionally but I'm sure Mom and Dad sort it out.
I'm the blessed father of two beautiful young girls and they are of course the joy of my and Jenny's life. And my girls, like all of our children, they allow us as parents to see the world through new eyes, through young eyes, through fresh eyes. And when I see the girls I want them to be able to pursue their passions. I want them to be absolutely confident that they can chase their dreams whatever they are. And receive the same rewards for their hard work and their beliefs and their passions as their male counterparts and indeed I've had the blessing to do over my life. I want them as adults to have real choices so they can decide what works best for them and their families and not be judged for it. I want them to be free from harassment and violence. I want them to be able to walk the streets of Australia. And I want them to be safe in their home, both today and always in the future.
Now our priorities. As the Prime Minister I've laid out three priorities from the very first day. Keeping our economy strong, keeping Australians safe and keeping Australians together. It is very much the theme of today. Economic opportunities, the choices and security that can come with it at the heart of what my Government is seeking to do for a more prosperous, safe and cohesive Australia.
Last year's landmark release of the Women's Economic Security Statement by Kelly delivered for women by helping boost their skills and employability, backing them to start their own businesses importantly, and giving women more options to secure their financial independence when they need it most particularly in their retirement. And that is the agenda we're working to with increased flexibility for paid parental leave and supporting entrepreneurship opportunities for women and the STEM programs for girls, which I know Karen Andrews as a keen and passionate advocate for as Science Minister.
And we've asked the Sex Discrimination Commissioner to inquire into sexual harassment in the workplace. We're fully engaged in keeping women safe by working together to combat violence against women and this is a shared and equal objective of all members of our Parliament. Too many women dying. Horrifically on average one woman every week. And far too many others suffering in silence. We've all reflected on the horrific death of Aiia Maasarwe which rocked the country and she was a guest to our country, she was a visitor to our country. But it really did shake us. It wasn't the first time this had happened, obviously. But it was an event I think that I think cried out to the country that this must stop, and stop it must.
Since 2015 we have invested more than $350 million in women's safety and on Monday I was proud to announce that the first funding to support the fourth Action Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children. A process started under the previous Government, a process passionately continued under our Government. The $78 million investment in emergency accommodation and in-home safety funding reflects two vital principles. First, we can’t ask women and children to leave dangerous homes if they had no place to go to. And where it is safe, women and children survivors should be helped remain in their homes and in their communities. They are the victims. They should not be the ones paying the price.
We'll be announcing further funding to support the Action Plan in the lead up to the release of that plan later this year. And we're also keeping women safe with the Women at Risk Visa sub-class. This was one of the first things I did when I was Minister for Immigration to lift the intake of women through our Women at Risk Program through our refugee and humanitarian program. And I'm pleased to say that since 2013, 7,046 women and children have found safe refuge in Australia since 2013. And that includes more than 2,100 in 2017-18 year alone.
It's not just about keeping women safe and their children. It's also about being able to live the economy that enables women to prosper and to flourish. An economy that determines choices and opportunities, and only a stronger economy can deliver those opportunities. A stronger Medicare, more and cheaper medicines, more affordable childcare. All of this depends on the strength of our economy and the entrepreneurs and small and family businesses right across this country which provide the prosperity for the country to live from.
And it's about jobs, because it's always about jobs at the end of the day. Whether you're leaving school, raising children, or preparing for retirement. Not having a job either yourself or within a family or being worried about losing a job robs you of those choices and of your independence. So over the last five and a half years with more than 1.2 million new jobs new have been created and more than half being taken up by women some 690,000, in fact. This is something we're very pleased to see. There are now more than 5.9 million Australian women in employment and female participation in our workforce is at record highs. We've appointed a record 45.8 per cent of government board positions to women under our Government. And the gender pay gap is moving in the right direction, now down to a record low of 14.5 per cent.
So we’re for jobs, but not just for the pay check. A job creating economy makes families stronger, communities stronger. Men and women stronger. Economic Opportunity and the greater choice and security that can come with it are at the heart of what we're seeking to achieve in our vision for a prosperous, safe and cohesive Australia. I want to thank the UN Women National Committee in Australia for hosting this breakfast today to support UN women's programs globally and to enhance the prosperity, economic participation and safety of women in our region and around the world. I want to thank you for your attention today and I hope you will enjoy the day's proceedings and Aunty Violet, thank you again so much.
Closing the Gap
14 February 2019
Mr Morrison: (Cook—Prime Minister) (10:02): by leave—I present a copy of Closing the gap: Prime Minister's report 2019.
Introduction
As we always do in this place, we meet on the land of the Ngunawal people. I acknowledge and pay my respects and our respects to Ngunawal elders past, present and emerging, and, indeed, to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across this nation, whether here today or right across our land.
I also acknowledge our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders who are also democratically elected representatives of this parliament: the member for Hasluck, the member for Barton and Senators Dodson and McCarthy, and I welcome them here.
I also welcome the co-chairs of my Indigenous Advisory Council, Andrea Mason and Roy Ah-See, and all the other members of that council, and all those who have travelled so far to be here today, including Warren Mundine—it's great to have you here as a great Aboriginal leader, Warren. I also want to acknowledge the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Scullion, who has joined us here in the chamber.
And I also want to acknowledge the member for Warringah, both as the special envoy and as someone who has had a profound impact on my understanding and appreciation of Indigenous Australians and the challenges that they face in our country. I want to acknowledge the member for Warringah's longstanding compassion, advocacy, commitment and dedication to the First Peoples of our nation.
Reflection
I want Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to have the same opportunities as all other children growing up in Australia. That is a goal that I believe is shared by every single member of this parliament. But it's not true for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children growing up in Australia today. It's never been true, and I don't know when it will be true, and that is the truth we must confront today.
I remind myself of this truth each day as I walk into my office, as I've done for many years, in different offices. In my office is a photo of a plaque embedded in a rock memorial at a remote outstation in Central Australia that I visited with the member for Warringah and Senator Scullion many years ago—in fact, back in 2009. It's outside a small school that was attended by Shirley Ngalkin.
When Shirley was away from her community in that remote part of Central Australia in 1998 she was raped and drowned by teenage boys in Hermannsburg. She was six years old. She would be a young woman now, probably raising her own family—perhaps even her own daughters.
On her memorial it says, 'I am Jesus' little lamb', with a prayer that she now rests in his care. And I pray that is true, because we certainly failed to provide that care here—and we still do.
I'd like to tell you that this no longer happens, but we all know it does, even though we're often told that we shouldn't say so and shouldn't talk about these things. But we should. Young girls are taking their lives in remote communities, as we've seen just over this past summer. So are young boys. In too many communities, lives are being consumed in a hopeless dysfunction that seems to defy any sensible response.
While I'm not going to pretend today that this situation does not remain in an unforgiveable state, I am going to say that we will all never rest as a nation until we change this for all time—all of us, together.
I'm here to say today, though, that there is hope, that progress is being made and can be further made so that one day someone will be able to stand here and say that a young Indigenous boy or girl is now growing up in an Australia where they have the same chances and opportunity in life as any other Australian. That is what closing the gap is all about.
Closing the Gap accountability
In 2008 we began this process of closing the gap. Successive Prime Ministers have reported since on our progress on meeting these national goals. It was born out of the National Apology. That was one of the first acts that I was involved in, in this place, coming in as a member of parliament, and I was pleased to do so. Closing the Gap was a recognition that words without deeds are fruitless, and Prime Minister Rudd should forever be commended for that apology and the process he began. That process that began in 2008 was born of a very good heart. It recognised that accountability is vital if we are to bring about a change and meaningful process that has eluded our nation for more than two centuries.
But I must say that, while it was guided by the best of intentions, the process has reflected something of what I believe is the hubris of this place: it did not truly seek to partner with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It believed that a top-down approach could achieve that change that was, rightly, desired—that Canberra could change it all with lofty goals and bureaucratic targets. That's not true. It was set up to fail—and has, on its own tests. And today I'm calling that out.
This was not a true partnership—not with the states and territories or, most importantly, with Indigenous peoples themselves. Yes, there was more funding, more programs, more workers—and more accountability, too.
But this was just another version of what we were already doing—tragically, so often unsuccessfully in so many different forms, for generations. So, while there has been incremental and meaningful progress on many fronts, as of 2019 only two of the seven Closing the Gap targets are on track. What we're doing has to change, and our government is leading a process to change it.
That is why, two years ago—and I acknowledge the former Prime Minister, Mr Turnbull—we embarked on a Closing the Gap refresh—because our efforts were not meeting our worthy ambitions, shared by all us.
Late last year, a coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak bodies—and I acknowledge Pat, who is here with us today—made representations to me about closing the gap.
They came to me seeking a real partnership, one where we listen, work together and decide together how future policies are developed, especially at a regional and at a local level. This is a message I've also heard from Andrea and the Indigenous Advisory Council and Roy, and I thank them for the candidness of that message.
At COAG, together with the premiers and chief ministers, in December last year, all governments committed to share ownership of, and responsibility for, jointly agreed frameworks, targets and ongoing monitoring of a refreshed Closing the Gap agenda, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples at its heart. I thank all the premiers and chief ministers for their spirit, enthusiasm, dedication and commitment for joining this task. COAG asked that this work be finalised by the middle of this year. This is a major step toward the genuine and mutually respectful formal partnership between governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians that will empower individuals and allow communities to thrive.
