PM: Can I say thank you to John from MTA for having us here. I'm joined here today by Steve Georganas, our local Member for Hindmarsh, and by Mark Butler, the local Member for Port Adelaide, and we're here on the border of their two electorates looking at a great trades training facility and I want to thank John very much for having us here.
We're only a few days now from Federal Budget day, and the Federal Budget is about getting the nation's budget back into the black. That means we're coming back to surplus in 2012-13 as promised, but as you get the nation's budget back into the black, you do have to make choices about what you value and what you want to fund. We've been making those choices and we are particularly, in this budget, wanting to support jobs and opportunity for Australians. That's why, during the course of this week, each and every day I've been talking about opportunities for Australians, particularly young Australians.
On Monday I talked about better rewarding our great teachers because there's nothing more important to a child's education than the quality of the teacher in front of the classroom and there's nothing more important as getting a great opportunity in life than to starting with a great school education.
On Tuesday I talked about a new program to bring new resources into our schools to better support students with disabilities. I don't want any Australian child left behind and that's why we need to better support students with disabilities in their learning.
On Wednesday we talked about the Government's plans to better support families that have teenagers. Teenagers have not received the same degree of support through our family payments system as younger children. We want to make sure that kids get the opportunity to stay at school and supporting their family with cost of living pressures is one help to getting kids to stay at school, which is why we are changing the family payments system so that a family on the maximum rate can get an additional $4,000 to keep their child at school in full-time learning.
Yesterday, of course, we were talking about opportunity too, and particularly talking about opportunity for teen parents. There are around 11,000 young Australians who are parents and who are on benefits. I want to make sure that we bring opportunity and responsibility to those teen parents, that we don't have them left behind, we have those teen parents engaged in education and we have the appropriate support services for their children.
We don't want becoming a young mum to end up being the start of a lifetime of disadvantage, not only for the young mum but also for her child, because all of the research tells us that a child born into a family where no-one works can end up being a disadvantaged adult, too.
So, all week we've talked about opportunity, and I'm pleased to be here in South Australia today talking about opportunity for young Australians in getting apprenticeships and the skills they need for a job. We've met some of those young Australians today who are going to have a great future in our automotive industry, but studying for an apprenticeship is a long journey, and whilst we have many young Australians commence apprenticeships, we want more young Australians to complete. That's why I'm pleased to confirm that in Tuesday's Budget we will honour our promise to increase the bonuses that apprentices get for completing by $1,700. This will bring to a total of $5,500 the bonuses that apprentices get as they move through their apprenticeship. This will benefit around 200,000 apprentices.
I'm very pleased that we're able to provide that extra benefit, and of course this comes on top of our record investments in skills and training for Australians. Skills and training are so important to the future of our country. We need a skilled workforce, and for every young Australian that it gives opportunity to, it is so important for their lives, because we know if you get that trade qualification then it's a passport to a job for the rest of your life.
That's why we've been pleased to invest more than $10.9 billion in vocational education and training over three years. It's why I'm pleased to report that in 2010 we were at a 10-year record high for the number of Australians undertaking an apprenticeship. It's why I'm pleased to be able to say that we've increased trade apprenticeship commencements by 11.1 per cent in 12 months - that's fantastic news. It means, in total, that there are 440,000 apprentices and trainees currently in training - that's good news.
Now, we will continue to support opportunity: a great education; helping people get the support they need to get into the workforce; great skills and apprenticeships. They're the choices we've made in the forthcoming budget.
Unfortunately, these priorities are not shared across the parliament. Mr Abbott went to the last election promising to rip $2 billion out of our apprenticeships system. That's a lot of money and would have caused a reduction of almost half a million places in training places for apprentices, trainees and other workers.
Our nation can't afford that kind of assault on developing the skilled workforce we need for the future, and Australians can't afford to have that sort of opportunity ripped away from them.
So the Government, in delivering Tuesday's Budget, has made a different set of choices to Mr Abbott. We value Australians having opportunity. That means we value education and skills and we will be investing in education and skills as we bring the budget back into the black, back into surplus, as promised.
