Prime Minister
NEIL BREEN: The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, he's on the line. Good morning to you, Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning Neil.
BREEN: A lot of money. Will your children ever grow to the age where we'll pay off this debt?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes. And the way that's going to happen is by ensuring that we've taken the action right now. If we didn't take the action we're taking right now, there wouldn't be anything left to leave to them. We would leave an economy with young people not in jobs, businesses that are forever shuttered. And that's what we have to deal with now. This is the worst global recession we've seen since prior to the First World War, and the Great Depression. And so the challenge is big and the Budget is measured up to that challenge by doing three things if you allow me just to make this point.
BREEN: Yes.
PRIME MINISTER: Firstly, to cushion that blow. So many businesses, so many jobs, so many livelihoods are under threat. And through the programmes that have been running these last six months, which extend out to the end of March, we are cushioning that blow and better than most countries around the world today. But the second part is the economic recovery plan that we announced last night. Bringing forward investments. Bringing forward infrastructure spending. Bringing forward tax cuts. Bringing forward the hiring decisions through the JobMaker hiring credit so we can get things moving right now. And then there's the longer term, the building Australia's economy for the future. That's everything from getting the gas from under the ground. It's the big changes we're making to how training and skills development is done in this country. How we're digitising our economy so we can we can earn more. But at the same time, be more efficient. And that is what enables you ultimately to earn more as an economy and in jobs. But the Budget at the end of the day, Neil, it's all about jobs. And we've got to get people back into work. We've already got 760,000 people have come back into jobs. That jobs growth hasn't been as strong in Queensland as it's been in the other states, particularly New South Wales and South Australia and even Tasmania and Western Australia.
BREEN: My reading of this Budget is it's, and what you just said, it's all about getting money into the economy fast. Is this about just shovelling cash out there for us to save ourselves?
PRIME MINISTER: It is standing in the breach in what is a terrible recession that is affecting so many Australians. And it's incumbent on us as the Government to make sure we do that now and enable business to get back on their feet. 8 out of 10 jobs are in the private sector and we need to get the private sector firing up again. And that is everything from giving them the support to hire new people, to ensure that they make the investments so their businesses can grow again as we come out of this COVID-19 recession. It's about giving them confidence and making sure they've got their, the employees have got the right training and the right skills. And we're investing across all of these areas so they've got more affordable, lower cost energy that's reliable, particularly for heavier industries. And that's why the gas plan that we've outlined in this Budget is so important. I mean, we want those manufacturing industries to be there in to the future. And to do that, you've got to have affordable energy. And that's what our that's what our energy plan is delivering. So it's right across the board. And it's not just tradies, it's techies, it's people working right across the economy that are going to benefit from all these initiatives.
BREEN: If I was a female over 35 and I'd lost my job and I'm just about to have a baby, and I read this Budget and saw there was nothing in there for childcare and not a lot for me, for my future employment prospects. What hope can you, as Prime Minister, give me?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, there's $9 billion dollars being invested in childcare in this Budget. $9 billion, as a Government in recent years we've changed the way that child care is being delivered in this country. There are 85 per cent rebates that are provided, particularly to those on lower incomes to middle-incomes on what they pay in child care. And there are the speed limits we've got through the way the childcare funding is provided on the costs of that childcare. I mean going into this recession, childcare costs had actually fallen. Through this recession we've been keeping childcare operators in business. And at one point we had to underwrite the whole system. And those businesses have come through. So those childcare places are there on the other side as well. But there's a $240m programme in this Budget called the Women's Economic Security Statement that's investing in programmes, which is helping women into their own businesses, strengthening their entrepreneurial skills and keeping them safe at work, importantly as well, which is often a big challenge for women in the workplace. Safe from all sorts of threats. And that's incredibly important to us. So there's there is the second of our Women's Economic Security Statements in this Budget. We've ensured that through our childcare reforms, we've got the women's participation in the workforce up to record levels, and the gender pay gap to its smallest level that we've seen. And we want to achieve that again. And so we'll continue on with those policies.
