PRIME MINISTER:
Well it’s really good to be here at this marvellous new plant and it’s good to be with Denis Napthine, the Premier of Victoria to celebrate what really is a good day for consumers, a good day for manufacturing, a good day for dairy, and really a good day for our country and for our state. This is a state-of-the-art plant, it is happening because Coles offered Murray Goulburn a 10 year deal so this is going to work very much for the benefit of consumers who will get access to high quality, affordable Australian milk. It’s going to work for the benefit of 2,500 farmers who are the owners of Murray Goulburn and in the end it’s going to work well for our country generally because Murray Goulburn is not only or biggest dairy manufacturer, it’s our biggest dairy exporter and we think dairy exports have a great future from this country.
Government at every level is doing what it can to help, Denis will no doubt say a little more about East West Link in a moment, but I just want to say how important it is for Murray Goulburn that the carbon tax come off when the Senate meets next week.
The carbon tax adds $15 million a year to the costs of Murray Goulburn. That's a $15 million hit on consumers who pay half a cent a litre more for milk than they should because of the carbon tax. It’s a $15 million a year handbrake on our exports because our competitors and rivals don't face anything like this kind of impost. So the scrapping of the carbon tax next week, should the Senate do what it committed to do pre-election, is going to be very good news for Murray Goulburn and everyone associated with Murray Goulburn as well as a $550 a year bonus on average to Australian households.
PREMIER NAPTHINE:
Thank you Prime Minister and it’s a pleasure to be here with the Prime Minister in the western suburbs of Melbourne at this terrific opening of a state-of-the-art plant that provides 50 ongoing jobs and the prospect of further jobs into the future. As the Prime Minister has said, this is a great day for the Victorian dairy industry. One of our great industries which is driving our economy, driving our exports, and has enormous potential for future growth, not just within Australia but certainly into the growing Asian market. It is also a great day for our manufacturing industry. This is a state-of-the-art plant providing manufacturing of food processing which also has a great future in this state.
As the Prime Minister said, this plant will also benefit from the East West Link. This plant draws milk from all over Victoria, from Gippsland, from northern Victoria, from south-west Victoria. It sends its products to Coles’ stores around Melbourne and Victoria and having the East West Link will provide choices and options and more efficient transport. Murray Goulburn itself is our largest exporter and, of course, having direct access on the western section of East West Link direct to the Port of Melbourne will be again an enormous saving for Murray Goulburn and take those trucks out of the inner suburbs of Footscray, Yarraville, and Seddon. So this is a great day for Victoria, a great day for the dairy industry, a great day for jobs, and really is a vote of confidence in the future of this great state.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, you mentioned the Free Trade Agreement. How close is that one with China?
PRIME MINISTER:
We are very optimistic. We don't take anything for granted until it's done, but we are very optimistic. I do welcome the indications from the other side of the Parliament that they are prepared to look at some changes to investment rules. As I'm sure you know, we do have higher investment thresholds for the countries with which we have Free Trade Agreements and that's certainly something that we would like to extend to China as well should this deal be concluded.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, how do you respond to Jacqui Lambie calling you a ‘political psychopath’?
PRIME MINISTER:
I will respond to all of the crossbench Senators with respect and courtesy.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, Senator Muir, we know he loves cars, what did you learn about him yesterday?
PRIME MINISTER:
He’s a decent, salt of the earth country Victorian who is going to do his best to make a contribution to his state and his country in the Senate as I think all of the crossbench Senators will try.
QUESTION:
What was he asking for?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it was really a get-to-know-you meeting on both sides. He hadn't met me before, I hadn't met him before. So it was a good chance, I guess, to open what I'm sure will be a constructive and civil relationship, perhaps even a friendship, we'll see. I think that it's important to respect the verdict of the Australian people. Every one of the crossbench Senators was legitimately, democratically elected. They've all got a contribution to make and I want to work with them to maximise that contribution.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, what's happening in the Indian Ocean?
PRIME MINISTER:
What's happening is that the Government is purposefully and methodically ensuring that our borders are protected and that the boats are stopped.
QUESTION:
Does the public have a right to know about asylum seekers being intercepted at sea?