Governments fail when accountabilities are unclear, when investment is poorly targeted, when systems aren't integrated and when we don't learn from evidence. This is true not only for Indigenous policy but also for any area of policy. That is why clear accountability will be at the centre of a new approach to closing the gap, with states, territories, the Commonwealth government and Indigenous Australians having clear responsibilities for delivering on targets. This is also why the progress we jointly make will be subject to regular independent Indigenous-led reviews. This is about delivering action on the ground. It's about giving us all the best chance for success, to match the best of our motives and intentions.
Our Indigenous communities in regional, remote and urban Australia need the jobs and economic growth that make true aspiration viable, and we need a renewed focus on education so that the next generation of Indigenous men and women will have every opportunity to participate in and contribute to our economic prosperity.
As we commence this refresh of Closing the Gap, it is important to report on what has occurred over the past 10 years of reports. While it is important to acknowledge the gap that exists and the gap that must be closed, we must be careful not to take a deficit mentality to our task. This is a long journey of many steps, and we cannot allow the enormity of that task, as great as it is, to overwhelm us and to overwhelm our appreciation for what we are achieving.
If we focus only on the gap and not on what is being achieved, we are at risk of losing heart. We may fail to recognise achievements and strengths that can be built upon. Sure, those achievements are still not enough. But, in this space, every achievement is hard won in every life, in every community and in every family.
Every Indigenous child that gets into school and stays in school is a victory that should be claimed. Every Indigenous child born healthy and that remains healthy is a victory that must be claimed. Every Indigenous parent in every town, in every place, who gets a job and stays in a job is a victory and it must be claimed, because it changes generations when it happens—as Warren Mundine pointed out to me not that long ago from his own experience. Every Indigenous woman and every Indigenous child who is kept safe from abuse every hour of every day is a victory that must be claimed. And every night a family can rest their heads in a home that is clean, safe and not overcrowded is a victory that must be claimed. This process must claim it's victories, while being honest about its failures and shortcomings. Because it is the victories upon which further success is built, and our failings from which lessons will and must be learned—so let's turn to those.
Life Expectancy
Over the past 10 years the life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians has increased. Men born between 2015 to 2017 can expect to live for an additional 4.1 years and women 2.5 years compared to those born 10 years earlier. It's an improvement that is encouraging. It points to better work being undertaken, drawing together the different threads of health: physical, social, emotional and mental. This progress is the culmination of incremental progress in communities across Australia.
Across Australia there are hundreds of services making a meaningful difference. In Queensland, the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health provides clinics, eye examinations, dental examinations and support to deal with addictions. In Central Australia, the Purple House is taking dialysis services to patients—with a mobile dialysis unit, the Purple Truck. And in communities across Australia it requires sustained effort. It's intensive, and it's absolutely vital. However, despite the progress, we are not on track to close the gap on life expectancy by 2031.
Child Mortality
Since 2008 Indigenous child mortality rates have fallen by 10 per cent. The child mortality rate is a rate per 100,000 children, and so, with a small population, the rate does move around a lot from year to year. That means we have to be very cautious about any claims that we make of improvement.
While the Indigenous child mortality rate has fallen, the non-Indigenous infant mortality rates have fallen at a greater rate. While we welcome both falls, the gap has not narrowed. But there are positive signs: the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers attending antenatal care has risen from 41 per cent in 2010 to 60 per cent in 2016; very importantly, the maternal smoking rate has decreased from 54 per cent in 2015 to 43 per cent in 2016; and we are seeing significant increases in immunisation rates. I acknowledge the work being done on the ground that is making meaningful differences.
In Queensland, the Apunipima Cape York Health Council's Indigenous health workers, through the Baby One Program, are conducting health checks, immunisation and treatments in homes and through clinics. In the Northern Territory, a team of Aboriginal women is helping young mothers through the Nurse-Family Partnership Program and imparting an understanding of what contributes to good health and wellbeing. This is work that is extremely targeted and helping families make the best choices when it comes to the health and wellbeing of their young children.
Early Childhood Education
The target to have 95 per cent of Indigenous children in early childhood education by 2025 is on track. In 2017, 95 per cent of Indigenous children were enrolled in early childhood education. New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the ACT now have enrolments at the 95 per cent benchmark rate or above.
We should note that attendance rates for Indigenous children were lower in remote areas—particularly very remote areas—and up to 16 percentage points lower than the rates for Indigenous children in other areas. So there is still work to do. Nevertheless, there is progress overall and this should be celebrated, as I have said, because enrolment and attendance are precursors to improving developmental outcomes ahead of attending school. Much of this work has been supported by national partnership agreements with the states and territories.
Educational Outcomes
Since 2008, there have been improvements in schooling outcomes. The Commonwealth, working with the states and territories through the National School Reform Agreement, is bolstering these improvements with $308 billion from 2018 to 2029, with a priority focus on driving improved outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
The biggest improvement over the past decade has been in year 12 or equivalent attainment. We have witnessed an almost 18 percentage point jump in the proportion of Indigenous Australians achieving this milestone since 2006. More Indigenous students are now graduating and moving into employment or further studies.
We can be particularly proud of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island young people who face the additional challenge of living in very remote areas. They have achieved the largest leap in attainment, with rates rising from 23 per cent in 2006 to 43 per cent in 2016. However, the target to close the gap in school attendance is not on track. Attendance rates for Indigenous students are at around 82 per cent compared to 93 per cent for non-Indigenous students.
Literacy and numeracy
While there is a disproportionate share of Indigenous students below the minimum standards for reading and numeracy, we have made progress over the past decade. The proportion of Indigenous students at or above minimum standards is 11 to 13 percentage points higher than in 2008—for reading in years 3 and 5 and for numeracy in years 5 and 9.
Indigenous employment
This government understands that one of the keys to transforming Indigenous employment rates is to encourage Indigenous businesses to grow, and I particularly commend the minister, Senator Scullion, for his work in this area. Indigenous enterprise means Indigenous jobs. Since the commencement of the Indigenous Procurement Policy 3½ years ago, the Commonwealth has awarded almost 12,000 contracts to over 1,470 businesses. Those contracts have a total value of $1.8 billion. Last financial year, 366 Indigenous businesses won their first Australian government contract. The Commonwealth and all portfolios exceeded their three per cent Indigenous Procurement Policy contract target.
To ensure this growth continues, from 1 July this year, we'll introduce a three per cent target based on value, beginning at one per cent and phased in over eight years. We'll also expand the reach of the mandatory minimum requirements for Indigenous participation in major contracts to include additional service categories from 1 July next year. It is through the development of small, family and medium sized Indigenous businesses that we will tackle the Indigenous employment gap.
Next steps
I am aware that many have entered this place in this role with grand plans and lofty promises on these issues—all soon forgotten. As Prime Minister I am not going to add further well-intentioned promises to what is a long and disappointing list. The Closing the Gap initiative seeks to promote action across a broad range of fronts. It must and will continue to.
As Prime Minister I intend to have a more specific focus: to concentrate my efforts, to seek to make an impact in just one area that I believe can really achieve generational change. And that's education. I want to get kids into school and I want them to stay in school for longer. That is what I wish to achieve.
Education is the key to skills. It is the key to jobs. It is the key to building enterprises—and giving young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians the opportunity to create their futures. It is the key to a good life. If you can't read, if you can't write, there is no possible way you can share in the prosperity of Australia in the way you would otherwise. I am yet to meet a person who says they regret studying. Because, even if we take a different path to our studies, it becomes a foundation on which to build.
As Ian Trust, the Chair of Wunan, an Aboriginal development organisation in the East Kimberley, puts it:
If you want to have things you have never had before, you must be prepared to do things you have never done before. For us, this will mean getting more of our people educated and into a job in order to break the cycle of poverty for our people.
Education is the foundation: for skills, jobs, health, prosperity, longevity, safety, society.
As the member for Warringah has noted, when Indigenous students finish school and complete a degree, they have much the same employment outcomes as other comparable Australians. We are seeing good signs from around the country. The number of Indigenous women enrolling in university education has continued to rise, and Indigenous women are graduating in increasing numbers. For example, only last month, five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women graduated as doctors from the University of Western Australia. This is a tremendous outcome and I congratulate these new doctors. And last week, on the other side of the continent, in Port Macquarie, the first Indigenous graduate in the University of Newcastle's Bachelor of Midwifery completed her studies.
While there has been progress, we need to accelerate our efforts, particularly in our work in remote areas. We must start with incentivising and rewarding teachers in remote communities, as the member for Warringah has proposed. If you're a teacher in a very remote area, what you are doing is more than a job; it's a calling. It's an act, an expression, of love for your fellow Australians, and we should never take advantage of that great act of love. If anything—and we should—it must be rewarded. That is why the government will provide incentives to teachers working in very remote areas to help them pay their higher education loans. For these teachers, their HECS debt will be frozen. From today, teachers working in a very remote area will not have one cent of interest added to their debt whilst they are working in a very remote area.
