Press conference - Mount Isa

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: It's wonderful to be back here in Mount Isa for my second visit here as Prime Minister. I came with Bob Katter to the rodeo here last year and that was a fantastic event to be able to attend as the Prime Minister. And here today, we have important announcements to make about community and housing infrastructure here throughout Queensland, but particularly here in the Kennedy electorate and in Mount Isa, Cloncurry and other parts of what is a vast part of Queensland.

I'm pleased to be joined by Catherine King, the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, and also Luke Gosling, the Special Envoy dealing with Northern Australia. We, today, have a busy day right across Northern Australia from Cairns to Mount Isa into the Northern Territory to a cattle farm property that we will visit and then onto Kununurra in Western Australia. A reminder of just how vast this great nation is and why we need to make sure that we keep up with investment across this great nation.

Today, we are announcing $50 million in the Kennedy electorate for housing infrastructure and also for community infrastructure. Our housing infrastructure program is about providing infrastructure support so that social housing and private housing can be built. Quite often, what we need to do is to fix up sewerage or fix up energy, fix up connections so that housing can be constructed. It's a part of our comprehensive plan for Homes for Australia, our $32 billion plan.

I do note that the Coalition and the one announcement that they've had in the housing area - apart from opposing all of the measures that we have put in place - announced something for infrastructure for housing to be built. Well, there's a program that's underway. And this is the second part of the program. Phase two is being rolled out around the country.

Three housing projects in this electorate have been allocated funding. $1.8 million to support dwellings in Gununa on Mornington Island. $18.8 million to construct a new sewerage pump station and rising main in Balamba. And $9.9 million to deliver infrastructure at Eaton, including an electricity transformer, intersection lighting, NBN trenching and drainage works. These are all important work for housing which will enable more people to live in this community and to live in better conditions. We know that overcrowding in remote communities can cause not just economic issues, but social issues as well, which is why we have prioritised through this Housing Support Program for infrastructure areas that need this support.

We're also delivering more than $22 million for quality community infrastructure. Funding will go to $10.4 million for the Boulia Shire Community Hub. $4 million for Stage 1 of the Burketown Health and Wellbeing Precinct, including a splash park and playground. $6 million for the Scarr Street Revitalisation Project there in Cloncurry, an area that I'm very familiar with, having previously funded the Cloncurry Community Centre, which is an amazing arts precinct and community facility there in Curry. And $1.8 million for the Hughenden Showgrounds. Hughenden, a growing community due to the investment that is occurring in renewable energy.

And we know in this area, a project which has been championed by Bob Katter as the Member for Kennedy, is, of course, making sure that all the renewable energy projects can be connected to the grid from Mount Isa right through to Townsville, through areas like Julia Creek and Hughenden in this great part of Australia.

This is an important part of our commitment to making sure that Australians get the infrastructure that they deserve and the support they deserve wherever they live. This is a part of the Queensland announcement that we're making today throughout particularly regional Queensland when it comes to the regional program, but also the housing program and infrastructure that affects urban as well as regional and remote Queensland. So, I'll ask Catherine King, the Minister, to speak about the whole approach towards Queensland before we take a couple of questions.

CATHERINE KING, MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT: Thanks very much, Prime Minister. And it's really fantastic to be here in Mount Isa. And I spoke to Bob Katter yesterday, so I'm sure you'll hear from him about some of these projects as well that are here across Kennedy.

But today, announcing the Queensland package for the Housing Support Program. Over 4,800 homes this will support across the entirety of Queensland, but the vast bulk of those are in regional communities. Hundreds of millions of dollars going into infrastructure that really unlocks that housing. We know we've got a $32 billion package that's really about getting more homes built. And my part of the portfolio is really looking at trying to use infrastructure to unlock those developments, whether they be social and affordable homes or whether they be private dwellings. And we've really concentrated on rural communities as part of this housing support. And here it's terrific that we're spending over $25 million on programs to really bring that infrastructure.

We're also announcing the Queensland-wide Growing Regions Program as well. We've announced the projects here for Kennedy, but we'll also release those for the whole of the state of Queensland. Again, these are really critical to helping communities grow, helping economies grow, but also really making them liveable and great places for our regional communities. We know that many of the Councils that have applied for this funding really struggle to get that level of investment to really be able to lift their facilities into the 21st century and really making sure that they are accessible for people, but also that they're providing for new residents to come into the area. So, from sporting to arts precincts to upgrading streetscapes, really making those communities liveable. And again, over $100 million going into that program in Queensland today.