BREEN: I've got a lot of questions from listeners here, and Lizzie writes in from the Sunshine Coast, she says, can you ask the Prime Minister why there was no nation building and no creativity, just money given to businesses for rebates for trucks and nothing for women? That seems to be a familiar question being asked today.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's why I thank you for the question you just put to me. And to be able to set out what is actually in there. But beyond that, I mean, the infrastructure spend that is going into Queensland in particular. I mean, the Bruce Highway upgrade programme. The M1 upgrade between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The Gateway Motorway upgrade. The Toowoomba second wave crossing. The Warrego Highway upgrade. The Ipswich Motorway upgrades. The Mount Lindsay Highway. And the Brisbane Metro. The Gold Coast light rail. The Beerburrum to Nambour rail line. I can go on. I mean, there is massive infrastructure spending. There’s $7.5 billion. I mean, you know, if you built the Sydney Opera House again today, it'd cost you about $700 million bucks. More than that, actually about $800 million. Now we've got $7.5 billion extra for infrastructure investment that's been brought forward because, as I said, a key part of our plan is to bring forward investment. That's a key part of our recovery. That's how you get the jobs back. So, you know, it's opening up the gas pipelines. It's opening up the gas reserves to ensure that we can get lower cost energy. There's a $1.5 billion manufacturing plan that's there for advanced manufacturing in areas from everything from space and defence through yo food and beverage manufacturing. And and the mining services are very important in Queensland in particular. So this is a broad ranging plan of a boldness and a scale that this country hasn't seen since the Second World War.
BREEN: Okay, John asked this question. Can you ask the Prime Minister if he spent 14 days in Canberra and when he's going to get up here to campaign for the LNP because we need him to get Deb Frecklington over the line?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, I hope I can get to Queensland. I mean, right now I'm in Canberra. Parliament is sitting this week. I've been...
BREEN: You have to stay there for 14 days, if you want to come here.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I've been here for a while now, preparing for this Budget. So you never know. You never know. I'd love to get up to Queensland. I've missed being able to get up to Queensland. I was able to get up very briefly just a couple of times over the last few months. And, you know, I went and saw this amazing seafood business which goes and fishes for tuna...
BREEN: Yes, on the Sunshine Coast.
PRIME MINISTER: They're amazing. I mean, they were already using the instant asset write-off to get themselves a new blast chiller and they've completely changed what fish they're fishing for to ensure that they can meet the different demands of markets and how things work in COVID-19. There are businesses that didn't sit on their hands. They went, things have changed. We've got to change. And they've kept themselves in business. It's been tough, for so many businesses it's been tough. In Queensland, in particular, the tourism and hospitality industry and the aviation industry has taken an enormous hit. And so that's why, you know, I've been keen to see things open up in Queensland. I mean, it’s for the Queensland Premier to decide how long she keeps Queensland shut. But if you're for jobs, you need to open.
BREEN: I just have to ask you one before you go, because I know you're busy and thank you for your time this morning, Prime Minister. But being the father of three children myself. When your wife and kids ordered the chicken coop, how happy were you when it turned up, delivered as a flatpack and you had to put it together?
PRIME MINISTER: I think you can imagine. But it was a nice distraction from the other many things that we've been doing down here, preparing for the Budget. So for a few hours, you know, I got the screwdriver out and the drill and the hammer and off I went.
BREEN: Out of 10, as a tradie would you get an apprenticeship?
PRIME MINISTER: Nup. I'd get an A for effort. An A for effort. But it took me, I suspect, far longer than it would, you know, an accomplished tradie, or even an apprentice for that matter. But I thought it came up all right. And, look, these little projects are you know, fun for the family, and fun for the kids. And we've had plenty of suggestions from all around the country about what to call the chooks and what you've got to do to look after them. And, you know, not have mites in the pen and all that sort of thing, and keeping the foxes out and all the rest of it. So thank you to all, to everyone for their suggestions. And quite a few people offered us chickens too but we'll be alright. We'll be able to get some.
BREEN: Good stuff. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, thanks for joining us on 4BC Breakfast.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks a lot Neil.