PM: We're here today for a day of remarkable celebrations, remarkable celebration as we see signed between the Indigenous people of this place and Rio Tinto an agreement that is going to shape for both of them a better future. This is really a symbol of what can be achieved when people sit around together, work with respect and focus on opportunity and responsibility.
Through this agreement one of our mining giants is going to get access to a new resource but through this agreement the indigenous people of this place are going to get access to jobs and opportunity, to training, to facilities, to things that can help them shape better lives in their future. It's really been an absolute privilege to be here and share in this day. To everyone who has worked so hard over the last three years to make this possible I say a very big congratulations, and I also say to them that they have though the nations some lessons in what can be achieved when you seek to work together, what can be achieved when you work together with respect, what can be achieved when you focus on opportunity and responsibility. I'll turn to see if the Chief Minister wants to say anything, but you've heard from us today and we'll take questions. CHIEF MINISTER HENDERSON: Thank you Prime Minister, and it is absolutely magnificent to be here today. It's a very exciting day for the Yolngu people of Arnhem Land, for Rio Tinto as a company, for the Northern Territory Government and the Commonwealth Government because this is all about the future. For 43 years there hasn't been a formal written agreement between the traditional owners of this country and the mining companies that have mined here over those 43 years. Without a written agreement there was a lack of trust, there was a lack of respect, and certainly the opportunities that are now going to come this region's way as a result of this agreement could not be seized, and for me the highlight of the day was visiting the Alert training centre. Actually meeting those young Yolngu men and women, boys and girls who now see a future working in the Rio Tinto mining company, a future that we Rio Tinto are committed to providing for local people here and I've spoken with the Northern Land Council today and traditional owners today and certainly the Territory Government will be working as of today in partnership with the traditional owners and Rio Tinto to see the aspirations of people in this region realised and importantly, investment opportunities, business opportunities, job opportunities for the Yolngu people in Arnhem Land. So congratulations everybody, once again a formal agreement is really going to benefit people. This is about the future and it's a very significant day. PM: Thanks very much. We're happy to take questions. JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the deal's been signed (inaudible) is there any guarantee that any of the benefits will go to other people? PM: Well, I will turn to Jenny Macklin who's very familiar with the process that led to the traditional coming together to enter this agreement. MINISTER MACKLIN: Thanks, Prime Minister. As you'd be aware the responsibility under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act for consultation and identification of traditional owners rests with the Northern Land Council, and as the responsible Minister I am satisfied that that proper consultation has been adhered to. JOURNALIST: (inaudible) One of the traditional owners groups is already considering a legal challenge (inaudible). If he's not satisfied are you still satisfied with the process? MINISTER MACKLIN: Well as I've just outlined the responsibility for the consultation with traditional owners rests with the Northern Land Council and I am satisfied that they've met their responsibilities. JOURNALIST: (inaudible) those are finished and those agreement been signed. We're talking about the actual training, the jobs, the money, et cetera. Is there any guarantee that that will be spread around or will it just be like all the other deals where one or two families get all the benefits? MINISTER MACKLIN: Well I think you'd have to talk with the parties about the details of the agreement but of course, the very exciting thing for today and you saw that at the training facility that we visited earlier, the job opportunities are spreading far and wide. Far and wide we're seeing young men and women from right across remote Australia, not just the Northern Territory. There were people there today from Queensland, people coming from Western Australia, to take the opportunities that this agreement offers to Aboriginal people in Australia, and I want to join with the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister in congratulating the traditional owners, and the company for giving those opportunities to people that did not exist before. JOURNALIST: Can I ask the Prime Minister about the live export trade? Particular the Northern Territory, Northern Queensland, North and West Australian industries are staying that a 6-month suspension is basically going to put them out of business. Is there any chance of compensation both for the producers and the (inaudible)? PM: I met with representatives of the cattlemen last night in Darwin. I asked for that meeting and I thank them for coming along at short notice and I thank Warren Snowden for arranging it for me. Taking them as representative of the concerns of industry, they themselves had been at a broader meeting that day with industry representatives from across the Northern Territory and the feeling in that meeting and the outcome of that meeting is they are people concerned about animal welfare. They work with these animals and they don't want to see their animals suffer the way we saw the suffering on that 4 Corners footage and I think, frankly, all Australians who have seen those images have been shocked - shocked and horrified that that can be happening to Australian animals and the people who raise those animals were shocked too. So, we want to get this right. We want to get it right so that animals don't suffer that kind of cruelty. The best way to do it is to have the suspension we've announced and to work through so that we can have assurance about where Australian animals go in Indonesia and how they are treated. That's what we're going to work through. We'll obviously be in close dialogue with those who produce the cattle that go to market and those who rely on that trade as we