PRIME MINISTER:
Well firstly, let me say how heartbroken we all are by the terrible accident at Dreamworld yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who were killed in that shocking accident. Three of the four people who died yesterday were members of the Australian Public Service and the APS and their community is in mourning with them. So it was a very very tragic accident in a place which we associate with happiness and fun, so Fiona and David, and all of our colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and all Australians’, thoughts and prayers are with the families at this very sad time.
Now we’ve been out as you’ve seen inspecting the roll-out of the fibre optic cable here to Birdsville, and it is going right through this part of Western Queensland. It is going to provide connectivity, a connection into all of the opportunities of the internet. The eKindy at the school will be even better connected than before. It will enable those kids to learn and keep up with their studies in a way that their cousins in the cities are able to do. It is truly transformative.
It is being funding by our Government, by Fiona’s Department, our commitment to stronger regions and state government and of course a really heroic contribution from the local councils here. Just the advocacy of the councils here, the communities here to get this infrastructure and has been fantastic so it is a really important day right across this part of Queensland you are seeing out commitment to better telecommunications. Supporting the roll-out of that fibre optic cable, supporting sixteen new base stations, mobile base stations to fill in the black spots right around Australia. The first round of the Mobile Phone Black Spots Program has covered half of all of the black spots that were nominated in that first round. Fiona is looking after a second round which will fill in more and there will be a third round that will do even more again.
We are committed to all Australians having access to the connectivity that we enjoy in the cities, and of course the NBN’s rolling out rapidly around the nation and its new satellite is available to Sky Muster satellite to ensure that there is super-fast broadband, 25MGs down, 5MGS up right across the country. No matter where you are, no matter how remote your location is, you’ll be able to get a connection on the satellite. So we are determined to ensure that 21st century technology connects all Australians. It is a key part of our plan for the strong economic growth that benefits all Australians. Inclusive growth that ensures everybody, whether they live in the heart of a big city, or in Birdsville or in the outer Barcoo, where mobile base stations are few but are now being improved thanks to our commitment.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, just on Bob Day, will you accept his vote in the Senate?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well Bob Day’s vote and his seat in the Senate is a matter for him. He is not a member of the government and as long as he is a member of the Senate, how he votes is a matter for him.
JOURNALIST:
But the ABCC legislation is highly important for you, Mr Day has said that he would support it but his position is unclear as to whether he will resign you know? Is it right that you accept his vote when he’s got his business issues?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think you have got to remember, Senator Day is not a member of the government. I am the Prime Minister, the three of us are part of a government because we have a majority in the House of Representatives. Senator Day is an independent crossbench Senator. How he votes, when he resigns is a matter for him.
JOURNALIST:
Now you are here in Maranoa, it had a high One Nation at the election. Is part of the reason you need to get out in the bush is to convince One Nation voters that you have a plan for regional and rural Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well as you can see we have a great plan.
MINISTER FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
That’s right.
PRIME MINISTER:
And we are literally rolling it out. Politicians often talk about rolling out plans, you can see that’s being literally rolled out. And we do have a plan for investing in regional and remote Australia and we are doing it. We have just been out there and seen some very heavy equipment doing just that. And David and Fiona and I represent Australians from every location. David represents, even in his electorate Australians living in big towns and in small communities. So we are, right across the board, we are here to represent all Australians and we are looking forward to having a beer with a few of them in the pub.
JOURNALIST:
You like to talk about cities - can you speak bush when you are out in places like Birdsville?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Lucy and I have been involved in agriculture for many years. Since my father was killed in ‘82 actually we’ve been involved in cattle and sheep operations for all of that time.
JOURNALIST:
Now the LNP in Queensland have walked away from their lawfare policy. Is this something that is – that you are going to continue to push federally and try get through the Senate? Because it is what is holding up Adani in Queensland...
PRIME MINISTER:
Let’s just be clear about this. Nobody, least of all my Government wants to shortcut environmental approvals. We believe we can have strong development, stronger growth, more jobs, and at the same time make sure that our environment is protected. The problem that we have faced is that it has taken too long to get a decision. It is just the whole approval process takes too long. I’m not talking about any particular project, this applies in urban environments as well. We need to streamline the approval processes so that we can get to a decision - it might be a no. But so many developers and investors have said to me they would rather have a quick no than years of indecision. So what we are committed to doing and Greg Hunt when he was Minister did a great job in cutting a lot of that red tape. It is a question of – we don’t want to shortcut environmental approvals, we want to protect the environment, we do protect the environment but we need to make these planning decisions faster. That is what it is all about.
JOURNALIST:
You and the Deputy PM are going to announce some big water money, is this continuing your commitment to rural Queensland?
PRIME MINISTER:
Absolutely, water is the source of life and we’ll be in Rockhampton tomorrow and we’ve got a lot of big announcements about water. Barnaby and I have many passions and many causes and one of the ones that we share with great enthusiasm is water infrastructure. Barnaby and I, as I was saying to some folk in Brisbane yesterday, we can talk about water for hours on end and never run out of something new to say. It is, believe me, the key to our future development in Northern Australia. We have in Northern Australia most of the country’s water and very very little water infrastructure. And excuse the pun, it’s an untapped opportunity and it is important to put the dollars where the water is because that will drive the billions of dollars of investment in agriculture and the exports that we’ve opened up with our big export trade deals so it is very exciting.
JOURNALIST:
Just one last one, the Mayor here of Birdsville tells me the last time you were in town you had a camel pie which was the secret ingredient in you taking over as the PM a fortnight later. Will you be having another camel pie in the pub here?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we’ll see, if there is a camel pie offered I’ll certainly have a bite of it. I enjoyed it last time. I had a great time last time - it was a more colourful occasion when I was last in the Birdsville pub. There was a sort of a road rally, a charity bush rally on and I arrived in the pub with your distinguished predecessor Bruce Scott and we walked into the pub and it was full of lots of men, not very plausibility dressed as women I have to say. They were having a Priscilla Queen of the Desert night and I don’t think they were they were making as – they weren’t as elegant as Priscilla, but they were equally enthusiastic and certainly in very good voice, although not always in tune. But it was a good night and I am looking forward to a beer here now at the pub. Thanks a lot.
[ENDS]