I'm very proud to be part of a Government that has brought integrity back into the grants process. We have basically opened these up. These have been competitive, merits-based and I have accepted the recommendations that have been put to me by the Department. Unlike the previous government that basically used colour-coded spreadsheets to make decisions, didn't always accept departmental recommendations and basically it meant that places like this here in Kennedy really missed out under the previous government. And delighted to be making these announcements today. Thanks, Prime Minister.

PRIME MINISTER: Happy to take questions, maybe from the locals first.

JOURNALIST: Mount Isa's underground copper mine is set to close in the next six months. 1,200 local jobs are going to be impacted, that's a fact. What will your Government do to support Mount Isa in the wake of this?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, one of the things that we're doing here is announcing these projects will support Mount Isa and the entire region. But we understand the decision that's been made by Glencore. It of course, is a commercial decision that they have made. One of the things that we're doing is making sure that we back the critical minerals industry, rare earths and other opportunities that are here in the region. We know that there is vast supplies of not just copper, but other minerals that will be in demand during this century that will drive not just the Australian economy, but will drive the global economy in the years ahead. Minerals, not just like copper, but vanadium, lithium, other minerals that are in abundance here in this great part of Queensland. So, we'll work with communities. We know that there's $50 million has been made available from Queensland for the transition. We want to make sure that workers are looked after as well. We'll continue to work with the company, but also with the other levels of government to make sure that people aren't left behind. But we understand that this is a very difficult decision which will impact the community here. And for many of the workers who've worked on site, I've been to that facility on at least three occasions as a Minister and as a Member of Parliament, along with Bob Katter, and Bob has certainly made strong representations as well about it. And we will continue to work with the community. This morning, I'll be having meetings as well with the Mayor and local government. Tony McGrady, of course, is a local champion here as well. We'll continue to work with him and other local representatives.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, locals in Tennant Creek, Katherine and Alice Springs were hoping to see you on this visit to Lingiari. Why have you not made a stop at those locations?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we can't stop everywhere. I was in Northern Territory for three days just two weeks ago. I spent December 23, December 24 and December 25 in the Northern Territory. There were no LNP reps in the Northern Territory from the Federal Government at that time. Not the Northern Territory Senator at what was a very significant event commemorating 50 years since Cyclone Tracy. I have been to the Northern Territory 12 times as Prime Minister. That is more times than the three previous Prime Ministers went during what was almost a decade in two and a half years. I've been to Nhulunbuy, I've been to Katherine, I've been to Darwin, I've been to Alice Springs, I've been to Uluru. And now I'm going to a cattle farm. The property owners came to see me with Bob Katter just last year. They invited me to go. I'm going there. I'm here in Mount Isa. I'm in Kununurra and I'm in Cairns today. I think that an itinerary in one day that has Cairns, Mount Isa, a Northern Territory cattle farm and Kununurra is a pretty busy day.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, there's been a boundary change, a Federal boundary change, I understand, in the Northern Territory, in Luke Gosling's seat, who's with you here. And it's changing, I believe, around Palmerston. How worried are you about that change? Does it make it harder for Labor?

PRIME MINISTER: I'll give Gos a chance to respond to that. But I think very clearly that Luke Gosling and Marion Scrymgour are fantastic representatives. Luke Gosling - it's one of the reasons why I made him a Special Envoy as well. He is someone who understands Northern Australia. He's someone who's very passionate about Darwin. He's someone who can make sure that the Prime Minister, the Governor-General and others attend an important event such as the commemoration of 50 years since Cyclone Tracy.

What I saw during my time in Darwin just a couple of weeks ago was the way that Luke engages with his local community. He is a man of compassion. He's a man who understands his local community and who cares about his local community. And they respond to that extremely well, it must be said.

During that visit we had, as well, on Christmas Eve, we heard stories from people, some of whom, one woman, I think they were private, I don't think they were recorded and out there. But she hadn't spoken about her experience as a young woman in 50 years. She was someone who spoke of the traumatic experience of being under a structure that had collapsed in her home as a young child. Her sister next door to her, wedged in right up against her. Her sister died that day, on Christmas Day. She spoke about that experience in a way that was incredibly emotional. Everyone who was there will remember it. And that night and the next morning at the dawn service at 6am, what I saw in Luke Gosling was someone who I'm proud to call my friend and I'm very proud that he's a member of the Labor team. And I'm very confident that the people who see the character of this man will vote for him when they get the opportunity again sometime before May or during May when the election's held this year. But I'll ask Gos about specific boundaries. Very difficult to work through.

