PREMIER NEWMAN:
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s great to be here today in Brisbane with the Prime Minister, the Lord Mayor Graham Quirk and Perry Hembury from Volunteering Queensland to make an announcement about arrangements for the G20.
In November this year we will see 4,000 delegates to the G20 itself and of course those significant world leaders and their entourages and 3,000 members of the world’s media.
There will be a spotlight on Queensland and a spotlight on the city of Brisbane. Today we’re announcing a programme that will be run by the Commonwealth and the state with the strong assistance of Volunteering Queensland to allow Queenslanders to be part of this important event.
We’re after up to 700 men and women – young people and old – to be involved in the G20; involved in all sorts of important volunteer work – the management of venues, information to any of the delegates or the members of the media, just being good ambassadors for Queensland and Brisbane – you name it, there’ll be a whole lot of things that they will be able to do.
We know that they’ll put on a great face for Queensland. In the past, events like the Goodwill Games and also, of course, the Commonwealth Games back in 1982 relied very heavily on volunteering efforts. We saw during the floods only three years ago that Queenslanders are prepared to roll up their sleeves and help one another. I know they’ll be delighted to actually be part of showcasing their state to a global audience.
So, just with those introductory words I might just throw to the Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you very much, Campbell.
It’s terrific to be here in Brisbane with the Premier, with the Lord Mayor and with the head of Volunteering Queensland to stress that the G20 isn’t just about dignitaries and foreign leaders coming to Australia. It’s about ordinary Australians getting involved, too, and we want this to be the friendly G20. We don’t want this to be just a dignitaries’ occasion. We want this to work well for people coming to Australia. We also want this to work well for the citizens of Brisbane.
We want this to be a happy experience for our country. We want this to be a good experience for those who are coming here from around the world and the best way to do that is to involve hundreds of decent Australians in facilitating the arrangements for the delegations and the media and try to ensure that the city of Brisbane runs as smoothly and arrangements run as smoothly as they possibly can for an event of this type.
The G20 is not just about trying to ensure that we have the best possible economic policies around the world – to increase global growth, to increase prosperity, to boost employment – it’s also about showcasing Australia and what better way to showcase Australia than to have 700 Australian people – Australian volunteers – helping with the arrangements for the people who are coming here from right around the world.
So, it is good to be here with the Premier, with the Lord Mayor, and with Volunteering Queensland. I am sure that we are going to make this a memorable experience for everyone involved and these volunteers are an important part of making that happen.
We’re going to take questions about the G20 and about today’s announcement, then I’m happy to take other questions and then I think the Premier is happy to take any local questions as well, but we might now take some questions on G20 matters.
QUESTION:
What sort of people are you actually looking for?
PRIME MINISTER:
I’ll ask Perry to add to this, but we’re essentially looking for the kind of people who have helped with previous events. Obviously, we had an absolute small army of volunteers helping with the Olympics in Sydney, we’ve had volunteers helping with the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane and in Melbourne and that’s the kind of person who we want to be involved: people who can give a good account of themselves, can help to organise visitors and will be a good face for Australia.
We are a country of people who want to be helpful and that’s the kind of person we need: people who can be practically helpful to try to smooth out any difficulties or confusion that our visitors might face as they move around this great city for the G20.
Perry, would you like to add something?
PERRY HEMBURY:
Thank you, Prime Minister.
Yes, it’s the face of Australia, that’s quite right thank you, Prime Minister. It’s friendly, adaptable, enthusiastic and committed people indeed and we’re hoping that there’ll be many thousands of people around Brisbane and Queensland and other parts of the country who will express an interest in volunteering.
May I say that Volunteering Queensland and volunteers have been central to major events over many, many years and those events have been largely successful because of that social participation. We’ve witnessed incredible experiences that individual volunteers have had as part of participating in a professional team at major events and Volunteering Queensland is especially proud to be associated with and congratulates the Federal Government indeed on creating an important and significant volunteer programme into the G20 Leaders Summit arrangements.