For teachers who, from today, work for four years in a very remote area, their HECS debt will be scrapped.
As well, the Minister for Education, the special envoy, and the Minister for Indigenous Affairs will work closely with a small number of communities to improve attendance rates—community by community, school by school, child by child. This could include improving additional school facilities such as infrastructure and learning centres to help disengaged students return to school, the goal being supporting and addressing school attendance.
We have seen the success of organisations that provide scholarships and mentoring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boys and girls. The Australian Indigenous Education Foundation, the Clontarf Foundation—with which I have a long association—and so many other programs are producing great outcomes, and we need to invest in that success, helping indigenous boys and girls choose the futures they aspire to.
The government will provide an additional $200 million in support over the forward estimates for scholarships, academies and mentoring support. I want children, Indigenous kids, to get into school and to stay in school longer. The Indigenous youth education package will provide further certainty for scholarships, academies and mentoring of Indigenous students. This is an area which is working, and we will invest in its success.
The journey ahead
There is a change happening in our country—a shared understanding that we have a shared future. The change is manifesting itself in thousands of small ways.
On this issue, I remember as a boy, just 12, travelling with my older brother, Alan, to a property 30 kilometres east of Cloncurry in north-west Queensland. The member for Kennedy knows that property today is under water. It was the family property of my late Uncle Bill, the grandson of Dame Mary Gilmore, who sensed and wrote of the yearning and mourning of Indigenous Australians long before most others in this country. I remember being in awe of the land and marvelling at seeing a horizon on land, because I'd grown up by sea. I'd never seen that before.
There was a large Indigenous family working on that property with Uncle Bill and Aunty Robin. They were skilled stockmen. I had almost no interaction with Aboriginal people at this time in my life, and my first reaction as a young boy was to withdraw. We too often withdraw when we don't know or don't understand. My uncle sensed my unease and he helped me to connect, to see and to appreciate and understand. During the days that followed, I came to learn about their deep connection to land and country and got to know a family that was beautiful, generous and kind.
I fast forward a generation to the evening before Australia Day this year, when I took my own girls with Jen down to the shores of Lake Burley Griffin to spend time with the Ngunawal people. My girls are just a little younger than Alan and I were back then. But my children had no such apprehension, only enthusiasm, and they already had an understanding and appreciation of Indigenous culture that I didn't have as a child at their age. Things have rightly and positively changed. And on those shores of our man-made lake, they encountered the same beauty, generosity and kindness that we had a generation before.
That afternoon, as our faces were painted by our hosts and we danced—some of us not that well—we laughed and we listened. We listened not just to the elders but to the very country that is home. That afternoon, I again saw the great grace of Indigenous Australians. Despite the dispossession, despite the loss of identity, despite the renaming of their lands and despite the ignominy of our history on these issues—including the crimes and the misguided good intentions—there was a good and open-hearted grace. There was an offered hand where you had no right to expect one.
The miracle worked in an apology is not when it is offered but when it is accepted and forgiveness takes place. That is when true reconciliation occurs.
In an age of offence and where the bonds between us are often under strain, there is much we can learn from our First Peoples. So we draw strength from their grace and we renew our efforts to address the gaps that exist. We owe it to them, to our history, to our country, that we share, work together and make the difference that is vital to so many Australian lives.
I'm pleased to present the Closing the gap report for 2019.
Minerals Council of Australia Dinner
13 February 2019
Canberra, ACT
Thank you so much Vanessa for that introduction. I couldn’t agree more with the sentiments that you’ve expressed, talking about this most important of sectors which I want to talk to you about tonight. So members of the diplomatic corps and Parliamentary colleagues who are here, particularly the Deputy Prime Minister, Matt Canavan the Resources Minister I see over here, he’ll be talking to you at breakfast in the morning. Greg Hunt I can see here. But if I keep going and call the roll we’ll be here all night, because I know there are so many of my Coalition colleagues here. Maybe they might, if they’re here in the room tonight, maybe you could just stand so I can acknowledge you all in one round sweep.
[Applause]
Of course Melissa Price the Environment Minister and the president of the Senate and you can see the Government is very supportive in your presence here this evening. To the chairman of the Minerals Council of Australia Vanessa Guthrie, the directors of the MCA, to Tania Constable, ladies and gentlemen. Can I also acknowledge the Ngunnawal People, elders past and present and leaders emerging.
There’s a Shire expression. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about it’s that wonderful southern part of Sydney. We have our own language and if we like something, this is what we say; “How good is mining?” That’s what we say. That expresses with a strong statement that we get it. We understand the value and we understand the contribution, we understand the complexities, we understand what you manage and this produces a good result.
As Prime Minister, you don’t have to have been a former Treasurer to understand how important the mining sector is, I know your tax bills. Thank you.
[Laughter]
You don’t have to hold the industry leaders in great esteem – which I do, it’s wonderful to see you Hugh Morgan here tonight, a wonderful pioneer and legend of the sector and industry, it’s great to see you Hugh –
[Applause]
And you also don’t have to just appreciate, as you were saying, the connection between mining and agriculture. The thing that is most pressing on my mind right now, more than any other issue, is what is happening in north Queensland. The devastation we’re seeing particularly in the cattle industry, which I know is not your sector but I know you care about it. Because I know the mining sector will be working hand-in-glove in all of those communities in north Queensland as we all work together to rebuild that great industry on the other side of these devastating floods. Give yourselves a round of applause, because I know you’re going to be there.
[Applause]
In these rural and remote communities, I’ve seen it; the connection between these powerhouse industries that drive the local economy and infuse the local community. The public relations manager at Glencore up in Cloncurry is the president of the Cloncurry Bowls Club. That’s not unusual, to have those connections that exist within these communities. So as a Liberal National Prime Minister I want to assure you that we understand the contribution at every level.
We also understand and you don’t have to be an economic genius to work out, that you always play to your strengths. As part of the economic plan that I announced a couple of weeks ago up in Brisbane, I said it’s our plan to drive forward all of our industries – not just the bright shiny new ones. Now they’re exciting, they’re great, they’re tremendous, the medical industry as Greg knows, we had that in the last Budget, technology industries, tremendous. But agriculture, mining, always our strengths. You don’t walk away from your strengths as a country and you always play to them. That’s what we’ll always do, in recognising the mining sector here in Australia and the resources sector.
It helped make us the success story that we are. It helped build a strong Australia and as a Prime Minister who wants to see Australia even stronger, how could you not have the strength and viability and sustainably for the long term in the mining sector, in such a plan? So we do.
It has given life to regional cities and communities, from Ballarat, Bendigo and Broken Hill, to Mount Isa, Karratha and Kalgoorlie. It has shaped the contours of our development, the design of our inland railways and almost every port in the country. It has provided long-term benefits for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through local jobs and opportunities for development. Warren Mundine is here tonight and it’s great to have you here with me Warren. It’s great to have you as part of our team.
[Applause]
Yeah, welcome Warren, a great Australian who understands this point very, very well. Cooperation has replaced conflict as Indigenous Australians and the mining industry have worked closely together over recent decades. Australian mining has resourced the astounding growth of our region, from Japan’s post-war development through to the rise of modern China. And I don’t have any issue, in fact I celebrate, as Australia should, the growth of China as an economic powerhouse. Its’ prosperity has meant prosperity for Australia. So don’t let anyone tell you that Australia does not similarly appreciate China’s continued economic growth, it’s been very important to our own success story and will continue to be. There are many companies represented here in this room that of course have been the mainstay of this history and it’s a proud one. It’s one that should be recognised, it should be defended, it shouldn’t be whispered, or not spoken about, as you just take the cheques and pretend the mining sector is not there, as some are prone to do. That’s something our Government will never do. We will celebrate the success of our mining and resources sector. We know the importance of that sector.
My time as Treasurer imprinted those lessons on me. Whether it was the monthly trade figures, the quarterly national accounts or the annual Budget. Mining accounts for almost 10 per cent of our economy. It drives our exports. Resources exports were at $221 billion in 2017/18, 55 per cent of Australian exports by value. You need these numbers. Now, Des was saying it’s more than the statistics; that’s true, but the statistics are pretty flash. Mining employs 240,000 Australians or thereabout, and pays the highest wages in our economy. I was also, as you’d expect, a close observer of commodity prices as Treasurer especially iron ore and coal. It’s 82 free on board US today. Knowing what an important role that plays in sustaining revenues in our tax system, mining remains the life-blood of many communities as I’ve said, directly and indirectly supporting jobs and the volunteer roles that exist around our country.
So we want to see you succeed. I want you succeed, because stronger mining industry means a stronger Australia. A weaker mining industry means a weaker Australia.
That’s why under the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matt Canavan, is guiding us in our policy to play to our strengths, while opening up new frontiers for Australian mining. Tomorrow, Matt will release the Australian Resources Sector Plan. I won’t spoil it tonight Matt. There you go, thank you. I could if I wanted.
[Laughter]
But in the spirit of our great Coalition, Michael. It plays to our strengths, it builds communities and I encourage you to come along in the morning and I want to congratulate you on the work that you’ve done on that Matt and engaging with the sector as you do, being a champion for the mining and resources sector.