JOURNALIST: So, election is before May, then?

PRIME MINISTER: May or before.

LUKE GOSLING, SPECIAL ENVOY FOR DEFENCE, VETERANS AFFAIRS AND NORTHERN AUSTRALIA: Can I just agree with everything the boss just said. And can I thank you again, Prime Minister, for coming to Darwin on what was an incredibly important anniversary for the people of Darwin and Palmerston, but for the nation. Because as the Prime Minister pointed out, it was the nation that came together to support Darwin in its time of need 50 years ago. The Territory always gets a lot of support from around the country, but particularly from Labor governments. And the Territory always does better with Labor. Always has, always will. With the particular redistribution change, those people living in Palmerston, I used to represent them. There was a boundary change that meant they went outside of Solomon and back into Marion's seat. Marion's been doing a great job representing people throughout the whole of the Northern Territory, a huge job. But I'm really looking forward to representing everyone in Palmerston again. Those two cities, Darwin and Palmerston, with so much growth we've got, obviously I'm, as a veteran, very proud that our town hosts not only navy base, army base, air force base, but also the US Marines and into the future, the Japanese military as well. So, Darwin and Palmerston should be together. I'm really looking forward to representing all those people again and looking forward to what comes in the future. Really appreciate all that support.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on critical minerals, the Minerals Council has formed that the development of critical minerals will be (inaudible) and they point out community benefits principles and the environment and Indigenous consultations (inaudible). What is your response to this?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, they are not right. We've developed the legislation in consultation with industry. And industry that I've met with in WA, and bear in mind that there are two bodies - the Minerals Council of Australia tend not to represent the WA bodies which have their separate peak organisation as well. We've worked through those issues. The legislation has passed the House of Representatives. Some of the detail that was in that article is not right, that there would have to be annual submissions of this is not right. They would put in their tax return and it will be accounted for.

This is a sensible reform. It's a sensible reform that Peter Dutton's opposed to. He's opposed to it. And bear in mind this is production tax credits, that it pays on success. Only if you're successful do you get a credit on your tax. By definition it's an incentive for investment and it's something that the Coalition are opposed to.

JOURNALIST: Is it okay that Meta is no longer fact checking? And does that mean we end up with a supercharged election campaign full of misinformation?

PRIME MINISTER: Social media has a social responsibility. And I said this morning that the criticism that social media will make about our decision and legislation to ban social media for those under 16 is one that we don't resile from. We will stand up for Australia's national interest. I've met too many parents who've lost their young ones as a result of the impact that social media has had. We know that the rise in mental health issues for young people is linked with social media. All of the experts tell us that that's the case. So, we'll continue to act in our national interest. And I say to social media they have a social responsibility and they should fulfil it.

JOURNALIST: Just ahead of your visit to this cattle station, what is Labor doing to support the agricultural industry?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're doing massive support for the agriculture industry. And just to name two issues that directly affect the cattle industry. The first is we resisted Peter Dutton's call to stop the live cattle exports going to Indonesia just a couple of years ago. That's just one example of Peter Dutton's calls that he makes and then seems to forget about the next day. Whether it's that or he calls for a second referendum on Indigenous recognition. His support previously before today for four-year terms that I said yesterday when I was asked in the press conference, I said they'll just walk away from it, I have no plans to progress it. And sure enough, just like the sun coming up in the morning, Peter Dutton's out there being negative and being critical of something that he had said he supported when asked. I got asked a question, I answered straight. It's been Labor policy since the 1970s to have four year terms, but I can't see it being progressed while Mr. No is in charge of the Liberal Party. This is just one example. We made sure that industry continued and we put in place safe mechanisms under Murray Watt, the Agriculture Minister, that were successful. The second issue, of course, is exports to China. Now, the red meat exports to China at the time of the suspension of exports were worth something in the order of $2 billion. They have, now all restrictions have been lifted and it has bounced back to represent value of more than $2 billion. And the cattle station we're visiting today, this morning, will export to China and does do that as part of its market. That is really important. That's just one area of agricultural exports. I'll give another example, which is live lobsters. Now, on the China trade, of course, was suspended. The first live exports of lobster headed to China on Christmas Day two weeks ago. Since then there have been something in the order of 515,000 kilograms of lobster heading to China with more than 760 different consignments. And you know what all of that represents? It represents jobs, it represents economic activity, it represents improvements in living standards for our hard working people in the agricultural sector. And the exports to China that have bounced back, whether it's barley, whether it's wine, whether it's red meat, has bounced back stronger than it was before. And that is a very positive thing that my Government has delivered that certainly would not have been delivered had there not been a change of Government in 2022.