I'm very happy to take any questions.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister the Opposition Leader's also in Adelaide today talking about the carbon tax. Are you confident you're winning the debate on the carbon tax and if so why aren't you talking about it?
PM: Well, I'm always very happy to talk about the future of our environment and the future of country. We have to tackle climate change, and to do that we've got to reduce carbon pollution, and the most efficient way of doing that is to put a price on carbon.
So, the 1,000 businesses in this country that generate the most carbon pollution will no longer be able to put that pollution into the atmosphere for free, they'll have to pay a price, and if they pay a price then they will find ways of innovating and changing their businesses and their methods of work so they create less carbon pollution.
And we will use the revenue that's raised from putting a price on carbon pollution to generously assisting households, to protecting Australian jobs, and to support programs to tackle climate change.
Now, I know Mr Abbott is going around the country being negative and complaining, but let's remember his plan is one that would cost Australians $720 per year. That's a lot of money. So, I would say to Mr Abbott he's got a responsibility to come clean with Australians and describe just how much his plan would hit their cost of living, and he's also got a responsibility next Thursday in parliament. His Shadow Treasurer has committed Mr Abbott, effectively, to outlining how Mr Abbott would bring the budget back to surplus a year earlier.
So, next Thursday in parliament when Mr Abbott gets his opportunity to produce an alternate Budget, he will have to produce every figure, every dollar, every cent and show how he would bring the budget back to surplus a year earlier.
He's failed three times on his figure work: an $11 billion black hole during the campaign for his election commitments; a shambles last Budget Reply night where he said that the Shadow Treasurer would make it all add up and then the Shadow Treasurer said the Shadow Finance Minister would make it all add up and ultimately no one made it all add up; and then of course he failed earlier this year with the flood package which didn't add up either.
He's got a chance next week in the Parliament to show that he can add up. We'll be interested to see whether or not Mr Abbott can pass that test.
JOURNALIST: How close is the Government to striking an agreement for a regional processing centre in Papua New Guinea?
PM: As Prime Minister, when I first talked about the very complex problem of people smuggling, I said I was committed to a regional solution and we have been pursuing discussions in our region and with the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees on a regional solution.
When I've got something to announce arising from those discussions, then I'll announce it.
JOURNALIST: Is Manus Island a live option for that regional solution?
PM: Well, let me just say we pursue discussions across the region. We've been doing that very patiently and methodically and when I have something to announce arising from those discussions then I'll announce it.
JOURNALIST: But there are other regions that you're looking at, then, if that's the case? Are there other options outside of Manus Island?
PM: Well we've been working hard, working methodically, dealing with the complex problem of people smuggling and when, arising from discussions across our region, we've got something to announce, then we'll announce it, but at every stage of this I have been very clear with the Australian people: people smuggling is a complex problem; we need a regional solution; we need to be engaged with international agencies like the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. We've been doing that work.
Now, Mr Abbott's got a 3-word slogan. We have been working patiently do deal with this complex problem and when we've got something to announce, then I will announce it.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible) be flattered that you've adopted his Government's policy?
PM: Once again, when I've got something to announce arising out of those regional discussions, I'll announce it.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible) Kevin Rudd been in discussions recently with the Papua New Guinean Government?
PM: Once again, we have discussions across our region. A number of our Ministers are involved. I'm personally involved. We have a long-standing engagement through what's called the Bail Process, as well as bilateral discussions. So, across our region the Government's been at work and when we've got something to announce arising from those discussions, then I'll announce it.
JOURNALIST: You were highly critical though, of the Pacific solution. Won't you be hypocritical if you go down that line?
PM: What I would say is when the Government's in a position to make an announcement about what has arisen from our regional discussions, we'll announce it and then people will have a full opportunity to analyse it.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible) confirm that you're exploring the option of Manus Island. You've sent some people there. There must be a reason why you've sent them there. Can you at least confirm that that is perhaps on the radar as an option?
PM: Ministers and officials travel extensively in our region. That's proper and appropriate. They go to have discussions with their counterparts. Of course, they travel widely. That's part of what we do across a whole range of areas where we engage with our region, of which engaging on trans-national crime, like people smuggling, is one.
