PRIME MINISTER:
Good morning. Now as Prime Minister, I’ve been working with and listening to Aboriginal communities all around Australia. Our First Australians, whether they are in business, enterprising entrepreneurs with digital businesses in Brisbane just a few days ago, or a community 40,000 years old in the heart of our biggest city, Sydney La Perouse, and here at Yalata.
What we're doing constantly is working with our First Australians, doing things with Indigenous Australians, not doing things to them. That wisdom of Chris Sarra’s that I referenced in the Closing the Gap speech I gave last year, it's a very critical, very, very critical insight. It's collaboration - and you see the way the community is pulling together here with the remote schools attendance strategy. You can see the way the community is taking responsibility for all the children, not just your own kids, or your nephews or nieces, but all of the kids, to make sure that they all get to school and make sure that they all benefit from the services that are available to them.
We have also had very good frank meetings on this trip with community leaders and the way in which they have taken responsibility too for their own communities. The way they have worked closely with the government, with Alan Tudge the Human Services Minister, who is here with us on this trip, Nigel Scullion, the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, on the cashless debit card.
What a great inspiring way of taking responsibility for your own community, addressing in a clear-eyed way the challenges that you face and saying, "right, let's try something different. Let's try a different solution that enables people to take control of their own lives." And as you have heard this morning, good news in this community of Yalata, where the army is going to be here for about six months or more, investing around $8 million as part of its ongoing Aboriginal Community Advancement Program. So there'll be a new early learning centre and there'll be improvements to water infrastructure, to tourism facilities, to the rubbish dump, right across the community, you'll get the best engineers and doctors and the expertise from the army coming to town, providing a great example too of what a career in the ADF represents. A lot of these young boys and girls will be able to see that, so those servicemen and women as role models too.
It is a critically important part as my job as Prime Minister to get around our big country and recognise that the experience of our First Australians is as diverse as the experience of all Australians. From the centre of the biggest cities to remote communities like this, and even more remote communities that we'll be visiting in the APY Lands later today and tomorrow.
JOURNALIST:
PM unlike a couple of your predecessors, you're not to this point in time particularly well-known for your interest in Indigenous Affairs, so a couple of questions. What prompted this trip and what have you learned so far from talking to communities like the one year in Yalata?
PRIME MINISTER:
I have been engaging with Indigenous communities and First Australians throughout all my time in public life and before that, but particularly as Prime Minister. The engagement and experience, as I said, is as diverse as Indigenous Australians diversity, and it does range from the most cutting-edge, modern 21st century digital businesses to more remote communities, more traditional lifestyles, and more experiences living on community as opposed to working in the heart of the bigger city.
So it's important to recognise that diversity of experience and this is part of the joy of being Prime Minister of this great, big country with so much diversity in it.
JOURNALIST:
Would you agree there is still very few job opportunities here even if we do have the early learning centre and other facilities?
PRIME MINISTER:
That is the on-going challenge of providing employment in remote communities and it is one of the - that has been the subject of our discussions last night, this morning, throughout this trip. I can assure you that is a very keen issue and we have focused on a number of opportunities that were presented. For example at Scottdesco, there is a big proposal there to farm and revegetate the salt bush, that is a very interesting proposal that’s got a lot of environmental benefits, as well as economic ones, and that's the example of the innovation and the creativity that you are seeing from community leaders.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, do you think you should be spending a bit longer perhaps in the communities rather than 48 hours?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I'll be back, I'm spending time here, and then I'll be doing it again in other communities, so it’s a busy job with many claims on my time. But as you can see, the engagement with Indigenous Australians is consistent, it's constant and it is as diverse as their experiences.
JOURNALIST:
On the cashless debit cards, we heard some good feedback from the community yesterday, but we’ve also spoken to locals who have said it's too broadly targeted and it needs to be more tightly targeted, it doesn't allow people to spend money on what they need to spend it on in some cases. Is there a case to be made for refining the use of the cashless debit card, either now or at the end of the 12-month trial?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well James it is a trial, that's the important thing to remember and we have a 6-month report very shortly, in fact it's in, it has been released today. It's being released today, and then there'll be another at the conclusion of the trial. So, I have got no doubt that there'll be learnings from the trial and refinements will follow. That’s the whole point.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think it's appropriate for Andrew Robb to take a job with the Chinese company that's leading Darwin port?
PRIME MINISTER:
Andrew Robb was an outstanding Trade Minister. I mean, it is hard to think of one that had more achievement. Those big free trade deals that he executed with Korea, Japan and China alone are extraordinary. Not to speak of the TPP, which of course awaits ratification. But Andrew's left the Parliament and he's pursuing a career.
JOURNALIST:
Did he speak with you about it?
PRIME MINISTER:
He has not raised this particular role with me, no.
JOURNALIST:
On asylum seekers Prime Minister, the announcement that was made yesterday. Two questions, surely, this increases the chances of a deal with New Zealand and, secondly, the announcement - how does it not contravene Article 31 of the UN Refugee Convention?
PRIME MINISTER:
Firstly, we have taken legal advice and we are satisfied it is within power and consistent with our international obligations. Secondly, we don't comment on discussions with third countries. We are constantly looking for resettlement opportunities for the people that the Labor Party left, Nauru and Manus. Remember this is Kevin Rudd's work that we are endeavouring to resolve and as Peter Dutton and I observed yesterday, our first focus, our highest-priority focus are the families, the women and children and family units on Nauru.
