WILL HODGMAN:
Firstly can I say how great it is to be at Tas Live Abalone; a fantastic Tasmanian business that’s been operating for over a decade and showcasing what Tasmania can produce and highlighting the great potential that our State’s economy has. It’s fantastic to be at such a great Tasmanian success story and especially fantastic to be here with Prime Minister Tony Abbott who comes back to this State with a very keen interest to see our economy grow, to lift Tasmania up off the bottom of the economic pile and to realise Tasmania’s potential.
This election in Tasmania is a critical decision for Tasmanian’s to make about the future and the direction our State’s heading in. The Canberra experience of a Labor/Green minority government shows that they failed and they are not conducive to good economic outcomes. We need a strong economy so that we can invest in our essential services and improve the quality of life in Tasmania. Tasmania has suffered a Labor/Green government now for four years. We’re now getting a glimpse into what the next minority government in Tasmania might look like with Nick McKim as Premier. I think Tasmanians will be concerned to know that the next minority government could have at the helm a man who has talked down Tasmania’s economy, who has compromised business confidence, who has been instrumental in driving a stake into the heart of our forest industry. We’re now getting a sneak preview of what the next minority government could look like in Tasmania with Nick McKim as its leader. The only option for Tasmania is to get a majority government - a government that’s able to deliver a strong agenda, that will grow our economy, that will create jobs and will allow us to invest in essential services - is for Tasmanians to vote Liberal. If Tasmanians choose to vote for the Labor Party, the Palmer United Party or the Greens Party led by Nick McKim we now understand that the very likely outcome will be another minority government with Nick McKim as its leader. I’ll ask the Prime Minister to say a few things as well and then we’ll take some questions.
PRIME MINISTER:
It's really terrific to be at Tas Live Abalone, an outstanding local business and a sign of what Tasmanians can achieve when they have a go. I'm really pleased to be here in Tasmania with my friend Will Hodgman. Will wants to see Tasmania like the rest of Australia open for business. If you want Tasmania to be open for business - you've got to vote for Will Hodgman and the Liberal Party's candidates at this coming state election. Unfortunately, the Labor/Green government that we had in Canberra until recently and we still have here in Tasmania is congenitally hostile to business. It just can't help itself. If you want to have strong communities, you've got to have a strong economy to sustain them and the only way to have a strong economy is to have profitable private businesses like this one. So I'm pleased to be here with Will, I fully support what Will is doing, I hope to be working constructively with Will in the months and years ahead, should the election here in Tasmania go the way I hope. Isn't it good to see a candidate for the premiership who wants to work constructively with the national government rather than pick unnecessary fights with the national government? If we want to have a go ahead state as part of a go ahead nation, we need Federal and State Governments working with each other, not against each other.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, you were in the same position as Will Hodgman just a few months ago. A red hot favourite heading into an election – what advice do you have for Will on winning the last two weeks of the campaign like you did in September?
PRIME MINISTER:
Will is not taking anything for granted and certainly I didn't take anything for granted and the Liberal Party takes nothing for granted here. This is a very close race. It's particularly difficult because of the Hare-Clark voting system. I think that the people of Tasmania know that the last thing they need is 16 years of this government. That's what Lara Giddings is asking for, 16 years of government which has basically closed this State down. Now, I love Tasmania's beautiful environment, I love Tasmania's clean reputation, the fact that these abalone here are so beautifully presented, are so pristine and perfect in a way that produce of almost no other place is. I really love that, but Tasmania has got to be an economy as well as a National Park and if the Labor/Green government has its way, it will be more of a National Park, less of an economy and that's not the future for this State.
QUESTION:
Has Will Hodgman spoken to you about how politically damaging it might be if the NBN isn’t rolled out fibre to the home down here?
PRIME MINISTER:
What Will and I have discussed is the importance of actually getting the NBN happening. Let's not forget for a second that the former Labor/Green government in Canberra because of its utter incompetence and ineptitude stopped the rollout. The NBN rollout in Tasmania stopped in July and it was not going to start again had that government been re-elected. It has started again, because Malcolm Turnbull has got it going. I give this guarantee – under the Coalition we will get the NBN going again and we will roll out the NBN past more houses in the next 12 months than Labor managed in the last five years.
QUESTION:
But how receptive has the Federal Government been to Will Hodgman’s argument that we should have fibre to the premise everywhere in Tasmania. Is that something that you will consider doing given the pressure from people like Will Hodgman?
PRIME MINISTER:
The NBN will be rolled out throughout Tasmania, you'll get faster, more affordable broadband, more quickly under the Coalition. The interesting development this week is the discussions between Will Hodgman and Minister Turnbull and I am confident that we can have a trial of overhead rollout of the NBN to see whether that's a faster more affordable, more feasible way of doing it.
QUESTION:
Why did Liberal Senators then and candidates tell us before the federal election who would get full fibre to the home rollout?
PRIME MINISTER:
The important thing is that the NBN will be delivered here in Tasmania. That's the point I want to make. The NBN will be delivered here in Tasmania and over the next 12 months under the Coalition you will get more homes and premises passed in 12 months than Labor did in the last five years.