So, yes, officials do travel in the region. We have been having discussions in our region on a regional solution to people smuggling. We had discussions, for example, through the Bali Process. We've had bilateral discussions. When I have something to announce arising from those discussions, I'll announce it.
JOURNALIST: It's a reasonably obscure part of the world to travel to unless you were looking at it for an explicit reason?
PM: I can't agree with that at all. We very routinely have officials and Ministers visiting in our region, all countries in our region.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on gambling, the Parliamentary Committee into gambling has recommended that you adopt pre-commitment on high-intensity poker machines. Will you be adopting that?
PM: There's a Parliamentary Committee report that's being released today and obviously the Government will analyse it and respond to it in due course.
I'm personally concerned about problem gambling. I don't want to see a situation where people end up not able to fund the necessities of life - pay the mortgage, pay the bills, pay the rent, put food on the table - because they put more money down a poker machine than their family budget can bear.
The Government's been concerned about problem gambling for a long period of time. We understood that we needed to act and that's why we asked the Productivity Commission to provide a comprehensive report on the best steps forward. Now we have a Parliamentary Committee that has also worked in the area and we'll have a good look at its recommendations, but I'm very personally committed to acting to address problem gambling.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, is the East Timor solution dead?
PM: Once again, when the Government has something to announce arising out of our regional discussions, then I'll do it.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the State Labor Executive has suspended an MP over child sex charges. Do you think that's an appropriate course of action before he's proven to be guilty in the courts?
PM: That's a matter for the State branch.
JOURNALIST: But on State matters, Prime Minister, your Government in 2009 fought hard to introduce pensioner increases. This Government - this Rann Government - wants to take that away in rent increases for public housing pensioners, something Steve Georganas has complained about, Jenny Macklin. What's your take?
PM: We will continue to push hard to ensure that the historic increase we delivered in the pension is of real benefit to people. We are going to continue to press hard, here in South Australia, to make sure that that is true for pensioners in this State.
We understand that Australians are under cost of living pressure, pensioners are, families are. That's why we've been pleased we've been able to do things like provide an historic increase in the pension - more than $120 a fortnight for a single. We're pleased we've been able to provide tax cuts three years in a row, so if you talk about someone on, say, an income of $50,000, it's an 18 per cent reduction in their tax.
We've been able to increase the childcare rebate to 50 per cent to help with those childcare costs. We've been able to do things like provide the Education Tax Refund to help with the cost of getting the kids to school.
So, we'll keep doing what we can as a Government to assist people with cost of living and certainly bringing the budget back to surplus in this Budget is part of that. We don't, as a Government, want to add to inflationary pressures, which then add to cost of living pressures for Australians.
JOURNALIST: Are you concerned by claims by the Pakistani ISI, that Kevin Rudd put their hunt for bin Laden at risk by saying that Umar Patek had been arrested in Pakistan?
PM: Look, I've seen these claims in the newspaper today and in respect of them the Minister acted entirely appropriately. The Minister spoke about this matter after receiving advice from Australian security agencies and when it was already being comprehensively reported in the media.
Thanks very much.
JOURNALIST: Skills Australia has asked for an increase in skilled migration to address those inflationary pressures that you mention. Will there be any increase in the skilled migration intake in next week's Budget?
PM: We'll deal with those matters in the Budget and, of course, all of the details of the Budget will be there on Budget night, but standing here particularly, can I say I believe that we need to put real efforts into training Australians and giving them the opportunities to get those jobs that business needs filled.
It is not satisfactory to me that we can have employers crying out for skilled labour and we can have young people here in South Australia - many of them living in Steve and Mark's electorate - who don't have a job, don't have an apprenticeship, don't have an opportunity, don't have a start in live.
Which is why, consistently across this week, I've talked about the Government's plans to increase opportunity. We have some challenges in our economy now, some softness in our economy, coming from the natural disasters we've experienced and the impact of natural disasters overseas, like in Japan, coming as an outcome of the global financial crisis.
But our economy, underlying, is strong. We've got an historic opportunity to use that strength to make a difference to the lives of Australians and better spread opportunity in our country. I'm committed to doing that and that's what we've been talking about all week, including here today with our apprenticeship completion bonus.
Thanks very much.