PRIME MINISTER:
The public deserve safe and secure borders. They deserve a country which has not become open for the wrong kind of business – the people smuggling business – and one of the tragedies of the six years prior to September was that the red carpet had been laid out for people smugglers and their customers. Now, we’ve rolled up that particular red carpet. The way is closed. They can keep trying but we will keep responding in an appropriate way, doing exactly what we said we would do before the election and that's what we’ve been doing.
Now I want to make two points: everything that we do is consistent with safety at sea and everything that we do is consistent with our international obligations.
QUESTION:
Can the transfers be done safely if the asylum seekers don't want to go?
PRIME MINISTER:
I'm not commenting on anything that happens on the water because the last thing responsible Australian Government officials and representatives should do is aid and abet the people smugglers. All too often information has been given out in the past which has aided and abetted people smugglers which has virtually acted as an advertisement for people smuggling. That's the last thing that any of us should want to do. But I am confident, I trust the professionalism of our naval and Customs personnel, I trust the professionalism and the integrity of every Australian official, every Australian staff member involved in all of this and I’m confident that everything that is happening is quite consistent with safety at sea and with our international obligations.
QUESTION:
You said earlier this morning that Sri Lanka was at peace. Does that mean that Tamils no longer have legitimate asylum seeker claims?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it is a peaceful country – it is a peaceful country. I don’t say it’s a perfect country, not even Australia is that, but it is a peaceful country and all of us should be grateful that the horrific civil war is well and truly over. That is to the benefit of every single Sri Lankan, Tamil, Sinhalese; everyone in Sri Lanka is infinitely better off as a result of the cessation of the civil war.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, you said Coles gets a kick in the Masters Grocers this morning are asking for a change to competition law to stop Coles and Woolworths opening up supermarkets in small towns where they’re not needed and just going for market share and building loss making supermarkets. Is that something that you’d consider?
PRIME MINISTER:
We’ve got a review into competition policy – a root and branch review into competition policy – and let’s see what that review comes up with. A lot of people are critical of the big fella. Whether it’s Coles or Woolies, whether it’s BHP or Rio, whether it’s the Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, it’s very easy to have a go at the big fella and look, I don’t say that big companies are perfect, but then again I don’t say that small businesses are perfect either. What we want is a level playing field and a fair go and sure, we have an ACCC to try to ensure that everyone gets a fair go. From time to time the ACCC brings actions against big corporates because sometimes there is a disparity of bargaining power, a disparity of legal heft and that needs to be redressed, but I’m certainly not in the business of demonising anyone today.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, the Commonwealth Bank has announced an independent review of financial planning files from 2003-2012. Are you satisfied with that action or do you think that a Royal Commission is still needed?
PRIME MINISTER:
We’ve had a report, quite a thorough report from a Parliamentary Committee and it’s important that we consider that report. We’ve also got a review of the financial sector more generally and obviously that will include the roll of ASIC and whether more needs to be done to ensure that people are protected, that people are safe. I don’t want to overdo the reviews because in the end what people expect from government is appropriate action, not endless study, particularly studies which don’t necessarily lead to outcomes. So what we need here is protection of mum and dad investors, but we also need maintenance of a market where inevitably people do face a certain amount of risk and it’s a question of getting the balance right and that’s why we’re going to carefully study the Senate Committee report.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, Ms Lambie’s also asked for you to step down from your portfolio as Minister for Women. Do you have a response to that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well again, I’m not going to respond to each and every comment from each and every member of the new Senate. I intend to deal courteously and respectfully with all of them and I’m looking forward to working constructively with all of them.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, are you concerned about the number of banks foreclosing farms?
PRIME MINISTER:
I expect every business to operate in its own best long-term interests and obviously it’s in the best long-term interests of banks that they deal decently with their customers because if you don’t have business borrowers you don’t have a banking business. So, in the end, again it’s a question of getting the balance right and I don’t say that every decision that every business makes is perfect, I wouldn’t say that for a second, and some bad decisions do have most unfortunate consequences, but I do think that by and large every business in Australia is trying to do the right thing by its staff, by its customers, by its shareholders. I have faith in the fundamental decency of my fellow Australians, whether they’re citizens or corporates or small business or big business or farmers or manufacturers, I do have faith in the people of Australia 99.9 per cent of the time to do the right thing.
Thank you.
[ends]