PM: Well it's great to be back in the Territory. This is my sixth visit here since I've been Prime Minister and I've always made a point of getting back here every two or three months or so, and it's good to be back here looking the implementation of our nation building for recovery plan.
The Government's strategy is very plain. Because of the global economic recession, we are committed to a program of nation building for recovery. What does that mean? It means supporting jobs, supporting business, supporting apprenticeships for today by investing in the sort of infrastructure we need for tomorrow. And where the rubber hits the road here in this area is housing infrastructure, defence housing infrastructure and that's why this is such an important announcement.
What we're doing in this part of the world is investing in 185 defence houses. This is going to be responsible, I'm advised, for something in the order of 200 direct jobs, 500 indirect jobs - creating the defence housing we need for tomorrow and creating the jobs we need for today, as well as the apprenticeships needed for today.
I'm told by the Defence Housing Authority that up here in Darwin this project will produce of itself some five additional apprenticeships and a larger number nationwide. It's part and parcel of what we're doing across the board because as this global economic recession hits and the recession hits Australia and it has, the job of government is to step into the breach.
The job of government is to put your best foot forward and to invest in the economy while the private sector is in retreat. And, when the private sector recovers as the global economy recovers, that's when it's time for government to pull back.
That's what we're doing and that's why we're engaged in the business of deficit and borrowing as well. It's the right thing to do to support infrastructure and jobs for the country and for families and for communities like this. Therefore, I am proud that this Government is investing in the defence housing needs of this community in Darwin for the future and creating jobs for Darwin and the Territory today. That's what it's all about.
On top of this particular announcement, could I also draw attention to a statement that the Government has also released today also involving the Australian Defence Force. There is a problem on the high seas off the Horn of Africa called piracy. And that problem is indiscriminate in terms of who it's hitting. It's hitting ships of all nationalities, cargo ships, passenger ships, sometimes involving Australians.
Let me give you some figures. In 2008, there 111 pirate attacks in the region with 42 successful hijackings. This year alone there have been 100 registered attacks including some 25 successful hijackings. Now, this affects all of our economic interest, it affects also the interest of people who travel in that part of the world on cruise ships.
Therefore, the Australian Government is stepping up to the plate and what we're confirming today is a contribution on Australia's part to the international effort on the high seas against piracy, which means in practice that we will now flexibly task our Frigate in the Gulf and our AP3C Maritime Patrol Aircraft that are currently based in the Middle East to be available for anti-piracy operations as well.
We believe it's part of Australia putting its shoulder to the wheel, together with our friends, our partners and our allies to make a material difference to security in the region because it affects all of our interests. What do Australians do best? We step in, we pitch in, we help in a practical sort of way. That's what we're doing when it comes to piracy as well.
Could I also emphasise one other point today and it goes to the question of stimulus and it goes to the question of what we're doing more broadly in the economy. There is a fair bit of criticism from time to time, that's normal in the cut and thrust of politics about what the Government may be doing here and what the Government may be doing there. And I've said what this program is about here, nation building for recovery, supporting jobs for today, building infrastructure for tomorrow.
What we've done as a Government is invest in stimulus in a number of areas. We began last October in response to the global recession by investing in direct payments to families, pensioners, carers, veterans. After that, we also then invested in payments to families and then this nation building and jobs plan which involves huge investment in schools in the Northern Territory, a huge investment in schools right across the country, an investment in social and defence housing of the type we're seeing today and an investment in energy insulation and ceiling insulation across the country.
And the third phase of our nation building program is long term infrastructure including a national high speed broadband network. That's the Government's plan, nation building for recovery.
One part of it though came in for attack yesterday by Mr Turnbull. And that was the payments that we've made to families who have lost loved ones. Now politics can be a tough business, I can accept that. But I don't accept legitimacy of Mr Turnbull's and the Liberal Party's attack on payments to the families of recently deceased loved ones. I think that goes beyond the limits of what is acceptable in our debate in Australia.
So my direct call today is for Mr Turnbull and the Liberals to retract their attack on payments to the families of recently deceased loved ones and to apologise to those families. It is the right and decent thing to do. We need some decency in this debate.
