CHIEF MINISTER: Welcome Prime Minister to Darwin again and welcome to one of the great projects which is a sign of the cooperation between the Northern Territory Government and the Australian Government. This is stage two of the Tiger Brennan Drive project which is an important project to better connect the cities of Palmerston and the City of Darwin and this is about improving the linkage for 34,000 people a day who commute between Darwin and Palmerston, to make that commuting time shorter, safer and really improving the link between two of the fastest growing cities in Australia.
This is a very important project, it's a project which the Australian Government has committed $74 million to, $36 million by my Government and certainly a project that is nation building in its scope. It's going to be employing 200 people during the terms of Stage 2 and certainly at a time of the global financial crisis it's important that governments continue to commit capital works to employ Australians and employ Territorians. It's great to see Damian here as well, Damian as the Member for Solomon and I work really closely together to make sure that the Northern Territory gets our share from the Commonwealth and we really do. The Prime Minister really is supporting the growing Northern Territory, an expanding Northern Territory economy and it's great to have you here today PM.
PM: Thanks Paul and Chief Minister and Damian Hale the local member who has been a tireless advocate of making sure this work gets done. This is going to be great for the Territory, great for Darwin, great for Palmerston, it's practical stuff. It makes a difference in terms of people who live in this part of Australia, safer commuting and quicker commuting but also it's about jobs. This is a big investment. As the Chief Minister just said, this is $110 million worth of investment, 74 from the Australian Government, 36 from the Territory Government. And also I am advised that this project is supporting up to 200 jobs in this part of our country.
So this is part and parcel of our overall strategy of supporting jobs, and business and apprenticeships today by investing in the sort of infrastructure we need for tomorrow. That's what it's all about. And this road is part and parcel of what we're going to do across the nation. It is also part and parcel of our wider strategy of nation building for recovery. Part of our national economic stimulus strategy, $702 million, is being invested by the Australian Government here in the Territory in order to make a difference.
As the global economy is under threat because of the global financial crisis, and you see recession in so many parts of the world, what we are doing through nation building for recovery is stepping into the breach as Government to make a difference. And that $701 million, $702 million which would otherwise not be here, but it is because we the Government have decided to partner the State and Territory governments to make that difference.
If I look at other branches of infrastructure, I'll just leave you with a few of these figures. Compared with the last couple of years of the previous Government, we have seen a 203 per cent increase in road and rail funding by the current Australian Government. In the last four years of the previous Government compared with the first four years of this Government and the agreements which we've signed, nearly an 80 per cent increase in education funding.
In terms of health, compared with the last four years of the previous Government, a 21 per cent increase in health funding for the Northern Territory.
And that is because we want to end the blame game. We want to actually be partners with State and Territory Governments around the country to make a difference to people's lives in the local area.
Last couple of points I'd make before taking your questions is this, we are in the business of implementing our commitments to the people of the Territory and the people of Darwin. It is not just this investment in Tiger Brennan but I also draw your attention to the $50 million investment in the Port of Darwin expansion, also draw your attention to the $36 million investment in the expansion of Charles Darwin University. Elsewhere in education the fact that we've invested some $7 million in the National School Pride program across 48 schools in Solomon. Under the Primary Schools for the 21st Century program, nearly $30 million to create multipurpose halls, and to build also state-of-the-art 21st century libraries.
In health, if you look also at the investments we're making at Royal Darwin Hospital, $19 million to build the Radiation Oncology Unit at Royal Darwin, $18.6 million for short term patient accommodation at the hospital, $27.8 million to construct medical education facilities at the hospital as well. And for our friends in the defence force we are also in the business of building 185 new defence homes.
Why do I go through these things? To underline the fact that the Australian Government is not just sitting back and waiting for Territory governments and State governments around the country to wrestle with the global financial crisis, the global economic recession on their own. We're stepping up to the plate but doing so in practical ways which make a difference. In health, in education and defence housing and these other things which are so critical for the future of this part of Australia's part in our federation. And that is why roads like this linking Darwin and Palmerston are so important. So we want to be partners with the Territory in its future. Over to you folks for some questions.
JOURNALIST: Is Darwin Airport a gateway to Asia with (inaudible) double in size but it's not going to be able to now-
PM: That's a nice positive question to start the proceedings with.
JOURNALIST: You know me, well.
PM: No I don't actually. Where are you from?
JOURNALIST: I used to work in Canberra but anyway.
PM: We've all got our problems haven't we? Okay but on the airport stuff as I'm advised it's a bit like this. First of all there are commercial agreements between the airport of course and various of the airline providers and I understand those haven't been resolved in an entirely successful matter, manner. Secondly I understand that there are therefore fundamental commercial considerations which underpin the future direction of Darwin airport and then on top of that again can I say - you okay there?
JOURNALIST: Sorry.
PM: And on the, on top of that we provided investments across the country in response to the advice given to use independently by the board of Infrastructure Australia. So that's the relevant considerations as far as this particular project is concerned.
JOURNALIST: At tomorrow's COAG meeting, will you be discussing the possibility of a federal takeover of public hospitals?