[Applause]
We want to cement Australia’s resources sector as the world’s best. We’re working to boost minerals exploration and open new basins. Through our Exploring for the Future program, we’re investing $100 million to produce new pre-competitive geoscience data. Our Industry Growth Centres are driving innovation and competitiveness, including in our mining services sector. The Junior Minerals Exploration initiative is providing $100 million to assist junior exploration companies raise additional capital for greenfield exploration programs and I want to particularly acknowledge the work Mathias Cormann has done on that project. We’ve invested around $570 million in low-emissions technology support, through carbon capture and storage, methane abatement and low emissions coal projects. Through the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, we’re investing $5 billion in loans over 5 years, for infrastructure projects to benefit northern Australia. I know they are now making loans, after we changed the mandate last year and I’m pleased to see that occurring. The Government is providing $84.4 million to two cooperative research centres conducting research into mineral exploration and today Karen Andrews the Industry Minister, who is doing a cracking job, announced $20 million for critical minerals under CRC project grants.
So we are determined to make sure your sector has the skilled workforce it needs to reach its potential and this is all part of our larger plan to keep the economy strong. At the heart of our plan is a mindset that says; “We want to see,” as I said “all industries grow and succeed,” making for safer, more productive, more sustainable mining, driving all industries forward.
Here’s another thing - I’ll say; “how good is mining,” in Townsville, I’ll say it here in Canberra and I’ll say it in Toorak. You won’t hear a different message from me about mining anywhere around the country, you’ll hear the same message and this is important, because if we want our mining industry to be successful in the future, we must counter those noisy voices which want to shut you down.
[Applause]
I was surprised when I went to Western Australia recently – another reason I like the mining sector is I like West Australians, There’s one down here, good on you Gary - but when they told me that mining engineers weren’t signing up to be trained, because they were being told by noisy, shouty voices that mining doesn’t have a future in this country. I was shocked. In Western Australia? This is something that has to be turned around and it’s not about money. It’s about countering these noisy, shouty voices that don’t understand exactly what Vanessa was saying about the sustainable contribution that will continue to be made, which works in harmony with our environment, in harmony with our community, engaging and supporting our indigenous communities, removing social disadvantage. These are the things our mining sector is doing. It doesn’t get the credit it deserves. I’ll stand up for you. I’m not sure some others will.
The reason I feel so strongly about a stronger economy is this; because if you’re doing well, Greg Hunt can list affordable medicines on the PBS. So when we list Spinraza for spinal muscular atrophy, or any of the other drugs, whether for lung cancer or as it was today, for ovarian cancer or any of these drugs, you are achieving this through what you’re doing. Your success is achieving this and when people try to shut you down, they are taking and robbing from Australians the ability for us to deliver those essential services on the ground. But we understand that and that’s why we’re so keen to see that there is a stronger economy.
The plan I announced a couple of months ago was a plan that has been built on some real success in our economy, in which you’ve played a key part. When we came to government in 2013, we said that we had a goal of 1 million jobs within 5 years. We smashed it, the economy smashed it, the businesses smashed it and we were able to achieve 1.1 million jobs within five years. That’s now over 1.2 million. Unemployment is down to five per cent, the lowest in 7 years. In that plan, I said that we would be able, through the contribution that will come from a growing economy, 1.25 million new jobs, created over the next five years if we stay on that track. But not if we don’t. You can make choices in economic policy, just like you can in any matter of policy. National security policy – take your pick – you make choices and when you make those choices, they have consequences. The consequences of the economic plan that I and my plan are taking to the next election, is 1.25 million new jobs and you’ll be playing a key role in ensuring we deliver on that.
So it’s a plan that keeps our Budget strong, delivers lower taxes and while I’m at it, it means that I can guarantee – on lower taxes – there will be no mining tax under our Government, none.
[Applause]
You might want to check that with the other bloke. And if he says that verbally, I’d get it in writing.
[Laughter]
Our plan will build the infrastructure Australia needs and we’re doing that now, a record 75 billion over the next decade. Highway upgrades, local road and rail projects, including the Inland Rail. The biggest projects, we’ve embarked on. It’s a plan to deliver even more access to overseas markets to you, for exporters.
Free and open trade has been a staple of Australia’s economic growth since forever and critical to boosting living standards. And on the global stage, our Trade Minister, our Treasurer, myself, our Foreign Minister, we have been the advocates for free and open trade, of expanding trade. The TPP, the best example most recently and as we work with EU – I was talking to the ambassador today – continuing to open up more opportunities, because we know that’s what makes us a prosperous country. So, we will always remain committed.
I remember in 2013, when we came to Government and Robbie, Andrew Robb outlined what his plan was. Greg will remember, he was there, he said; “We’re going to get a China Free Trade Agreement, Japan, Korea, we’re going to do it all.” And we had a discussion about how this was going to be achieved and of course there was the obvious – that no one has ever boosted their political credentials in this country by making this a big part of their economic plan. We acknowledge that. We’ve done a lot of work since then I think to communicate with the Australian people about how important this is and how their jobs are connected to it. We’ve been making that same case around the world. But we decided to do it because we knew it was the right thing to do.
Our Government is one of convictions, whether it’s on economic policy, whether it is on health policy, whether it’s on national security policy. It’s about the convictions that you have that drive your decisions. So there are many other issues, whether it’s energy, whether it’s meeting our environmental commitments, our 26 to 28 per cent reduction in emissions from 2005. I was asked the other day at the Press Club about this - and strangely, quite critically from the Press Gallery - I responded and I said simply this; “What is the measure by which you assess a government’s policies? Surely it’s, did they meet the goals they set out to achieve?” Our goal through the Emissions Reduction Fund and the suite of other policies that we have, was to make sure we met Kyoto 1. Which we did, we smashed it. Kyoto 2, which we we’ll meet comfortably and our 2030 target which we will also meet, as I constantly say, in a canter. That will be very clear as to how that will be achieved between now and the next election, 328 million tonnes we have to make up over the course of that period with measures. The Labor Party on 45 per cent emissions reduction targets – apart from wiping out a number of businesses in this room – requires more than three times that. So do the math yourself and go and see your accountant in terms of what it’s going to mean.
But let me finish on a positive note. Whether it’s ensuring that we keep the Building and Construction Commission, whether it’s keeping taxes down, building infrastructure or expanding our markets, all of this is designed to do one thing; that is to make sure you are successful. But don’t take it personally because there’s a selfish element to this. I know when you’re successful, Australia is successful and that our Government can build an even stronger society, an even stronger economy and an even stronger nation. So in that sense, I want to thank you for your service and I’m going to be calling on it in the future, because we’ve got a lot more work to do and I’m looking forward to doing it.
Thank you very much for your attention.
Press Conference, Canberra
13 February 2019
Canberra, ACT
PRIME MINISTER: Well not surprisingly, I understand that the Senate will be passing the Bill that went through the House yesterday. Earlier today, I convened a meeting of the National Security Committee to take the decisions that were necessary following on from the contingency planning that have been put in place over the last couple of weeks. That contingency planning and the decisions I've taken this morning, together with the other NSC Ministers, is there is a range of strengthening that has been put in place in terms of Operation Sovereign Borders and their operations. I want to stress that all of the actions and decisions that we are taking are implementing the recommendations of these agencies and the officials as presented to us this morning. We are adopting all of the recommendations they have put, based on their advice in response to the decisions that have been taken in the Australian Parliament. We're implementing them all 100 per cent. Everything they are asking for, they are getting and that has involved a strengthening of the capacity of Operation Sovereign Borders across a whole range of fronts. I am not at liberty to go into the detail of what they are for obvious reasons. This Parliament has already tipped its hand enough to the people smugglers. I won't be doing that in compromising our operations and how we now address the consequences of what this Parliament is doing to our borders.
Secondly, we have approved putting in place the reopening of the Christmas Island detention facilities and a series of compounds there, both to deal with the prospect of arrivals as well as dealing with the prospect of transfers. The full cost of those was set out in the declassified briefing which you've already seen and the final costings of those will be staged over the re-ramp up of those facilities, and that is taking place in accordance with the recommendations from the Secretary of Home Affairs.
In relation to the implementation of the laws passing that are through the Senate, I've asked the Department of Home Affairs for an implementation report. I will await for that report and then take further decisions on that once I have that information available to me. My job now is to ensure that the boats don't come. My job now is to do everything within my power and in the power of the Government to ensure that what the Parliament has done to weaken our borders does not result in boats coming to Australia. It is still the case that our Government is running border protection in this country and that, of itself, is a great deterrent, because they know our resolve. The people smugglers know my resolve. They know Peter Dutton's resolve. They know we will do everything in our power to stop them at every point. And we remain standing here to ensure that they don't come.
So if they don't come, it will be because of the work and the decisions we are now taking and the actions we are putting in place. If they do come, you can thank the Labor Party and Bill Shorten because he is the one who has led this process. He has led this process to weaken and compromise our borders. Now, I want to make a couple of other points because there is a lot of misinformation and, frankly, lies, that are being put around. There are more than 60 medical professionals on Nauru, for 420 people. If that says there is no medical facilities available on Nauru, then that is ridiculous. Tell me another part of this country that has one medical professional for every seven people. There is, in fact, one medical... I should say, mental health professional for every 14 people on Nauru.
