Prime Minister
Ms Susie Bower, Liberal Candidate for Lyons: What a fantastic day to be here in Lyons. We've just had a tour by Sylvia and Graeme Elphinstone of their plant here in Triabunna, which is actually providing the sleds for Antarctica, which is a fantastic announcement that we will have in a minute from the Prime Minister and Sussan Ley. Obviously, we have our Liberal colleagues here, in our Senators, in Senator Duniam, Abetz and Claire Chandler. And we also have the Minister for Environment Sussan Ley here today. But I'm not sure about you, but I can't remember the last time a Prime Minister came to Triabunna, and I am so proud that we are able to bring him into Lyons and show him what is able to be completed here in a very small town. That means a lot to these guys up the back there. We're having local jobs for local people. So without further ado, I’ll introduce the Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison.
Prime Minister: Thank you, thank you. Well, thank you, Susie. Great to be with you again today, this time in another part of Lyons. And here in Triabunna, it's wonderful to be here. And it's particularly exciting to be here with Sussan Ley, the Environment Minister and our Senate colleagues, because today we are making an important announcement about Australia's commitment to looking after Antarctica. This is a very important responsibility that Australia has. We are stewards of some of the most important and most sensitive environments anywhere in the world, whether it is up in Far North Queensland on the Great Barrier Reef, where Sussan and I were very recently, or standing here in Tasmania announcing today $800 million of additional investment as part of our science research and capability support program for what we're doing to implement our Antarctica strategy.
Both of these big initiatives are all about Australia's outstanding reputation of being one of the most advanced scientific managers of these sensitive environments anywhere in the world. But our ability to do this is based on why I am here in Triabunna, because we're here with Graeme Elphinstone today. I was with his brother Dale yesterday up in Burnie, and what they've been able to do here, working in Tasmanian industry, putting together bespoke industrial capability to deal with the challenges, whether it's the logging industry, or the mining industry in Dale's case. And they can take that ingenuity and they can apply it to the extremely difficult challenges of what it's like to have to work in Antarctica. The fact that we have sovereign capability in our manufacturing industries and that we have it in regional locations like we are here in Triabunna. You know, where this is not a big city, this is one of, one of the beautiful towns and regions of our country, and we've got people with some of the best skills in the world putting together some of the most innovative equipment that has to operate in the most extreme of environments. That's what sovereign capability looks like in manufacturing.
Sovereign capability in manufacturing is one of our five key points of the economic plan, which is driving our economy forward. And that plan is, firstly, to get taxes down, as we've been delivering, and cutting red tape. Secondly, to ensure that we are investing in the skills and infrastructure that Australia needs to ensure our economy can grow, and those skills have been on display here. Apprentices coming through with world-leading skills and talents right here in Triabunna. Thirdly, to ensure that we have affordable, reliable energy, so our manufacturing industries in particular can continue to do what they're doing and we can keep electricity prices down. They've been down eight per cent over the last two years, down five per cent over the last 12 months. All this has to come together, with Australia being, fourthly, a leading data and digital economy, a top 10 data and digital economy by the year 2030, which enables all of those skills and opportunities. All of that then builds into our sovereign manufacturing capability.
You know, security’s about many issues. It's about, of course, our strategic security interests and our intelligence and our defence capabilities. No doubt about that. But it's also about our economic security. The reason that we can run a strong economy, the reason that our Government has strong financial management that has enabled us to maintain our AAA credit rating - one of only nine countries to do so anywhere in the world and to have done that through a pandemic when we've had to deliver more economic support to our economy than at any other time in our history - when you get your financial management right and you've got the right economic plan, what happens is people get into jobs. Towns like this are able to go forward and take on some of the most complicated and demanding contracts imaginable, as we're seeing here in this Antarctic program.
And so our plan is working. How do I know that? Because Australians are working. How do I know that? Because Tasmanians are working. Tasmania now has an unemployment rate with a three in front of it. And before long, the rest of the country as a whole will have an unemployment rate with a three in front of it. Now that is generational achievement by Australians in our economy. That's what strong economic management does. Over the last few years, we've been rightly very focused on the impact of the pandemic. But we haven't just been managing the pandemic, where we have one of the strongest economies, where we have one of the lowest fatality rates, death rates from COVID in the world, and the highest vaccination rates. It's also been about building up our manufacturing capabilities and our economy so we can launch back strongly, as we are now, right across the country, and as we are here, right in Triabunna. So it is very exciting.
This program is going to create 685 direct jobs, 685 jobs. That's directly in the $800 million that we're putting in place, and that's an increase of 100 of what we're already doing right now. Now that doesn't include the jobs here at Elphinstone or in the supply chain or in the many other elements that go into supporting this program. So the jobs that are being created by Australia being one of the world's leading Antarctic managers or an Arctic type experience as well. I mean, we're one of the best in the world with this, and we're working with our partners and we’re respected for doing that. And that is creating the sort of jobs and capability. If you can build sleds to go across Antarctica, you can pretty much build anything. And that's what Australia is doing - building things, making things, and it's all happening right here.
