PRIME MINISTER:
It’s terrific to be here in Colac. It’s great to be with Sarah Henderson, the incredibly hard-working local member, and it’s good to be here at Bulla Foods.
This is a great Australian success story – a one hundred year old family business which has recently expanded dramatically, in large part to take advantage of our exports markets.
Bulla are exporting to more than 20 countries around the world. Their big export markets are in Asia and they are going to benefit enormously from the free trade agreements that this Government has secured.
After 10 years of procrastination from our predecessors, we have secured three free trade agreements, with Korea, with Japan and with China which are going to do very good things for businesses like this, for workers at businesses like this and for all the Australian families that depend upon businesses like this.
Very soon, Australian dairy exports to China will enter a tariff free. That means a 10 to 19 per cent price advantage improvement for our dairy exports to China. So, this is very, very good news for jobs, ultimately it's good news for families and it's good news for jobs and for families from the Abbott Government.
So, I'm very proud of what we have achieved here and I'm thrilled that this great Australian business is able to take advantage of the good work of the Abbott Government.
I know that Sarah, as the local member, is very excited for the success of Bulla Foods and I know she will want to add something to these remarks.
SARAH HENDERSON:
Thank you very much, Prime Minister. I want to welcome the Prime Minister here today to Colac; a wonderful part of the world, a city that I'm very proud to represent. Our free trade agreement is so important; it's resonating not just for the food processors across this region, but, of course, so importantly for our farmers. I think it's another indication of how we, as a Government, are working so hard to stand up for country communities.
Of course, for farmers for small businesses, our Harper competition policy review is another very, very strong sign as to how hard we are working for small businesses.
And I'm absolutely determined, Prime Minister, to do something about Colac petrol prices. We have to fight the inequity of things like petrol prices in communities like this.
Our Princes Highway duplication, of course, is steaming ahead to Colac – another very important sign as to how much we are investing in places like Colac.
So, Prime Minister, it’s great for you to be here and great to be celebrating this wonderful free trade agreement.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you, Sarah. Do we have any questions?
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, you’re going to be campaigning in Geelong today. That’s a long way from Queensland. How much have you harmed Campbell Newman's campaign?
PRIME MINISTER:
Campbell Newman deserves to win and he deserves to win well, because he’s been a good Government. Campbell Newman has a strong team, a strong plan for a stronger Queensland. Campbell Newman has a plan for government. All the Opposition have is a plan for getting into government. So, if you want to keep Queensland strong, there’s only one person to vote for and that's Campbell Newman.
QUESTION:
Do you think you’ve harmed his campaign, though?
PRIME MINISTER:
As I said, he’s wanted to run his own race. That's his right because this is about Queensland and about the Queensland Government. But I'm very pleased and proud that the Abbott Government has scrapped the carbon tax, it’s scrapped the mining tax. They were anti-Queensland taxes and they’ve now gone thanks to this federal Government. We’re investing almost $7 billion in the Bruce Highway. We’re investing $1 billion in the Gateway Motorway upgrade and some $700 million in the Toowoomba Range Crossing. So, this is all good news for Queensland from the Abbott Government in Canberra.
QUESTION:
Has he asked you to stay away from Queensland during the campaign?
PRIME MINISTER:
It was pretty obvious from the word go – and we have talked regularly in the course of the campaign – but it was pretty obvious from the word go that he wanted to run his own race. Now, why shouldn't he, because he's been a good, strong Government in Queensland – a very good, strong Government in Queensland. He's got the runs on the board. By contrast, the Labor Party is still in denial about the damage that it did when it was last in government in Queensland and it lost the state's AAA credit rating.
QUESTION:
But it does break with the long-standing practice of the Prime Minister to visit a state during a campaign by their own party?
PRIME MINISTER:
Every state is different, every campaign is different and I have enormous respect for Campbell Newman and I respect the job that he's done. I admire the campaign that he's fought. It's been a good, strong campaign, a strong team, strong plan for a stronger Queensland and I absolutely 100 per cent back him.
QUESTION:
A lot of pot shots have been coming at the Government from Liberal Party faithfuls, including Andrew Bolt recently. What did you make of his comments?
