PM: It's good to be down here in Mandurah and good to be here with Alannah and good to be here with Wayne and a number of local workers. We've been talking about the needs of this community, the needs of infrastructure across WA and how do we fund that infrastructure for the future.
The Government is establishing a regional infrastructure fund. The Government is establishing a WA regional infrastructure fund of at least $2 billion, and that's to make a big difference with funding the roads, rail and ports that communities like this and WA overall need for the future. Because we believe that's the best way to make sure that WA gets a fair share of the profits which come from a mining boom, back into the infrastructure needs of WA - road, rail and ports - back into the infrastructure needs of local communities and also to help workers with better super.
I notice in the debate in the last 24 hours, that our political opponents are saying that mining companies provide all that infrastructure, that's what Mr Abbott I understand has said in effect on 6PR. I just think that shows how out of touch our political opponents are with reality. My experience of this State and my own state of Queensland is, in fact, mining companies have stepped back over the last ten to twenty years from providing all the infrastructure needs associated with their developments, let alone communities like this which support the mining industry in other parts of the State.
There's a pretty clear choice here. We, the Government, are saying WA deserves a WA infrastructure fund to support the road, rail and ports this great State needs for the future and the local communities of the future, and our political opponents are saying, nope, no one needs to fund that because the mining companies will look after it themselves.
I think the choice is very stark and it's very clear.
Over to you folks.
JOURNALIST: The fund's $6 billion figure Prime Minister, how much money will you throw at this to buy your way out of your problem with the mining companies?
PM: Well Geof you may recall that at the time when the Government's tax reform proposal was launched in early May, we indicated then the size of this national fund. That was back in early May. What we've simply indicated today is where the distribution would go in broad terms for WA. So nothing has changed on that front. But what we have said very clearly is that if a State like WA is generating the wealth, then WA should get back its fair share in building its road, rail and ports for the future.
JOURNALIST: I know that you've said that you've got the mix about right and you've been consistent that but can you categorically state now some weeks into this debate that there will be no movement (inaudible) at the moment?
PM: Can I say Geof, as I said when you asked me this question four times in a row last time I was over here, that we think we've got the rate about right, that we're engaged in consultation now with the industry, on detail, on implementation and on transition arrangements. Our position on that hasn't changed one bit.
Wayne was talking I think to some mining leaders yesterday, I'll be talking to some today as I have been in the last week or so. Those consultations continue and we welcome the input of the mining companies.
JOURNALIST: Andrew Forrest has described this as a charade-
PM: Sorry I've just.
JOURNALIST: Sorry, Mr Forrest has described the Treasury process as a charade, he says there hasn't been any negotiation, he said that was made clear on day one with Treasury officials, that they said this tax, if you don't like it you'll have to change the Government.
PM: Mr Forrest can speak for himself and we're seriously engaged in a consultation process at multiple levels-
JOURNALIST: Is that what (inaudible)?
PM: At multiple levels, we're engaged in a consultation process at multiple levels with mining companies and that will continue.
JOURNALIST: The WA Government is considering launching a Constitutional challenge (inaudible) are you confident that you could (inaudible)?
PM: Well I think we're pretty well fortified in our position, but can I just say to Mr Barnett, who I think from the middle of the year, as I understand it, will be whacking WA families with an increase in electricity prices, a 20 per cent increase in electricity prices and Mr Barnett who says that he doesn't need any additional funding source to fund this State's infrastructure needs, I'd actually like to hear what Mr Barnett's views are on those questions.
Who is going to fund this State's future infrastructure needs? I've got a proposal on the table, it's called a regional infrastructure fund, I've said very clearly where the source of revenue would come from, that's our plan. What I hear from Mr Barnett is simply a series of complaints, I do not hear an alternative proposal.
Let's be very clear about it, what's Mr Barnett's plan for funding the future infrastructure needs of WA? I said last night, I think at the Community Cabinet at Como Secondary College, that the total number of infrastructure asks we had from across WA, through Infrastructure Australia, was $14.5 billion. Now that comes from communities right across this State - solid, hard economic infrastructure projects. So my challenge back to Colin is, how will you fund that? Where do you get the money from? How do you propose to do it? We've got a plan on the table about how we'd tackle it, what's his? I'd really to drill down into what is the alternative.
At the Press Club yesterday I threw that challenge down to folk from the Chamber of Commerce and elsewhere. Ok, you say we need extra infrastructure so what are the alternative sources? You want the State Government to go into debt? That's fine let Colin own that and he can raise whatever level of debt he wants. You want the Federal Government to go into debt to fund infrastructure? Do you want taxpayers like Peter, I was talking to before where's Peter gone, you want taxpayers like Peter to fund it through the extra tax he pays on income through working overtime? Or do you think mining companies, when they go through periods of super profitability when commodity prices are up, that they should pay some more?