On top of that, there is no one in detention on Nauru, not one person. And, as you already know, apart from the four who will be transferred to the United States, there are no children on Nauru. None. So the Labor Party cannot absolve themselves by telling themselves lies as motivation for what they did in the Parliament yesterday and what they are doing now. They have done what they have done. Bill Shorten has done what he has done out of manifest weakness, an inability to stand up to the left wing of his own party, the Greens and others who have applied pressure. He has no strength on this issue and he cannot be trusted to follow through on any of the border protection measures that our Government has put in place.
So we are taking the decisions and the action to clean up the mess that the Labor Party has once again created and we will be undertaking all our efforts to do just that. Happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, when you were Immigration Minister - and we hear it from Peter Dutton as well - you often talk about the messaging that comes from the shores of Australia, whether it encourages or discourages people smuggling ventures. Don’t you as Prime Minister have the responsibility to keep a lid on your language, lest it does encourage people smugglers?
PRIME MINISTER: I’ve just delivered that message. I'm standing between people smugglers and bringing a boat to Australia. Last time I did that, you didn't get here.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you referred to lies, legitimately, before. Now your Government MPs, people like Tony Abbott, are saying that as a consequence of the Bill that passed the House yesterday, it's now: “Get on a boat, get to Nauru, get sick and get to Australia” - when the law that passed the House -
PRIME MINISTER: I’m sorry, but that’s entirely possible. That is entirely possible.
JOURNALIST: If I can finish? That... get to Australia. The law that passed the House yesterday, I don't know what will pass the Senate because it hasn't happened yet, but the law that passed the House yesterday clearly ring-fences to the current cohort. So what Mr Abbott is saying is not true.
PRIME MINISTER: No, I'm sorry Katharine, you fail to understand that people smugglers don't deal with the nuance of the Canberra bubble. They deal with the psychology of messaging, of whether things are stronger or whether things are weaker. It might be all fine and nice to talk about these nuances here in this courtyard. But when you're in a village in Indonesia and someone is selling you a product, there's no protections or truth in advertising laws for people smugglers. They just sell the message. What Tony Abbott has said is exactly what the people smugglers will be saying. Sorry, I’m going over here.
JOURNALIST: Prime, Minister, it’s not a nuance, it’s a fact. And if I may -
PRIME MINISTER: It is a nuance which the people smugglers will ignore. What is true today Katharine, what is true today is as a result of what happened in the Parliament yesterday and what is happening in the Senate now is our border protection laws are weaker than they were two days ago. That's a fact. Thank you, Phil?
JOURNALIST: If the consequences of this Bill are as dire as you are saying and require the response you have just outlined, why don't you prevent it getting Royal assent? If it's in the national interest to stop these laws going ahead, why don't you use your powers to stop getting it Royal assent?
PRIME MINISTER: I don't believe there’s an argument before us to actually advance on that front.
JOURNALIST: Can you elaborate on that?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JOURNALIST: Why not just go to an election if you [inaudible]?
PRIME MINISTER: We will go to an election, we'll go to an election in May. I'm not going to be intimidated by the Labor Party from handing down a surplus Budget in April. I'm not going to be intimidated by the Parliament, from distracting my attention from the things that need to be attended to, which I’ve got to tell you right now, in addition to cleaning up the mess on our borders that Labor created yesterday, my focus is also very firmly focussed on what is unfolding in North Queensland and for our cattle industry and those devastated communities. Now, I haven't heard much, I haven't heard much on that front, but I can tell you there's a lot of that being addressed in my office just in here and in our Cabinet room and my meetings with Ministers. I'm very focussed on that issue at the moment as I am on this issue and will continue to be. I'm not going to be distracted by all the frankly - I know you don't like the phrase - but the bubble nonsense of people going on about all sorts of precedents, all the rest of it. Frankly, not interested. I’ve got too many other important things to focus on.
JOURNALIST: On the banks, the request for extra sittings. If you lose a vote on that matter in the Parliament, will you have lost control of the Parliament and go to an election?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm not engaging on those sort of issues, we will continue to work our issues through the Parliament and we will deal with them as they present. We will continue to take strong action when it comes to the Royal Commission. There are matters before the Parliament even now that we're working through. We're putting in place the arrangements - which doesn't require legislation - to activate cases and go back 10 years to be considered by AFCA and many other recommendations which we’re already moving on. We’re doing just that, we're taking objection on the Royal Commission. We will continue to do that and we'll do it in a calm, responsible way.
We won't - see, I'm glad you raised this - because we're getting an insight into Bill Shorten. He has taken a reckless approach to border management. I mean, last year he had his senators vote for this bill in the form which he told us yesterday, was dangerous and required amendment. Yet he was prepared to have his own members of the House vote for it last December. A reckless act on our borders which he only doubled down on yesterday. And now he says we should recklessly prepare legislation in response to 40 recommendations, without having the opportunity to consider unintended consequences and ensure the consultation is done and this legislation is done correctly, as the Law Council has advised.
Bill Shorten has a very reckless, opportunistic approach to these serious matters. I'm not going to take that approach. That is not how I do things, we will continue to govern in a calm and responsible way and that's exactly what we're doing today. Everybody else can flap their arms about, my arms are firmly by my side and I'm very focussed on the job I have got ahead of me.
JOURNALIST: Your Government has brought I think 879 of the asylum seekers and refugees from Manus Island and Nauru to Australia on medical grounds. Wouldn't that indicate that the medical services there are inadequate, if they're not why did you bring them to Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: No, we made those decisions consistent with the transfer processes that we have and were working perfectly fine. This was my point yesterday; what was done yesterday was unnecessary. There was no need to do what was done necessary, because the processes and the medical treatment that was in place, was already there and those processes were already working and had resulted in every single child coming off Nauru.
Now, I remember when I became Immigration Minister and I visited those centres both on Manus Island and on Nauru. They were in an appalling condition. The Labor Party hadn't properly funded them. They hadn't put the right medical staff in place. Let's not forget that the Labor Party put children on Manus Island. The Labor Party put children on Manus Island - so I'm not going to take lectures on humanitarianism from a Labor Party that put children on Manus Island and left those centres in such a state of disrepair when we came to Government, that they should be absolutely ashamed of themselves and to hear, to hear yesterday Tony Burke and others in the Parliament, and Labor members who I recall in those debates came in and wept openly in the Parliament, well, they have forgotten the tears of those days because they have repeated the mistakes that they put in place when they were in Government.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, a big part of Operation Sovereign Borders from its outset when you were in charge of it, was that you did not comment on ‘on water matters’. Will that be maintained? If a boat leaves Indonesia, will you not comment on it if it’s turned back at sea?
PRIME MINISTER: You can expect Operation Sovereign Borders to maintain all of its aspects and integrity on my watch.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Bob Katter says that he wants banking reforms separate to the Royal Commission recommendations and if you deliver that, that he won't vote for an extension of Parliament. Are you going to work with Bob Katter to try and do that?
PRIME MINISTER: I’m always working with Bob Katter and what I'm working with Bob Katter right now on, is the reconstruction of the cattle industry in northern Australia. We’ve had some excellent meetings on that and I want to thank Bob. He put a question to me yesterday on this issue and I responded in kind and we are working very closely on those issues that Bob has raised. Why? Because we should. Because the northern Australian cattle industry needs our support. This is an industry that has a huge future, but has literally been washed away in the last few days. They will need our help to get them back on their feet and that's what Bob and I are working on.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just on medevac bill I know you don’t support it, but are you willing to say to would-be asylum seekers; “This will not apply to you if you come now?”
PRIME MINISTER If we're re-elected it won't apply to anybody, because I will reverse it.
JOURNALIST: But I mean right now as Prime Minister, will you say that to the people smugglers?
PRIME MINISTER: I can only say what the law says, it's not my law. I think it's a foolish law. It's a foolish law and it's not one that I support.
JOURNALIST: For the sake deterring arrivals, would you say that it doesn’t apply to new arrivals?
PRIME MINISTER: I'll be engaging in some very direct messaging as part of Operation Sovereign Borders with people smugglers and with those who might be thinking of getting on boats. Not the first time I have done that, to send very clear messaging that my Government is in control of the borders.
As long as my Government is here, you can expect strong border protection [interrupted]. Under a Labor Government, you can expect to see them fold, like a pack of cards. Like Bill Shorten did yesterday.
JOURNALIST: Aren't you weakening that message?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JOURNALIST: But by not spelling out in some detail –
PRIME MINISTER: I didn’t say I'm wasn’t going to do that Michelle. I said I’ll be engaged in very clear and direct messaging to anyone who thinks they should get on a boat; I'm here and I will stop you.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Peter Dutton is very upset about this change. You talk about it happening “as a result of the actions of the Parliament”. Isn't it as a result of the actions of your Party, if Peter Dutton didn't want to be Prime Minister, you wouldn't have lost that vote yesterday?
PRIME MINISTER: That's a very long bow.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister how can you have it both ways? If you say a boat arrives, it will be Labor's fault but if it doesn't arrive, it's thanks to the Government?