As we know, volunteers contribute to local communities enormously. They reflect the backbone of our community. They enrich peoples’ lives with their generosity, their skills, their efforts, their commitment and the contribution of volunteers to the nation can in fact be measured in many billions of dollars in economic terms and in terms of the contribution to Australia’s social capital, the impact of volunteering is almost immeasurable.
The contribution of volunteers to major events is also invaluable. With the G20 Leaders Summit we have the opportunity to be part of a significant international event that will showcase Brisbane, Queensland and Australia and it gives us all a chance to demonstrate the incredibly strong community spirit that characterises this state and this nation and that community spirit is exemplified through volunteering.
We believe that people right across our community will be keen to participate and take away rewarding and memorable experiences that they will hopefully cherish for the rest of their lives. It’s always wonderful to be a part of something great and here’s our chance right here in Brisbane to be a part of just such a global event.
As the peak body for volunteering in Queensland, it’s our mission to encourage volunteering, to promote social participation and identify and support opportunities for volunteering and we trust that every volunteer associated with this event will be excited and inspired by their contribution. The strength, the resilience, the vitality of our whole communities rely on the ongoing commitment to volunteering and we’re hopeful that volunteers that participate for the G20 Leaders Summit will go on and contribute to community in later life.
The significance of volunteer contribution to events is no secret. We all remember the presence and reputation of the volunteers at the Sydney Olympics and closer to home, the extraordinary, unparalleled response to natural disasters by ordinary people in local communities right across this state.
We want our G20 Leaders Summit volunteers to be seen and remembered in the same way – as the friendliest, most adaptable, committed and enthusiastic representatives of the Leaders Summit and of our nation.
Volunteering Queensland will be recruiting for a variety of roles in the areas of accreditation, media, transport, delegate customer service as well as volunteer support and at the summit venues and at the airports. Volunteers will not only be the face of the Summit but also of course of Brisbane and the nation.
So, we’re looking for volunteers who can bring exceptional customer service skills, as the Prime Minister mentioned, who can think on their feet, prepared to work hard and be committed to their chosen role. In return, volunteers will form part of a close-knit group and take away large amounts of knowledge and experience and new skills hopefully from one of the most important economic events in the world.
So we invite anyone with a desire to be a part of the event to express interest, to visit the G20 website or Volunteering Queensland’s website and we look forward to working with the taskforce in the lead up to the event to create an exciting and rewarding G20 volunteer programme for all involved.
This is indeed the most significant event of world leaders that Australia has ever hosted and volunteers will be essential to its success. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you so much, Perry.
Do we have any other questions?
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, Gary Rumble, the lawyer leading the review into the Australian Defence Force has come out with some pretty explosive allegations on the Today show this morning. He’s asking for a Royal Commission – is that something that you’d be supportive of?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we’ve got various inquiries that are yet to finalise their reports. Their reports will be finalised, they’ll be presented to Government, Government will carefully consider them and we’ll decide what, if any, further action is appropriate. But I do want to make it absolutely crystal clear that there is no place for any form of abuse or mistreatment inside our armed forces. I believe that members of our armed forces are generally exemplary people. Certainly, we want members of our armed forces to represent our country at its best and bravest and noblest and we want every aspect of life inside our armed forces to reflect those qualities.
QUESTION:
In 1988, he says that one in three women were raped. How does that sit with you, Prime Minister? Obviously that’s pretty disturbing.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I’m not going to comment on a programme I haven’t seen and I would much rather get the various reports that were commissioned by the former government, quite properly, into these issues, carefully consider them and then there’ll be a formal response.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, reports this morning of a new measure to try and tackle the deficit. How will that work? Will it operate in a similar manner to the flood levy?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I am not going to make commentary on specific Budget matters, but I do want to reassure the people of Australia that we will tackle the fiscal disaster that we have inherited and people need to know that under the policies of the former government – under the disastrous, calamitous, mismanagement of the former government – we have debt and deficit stretching out as far as the eye can see. You had roof batts that killed people, you had billions of dollars of waste in programmes like the school hall programme, you had the National Broadband Network that was school halls on steroids – this was probably the most disastrous government in our history; certainly the worst government in recent memory, and it’s important that the mess be tackled. Now, we are going to do it in ways which are faithful to the commitments that we made to the Australian people, but we are not going to squib the challenge, but we will do it in ways which are fair, which are equitable and which, I believe, will be seen to be fair by the Australian people.