I'm quite prepared to cop criticism and attack on most things that we do, that's a democracy, that's great, but we're talking here about families who in the last 12 months have suffered bereavement and I don't think that's fair cop. Over to you folks.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on your plan to take over the Tangentyere camps in Alice Springs, do you really think you can get the residents to cooperate if you can't get Tangentyere Council on board there?
PM: We've got to take hard decisions and we believe we've taken the right decision there. The Minister Jenny Macklin has spent a long time trying to negotiate with the Council, didn't work. So you either just haul up the white flag and say too hard walk away or you can actually put your shoulder to the wheel and have a go. We're going to have a go and we intend to make a difference.
The Minister is highly effective, she's knows what she's doing. This is the right course of action. I back her fully and this will be tough in the implementation, I grant you. But the alternative is to do nothing. This Government will not sit on its hands and allow what's currently going on in those town camps to continue. We intend to make a difference and we will.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, why are you spending $3.7 million on plaques for schools?
PM: Can I just say the important thing is to build the infrastructure we need for the nation. That's really important. It's important also that we are out there investing $15 billion in schools, $6 billion in social and defence housing as well as what we're doing in energy insulation in homes, something in excess of four billion together with the $22 billion we're investing in long term economic infrastructure -
JOURNALIST: (inaudible)
PM: Let me finish. On the detail of how each project might be opened in time, I'm sure that will be sorted out with the Departments concerned. That's of no particular concern of ours. What I am concerned about is to make sure the actual projects are up and running. We'll work through the details of that, I don't think that's going to be a big problem on the ground. We want to make sure the stuff is up and done, that's what's important. And to make sure it's done, making absolute contribution to the economy in this time of difficulty.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, there's some fears in the north that you might go soft on the intervention, are you going to stick the course?
PM: Absolutely. And the reason is, we have to make a difference. I was talking to a builder on a site before who said that he appreciated the fact that I delivered an apology to the Aboriginal people. And our conversation that we had briefly as I was attempting vainly to lay the brick - and I'd ask people to go back and check whether it was okay actually, I'm a bit worried about that, if we could make sure, a bit worried. He also then began talking about Closing the Gap. This is a practical program which I also announced in the Apology speech a year ago.
Closing the gap means different things in different parts of the country. As far as the Territory's concerned, we will remain resolute in the implementation of all the policies that we've put forward. These will involve tough decisions, they will be sensitive in various communities, but we're going to see it through because we are determined to have in place policies which materially close the gap in life expectancy, in infant mortality and in safety for Aboriginal communities, as well as improving the educational outcomes and the health outcomes for Aboriginal people.
Each of those will involve hard decisions. There'll be reactions against some of them, I accept that. But we will not be deterred. We intend to make a difference.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, is the Territory Government letting you down in terms of land release, because even the Defence Housing Association are saying they can't get the land they need to build all the properties that they need for soldiers?
PM: Can I say that we've had an excellent cooperative relationship with the Chief Minister and the Territory Government, and I think it's a great partnership in a very practical way. It's what we have with Governments around the country.
Let me say on the question of housing here in the Territory, what's a very practical contribution we can make to take some of the pressure of housing? And that is quickly expanding the amount of directly available defence housing stock to take some of the pressure off the rest of the market. Now, that's one contribution.
We'll work through all the other implementation questions with the Territory Government, but I'm confident that we can attend to this over time. The other thing I'd say is this - one of the other deficiencies in Australia is the lack of appropriate social housing or community housing or public housing.
Right now, we've been talking about defence housing. We have on foot now 20,000 units of construction of social, public and community housing across the country. This is the single biggest investment in public housing the country has ever seen. That's what we're doing right now in order to make a difference across the housing spectrum - defence housing, social housing, but also making it possible through our cooperative relationship with Councils to bring on better construction arrangements with local authorities as well.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, under whose auspices will the ADF operate in the Horn of Africa?
PM: In the Horn of Africa, I'll ask the Minister to speak about the details of that. But in the Horn of Africa, we'll be working closely with other allied forces.