PRIME MINISTER: Because that's true.
JOURNALIST: Are you in control of the borders, or not?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course I am, but what I'm saying is that the Labor Party has weakened our border protection. That is true. But what remains is the resolve and strength and conviction of my Government, myself as Prime Minister, Peter Dutton as Home Affairs Minister and that still remains a big hurdle for them to get over. But I can tell you; the bar they’ll have to clear if Bill Shorten is Prime Minister, is lower than a snake’s belly.
Thanks very much.
Remarks, Ovarian Cancer Australia Breakfast
13 February 2019
Canberra, ACT
PRIME MINISTER: Well, thank you very much for that very kind introduction, can I also welcome all of my colleagues who are here today. Can I particularly thank Kelly and Gaye for the work that you do as patrons of this very important group and of course the Minister for Health, Greg Hunt who is here. Great to see you here too Jules and you’ve been a great supporter of this cause over a long period of time. But to all my colleagues here, we join together in support of those who have also gathered here today. You often come to these things and people say; “It’s nice that you’re here,” well, there are people who are in this room today, and it’s very nice they’re here. They’re here, they’re fighting, they’re with us, they are conquering, they are overwhelming, they are demonstrating hope. Their stories are the ones that you’ve come here today to hear from, not from politicians. You are going to hear from a number of the survivors today. But they’re not only survivors, they’re conquerors. They are paving that way and providing that hope to other women and I particularly want to thank them for their courage and what you’ll hear from them today.
Can I also thank Jane Hill for her welcome and can I also thank Paula Benson who is here also today, who stepped down just a few months ago after eight years as chair. She received the Jeannie Ferris Award in 2017, which I know is something close to the hearts of all us here in Parliament who knew Jeannie who was a colleague and lost her own battle with ovarian cancer back in 2007. So thank you very much to you Paula for the comfort you give and the leadership you’ve shown in this area over a very long period of time.
Four years ago, a friend of mine – we hadn’t known each other that well to be honest, but I know the family incredibly well – journalist and author Julia Baird was in her 40s with two young children, a book to finish, it’s a great book by the way, when suspected ovarian cancer reared its head. She described it this way;
“Your world narrows to a slit. Suddenly very little matters. If you ran 1,000 miles, aced a billion exams, hit a dozen home runs, nothing could reverse or erase the fact of cancer.”
In the tense days before surgery – a surgery that revealed thankfully that she actually had another but sadly a rarer kind of cancer, she learned a few things about life. First, that stillness and faith could give her extraordinary strength. Second, she drew her family and her tribe near. That family has been everything, that support network – and I’ve met support networks here this morning. She wrote in the New York Times;
“Those who rally and come to mop your brow when you look like a ghost, who try to make you laugh, distract you with silly stories, cook for you or even fly for 20 hours just to hug you, are companions of the highest order.”
Those who are here with you today, those who have turned up today, those who fight alongside you today - they are all companions of the highest order in the way that Julia set out, in terms of those who have stood with her and her beautiful family.
This is an insidious disease. It has the lowest survival rate of any form of cancer in Australia, as we’ve heard. It’s estimated that more than 1,500 Australian women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and this year it will claim around 1,000 lives. Unlike breast cancer, there is no early detection screening test for ovarian cancer. That’s why the work that has been done educating the public is so important and that’s why today is important. Making women aware - and men, I’ve got to say - of the signs and symptoms and giving them the best chance of catching it early, getting ahead of it, getting on top of it. That’s also why our Government has invested in the ground-breaking ‘Trace Back’ project, launched this time last year partnering with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, we’re providing close to $3 million to trial this new approach to cancer control using genetic testing to identify women at risk.
When I made mention of this project earlier this year at the Glenn McGrath Foundation lunch in Sydney, where their challenge is obviously fighting breast cancer, there was a solidarity between those who fight breast cancer with those who fight ovarian cancer. And that received as strong as a response as all the other measures we announced for breast cancer.
I really hope this means lives will be saved. Women and families spared the worst. I’m proud that our Government is the single biggest investor in cancer research in this country. Over $1.8 billion invested over the last decade. Close to $80 million has gone into ovarian cancer research and, I’m proud to say, that we’re investing $20 billion in the Medical Research Future Fund to create one of the world’s largest medical research endowment funds. That means we’re investing in the science and the talented medical researchers and doctors who will lead the world in finding a cure. That is the dividend of the prosperous country we are and the economy that we have the good fortune to live in and that we must take keen care of to ensure that these dividends can continue.
And I’m very pleased to confirm that Health Minister Greg Hunt’s announcement that we’re making today and I’m making here, that the Australian Government will provide $1.6 million for psychological support services for women with ovarian cancer and their caregivers. And their caregivers.
[Applause]
This recognises the need for better support services for women living with ovarian cancer, particularly those in rural and remote areas of Australia. And I’ve met those women out in those stations, and they are a long way from where most of us are where they can access those services. And it’s important that these support services that go to their psychological wellbeing also reach out into those remote and regional areas where these services are just as necessary. We’ve also been successful in making treatment more accessible with more than 200 women now taking Lynparza, their drugs cost around just over $40 a script, or $6.50 for pensioners. If they weren’t subsidised through the PBS, they’d cost around $90,000 a year.
There are few, if any programs I am more proud of in our nation than the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and the fact that we can continue to invest in this Scheme. I want to commend Greg Hunt for the outstanding work that he’s done listing drug after drug after drug. This is one of the, I think, strongest achievements of our Government when it comes to healthcare in this country. We will keep listing those drugs and we’ll keep ensuring that the economy is there to support those listings. We spend close to $22 million a year on medicines to treat ovarian cancer.
So you’ve come to hear the stories of those who are battling. I hope what I’ve shared with you this morning says that we’re battling with you. We will continue to do the research, we’ll continue to provide the support, we’ll continue to fund the drugs and we’ll continue to work together to raise awareness of all Australians to be there for you, to be with you. As Julia would say, “Companions of the highest order.” Thank you.
Press Conference Canberra
12 February 2019
PRIME MINISTER: Less than 24 hours ago, I warned Australia that Bill Shorten would make Australia weaker and the Labor Party would weaken our border protection. That they could not be trusted to do the right thing to secure Australia. Within 24 hours, Bill Shorten and the Labor Party have proved me absolutely right.
What happened in the Parliament tonight was proof positive that Bill Shorten and the Labor Party do not have the mettle, do not have what is required and do not understand what is necessary to ensure that Australia’s border protection framework and broader national security interests can be managed, by Labor.
The Labor Party have already said that if they were elected, that they will return to the policy of providing permanent visas, permanent visas that lead to citizenship for people who arrive or enter Australia illegally. That is the first tranche of the border protection framework that we put in place in 2013. They have said that they will abolish that and they will restore providing permanent visas to people who illegally enter Australia. Tonight and, I should say, last year, the Labor Party voted - on that occasion, in the Senate, without even taking any advice when it came to the national security implications - to abolish offshore processing as we know it.
This is the second tranche of the border protection regime that we have put in place. Now, the Labor Party may want to delude themselves that what they have done tonight doesn’t do that. But that would only further demonstrate their lack of understanding about these issues. The Labor Party have shown Australia tonight that they cannot be trusted on the second of those core planks of the border protection framework that have been so successful in stopping the deaths, getting the children off Nauru, getting children out of detention, ensuring that we can restore certainty and stability to our refugee and humanitarian intake.
So, when Bill Shorten tells you and the Labor Party tells you that they can be trusted to turn back boats where it's safe to do so, I think the Australian people got their answer tonight. He can't be trusted to do that either. The Labor Party and the Liberal and National parties are not on the same page when it comes to border protection. There is no bipartisanship on this issue. The Labor Party have now clearly demonstrated that under Bill Shorten's leadership, they want to go a different path. What we saw tonight was that yet again, the Labor Party have failed to learn their lessons of failure when they have had responsibility for border protection in this country. They have demonstrated yet again, that they just don't understand how to protect Australia's borders. The importance of the outcome of protecting those borders is to ensure we avoid the human carnage of what we saw last time Labor had this opportunity.
What is particularly amazing about this circumstance is Labor have not waited until they had the opportunity to be in government; they have demonstrated it even in Opposition.
So, it is a test that the Labor Party and Bill Shorten have failed tonight.
I made it very clear that the Liberal and Nationals parties would not be budging when it came to the issue of border protection in this country. We have had to clean up this mess twice. The Labor Party, when they have the opportunity, only break what has been fixed and they have been demonstrating that again tonight in the Parliament.
So, votes will come and votes will go, they do not trouble me. Where we will always stand and what the Australian people can always trust us to do, is to have the mettle to ensure the integrity of our border protection framework.
Bill Shorten and the Labor Party demonstrated tonight that they have no such mettle. That they will easily compromise these things and they will be blown about by the winds of whatever may push them one way or the other.
He cannot be trusted on our borders and Australia cannot trust Bill Shorten to make Australia stronger. He will make it weaker.
JOURNALIST: These amendments have been passed, assuming they get, well, assent from the Senate, will the Government [inaudible] Royal assent?
PRIME MINISTER: It will follow the normal process.