QUESTION:
Is the Government attracted to short-term measures to eat into the Budget deficit?
PRIME MINISTER:
We are attracted to good economic policy and the reason why you’ve got to fix the Budget is because you can’t have in the long run a strong economy without also having a strong budgetary position. This is why it’s absolutely important that we get the Budget back on track to a sustainable surplus – we’re not going to try to do everything overnight – but we are going to try and get it back. We will get it back on to a clear path to a sustainable surplus because that’s what people expected of us: that’s why they changed the government, and that’s what we will deliver.
QUESTION:
Would these measures be implemented through income tax systems?
PRIME MINISTER:
There are a whole range of measures that will be in this Budget. I’m not going to comment on any specific speculation today. What I am going to assure people that we will take the necessary steps to get the Budget back under control, because the people of Australia understand that just like families, just like businesses, governments have got to live within their means. Governments have got to live within their means and that means getting the explosive spending of the former government back under control.
QUESTION:
What do you mean when you say you’ll keep election commitments but the biggest pledge is to repair the economy?
PRIME MINISTER:
We will repair the economy. We will fix the economy, we will repair the Budget. Of course we’ll do these things, but we’ll do it in ways which are consistent with our election commitments.
QUESTION:
The Treasurer indicated last week that more means testing would have to be considering at some point. Is the Government looking at any changes to the Family Tax Benefit arrangements that would save the Government money?
PRIME MINISTER:
Again, I’m not going to comment on any particular speculation – I’m not going to get into the business of ruling things in and ruling things out. We made a range of clear commitments to the Australian people going into the election and one of those commitments – an absolutely fundamental commitment – was to get the Budget back under control, to get us back on track to a sustainable surplus.
So, we will start the job in this Budget. We aren’t going to try and fix everything overnight, but people will be absolutely crystal clear on Budget night that adults are in charge, that people who know what they are doing have the affairs of the nation well in hand and that we will have the kind of strong Budget which is necessary for a strong economy and the strong prosperity and strong employment growth that the people of Australia have a right to expect.
QUESTION:
Is Defence going to be exempt from tax cuts?
PRIME MINISTER:
Again, I just want to assure people that we will keep our commitments and what we said was that all areas of government will be looked at for efficiencies and for savings, but there would be no cuts to the overall level of Defence spending because it is vitally important that serious countries are safe countries. What we are on about is building a strong and prosperous economy for a safe and secure Australia. One of the reasons why we need to get the economy back in better shape is so that we can afford the defences that Australia needs.
QUESTION:
How will the Government keep both its election promise to keep the aged pension unchanged and still manage to rein in pension spending?
PRIME MINISTER:
As I said, we will keep our commitments. If there is one thing that was absolutely crystal clear from the disasters of the former government, you cannot say one thing before the election and do the opposite immediately afterwards. So, we will keep our commitments – I just want to make that absolutely crystal clear – we will keep our commitments. A very important commitment was to get the Budget back on track to a sustainable surplus, but we will do that in ways which keep faith with our commitments to the Australian people in the election campaign.
QUESTION:
There are reports this morning that members of the Coalition are drafting and alternative to George Brandis’ race hate laws. Is that proof that there is disunity within the Party over this draft proposal?
PRIME MINISTER:
We have said that the laws that we put forward were an exposure draft. They were a draft for discussion. I think we’ve still got about a week for public consultation and obviously we welcome commentary from people who like the existing laws. We obviously welcome commentary from people who think that the existing laws go too far in restraining free speech which is a fundamental feature of a society such as ours. So, I look forward to all contributions and the Government will respond at the appropriate time.
QUESTION:
Mr Abbott, what’s your response to allegations Mr Palmer made on Insiders that Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles is a liar and involved in slush funds in Darwin?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well look, I might ask the Premier to make some observations here.
PREMIER NEWMAN:
Look, I’ll make some observations thank you, Prime Minister.
