ERIC HUTCHINSON:
Thanks, everyone. It’s a real pleasure for me to welcome both the Prime Minister and the Treasurer of Australia and, of course, Will Hodgman, the Premier of Tasmania, again to the state.
Today, as you know was the Joint State Commonwealth Economic Council meeting, when I was aware that it was being held in southern Tasmania I did everything I could to see it being held in regional southern Tasmania. I’m very pleased that will be held later on today in Sorell. The Economic Council has delivered substantial benefits for our state over the last 12 months and as Tasmanians passionate about jobs, passionate about the future of our state, we’re very grateful for the work that that Committee is doing.
So, I’ll hand over to the Prime Minister and thank you very much for being in Tasmania again.
PRIME MINISTER:
I’m going to throw to the Premier, then I’ll have a few words to say.
PREMIER HODGMAN:
It is appropriate that I extend an official welcome to the Prime Minister and the federal Treasurer to Tasmania again to contribute in our ongoing discussions, collaboratively and effectively dealing with some of the challenges Tasmania faces but also the great opportunities to continue to grow our economy.
It’s wonderful to be at an iconic Tasmanian business that is a true success story and, Eric, thank you for organising the visit today because it demonstrates how government and the private sector can work effectively together to ensure that more jobs are created, economic prosperity is realised. We, as a small state, are doing out very best to enhance our competitive strengths and to support the growth in our economy which we’ve seen in recent years.
I think it’s important to recognise that Tasmania’s economy is growing. We are seeing our unemployment rate coming down and well over 4,000 new jobs created since the State Government was elected. And since the Federal Government came into power, we’ve seen our two governments wanting to work closely in collaborating to deliver further benefits for Tasmanian business, for those seeking jobs and employment, those wanting to further their education and these matters will of course be subject for further discussion at the Joint Economic Advisory Council Meeting a little later today.
The Tasmanian State Government is a willing participant in that Advisory Council, helping to inform the Federal Government as it makes important decisions about how it can invest its funds better, more targeted and more effective as we’ve seen happen most notably with significant investments into our road infrastructure, into our freight infrastructure across Bass Strait, into irrigation infrastructure which is turbocharging the agricultural sector. We’re talking about close to $800 million of federal funding direct into Tasmania that has been ground breaking – game-changing – and it has helped no doubt turbocharge Tasmania’s economy and we’re really pleased to be working collaboratively with the Federal Government because I have always said that the best way we can get good results for Tasmania is by working together.
Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
Thanks so much, Will. It’s great to be here with Eric Hutchinson, the very hardworking Member for Lyons. It’s great to be here with the Premier, it’s great to be here with the Treasurer. Frankly, it's great to be here on Houston's farm, a Tasmanian and Australian success story.
One of the joys of a Member of Parliament's life is learning more about the success stories of our country and this is undoubtedly a great success story. This business has doubled in size over the last couple of years. It's now a $60 million a year business, employs more than 300 people, 200 of them in Tasmania, 100 of them in the mainland because of this Government's initiatives when you talk about the water fund, when you talk about the free trade agreement, when you talk about the Agricultural White Paper and the ability of farms to instantly write off their on farm water infrastructure, their on farm fencing, to write off over three years their on farm fodder infrastructure.
All of the measures that this Government is taking are making it easier for great Australian businesses like this to have a go and get ahead and that's what this Government is on about. Every day we are on about changes that will make it easier for our country to grow and employ. Growth and jobs is at the heart of everything this Government does. We were talking about ships in Adelaide earlier in the week – ships mean jobs. Roads mean jobs. Freer trade means jobs and a more vigorous farming sector means jobs.
So that's what this Government is on about every single day and I am so proud to be here with the Houston team, with Anthony, with Paul, with Alec, and everyone else, to see exactly what is being done here in Tasmania because of water initiatives that this Government has facilitated, because of trade initiatives that this Government has created and because of farm initiatives that this Government is putting into place.