JOURNALIST: Is there any updated security advice on what the amended bill would mean?
PRIME MINISTER: My job now, as Prime Minister - my job up until now, I should say - is to do everything within my power to prevent these laws that weaken our border protection, that make all of us less safe when it comes to how our borders operate and now run the very real risk of seeing the boats run again and - and believe me, every arrival is on Bill Shorten and Labor's head, every arrival, every risk is on his head –
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible].
PRIME MINISTER: No, just to answer the question David has put to me - my job up until now has been to seek to prevent those bills passing. Those bills have gone through the House of Representatives, my job now is to work with our border protection and security agencies to do everything in my power to mitigate the damaging impact of what Labor have done tonight.
Now the Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs are meeting now with our Border Protection Command to work through the contingency planning that we have been putting in place for this outcome. This outcome was not unexpected to me and as a result, we have been putting contingency planning in place. I'll have more announcements to make about the actions and decisions the Government will be taking to address now the risk and the threat that Labor and Bill Shorten have created.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER: Can everyone stop shouting.
JOURNALIST: You're saying it’s a test for Labor but surely this is a control of you test, er, the control of the House of Reps which you have lost [sic]? Is this a no confidence motion in government?
PRIME MINISTER: No, of course it isn’t and I’d refer you to Kerryn Phelps herself. That was not what that vote was about this evening. If the Labor Party want to move such a motion, they should feel free to do so and it will fail. How do I know that? Because the independents have made that very clear. So, it cannot be contorted into that type of an outcome. Indeed, it was back in 2013 - I'll reference it specifically if you like - back in February of 2013, Opposition amendments were passed, so this is just back in 2013 - Opposition amendments were passed on a superannuation legislation bill, Service Providers and other Governments Measures Bill, in very similar, if not the exact same circumstances as these. The minority Government, which was a Labor Government at the time, was defeated. So as for the historical precedents, I think there has been a lot of hyperbole about these things.
JOURNALIST: But do you regard it –
PRIME MINISTER: I’ll just finish answering the question - the historical precedents need to be put into some context. So, when I made the remarks I did earlier in the week, this is not a matter that goes to the issues that you've raised. That's why it's not a matter I intend to act on with those types of consequences.
I'm going to get about the business that I'm about every day and that is to ensure we strengthen our economy, we make Australia more secure and we keep Australians together and we do the job we were elected to do.
JOURNALIST: Have you discussed this with General Cosgrove, you know, this scenario that this could occur?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JOURNALIST: PM, under OSB, when boats come to Australia it usually takes us months, sometimes years to find out if they have arrived. Will you…
PRIME MINISTER: No, we know pretty much straightaway when they have arrived.
JOURNALIST: Well we don't sometimes find out how many boats have arrived because it has been a secret. So if a boat comes from tomorrow or the next day, will you tell the Australian people that one is on its way?
PRIME MINISTER: I'll tell the Australian people I'll do exactly what I told them I was going to do going into the 2013 election, and that is I will let Operation Sovereign Borders run the operations of that command. And they will do what is right and in Australia's interests and that's what I will do every single day.
JOURNALIST: Those contingency plans you talk about, does that include extra patrols? Is there specific intelligence out of Indonesia that the people smuggling...
PRIME MINISTER: You wouldn't expect me to comment on that. What I am telling you though is contingency plans have been put in place. The Ministers are now directly engaged with the operations side of OSB to be putting those in place and further decisions will be announced as and when that is deemed appropriate.
JOURNALIST: It’s not to frustrate the medical transfers from offshore detention, is it?
PRIME MINISTER: What I'm saying is that our operations will continue, as they always do and they'll be done in the way that they're always done. The Bill that is making its way to the Senate will follow its normal process and including through to Royal ascent. The Government will move to operate in accordance with the laws of the country. That's what governments must do. But what I will also do is make sure I take every action I can to ensure that Australia's border protection is not compromised.
JOURNALIST: If the Parliament's delivering laws that you don't agree with and you think create such a risk, then why not go to the polls and get a mandate to ensure that you can keep the policies that you think, and laws that should be in place, and call an election now.
PRIME MINISTER: There'll be the opportunity for that in May and the Australian people will have opportunity to decide on, not only these issues in May. Because Bill Shorten and the Labor Party have made it crystal clear that, at the next election, Australians will be deciding once again, once again, as they did in 2013, as they did in 2001, about whether they want the stronger border protection policies of the Liberal and National Parties or they want the weaker border protection policies of the Labor Party and in 2001 and in 2013, I thought they sent a very clear message.
JOURNALIST: Given the defeat in the House just earlier, do you now accept or prepare yourself for the possibility of extra sitting weeks before the election?
PRIME MINISTER: Those matters haven't been considered by the Parliament yet and we'll deal with those when they are.
JOURNALIST: Do you have a contingency plan for an early election?
PRIME MINISTER: The election will be in May after the Budget.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, do you regard the legislation of the amendments that passed the House of Representatives tonight as a matter of vital importance?
PRIME MINISTER: I've already said that these are not matters that go to issues of confidence and I don't consider them in those terms. The Government has never put them in those terms and the Independent members who voted on this Bill this evening did not consider them in those terms, which is related to the form of words that you've just put to me.
JOURNALIST: The changes that Labor agreed to will allow the Minister to reject people with serious criminal records. Can you just explain to us what is the main concern here now is?
PRIME MINISTER: Right now - I should say - still right now, the Bill has not gone through the Senate. The provisions that relate to character, the provisions that relate to criminal conduct and all of these are stronger than what has gone to the Parliament tonight. So it is, as I said, there was no form of this Bill that made our borders stronger and, frankly, there was no form of this Bill that made it more humane. There are more than 60 medical professionals and medical-related staff on Nauru. More than 60, per head of population, in terms of those they are treating, you will find that to be greater than any part of this country. There are no children on Nauru, other than the four that have their bags packed to go to the United States. So don't kid yourself out there, to the Labor Party and those who voted for this Bill today and those who will do it in the Senate. Don't kid yourself that somehow you have improved the situation - you've only made it weaker. And what you've done today is say to the Australian people, and Bill Shorten in particular and the Labor Party, that you're prepared to trade on these issues. Trade on these issues to compensate for your very real weakness and the Australian people have looked at Bill Shorten today and they have found him weak and he is. Thank you.
Remarks, Coalition Joint Party Room
12 February 2019
Parliament House, Canberra
PRIME MINISTER: Over the summer, Australians have had some very difficult times. It's been a privilege to be with colleagues, with Australians in the midst of these difficult times. We've had fires in Tasmania, we've had fires in Victoria, we’ve had fires in Western Australia. We've had floods in northern Australia, in particular in Townsville and we are now witnessing a full-scale national disaster - national disaster - of what is happening in Northern Queensland. And I want to particularly commend Linda Reynolds for the way that she has, not only managed and coordinated those efforts and particularly Linda thank you to the Australian Defence Force who have been there not just to do the work but to provide that great encouragement to Australians just by their sheer presence of turning up, but I want to thank you for the work you’ve done with emergency management to prepare. Because we knew it was going to be a difficult season with bushfires and to have the aerial assets ready and in place, I want to commend you for that. And to Michael Keenan and the work that has been done by Human Services to ensure that the payments have been getting out. I mean, just as of last Sunday as I said at the Press Club yesterday, almost $40 million in cash support within a week to get support to those families. That’s government in action, that’s government dealing with issues that the Australian people are facing and Michelle, I know, you have seen the same thing in your electorate.
You know, Australians are strong. Australians are resilient. And under our Government, we’re going to continue to make Australia even stronger. That’s what we’re about. A stronger economy, stronger borders, stronger services. That’s a stronger Australia and that’s what we’re doing. Our opponents have plans that will make Australia weaker. To weaken the economy, to weaken our borders, and you can’t pay for services with money that’s not there, and we all know Labor cannot manage money.
So here we are colleagues, taking up this fight on behalf of a strong Australian people. Backing them in, backing small business, lower taxes, the infrastructure they need. Whether it’s supporting farmers in drought or supporting farmers in flood - we are there and we’ll be there not just in the crisis and the recovery, but we’ll be there for their prosperity in the future. Because those days will come and we believe in that and we believe in them. So that is our charge, that is our mission, and we are united together in doing that.
But before I go any further, there has been one element in our team that has been missing. And his name is Arthur Sinodinos.
[Applause]
And Arty, why don’t you say a few words mate.
SENATOR ARTHUR SINODINOS: Thanks PM. All I’m going to say is, first and foremost, when I have been out there talking to our people as I have come back to work, there is a real fighting spirit out there. A view that we can win this. And as long as we provide a clear alternative, articulate that alternative and work as a team, we will get there. We can win this. The only other plea I’d make is Michael McCormack, no more singing.
[Laughter]
PRIME MINISTER: Well, let’s get to work. Thank you very much.
[Applause]
Statement On Indulgence - Australian Natural Disasters
12 February 2019
Mr Morrison: (Cook—Prime Minister) (14:25): I rise to update the House on the many floods and fires that have ravaged parts of our country in recent weeks and months. As we know, across our nation we are seeing incredible efforts from tens of thousands of Australians in response to the national disasters that we have faced. In north-west Queensland, flooding rains have brought devastating stock losses to lands and communities that were scarred by years of drought. The heartbreak that is occurring in those communities is hard for us to imagine in this place.