do so. JOURNALIST: Did you talk to cattle growers, though, about compensation? PM: We talked last night and we'll continue to be in close cooperation and dialogue with the cattle growing industry. Their focus was on animal welfare. Their focus was on this trade continuing when we can get it right for animal welfare. That is, they want to see too that their animals are treated appropriately in Indonesia and that's what the supply chain assurance is all about., so we know where Australian animals are going we know how they are being treated. JOURNALIST: Is there any chance this decision will affect the price of beef in Australia? PM: We've got to work through this. The live animal trade is important to Australia. It's important to people who work in that industry, but we want to get it right. There were truly shocking images here, images of incredibly gross cruelty, and those images have shocked our nation and people rightly, including people in the industry, want us to something done. That's what the suspension is about and the process will now go through. JOURNALIST: People who run the holding yards are saying that there's a welfare crisis developing now on Australian soil because there's thousands of head sitting in yards in the sun with nowhere to go. What's going to happen to those animals? PM: Well, we will be working with industry and the relevant minister, Joseph Ludwig, will be working with industry to make all appropriate arrangements as the suspension comes into force. We did understand, inevitably, that there would be some producers who had started a journey for their animals and we would have to work very closely with them and we intend to do so. JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, coming back to the Gove Agreement- PM: -Sure. JOURNALIST: What does this signal to other indigenous communities around Australia in terms of economic development and helping close the gap which is (inaudible) PM: Well, I'll ask Jenny Macklin to add, but I'd say this Gove Agreement signals to indigenous communities around the nation, but truly signals to all of us as Australians, what can be achieved when we get genuine respect, genuine working together and a real focus on opportunity and responsibility. We are very passionate about working towards closing the gap. We've set ambitious national goals, we are bring record investments to make a difference for the lives of indigenous Australians and to ensure as a nation that we can say to one another we are truly treating each other with respect, that indigenous kids are getting a chance, they're getting a great education, they've got the opportunity for a job, that the respect we want to see across our nation is being shown. So, we continue to work through to achieve those goals, bringing record investments into housing, new reform and new resources into education, new reforms and new resources into health. I've had the opportunity to see with my own eyes during this visit some of the good that is being done, new houses coming on stream, for example, in the Alice Springs town camps where we were yesterday. So, I think what this agreement is symbolising is that change is possible, driving for opportunity and responsibility is possible, but it takes respect and the parties to this agreement have worked together in a spirit of respect for three years. JOURNALIST: This alumina refinery is one of the most carbon intensive industries in the whole of Australia. How will you make sure that your carbon tax doesn't put them out of business anyway? PM: We'll be working with industry. We understand that they are an emissions-intensive industries that are trade exposed, that there's a world price for their product and that's why we've been consulting so extensively through our business round table processes and a series of working groups that have come out of that business round table, and of course we understand that when you're talking about alumina, when you're talking about aluminium you are talking about industries that rely on a lot of energy and we will be working directly with them. We want to protect Australian jobs and we've got to remember that this scheme, the whole carbon pricing scheme, is about asking Australia's biggest polluters to pay the price. Currently, they put pollution in our atmosphere for nothing. They will be asked to pay a price and we will use that revenue to assist households to protect Australian jobs, including the sorts of industries you're referring to and to fund programs to tackle climate change. JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, back to the live export issue, there have been some criticisms that Minister Ludwig took too long to respond to the situation. Are you happy with his handling of Australia's live exports? PM: Well, I completely reject the premise of that question. We have acted quickly and appropriately to respond to the appalling footage and acts of cruelty that we saw on Australian television. JOURNALIST: Where does the Government stand on a floor price for alcohol? There are reports today that the Health Minister has a different one? PM: Look, we'll make this the last question and we did answer some of these questions yesterday. Yesterday when I met with traditional owners, their clear message was that alcohol continues to do tremendous damage to indigenous Australians and indigenous communities and they do want to see strong measures. Of course, through the programs we've been funding we have been funding programs to deal with alcohol. We've been funding programs to take out some outlets of alcohol supply - for example, three outlets in Alice Springs have been taken out through the Alice Springs Transformation Plan. Paul Henderson as Chief Minister, working with his government, is about to deliver the most restrictive alcohol laws out nation's ever seen, but we remain open to hearing what else needs to be done. The Minister for Health, of course, is in regular dialogue with health professionals and health professionals are raising with her concerns about alcohol being , to use their words, ‘dirt cheap' in indigenous communities. So, they've got a real focus on indigenous health, indigenous communities and the role of cheap alcohol in those communities. We'll remain open and in dialogue with people about this pressing issue for indigenous communities, but work is underway at the moment and the Chief Minister is delivering the toughest alcohol laws the nation has ever seen.