JOURNALIST:
Have you approached the crossbench yet to seek their support for the legislation?
PRIME MINISTER:
I haven't had discussions - actually we have had some discussions with one member of the crossbench but that will all come in due course. That is part of the job of being Prime Minister.
JOURNALIST:
Sorry, Prime Minister, what is your response to the CFMEU video?
PRIME MINISTER:
The video that is in The Australian today demonstrates that point which we have been making for some time, that Bill Shorten is the puppet of the CFMEU. He is in his job as Leader because of their support. They demanded his adherence and his obedience in return for their support. The Labor Party of 2016 and its leader are not the Labor Party of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating. This is a party that is utterly in the hands of a few militant trade unions. You have seen that in Victoria, you have seen that at the national level.
The slavish devotion that Bill Shorten has to defending the CFMEU, despite their proven record of lawlessness. Despite the fact that they are being consistently found guilty of breaching industrial law and then treating the fines as though they were parking tickets, despite the proof again and again that this lawlessness is not only an affront to our democracy and the rule of law it is adding substantial billions of dollars of cost to every union project, including government infrastructure, including hospitals and roads and railways and schools.
Now when will Mr Shorten take the responsibility of leadership seriously and stand up to these thugs? We are calling on him to do so. Again, we are not speculating or theorising. We know what works. The ABCC, when it was in operation, reduced industrial disruption. It reduced the lawlessness. It improved productivity, it made workplaces a safer place for Australians to work. One million Australians work in the construction and building sector. Surely, they are entitled to a workplace that is governed by the law, and where the law of the land is obeyed.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister this is addressing small businesses in Adelaide today, how much pressure are you putting on the Nick Xenophon Team to adopt your company tax plan?
PRIME MINISTER:
We are urging all of the crossbenchers to support our legislation. As you know, the nature of the Parliament is that the passage of legislation through the Senate requires negotiation. The Government does not have a majority in the Senate.
JOURNALIST:
Article 31 of the Refugee Convention says that a country should not be penalised if someone arrives illegally. How doesn't yesterday's announcement contravene that?
PRIME MINISTER:
The announcement is absolutely consistent with our international obligations, and let me just remind you again, that just as the point I made about the CFMEU, and the fact that we are not theorising can be made in this context too. We know exactly what happens when you abandon our strong border protection policies. We know exactly what happens, the Labor Party did it. We begged them not to, 50,000 unauthorised arrivals, 1200 deaths at sea of which we know.
JOURNALIST:
But how doesn't yesterday's announcement contravene that in the convention?
PRIME MINISTER:
I am assuring you that it doesn't.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, Pauline Hanson this morning said that refugees aren't welcome in Australia because they come here for economic reasons. Is she correct?
PRIME MINISTER:
I am not going to run a commentary on others. I just say this - we have one of the most generous humanitarian intakes in the world. As you know, we are increasing our intake up to nearly 19,000 a year, over the next few years, that is the regular program. We are taking 12,000 refugees from the Syrian conflict zone.
Only the night before last, I was with Lucy at the dinner of the University of Western Sydney and one of the speakers was that very inspirational man, Deng Thiak Adut, he came as a Sudanese refugee. He has written a book called War Boy about his extraordinary experiences in that zone. Now he came through the UN program, he is an example, as is Alir Alir, the AFL player that I referenced in my speech to the United Nations. They are great refugee stories, Australia is very generous to refugees.
Our ability to be generous to refugees, our ability to take those large numbers of refugees is there because we maintain the security of our borders, because we decide who is coming here and we don't outsource that to the people smugglers. That was the failure of the Labor Party and again, I know it is tiresome for politicians to criticise their opponents, but the fact is, the Labor Party failed here and what all we are seeking for them to do now is to support this legislation, it sends a strong and unequivocal message. It is critically important, there is a battle of will between the people of Australia and their government and the people smugglers. They will use every artifice, every means of communication to persuade people to get on those boats, and we have to send an unequivocal message. It is the foundation of our compassionate humanitarian program.
JOURNALIST:
On the ABCC to pick up on the question, One Nation's Rod Culleton said he may split from his party and vote against that legislation, which is a blow to your plans to pass it by the end of the year. Will you be seeking meetings with Senator Culleton, will you be seeking with One Nation, are you confident of still passing it through the Senate?
PRIME MINISTER:
We seek to persuade all of the members of the Senate, including the Labor Party and the Greens for that matter, to support the restoration of the ABCC.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, just on the welfare card, some residents find it offensive that they don’t have autonomy over how their money has been spent. Do you think its offensive that those responsible residents have to use the card also?
PRIME MINISTER:
We understand, we have heard those concerns, but the feedback that we have had on this visit and the feedback I've had from the community leaders is that the card has overwhelming support in the community.
JOURNALIST:
What are your thoughts on the Indian Prime Minister having concerns over this bus driver attack in Brisbane?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I can readily understand his concerns and in fact, I spoke to Prime Minister Modi about it last night and conveyed our sympathies and condolences. The matter of course is being closely investigated I will keep him informed as the results of the investigation arise.
JOURNALIST:
PM, would Hillary Clinton be a better friend to the Asia-Pacific than Donald Trump given what Julie Bishop said on Insiders?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look I think at this stage with barely a week to go, I will leave the election commentary in the United States to everybody else but and just refer you back to the remarks of the Foreign Minister. OK, thank you all very much indeed.
ENDS