PRIME MINISTER:
I absolutely accept that there was a bit of dismay over a call I made earlier this week. I accept that, I respect the right of people to disagree with me. I understand, but look, others might be distracted by this – I'm not. I'm getting on with delivering good government and what we see here today is an example of how good government can help businesses, boost jobs, help families right around Australia, because only a good government could have delivered the free trade agreement which is obviously doing so much to help this great Australian business here in Colac.
QUESTION:
Did Rupert Murdoch tell you to fire some of your communications staff last year?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, can I just say that I have a very good team at every level. I have a very good team and I stand by my team. I stand by my Cabinet, I stand by my parliamentary colleagues and I stand by my staff.
QUESTION:
Do you stand by Peta Credlin?
PRIME MINISTER:
As I say, I have a very good team and I stand by all of them.
QUESTION:
If you have a good team, what's going wrong?
PRIME MINISTER:
If you look at 2014, much more went right than went wrong. We scrapped the carbon tax, we scrapped the mining tax. Scrapping the carbon tax meant a $550 a year benefit for families. Scrapping the mining tax made Australia, once more, a safe place to invest. Stopping the boats meant that hundreds of people were no longer dying at sea. Three free trade agreements – good for consumers, good for exporters. Setting up our country's future – we cut $2 billion from business red tape costs. The live cattle trade, which the former government almost closed in panic at a television programme, is now booming. So, lots and lots of good things happened last year.
Now sure, we had some difficulties in the Senate. You would expect a government to have difficulties in an opposition dominated, at times opposition controlled, Senate. We are continuing to have respectful discussions with the Senate, and that’s as you’d expect, but I’ll say this much for our Government: we haven't wasted billions, we haven't jeopardised relationships with our neighbours and we haven’t put hundreds of lives at risk. Sure, we’ve had some difficulties with the Senate and we’re going to be better at dealing with them this year than we were last year.
QUESTION:
Do you still think knighting Prince Philip was a good idea?
PRIME MINISTER:
I've already dealt with that and we can go on and on and on about it if we want. I'm sure if I went into the pub to talk about it, they’d say it was a stuff-up. I’d take that on the chin and then we’d move on and discuss other subjects and that's exactly what I propose to do today.
QUESTION:
When was the last time you visited a pub to talk to locals about what they want?
PRIME MINISTER:
I certainly was all over local communities down the South Coast, around Sydney. Most weekends I'm in local cafes – admittedly dressed in lycra – riding with the local cycling group. Tomorrow, in Geelong, I will be participating in the Cadel Evans ride and I’ll be mixing with hundreds, if not thousands, of other people and I'm sure along the way I’ll be stopping at a cafe along with the other ‘Mamils,’ as I believe we are described.
So, look, I am regularly in contact with the Australian public and sometimes it's good news they give me; sometimes it's not good news that they give me. My job, regardless, is to get on with delivering for the people of Australia a strong and prosperous economy for a safe and secure Australia.
QUESTION:
Will you lead the Government to the next election?
PRIME MINISTER:
Absolutely.
QUESTION:
[inaudible] poll puts Julie Bishop and Malcolm Turnbull more popular than you. Would you consider stepping aside for the sake of the party?
PRIME MINISTER:
I'm really thrilled that I have got such good, strong colleagues. I mean, this is a very strong team. It's a very strong team and one of the reasons why so many members of the team are able to perform so well is because they have got a very good captain. It takes a good captain to help all the players of a team to excel.
QUESTION:
Are you worried the Productivity Commission review and potential changes to penalty rates will affect workers, like here at Bulla?
PRIME MINISTER:
Let me make a statement of principle at the start, if I may. I want to see more jobs and I want to see better paid workers. That's what I want to see: more jobs and better paid workers. If the Australian workforce earns more and is as productive as possible, that’s going to be good for everyone – good for jobs, good for families, good for business, good for prosperity. So, that's what I want to see.
In terms of penalty rates, we have a very well-established system in this country. It's been in operation for even longer than Bulla Foods. Our arbitration system began back in about 1903, as I recollect, and under our system, it's the Fair Work Commission which sets these rates. That's how it is, that's how it was, and that’s how it will be.
Thank you. Thanks so much.
[ends]