QUESTION:
Why do we need a trial on the Aurora rollout given that it was used in stage one. We’ve already actually done this in some places like Midway Point. Why do you need another trial?
PRIME MINISTER:
Can I just make the general point and I think we've had a good go on this issue and we'll go on to other issues if you don't mind, but I just want to make the general point – are going to get the NBN faster by having a fight with the Federal Government or are you going to get the NBN faster by working with the Federal Government? Now, Will Hodgman has proved, even as Opposition Leader, that he can work with the Federal Government. Lara Giddings is boasting about the fact that she wants to fight with the Federal Government. If you want to get things done, you've got to work cooperatively with people and that's what will happen if Will Hodgman becomes Premier of Tasmania. I'm not looking for a fight with anyone, but it seems that the current Premier wants to pick a fight with me and is saying re-elect me so that I can fight with Canberra. If you want things done, if you want to go ahead as a State and as a nation let's have the State Government and the Commonwealth Government working together.
QUESTION:
Do you accept that it’s a broken promise to no longer commit to full fibre to the premises rollout given what was said by Liberal Party candidates and members before the election?
PRIME MINISTER:
Are there any other subjects people want to ask questions about?
QUESTION:
There are, but that’s a pretty straight forward question.
PRIME MINISTER:
We’ll come back to that one. Are there any other subjects people want to ask questions about?
QUESTION:
Do you have concerns about the AFP raids on Channel Seven this week? Did they get it wrong?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, what happened with the AFP and Channel Seven was an operational policing matter and operational policing matters are a matter for the AFP, they're entirely at arm’s length from government. Now, it does seem that there are some issues and my understanding is that the Attorney has issued a polite please explain to the AFP, but the actual matter itself was an operational policing matter. Entirely at arm's length from government and that's as it should be.
QUESTION:
Was it appropriate that the police were armed?
PRIME MINISTER:
Again, operational policing is entirely a matter for the AFP.
QUESTION:
Has the Government handed over Cabinet documents to the pink batts Royal Commission?
PRIME MINISTER:
We've established a Royal Commission because we want to get to the bottom of the most incompetently managed programme in Australia's history. Can any of you think of a government programme that actually killed people? Let's not forget that this programme was so incompetently devised and carried out that it resulted in four deaths, hundreds of house fires, a billion or so was spent putting insulation in and then a billion or so was spent taking insulation out.
An absolute monumental act of ineptitude. Now, it's very important that we get to the bottom of how this happened and why this happened so that we can learn the lessons and make sure that nothing like this ever happens again. What is actually required and who is actually going to be interviewed, will be a matter for the Royal Commissioner. If the Royal Commissioner asks for documents, that's a matter for the Royal Commissioner.
QUESTION:
Do you think that would set a dangerous precedent for the future though, if you did hand over those Cabinet documents?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, it's not a question of us handing over the Cabinet documents, Royal Commissioners are entitled to ask and to indeed be supplied with documents. Royal Commissioners have very extensive powers to demand documents, to summon and question witnesses. This is a very powerful inquiry and it should do its job.
QUESTION:
There have been calls for a royal commission into the asylum policy. One could argue that that’s a government policy that’s resulted in loss of life.
PRIME MINISTER:
There is an inquiry going on into what’s happened in Manus. We’ve got General Campbell up there at the moment, so that we know exactly what’s happened. The Papua New Guinea authorities will have their own inquiries into what happened. The important thing is that we protect our borders, we implement our policies and we maintain order in these camps and I'm pleased to say that despite a very serious riot, the camp was fully functional the next morning, people were being fed, people were being housed, people were being looked after and our obligations were being discharged.
QUESTION:
Can I ask another question about the State election? You mentioned Hare-Clark being difficult – do you think it’ foolish that Will Hodgman rules out governing in anyway other than a majority given how well a Coalition work in Canberra?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we have a very stable Coalition between the Liberal Party and the National Party in Canberra. There is no comparable National Party here in Tasmania that has a Coalition agreement with the Liberal Party, so what happens in Canberra is on our side of politics is sui generis if you like.
The important thing is that we have a strong and stable government here in Tasmania and the only way to have a strong and stable government is to vote for Will Hodgman and the Liberals. If you want a Labor/Green circus or a Green/Labor circus vote for someone other than the Liberals. If you want a strong and stable government, here in Tasmania, the only way to get it is to vote for Will Hodgman and the Liberals.
QUESTION:
What’s your response to the news that there could be 6000 jobs lost at Qantas?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, it's not news, it's just speculation. Qantas is a very important iconic Australian business and I want Qantas to flourish. But like every other private business, Qantas has got to put its house in order and I think it's important that it does so. There are plenty of signs that Qantas is serious about putting its house in order and I'd encourage them to get on with that particular job.
Now, I’ll just go back to that question that you asked and this is the final answer I'll give. Look, we will keep our commitments, we will keep all of our commitments because I want to lead a Government which is competent and trustworthy. The essence of political trustworthiness is to keep your commitments, so all of the commitments that we made pre-election will be kept.
Thank you.
[ends]