PM: Well only yesterday the Australian Government received a report from the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission. We commissioned this body under Dr Bennett probably about a year or so ago. The Australian Government hasn't worked its way through that report yet, it'll take some time and once we've done so we will make it public by the time parliament resumes and furthermore we'll then engage in a process of discussion with the States on how we improve the health and hospital system for the future.
This is an important area of national reform. Remember that since we've been elected, we've increased our total investment in health and hospitals across the country to $64 billion. That represents a 50 per cent increase on the past. But that is stage one.
Stage two is the long term reform process, that's why we've got this report. This affects so many people's lives. Everyone here has a legitimate concern in the future of our hospitals and our health system because you never know when your families or you yourself are going to need it. That is why we're going to be very careful, methodical, work our way through this report, look at its recommendations carefully, work it through with the States and Territories and then we'll make our own decisions once we've been through that process. It'll take some time but we want to be properly informed in the way in which we shape those decisions.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd, building approvals were down in April and May. Is that an indication that the stimulus is wearing off the building sector and something else needs to be done?
PM: I notice your question didn't include the fact that retail sales were up - is there a reason for that? Alright, okay. Well look, as I've said repeatedly, we're not out of the woods yet. You're going to see some positive economic data, you'll see some troubling economic data. Retail sales are up one per cent when retail sales have been collapsing around the rest of the world.
The building data is down after being up for a number of months - things across the economy will be patchy for a while. We're not out of the woods yet.
That underpins the absolute necessity of our strategy of nation building for recovery. Phase one - cash payments in the final quarter of last year and through to this year. That's why we see our retail sales almost unique among the advanced economies around the world going up, whereas others are going down.
Secondly, had we not invested in the trebling of the first homeowners boost, where do you think our building figures would be?
The first homeowners boost has contributed to tens of thousands of Australians taking out their first loans on their first homes and that has contributed significantly to construction activity as well.
Our second phase of course is the Building the Education Revolution program which I mentioned some figures before about the investment here in Darwin and the Territory.
Phase three - large scale infrastructure projects - road, rail, port, high speed broadband, and earlier today I indicated to the media at the event I've just come from, that we'll be incorporating in our National Broadband Network a new special cable linking Darwin in order to roll out the broadband services we need in this part of the world as early as possible.
No strategy is perfect, but you know, if I look at the rest of the world, Australia, among the major advanced economies, is the fastest growing compared with the major advanced economies. We have the second lowest unemployment, we are the only of the major advanced economies to have avoided a recession so far and we have the lowest debt and lowest deficit.
So, that's what we've done. We're trying to make a difference and we're still going to have some troubling data from time to time, that's true, and we're not out of the woods yet.
JOURNALIST: Internal Labor Party polling in New South Wales showed that -
PM: How do you know about that?
JOURNALIST: A 10 per cent -
PM: Where did you get that from?
CHIEF MINISTER: I haven't heard that.
JOURNALIST: Our friends in New South Wales. Are they a lost cause?
PM: Do you have friends in New South Wales?
JOURNALIST: Yes, I do.
PM: Who are they, to give you that internal ALP folder?
JOURNALIST: Do you?
PM: I don't know where the polling comes from. I haven't seen the story, I haven't seen the report so I couldn't comment on its authenticity. But can I just say that every government - State and Territory - around Australia is wrestling with the challenge of the global economic recession.
The impact on State revenues in NSW, the Territory and elsewhere, is significant. As the national Government, we've lost $210 billion in tax revenue because of the global recession. That affects what governments can do, and therefore it means that all governments are going to be under the pump in terms of the expectations of their communities, their electorates, their voters in terms of what they can do.
But I also see in New South Wales is a strong investment strategy in infrastructure and the government there seeking to make a difference as well.
JOURNALIST: Say the report is authentic -
PM: That sounds like a hypothetical, that's what -
JOURNALIST: Is their performance hurting the government?
PM: Can I just say on hypotheticals like that I just don't engage. I haven't seen the report, I don't know whether it's accurate or not, but can I say all governments, Federal and State and local, are experiencing tough times because of the collapse in taxation revenues, or in the case of local government, rates revenues, because of the global economic recession.
And therefore hard decisions are having to be made around the country, and many of these are unpopular, but I do see in NSW the government investing in infrastructure and I think that's a welcome development.
JOURNALIST: Do you have full confidence in the leadership of Nathan Rees?
PM: Absolutely.
JOURNALIST: Today 5,000 Indigenous Australians start the process of going from CDEP jobs onto welfare - why have you decided to do that, particularly in this economic times?
PM: Because we believe in reform. We believe that previous systems of payment didn't work and we're on with the business of making a difference. We want to reduce long term welfare dependency, we want to make sure that our Indigenous Australians have every opportunity that other Australians have.
Tomorrow at COAG the Chief Minister and myself and the other Premiers are focussing a large amount of our time on our national partnership on closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. That means making a difference in areas like welfare, in education, in health outcomes and employment, and that's what we're on about.
But you know, turning the whole ship around is going to take some time. But the Premiers and Chief Ministers have made some good progress and we'll be talking further about that tomorrow.
Okay, I think I've got to go and do some demolition work up here guys, so thanks very much and keep your hard hats on.
(ends)