That's the challenge I lay squarely at Mr Abbott's feet and Mr Barnett's feet, what's their answer to funding this State's, WA's future road, rail and port needs and I haven't heard that answer yet.
JOURNALIST: So is that a yes then?
PM: I've laid out a very clear challenge, and I'm very serious about that challenge, I haven't heard the answer yet, I'd be very interested to hear what the answer is.
Mr Abbott's answer this morning is, don't worry, no one needs to fund the infrastructure needs for the future, because the mining companies will do it. Well, I think I saw a bunch of pigs fly over at that moment, in fact they are still flying past.
I'd like to hear from Mr Barnett, let's be fair dinkum about this.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible)
PM: Let me be fair dinkum about this, let him be fair dinkum about this, how are you going to fund, Colin, your State's future road, rail and port needs? Mr Abbott, how are you going to fund WA's future road, rail and port needs? We have a plan for doing that, I don't hear the alternative.
JOURNALIST: Will you speak to Mr Barnett before you leave (inaudible)?
PM: Well can I say last time I checked there'd been no request in from Mr Barnett's office to catch up with me.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible)
PM: So can I just go back to that point, if someone wants to have a yak they usually pick up the phone and say ok, let's have a yak. All I'm saying is that right now I'm engaged with mining companies and with working people about the impact of our tax reform proposal on them, and it's a good, continuing consultation; it's hard and it's tough, if Colin wants to have a yak, jump on the phone and we'll sort out a time, I'm pretty reasonable about all that. But I think you need to go back and ask the question, if he's serious about that, then where's the request, I haven't seen it.
JOURNALIST: Why do those negotiations happen through the media and not (inaudible) met him?
PM: Sorry, can I, I just want to take this question.
JOURNALIST: Don't you want to talk to him about things like the healthcare plan that he hasn't signed up to?
PM: As I've said, I said yesterday that I've probably talked to Colin more about this plan, prior to its announcement, than any other Premier in the country, I've spoken to Colin about other areas of Commonwealth/State cooperation probably more than most other Premiers in the country, and I'm always open to having continued conversations with him, I simply make the point, last time I checked, there'd been no request in for a further discussion.
WOMAN: Keep it up Kev (inaudible).
PM: The other thing I'd say is this, the key question here is, the key question here is one of working it through with the mining companies themselves. They are the people who are engaged in this, I know your question is and it draws on your loud intervention to my left, is the principal parties here are the Federal Government and the individual mining companies.
The principal question I'd like the WA Government to answer is how will the WA Government fund what they say are the huge infrastructure needs of this State in the future, how will they fund it? And I have not heard an answer to that from anybody. Geof?
JOURNALIST: On the boat people, there are 119 boat smugglers in WA gaols, they're Commonwealth prisoners, the State Government here wants you to (inaudible) and they want them to ship them out of our prisons and (inaudible)?
PM: You know something Geof the protocols governing these arrangements have been in place for a long, long time, well prior to the election of this Government, so I think it's important just to put all that into its proper context.
JOURNALIST: The Government, though, is going to be stopped paying for them from July 1 (inaudible)?
PM: Well as I've said these protocols have been in place for a long period of time and as I understand it were applied consistently in the period that Mr Howard was in office, and the then State Labor Government was in office as well.
JOURNALIST: So we're stuck with them?
PM: I think, I'm sure officials work their ways through these things as they've always done before, I simply make the point that the rules haven't changed and if the previous State Labor Government had those arrangements in place with the then Federal Howard Government, then I assume those protocols are reasonable for the future as well, but I'm sure officials will sort their way through it.
Folks I've got to get back to Perth, thanks for being out here this morning.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible) back from Afghanistan?
PM: In the last 24 hours I've spoken with the families of both our soldiers who have lost their lives in Afghanistan. The first thing I'd say is that everyone, and I'm sure this happens anyway, but everyone needs to respect the grieving which these families are going through right now, it's intense and it's personal and everyone should give these families as much space as possible. The normal protocol is that, and we've applied this consistently in the past, is that the ramp ceremonies are attended by the Chief of Defence Force and the Defence Minister, we will apply those protocols in this case as well.
As to appropriate attendance at funerals, that's very much a question of what the families request and are comfortable with, but let's all bear these families in our thoughts and prayers today as the initial ramp ceremonies in Afghanistan and Al-Minhad are being conducted.
I spoke to John Faulkner the Defence Minister about this yesterday, I understand that the Defence Minister and the Chief of Defence Force are on hand to be at the ramp ceremony I think at Al-Minhad.
JOURNALIST: Will you attend the service if the family wants you to?
PM: Yeah as I've always done Geof, as I've always done, it's a question of being sensitive to what families want and where that's been the case in the past then I have been there and we would be respectful and responsive to those requests again.
Thank you very much.