JOURNALIST: Will you take responsibility if there's no interest rate cut before the election?

PRIME MINISTER: The Reserve Bank is responsible for interest rates.

JOURNALIST: Your policies impact -

PRIME MINISTER: The Reserve Bank is responsible for interest rates. And what I'll take responsibility for is making sure that inflation, which had a 6 in front of it and was rising when we came to government, now has a two in front of it and is falling. That is what I will take responsibility for. The other thing I'll take responsibility for is the support that we've given in cost of living: Energy Price Relief, Cheaper Child Care, Cheaper Medicines, Free TAFE and a tax cut for all Australians. Every single one of those measures has helped to put downward pressure on inflation, as has two Budget surpluses, two more than were ever delivered under the last Coalition Government in almost a decade in office. All of our measures have been opposed by Peter Dutton, every single one of them. And Australians would have been worse off under Peter Dutton. The next election, Australians will have a clear choice. A Labor Government committed to providing support for cost of living relief and building Australia's future through investing in infrastructure and a Future Made in Australia, or Peter Dutton, where people will be worse off, where he doesn't have a plan for anything, just a plan to go backwards.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, are you still committed to strengthening the Online Safety Act and giving the eSafety Commissioner more powers?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we've given the eSafety Commissioner more powers. We have done that and we'll continue to liaise with the eSafety Commissioner. We think that Julie Inman Grant does a terrific job. She has to put up with a lot of criticism, all of it unfounded, and we'll back her. She was an appointment of the previous government and she was a very good appointment.

JOURNALIST: What do you say to economists who say that the expanded public service, the expanded care economy and the infrastructure pipeline, the quantum of it, is making it harder for the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates?

PRIME MINISTER: What I say to people is, if you've got a mum or dad who's in aged care, you're pretty damn glad that there's a nurse in a nursing home 99 per cent of the time. You're pretty happy that there's an aged care worker who can look after your mum or dad or sister or brother or grandfather or grandmother. Because unless we had taken action to fix aged care, it would have continued to go in the crisis and the decline of which we inherited. If you've got a young one in child care, you're pretty glad that there's been a 15 per cent wage increase, because it means that there might just be someone who's looking after your little kid and enables you to participate in the workforce. If you're an employer in that group as well, you're pretty glad that people are still able to participate in the workforce because child care is available, because the system hasn't been crashed, which is where it was headed unless we did something about workforce issues in child care and aged care. If you've got someone with a disability, you're glad that the National Disability Insurance Scheme is in place. If you drive on the Bruce Highway, you will want the $7.2 billion that we have fixed - that we have funded - to enable it to be fixed. 41 people lost their lives. Every one of those people represents not a statistic. They represent a mum, a dad, a brother, a sister, a lost person in their local community. We have made sure that we've been responsible in terms of budgets. And I find it just extraordinary that a Liberal Party that left us, with - it's not theoretical - they handed down the 2022 Budget with a $78 billion deficit of Liberal debt and we turned that into a $22 billion surplus. Turning Liberal debt into Labor surpluses. And we have saved so much money on interest repayments and lowering debt as a result of the responsible fiscal position that we have taken, by making savings and by making sure as well that revenue upgrades overwhelmingly were put back to the bottom line.

JOURNALIST: There's a report out today that says there's an unaccounted for wages hole in the Budget. Is that right? Have you underestimated how much wages growth you're going to get in the public sector?

PRIME MINISTER: Treasury make assessments. It's called the Mid-Year Economic Forecast. I haven't seen the report you refer to, but we had an economic update just weeks ago in December.