As a result of a monsoon low, Townsville's Ross River hit a record peak, with flood waters damaging thousands of homes and buildings. More than 7,700 damage assessments have been completed across the state. We know that two men lost their lives and another man is missing near Ayr, and our prayers and support are with their families. There is also a livestock tragedy in North Queensland currently unfolding, with stock losses at inestimable levels.
Right now, a whole-of-government response is underway, with Emergency Management Australia, the Defence Force, the Australian Taxation Office, Department of Health, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources all working with state and local authorities to direct the recovery and the response. The Defence Force has established a joint task force, which is working closely with local authorities and emergency services to help remote communities. They're helping farmers sustain livestock cut off by flooding and transporting patients and critical supplies. They are also involved in the removal, wherever possible, of the carcasses of thousands, if not tens or hundreds of thousands, of stock losses.
The ADF has liaison officers in Cloncurry, Julia Creek and Richmond to drop fodder to local communities, working closely at the direction of the local communities. The RAAF and the Army's 3rd Brigade, 17th Brigade, 6th Brigade and 1st Division—around 2,800 ADF personnel, all based in Townsville, many of them with flooded homes and properties themselves—have helped evacuate people and transport sandbags from Brisbane.
The Commonwealth government, working closely with the Queensland and local governments, has already contributed over $100 million in financial assistance to the recovery effort. That means payments to people whose property has been damaged to assist with their emergency needs; support for affected primary producers, raising recovery grants from $25,000 to $75,000, consistent with category D status; recovery grants for small businesses to help them clean up and reopen their doors; payments of $1 million each, as I announced yesterday, to the current eight council areas west of Townsville to help them with a broad range of recovery activities; and funding for the restoration of damaged infrastructure such as roads and bridges. As of two days ago, we've extended the availability of disaster recovery payments to eight flood-hit shires across western Queensland. We all know it is difficult to get things done when roads and communications are cut, and that's why I'm pleased at the speed of the response on the ground to date, but it must be maintained.
Over 33,000 claims for disaster payments have been processed in Townsville alone, already providing over $39 million directly into the pockets of those affected, and I particularly want to commend Home Affairs and the Department of Human Services for their swift action in getting that support to people as quickly as they can. As well, the government has extended a further $3 million to boost mental health services on the ground, complementing the support being provided by the Queensland government. My great concern is for those farming communities who are absorbing the horrible impact of this. They need our mental health support, and those services have been funded and provided and extended.
As we've seen before, while one part of the country is under water, another part is in flames. We've had fires in Western Australia and, as we gather, 28 bushfires are still burning across Tasmania. These fires have burnt more than 205,000 hectares, including almost 90,000 hectares in the World Heritage area. Firefighters have come from around Australia and across the ditch in New Zealand to help. Miraculously, no lives have been lost there. We've activated disaster recovery funding arrangements in the Derwent Valley, the Huon Valley, the West Coast and the Central Highlands to help cover the costs of firefighting and evacuation centres, as well as recovery payments for affected people and freight subsidies for farmers and producers. We have also activated the Australian government Disaster Recovery Allowance, providing assistance to employees, primary producers and sole traders who have experienced a loss of income as a direct result of the bushfires. There are also fires burning in Victoria, with three uncontrolled blazes at Walhalla, Thomson and Timbarra River. Again, there has been some damage and loss of properties, but thankfully no lives have been lost.
Every summer, as waters rise and fires rage, nature seems to hurl challenges and pose questions of readiness, courage and compassion that Australians answer in the affirmative every time, showing the strength and determination for which Australians are known. Once again, we have seen that response.
Our message to all affected, whether in the black-soil mud of western Queensland or the water-sodden houses of Townsville or the ravaged fire areas of Tasmania, is: as we've stood with you in this immediate response, we will stand with you in the recovery and we will stand with you in the rebuilding. Just as was said in the condolence motion relating to the 10th anniversary of the Black Saturday fires, this will be a decade worth of work, and perhaps more. I've engaged with local mayors throughout western Queensland and in Townsville itself. I want to thank all of those mayors. I must say that local government, state government and the Commonwealth government, from whichever political persuasion, have worked together hand-in-glove—no fingers pointing anywhere; just hands out to help each other. I want to thank in particular Premier Hodgman and Premier Palaszczuk, who have been open and direct and have been tremendous in their support, and we have responded in kind. There is much work to do and there is much rebuilding to do, and this place and our government will certainly support all of that.
Statement On Indulgence - Black Saturday Bushfires 10th Anniversary
12 February 2019
Mr Morrison: (Cook—Prime Minister) (14:10): I would like the House to extend its deepest sympathies to the many people devastated by the Black Saturday bushfires, which scorched Victoria on 7 February 2009; place on record its profound regret at the deaths of 173 people; record its admiration for the courage shown by communities, families and individuals in the face of this natural disaster; and acknowledge the incredible efforts of the emergency workers, police, Defence personnel and volunteers in responding to this disaster and helping to rebuild over the decade that has since passed.
In the past weeks, many if not most of the members of this House, particularly those from Victoria, have been recalling the Black Saturday bushfires of a decade ago that impacted 78 communities across Victoria. I had the opportunity to be present with the Leader of the Opposition, the Speaker and other members at the service that was held in Melbourne to mark that event, joining together with those who endured those terrible days to be with them again together. Ten years have passed since that terrible day and the days that followed. Remembering it can be painful and is. It's unsettling but can also help make sense of the past, as we've sought to learn from it since. In remembering Black Saturday, we remind ourselves of what was faced but also what has since been overcome.
A decade on, the scale of the Black Saturday fires still defies explanation and comprehension. The human toll is unimaginable: 173 lives lost, over 400 injured, thousands stricken with emotional scars to this day and beyond, and the grief of loss. Nineteen thousand CFA volunteers and volunteers from other agencies fought hundreds of fires that eventually would burn over 450,000 hectares of our country. According to the RSPCA, over one million animals perished, incinerated.
Fire has always been with us in this timeless land, but these were no ordinary fires. I remember in this place when the member for McMillan stood here and gave what I would have to say was the most moving speech I think I've ever heard in this place. I want to thank the member for McMillan and the other members who spoke in that debate—those who were here at that time—because you helped the country grieve and understand the momentous nature of this loss. The member for McMillan had been a volunteer firefighter, as many are in this place, for many years, and he told the House about the fire coming up out of the Bunyip state forest. He said:
The awesome fury of this fire cannot be comprehended by the thinking of any reasonable person.
Of the scale of loss, he said:
I know there are people who will wake every morning believing that it was all a dream; that it did not happen. And then they will realise it was not a dream and they will cry and they will cry again.
And cry we did in this chamber. The Speaker himself will recall that well. The loss at the time seemed more than we could bear. When we heard of the bravery, though, and the selflessness, we shed tears again: firefighters who travelled from around Australia, as they have indeed been doing in recent weeks and months; volunteer responders who put the safety of others ahead of the defence of their own properties; neighbours who defended neighbours, only to be caught by the fires themselves.
Those who saw those terrible blazes will never forget them. They were days that rained fire, they said, when the smoke was so thick that it turned day into night. Through it all, people took refuge wherever they could: under lily pads, in dams, in fishponds, in creek beds. Emergency services were unceasing, pushing through so many physical limitations. Parents tried to be brave for their kids; kids tried to be brave for their parents. One young man, helping out a family he knew, was caught in the deadly fire's path. With no escape, he called his dad to let him know, and then he sent a text: 'Dad, I'm dead. I love you.' Ten years on, it still breaks the heart, as it does today, as we hear these things. The rescue efforts were nothing short of remarkable and astounding. The fire and emergency services, the police, the Defence Force, the hospital staff, the paramedics and the many support organisations that responded on that day and in the weeks that followed are heroes.
Yet, as so often happens in this great nation, terrible suffering walked hand in hand with kindness and generosity. Our whole nation rose up in support. Everyone dug deep into their pockets. In Ingham, in North Queensland—the member for Kennedy would know—where floodwaters at the time were still receding at the time, local residents arriving at the community recovery centre donated from their emergency grants to the recovery in Victoria. How amazing is that? How good is that? Some gave their entire grant. Ten years on we remember. At the memorial service that we attended together, Dr Kathy Rowe told a beautiful story of how first the parrots came back and then, as the land healed, the insect eaters came back. Then the honeyeaters came back, as the bush regenerated. She told us that two-thirds of the species are back, but the lyrebird isn't back yet. There's still healing of the land and the people to come.
So, we remember, 10 years on, that from deep suffering came deep selflessness, that from terrible consequences came lessons—lessons that have been and must still be learned and still must be implemented, even from the royal commission many years ago. Through it all, Australians turned to each other. They supported each other through the long, dark days of rebuilding. To everyone affected by the Black Saturday fires, as you contemplate these things and you relive the hurts and you look at the wounds and you look into your future—and especially as you look at someone dear—we offer our heartfelt sympathy of this parliament and the nation. We will never forget.