One thing I neglected from my comments before is that we'll also play a significant role in broader maritime security efforts in the region by providing on a rotational basis, a Commander and Fleet Battle Staff to command counter-terrorism activities under International Taskforce 150 from the Combined Maritime Forces Headquarters in Bahrain. Additionally, Defence will provide a small number of Navy Planning Staff to CMF Headquarters, that's those Headquarters in Bahrain for multinational anti piracy and maritime security planning and coordination. Joel, do you want to add to that?
FITZGIBBON: No I don't think there is anything to add. Effectively we'll be plus tasking both our Frigate and our surveillance aircraft across 150, 151 and 152 taskforces and of course that means we will be placing our assets where they can deliver the best value at any given time.
We're making a real contribution to the international effort right across the maritime security spectrum.
JOURNALIST: On the water buyback, can I just ask PM, now that NSW have said that they're not going to allow any more from their region, where are you going to get the rest of the water? Will you have to look to Queensland now?
PM: Well can I just make one clear point? Twelve years of the previous Government - not one litre of water entitlements bought back from anywhere across the Murray-Darling Basin System. In 18 months of this Government, we have brought back 297 gigalitres of water entitlements across the system. That is a huge difference.
Each purchase will involve difficulty, controversy, negotiation and frankly, some good old jaw boning on the ground. We will work our way across the system in order to take pressure off the Murray-Darling system.
But you know, just to step back from the detail of it, what are the two practical things you can do about the Murray-Darling? One is climate change, acting decisively on that.
We have a plan for a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. Mr Turnbull and the Liberals say they don't want to have a bar of it. That is not leadership, that is just politics. That is in terms of the long term causes of what is bringing about effects in the Murray-Darling system as well as for the Barrier Reef -
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister -
PM: I'm going to come back to -
JOURNALIST: With respect, you have actually covered this many times. I'm really interested in the forward planning. (inaudible) Queensland, because that's where there is water and if you're talking about practical measures -
PM: With respect, I'll finish my answer, which is that on the causes of the problem with climate change, we have to be dealing with that on the one hand, and then dealing with taking pressure off the river system, at multiple levels.
That's why I said before, let's step back from the detail and explain to you what the Government's overall strategy is.
Therefore, what does that mean? Acting on climate change, we have a national policy in place, Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. We are engaged in international negotiations because we have ratified Kyoto. Mr Turnbull and the Liberals opposed all of that.
Secondly, pressure on the system, what can you do about that? You can take demand off the system by buying back water entitlements and you can improve the efficiency of use of water within the system by investing in irrigation technology.
We're advancing on both those fronts with the largest single national investment on both those, in both those areas. On water buy back, entitlements buy back, it is as I have described - 297 gigalitres so far. We will work with any possible part of the country that is open to further negotiations on the buyback of water entitlements in order to take the pressure off the system overall.
We have committed funds for that purpose, it is the right and responsible thing to do and we intend to get on with it.
Just before I finish this morning, can I just emphasise to those of you from the Territory, how proud I am of the achievements here of our local members, in their contribution to getting a good deal for the Northern Territory in the investments made so far by the Government.
Just to remind you all, investments like Tiger Brennan Drive, lack of Federal Government funding in the past, we have $74 million commitment under this Government.
Investments in computers in schools. In the Darwin area, some 900 computers across 12 schools. Investment in trades training centres in secondary schools across the Territory.
The investment in the Building the Education Revolution program which is involving enhancements to primary schools and others across Darwin and the broader Territory. We have a large scale investment underway as well. I was talking to the Chief Minister about it before - $29.6 million approved for major infrastructure projects already, and 13 primary schools in Solomon.
All of these investments are going on, these are large investments in the Territory, across not just defence housing that we are talking about here today, but in schools and in hospitals, the GP Super Clinic, the investments in Royal Darwin Hospital. This Government is not just about nation building for Australia as a whole, it is nation building here in the Territory.
We are proud of what the Government is doing. We have got more to do. But these members have been in Canberra, asking that we support the Territory and its future growth, we have been partners with them in that. And having said that, we've got to zip.