JOURNALIST: Does it worry you that more than half the jobs created in your Government have been government funded?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, if you think that assisting people to help our older Australians live in dignity and respect, then people can make that case. What I say is that the care economy is a part of who we are and the values that we have. And we had a situation where, when we promised that there should be a nurse put back into nursing homes, when we said that a nurse should be available, because what that does, what that does as well is stop, in a real sense is stop, if, you know - Mrs. Smith is at a nursing home and there's no one there to provide health care for them, you know what happens? An ambulance gets called. There's a cost to that. Mrs. Smith then gets transferred to a hospital. There's a cost of that. There's a waiting of Mrs. Smith to get the care that she needs. There's a human cost of that as well as a financial cost of that. And then Mrs. Smith might be admitted to that hospital, because the immediate care that could have made what was a minor problem becomes an acute problem - there is a cost to that as well. What we have done is follow the recommendations of the Aged Care Royal Commission. And now when we said we will put nurses back into nursing homes, we were mocked. We were mocked by the Coalition and we have now delivered that. 99 per cent of the time there is a nurse in a nursing home, looking after an older Australian. That is - that is - what we have done and that's a positive thing.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, there's already been a trend towards fly-in-fly-out workers in Mount Isa. The ABC has spoken to young people who are working here now, they won't consider full time work up here unless it's on a FIFO basis. What is your Government going to do to stop the growth of FIFO communities?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, one of the things that we're doing is housing supply in these communities. Some of the announcements that we've made today through our housing infrastructure program is important. Today we have, throughout Queensland, we're announcing $260 million of funding for both housing infrastructure and community infrastructure as well. And both of those have an impact, of course. If you have community infrastructure that increases the quality of life of people in regional communities then it makes it a more attractive place to live as well. So, they're the sort of measures that we are putting in place.

JOURNALIST: Will you consider changes to the zoning tax allowance to keep people moving to these areas?

PRIME MINISTER: Thank you for reminding me of another thought bubble from Peter Dutton. When he was in Mount Isa he promised different zone taxes. He hasn't spoken about it since. He doesn't speak about it in Canberra. And if ever he did a media conference in Canberra, maybe one of these fine people here - Angira or Greg - could challenge him and you could get him on screen for an interview on the ABC. But he gave that answer here. It's one message in one area but a different message for the rest of Australia. Now, I think the idea of zonal taxation isn't something that certainly has ever been on our agenda because of the distortions and manipulations that could occur. Peter Dutton has said that here. He needs to say and be held to account over whether that is his position. Is he taking it to the election? What costings have been done? What will be the impact on revenue? What will be the distortions that are made in the economy overall? That is just one of the latest examples of a bloke who has meandered through two and a half years of Opposition. Not doing any hard press conferences, he has done one press conference in Canberra over many, many months. He did it at 1:50pm because he knows Question Time starts at 2pm - took two questions. I've taken more questions off the Canberra Press Gallery here in Mount Isa this morning than Peter Dutton has taken off the Canberra Press Gallery in the last six months of last year. Now I'll continue to be held to account. He needs to be held to account for these thought bubbles such as that one that he came up with and whether he stands by it. Last one.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, in terms of local jobs, there's quite a significant gap in time before projects like Copper String result in direct local employment. What meetings is the Federal Government having with local councils to ensure that there are direct jobs when the mine closes in six months and to ensure the security of the copper smelter is one of only two in the country?

PRIME MINISTER: I'm having a meeting with the council after this. Meeting this morning and I'll be pleased to do so. The Copper String project will be not just the direct jobs that are created, of course, but the indirect jobs as well, right along the corridor. It as well will transform the productivity of existing projects like Big Kennedy and Little Kennedy, to wind projects. The Kidston project as well, the renewable energy project that I have visited as well. There are, of course, major renewable energy projects right along this corridor. As we can see and feel here, Australia has the best solar resources in the world and we have a fair bit of space as well. And we have an opportunity to be a renewable energy superpower. Projects like Copper String are really important in making sure that renewable energy is connected to the grid. The key is making sure that we have renewable energy backed up by storage and backed up by gas, is our vision. Peter Dutton's vision is to stop all that investment for nothing to happen until sometime in the 2040s, and then have a nuclear industry built, you know, in earthquake zones in Newcastle. I'm not quite sure how they could be built in Whyalla and Collie in places where already those sites are being filled with other projects that are creating jobs. And it will result in, according to his own modelling, 40 per cent less energy use. That means less jobs. That means less jobs in industry, means less jobs backing up the resources sector and backing up manufacturing. He has a small, myopic vision for this country. I'm optimistic about what we can do in this country going forward if we seize the opportunities which are there, which is exactly what my Government intends to do by building on the foundations that we've established during our first term. On that note, thank you very much and wonderful to be back in Mount Isa.

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