So, really good to be here and all of this means that right around our country the economy is getting stronger. We had labour market figures out yesterday. Since this Government came into office in Canberra, there are 10,000 more jobs in Tasmania. Tasmanian unemployment used to have an eight in front of it; now it's got a six in front of it. It's going down rather than coming up. There are 330,000 jobs – more jobs now than there were in September of 2013. That is a tribute to the great employers of our country, it's a tribute to the great workers of our country, but I've got to say, having a Government which is open for business certainly helps and I want to say thank you to the Treasurer for all of his work in this area.
TREASURER:
Thank you Prime Minister, and Premier and Eric, thank you for having us here. I can report to you that the Tasmanian economy has real momentum at the moment. It is a terrific story – nearly 10,000 new jobs created in Tasmania since we came to Government. The unemployment rate dropping from around eight per cent to 6.6 per cent and it's going to continue to fall because of the momentum in the Tasmanian economy. Now, you have to work hard at that and in partnership with the Tasmanian Government, that's exactly what we are doing.
When you see figures like the fact that Tasmania now receives 50,000 more international visitors each year than it did previously, break it down, that's basically two to three jumbo jets a week of extra travel to Tasmania with tourists that are spending more time here and spending more money here than ever before.
We are helping to build the infrastructure with the extension to the Hobart Airport, but importantly – importantly – everything we are doing with our partnership, through our partnership with the Tasmanian Government, is about building jobs and growth and that's reflected in every business, especially right here on the farm.
PRIME MINISTER:
Ok, do we have any questions?
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, can you confirm the report in today's Herald Sun that you're looking to establish a five person razor gang to rein in expenses?
PRIME MINISTER:
I can confirm what I announced last Sunday, that there will be root and branch reform of politicians' expenses because I am determined to ensure that the round of controversies that we've seen over the last few weeks aren't the latest, they're the last.
QUESTION:
Can you confirm that it will involve a former Liberal MP, Labor MP and people from the business community?
PRIME MINISTER:
There will be an announcement in due course. I said that the team would be led by David Tune, the former Secretary of the Department of Finance, and by John Conde, the head of the Remuneration Tribunal, and there will be some other members as well.
QUESTION:
Is it within community expectations for Tony Burke to have spent $50,000 on an overseas trip, do you think – community expectations?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, these are matters that will obviously be looked at by the root and branch reform, and that's what I want. I want root and branch reform so that the latest round of controversies are the last. That's what I want. I want this round of controversies to be not just the latest but the last and I want the public to have confidence that Members of Parliament are working very hard for them.
Now, I know that this week we've done great work for shipbuilding and that's about growth and jobs. We've done great work on roads, that's about growth and jobs. Here at this farm – at Houston's farm – we are already seeing the evidence of some of the good work that this Government is doing – more growth and more jobs. And that's the work that we should be focused on: growth and jobs and that's exactly what this Government is doing every day.
QUESTION:
Has a truce been called with Labor over expenditure now that everyone's losing skin?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well again, I think the important thing is that we get the system right. We've got to get the system right. That's why we've got this root and branch reform underway. It will report in the first half of next year and I’m absolutely determined that, henceforth, the public can be confident that their Members of Parliament are working on what matters to the Australian people and, frankly, that's growth and jobs and that's what I've been doing, that's what the Government has been doing every day this week. We've been talking about a continuous build of ships, not just a ship build but a fleet build. We're talking about the roads of the 21st century that will make our country work so much better. As Joe has just mentioned, not only are we spending almost half a billion dollars on the Midland Highway here in Tassie, but we're going to upgrade Hobart International Airport, make it a truly international airport so that the great produce from a farm like this can get to China and the other markets which we have dramatically opened up with the free trade agreements.
