Subjects: economic indicators and prospects for the Hunter
Region; $2.5 million investment in a call centre for Impulse
Airlines; BHP closures
E&OE....................
Thank you very much Rob Chenery. To David Simmons, to Bishop Hirst,
to the Lord Mayor, my colleague Senator John Tierney and any other
parliamentary colleagues, ladies and gentlemen.
It is a special privilege and pleasure for me to be here this morning
to open these new offices. I think this is either the third or fourth
visit that I paid to the Newcastle area in the little over three years
that I have been Prime Minister. And the one very simple thing that
I want to say to you this morning is to convey a message of optimism
and hope and a very positive message about the future.
The fact that this building is being opened and the fact that it's
being opened to service and provide as a headquarters for a very large
regional business organisation is itself a demonstration of the commitment
that many men and women in business are making to the future of Newcastle
and the Hunter Region.
And in his introductory speech, Rob Chenery spoke of the new Newcastle
and the new Hunter Region. And I think they are very apt and very
relevant words and they are the words behind which a community should
coalesce.
This part of Australia has a very rich history. This part of Australia
is seen by the rest of Australia still in a particular stereotype.
That is understandable and there's nothing to be ashamed of about
that stereotype or about that past. But like so many other communities
in Australia the world is changing and what is important for communities
is to hold onto the good things from the past but by the same token
change and embrace where it is necessary. And I have certainly found
on my visits to Newcastle over the last few years that there is a
determination on the part of the local community to do exactly that.
The economic indicators for the Hunter Region are very strong. The
prospects for new investment and new industry are extremely positive.
And I have found in the contact that I have had with people in business
in this area that they are filled with optimism. They understand the
challenges that exist, they know that there are areas of difficulty
and hurt and loss and deprivation but above all they are looking forward
to a more diverse future. And I think the opportunities that are here
not only in continuing areas of manufacturing and mining but also
in the service industries and in new areas of manufacturing endeavour
I think those opportunities are significant.
Now, this morning is not, as Rob and David correctly said, it is not
an occasion or a forum for a litany of announcements of this or that.
I merely remind this audience of an announcement I made last night
of an in-principle commitment by the Federal Government to a $2.5
million investment in a call centre for Impulse Airlines. It will
be subject to certain conditions but I understand from discussion
with the company those conditions will be able to be met. And that
will lead to the generation of some 70 to 80 jobs directly and more
jobs indirectly.
Of itself not a huge announcement but one of a number which add to
the diversification of the employment base and the business opportunities
of this area. And a few days ago my colleague, John Moore the Defence
Minister, announced that Boeing was the successful contractor for
the early warning system. And much of the infrastructure for that
will be centered around Williamtown. And when you add together the
various investments that are going to be made in the aerospace industry
in and around Williamtown they will make a very significant contribution
to the diversification and change in the employment opportunities
and the business base of the region.
Now, all of this is occurring against the background of a national
economy that is performing extremely well. And it's important that
we understand that the national economy is in good shape. We are enjoying
the strongest growth of any industrialised nation in the world. We
have inflation and interest rates that are at a 30 year low. Nationally,
we have had strong employment growth with an unemployment rate nationally
which is lower than it's been for 10 years. We have very high levels
of business investment and lamb notwithstanding we have even increased
our exports to the United States - but I emphasise lamb notwithstanding.
So it is, generally speaking, a very positive picture. And it's a
picture that ought to fill Australians as a whole with a great deal
of sense of optimism. We were able to stare down the worst Asian economic
downturn in 30 or 40 years. And in all the visits that I have paid
to the city of New York, which is the financial capital of the world,
in the various positions I have occupied, the visit I paid last week
found me receiving more than on any other occasion a universal acceptance
that Australia was doing well. And a universal belief that the economic
policies that were being followed at the present time were delivering
results that were very positive.
Now, I mention all of those things not in any kind of triumphal sense
but I think it's important to be realistic. It's important to recognise
difficulty where it exists but it's also important not to be so overwhelmed
with the negative side of things that you lose sight of the positive.
And there's a very good national story to be told and there's an increasingly
good regional story to be told in Newcastle and the Hunter. And it's
important that people in this room tell it. It's important that I
tell it. But it's also important that we understand that there are
fellow Australians in this community who are suffering hurt and alienation.
And I understand that and I have just come from a discussion with
the Prime Minister's Taskforce on Newcastle that I established a couple
of years ago that is jointly chaired by Rob Chenery and Kevin Maher
of the Australian Workers' Union. And that Taskforce has kept in regular
touch with me. We discussed this morning a number of proposals relating
to improved access to employment support services after the redundancies
take place at BHP in September.
So hand-in-hand with recognising and extolling and drawing attention
to the employment opportunities and the business opportunities that
are growing I also recognise that there are amongst the people of
Newcastle those and their families who are seeing things more difficult
and are having harder times and are suffering loss that other sections
of the community aren't. And a community that brings together the
commitment of the Federal Government, the State Government, of the
union movement, of the business community, of the churches and of
philanthropic individuals. A community that can get all of those together
in what I might call a grand social coalition to tackle community
problems is a community that will look after difficult areas but equally
to reach out and to build new prosperity and to build new opportunities.
And I have sought in the time that I have been Prime Minister to work
closely with the New South Wales Government, to put aside any political
differences, to recognise that it's important for both of us to work
together in relation to issues that affect Newcastle. We might disagree
on other matters but when it comes to helping people through difficult
times it's incumbent on governments at a State and federal level to
work together as closely as possible.
But this is a very important day for the business community of Newcastle.
And Philip Holt, the National Director of your organisation, reminded
me that today was the culmination of something that had started in
1917 or 1918 and he showed me the minute book. And he said, if you
thought you'd completed a long journey with the GST you are only just
beginning. And I think it's a reminder of how things change or in
a sense but how they really stay the same. And it has been, I know,
a collaborative effort between many people that have brought the business
elements of this community together.
But it is a special part of Australia. It has a very diverse base.
It's history is steeped in manufacturing and mining. That is still
part of its future but the future is broader and more diverse. And
it's important that the rest of Australia understands that that future
is broader and more diverse. And it's important that the rest of Australia
understand the spirit of this part of the world. It's one that I have
been visiting on a regular basis long before I became Prime Minister
and one with which I am very familiar.
So I was therefore very pleased indeed to be invited to come here
again to open these new premises. To congratulate the people of Newcastle,
to congratulate the Business Chamber on its commitment to entrepreneurial
activity and private enterprise which is the foundation of the prosperity
of any community and without which prosperity is impossible. I congratulate
the businessmen and women whatever their businesses are on the contribution
that they are making to the community and pulling the appropriate
cord to declare these premises duly open. Thank you.
[ends]