Look, as far as Mr Palmer goes, everyone else is wrong but he’s always right. It’s time, ladies and gentlemen, that you good folk, with the greatest of respect, really ask Mr Palmer the hard questions. He says he’s not in business but then he still is in business trying to get out of paying a carbon tax obligation. He says he’s not in business, but then he’s constantly talking about his excuses for why he’s not protecting the Great Barrier Reef properly in Townsville.
This is a guy who tried to buy a government – my government. We said, “Go away”, we said “We’re not for sale”. As a result he’s gone on a rampage around Australia trying to buy other people and buy peoples’ votes and we’re seeing that in the Northern Territory today. I ask, what inducements were offered to these three MPs, what promises, what inducements were offered them to jump ship?
I really call on Mr Palmer today to do one thing: stop spending money on election campaigning around Australia when you don’t seem to have the money to fulfil your environmental obligations in Townsville and your obligations to 1,000 men and women who rely on jobs at the nickel refinery. What about the hundreds of people who lost their job at the Palmer Resort? Again, he spends money on election advertising while that resort, which was once an iconic Queensland destination, is falling apart and is a sad sick joke.
So, those are the questions Mr Palmer needs to be asked. It’s time for him, with the situation that he has bought himself, to answer the real questions about what he stands for and what he intends to do now he’s bought himself a position of power and influence.
QUESTION:
Premier, are you suggesting there’s something improper about Mr Palmer’s recruiting of those three Northern Territory Independents?
PREMIER NEWMAN:
I’m saying, if I was a journalist today, I’d be saying to Mr Palmer and I’d be saying to these three people if indeed they’re jumping ship, I’d be saying, “What was offered? What cash, what jobs, what financial support for elections? What offers were made to get them to jump ship?” Because, if he’s consistent with the way that he operates around the nation, he’s busy trying to buy votes and buy people – that’s what he does. He tried to do that with us. We said “no” and as a result, he’s now a firm political opponent of this Government.
QUESTION:
Premier, can I ask you about David Gibson very quickly? Can you categorically rule out you having any knowledge of Mr Gibson’s thieving-related issue prior to Mr Elms’ media statement?
PREMIER NEWMAN:
Look, I’ve made a statement already about Mr Gibson and I’m not going to make any more statements because the independent clerk of the Parliament has given me written advice which I’ve acted upon which says that Mr Gibson seems to have been a victim of blackmail and intimidation and therefore the matter has been referred to the police and to the Speaker who then has informed me she’s referred the matter to the ethics committee of the Parliament for a contempt of Parliament. So, that’s all I’ve got to say today.
QUESTION:
But did you know about this issue prior to that media statement?
PREMIER NEWMAN:
You’ve heard what I’ve had to say. I’ve made my statement.
QUESTION:
Premier, on 18C, Mike Baird was on Sky News Agenda this morning and said he doesn’t support any changes to the Racial Discrimination Act. What’s your position on that?
PREMIER NEWMAN:
I think there should be a debate about this matter. The Prime Minister’s talked about a discussion paper going out. I think that we need to ensure that we maintain social cohesion in this country and I don’t think that people should be able to go and say anything they want at any time, but look at Mr Palmer. I mean, that’s what he does. Mr Palmer says the most outrageous porkies day after day and he is now a person of influence and power in this country and he has to be brought to account. So that’s my view.
QUESTION:
But what’s your personal view on the 18C?
PREMIER NEWMAN:
Well, my personal view is there it’s a matter for the Federal Government and all I can say is that if I see people inciting racial hatred in this state I’ll always stand up for the group that’s in the target and I will be standing up for them in saying how wrong it is – that’s what I say.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, you’ve been a big supporter of Alison Anderson in the past. Can I just get your reaction on her joining..?
PRIME MINISTER:
Just on Alison, look, Alison is a fine person. Obviously, as a member of the Territory legislature, she’s been controversial at times, but look, in all of my dealings with her, I say she’s a fine person who’s fiercely stood up for the rights of her people, but who has done so as someone who is not only a proud Aboriginal Australian, but a proud Australian and proud Territorian.
[ends]