QUESTION:
The ABC board said yesterday that the operations of Q&A will be taken into their news production services – is that a move that you welcome? It's similar to what you were calling for?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, it's exactly what I was calling for and at last we've seen a bit of common sense after the notorious Q&A programme of some weeks back and look, I'm pleased that they've accepted what the Government sought. I'm pleased that they've finally agreed to do what their Chairman said he wanted to do a few weeks ago and I'm looking forward to Coalition frontbenchers reappearing on Q&A.
QUESTION:
Does that happen once the programme formally moves into the news?
PRIME MINISTER:
Now that they've guaranteed that it's going to happen it could happen straight away, as far as I'm concerned.
QUESTION:
Did it take too long, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, I'd rather give the ABC a bit of a pat on the back today, that's what I'd like to do. Give them a bit of a pat on the back for doing the right thing and I don't want to talk about the length of time that management decisions might take.
QUESTION:
There’s a number of Tasmanian businesses bidding to build the Pacific patrol boats, can you guarantee that they will get a fair hearing and won't be overlooked in favour of South Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
The Pacific patrol boats is an entirely different process to the process for the Future Frigates, which has been brought forward three years, so they will build from 2020 substantially in Adelaide. And the Offshore Patrol Vessels, or Corvettes, which will build from 2018, most likely they will start in Adelaide but after that they could be in another yard. So, the Pacific patrol boats is an entirely separate process. I understand that there is a strong Tasmanian bid, but given that these matters are now subject to consideration by the Department, I don't want to say any more. But certainly all the bids will get a good hearing.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, you announced $16 million for Cadbury during the election campaign, when are we going to see that money?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, look, that's a fair question and I will have more to say about that shortly. But what I want to stress today is that, as the Premier's said, there's something like $800 million which has been invested by this Government in Tasmania over the last 18 months or so. Not only was there the big commitment to the Midland Highway, the big commitment to Hobart Airport, the big commitment to Hobart as the gateway to Antarctica here in Australia, but since the election we've had the $60 million investment in Tasmanian water infrastructure. We've had the $200 million investment in the Freight Equalisation Scheme, which will help the great businesses of Tasmania export beyond the mainland to the wider world. So there's a lot of investment which has already been made. There's been additional investment in health, particularly in the north of Tasmania, and we'll have more to say about that Cadbury money soon.
QUESTION:
On Adani, on jobs and growth, are you disappointed with this outcome and do you think that there needs to be a reconsideration of environmental requirements? Do you see that jobs are being lost as a result?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I'm frustrated with this outcome and I think increasingly people could become angry with this outcome because while it's absolutely true that every project has got to adhere to the rules and while it's absolutely true that we want the highest environmental standards to apply to projects in Australia, and while it's absolutely true that people have a right to go to court, this is a $21 billion investment – it's a $21 billion investment – it will create 10,000 jobs in Queensland and elsewhere in our country. Already the Adani group has invested about $3 billion in Australia in preparation for this further investment. This coal will power up the lives of 100 million people in India.
So, this is a very important project, not just for Australia, but for the wider world and if we get to the stage where the rules are such that projects like this can be endlessly frustrated, that's dangerous for our country and it's tragic for the wider world. So, we've got to get these projects right; it’s absolutely vital that we get these projects right. But once they are fully complying with high environmental standards, let them go ahead. Let them go ahead for the workers of Australia and for the people of countries like India who right at the moment have no electricity. Now imagine what it's like to live in the modern world with no electricity. Australian resources can give them electricity and the interesting thing about Australian resources is that invariably they're much better for the environment than the alternative.
QUESTION:
Is the breakdown in negotiations between Medibank and Calvary Care, is that an example of why the healthcare providers shouldn’t have been sold in the first place?
PRIME MINISTER:
This is perhaps a local issue that I'm not familiar with. But the important thing is that we have a competitive market in health. The important thing is that we have access to affordable and accessible health services and while inevitably from time to time there will be things that cause some contention, it's a good system and it's getting better all the time.
Thank you.
[ends]