So I'm going to ask Sussan to take you through more of the scientific elements of what this program involves and the partnerships that we have in place. We take our Antarctic Treaty obligations incredibly seriously. So the ability to have the drones up in the air and to have the undersea surveillance and mapping capabilities, the ability to have a new krill museum, sorry a new krill aquarium here in Tasmania, all of this is building our scientific knowledge and capability, and Sussan can take you to that. Thank you, Sussan, and well done on pulling this all together.
The Hon. Sussan Ley MP, Minister for the Environment: Many thanks indeed, Prime Minister. It's lovely to be here. Susie, thank you for your advocacy for the people of Triabunna, and probably about two thirds of Tasmania, wonderful. Senator Claire Chandler, to you and the rest of your Senate team. It's great to be here.
Prime Minister, yes, indeed. This $804 million announcement protects the integrity of Australia's leadership in Antarctica and sends a clear international signal about the strength of the role we play within the Antarctic Treaty System, because Australia has always been there. In 1959, Sir Robert Menzies was a founding member for Australia of the Antarctic Treaty System, and that was a time when in the Cold War the continent could have been carved up. Thirty years ago, the Madrid Protocol, Australia once again stepped up and said no mining in the world's last wilderness. And our approach through the Antarctic Treaty system has been with the protection of this fragile environment front and centre, with science, with research, with deepening our understanding, but always within that Treaty system being recognised for the leadership globally. And what we do is internationally renowned and second to none.
So as Kim Ellis from the Antarctic Division has explained to us today and thank you, Kim, and to all of your team, your scientists, your researchers, your extraordinarily dedicated expeditioners, we can step up once again to a different level of investment in this critical time. And that includes we all met recently with the launch of Nuyina, our polar research vessel platform, state of the art with mobile aquariums on board. It will be able to traverse down the 42 per cent heart of the Antarctic continent that we are stewards over. From Nuyina, we’ll be able to launch medium range helicopters that can now go 550 kilometres, three times further than the squirrels that we use now, and we’ll have underwater drones we’ll have unmanned aerial vehicles, we’ll have a fleet of drones. We'll have eyes on Antarctica. We'll have mapping, we'll have sensors, we'll have cameras and we will look literally at uncharted waters, and it's incredibly exciting.
Graeme Elphinstone, the thing that is so remarkable about you is that you went to Antarctica. You didn't just drop into Casey Station. You actually did a traverse over several weeks and you said, well, if we're going to build the right sleds, the state of the art equipment, I want to know exactly what it needs to do in these extraordinarily harsh conditions. And so what you do here is remarkable. And so just a huge recognition to your workforce, because while sometimes announcements sound very big and if they land in global circumstances, I love this because it's landing right here. It's landing in the workshops, in the engineering shops, in the catering, in the providores, in the medical research, in the universities, in the trades and the training all over Tasmania. And it's fantastic for every single Tasmanian. But I also know today that Australians are proud. They're proud of our role in Antarctica. They're proud of what we've achieved and they're proud of what we can do next. So thank you.
Prime Minister: Thank you, Sussan. Well happy to take some questions.
Journalist: Prime Minister, can we just, onto other issues …
Prime Minister: How about we just stay on Antarctica? Happy to go to other issues, but questions on Antarctica first and the announcement - it’s $800 million in some of the world's leading polar research and science. Very exciting news for Tasmania and the research community and all those who are working here. So happy to take some questions on the program first and then we can move to other issues.
Journalist: How many new jobs will this create and how many specifically in Tasmania?
Prime Minister: Well, we'll see an extra 100 jobs that are specific to the program itself, and that is largely driven out of Tasmania. I mean, this is where we base ourselves in Australia. And overall, there’s 685 jobs that this is supporting. But, as I said, that doesn't include the jobs that are in places like Elphinstone’s here. It doesn't include all the supply chain jobs that sit around that. And so, you know, it doesn't include the new apprentices who will come on board to make this incredible equipment and the skills that they will develop. See we're not just, you know, building sleds, we're building workforce capability here, we're building sovereign manufacturing capability here. So there's the jobs and the capability, and what does that do? Drives your economy, gets unemployment down, gets wages moving, ensures that, you know, you've got money flowing through small communities like this. So the knock on effects of this, I think, are very, very positive. This is what a strong economic plan looks like for a strong economy, which means a stronger future for Australia and Tasmania.
Journalist: Is the Australian Government concerned about other nations, particularly China, trying to assert their dominance over the Antarctic region, and has that, you know, caused, I suppose, part of this, this plan, the surveillance as part of this plan to be included?
Prime Minister: Well, we are a treaty nation when it comes to Antarctica, and we take those responsibilities incredibly seriously. Now, not everybody respects those obligations and those stewardship responsibilities. So this gives us eyes on Antarctica. We have an important job to do, not just about understanding Antarctica and what the implications of that are for everything from climate science through to many other applications. But it is also about ensuring that we protect Antarctica and that we have good knowledge about what's going on there, and we're able to push through now, particularly with the airlift capability, the drone capability and the undersea capability, we're able to do things now in this next phase. I mean, we had, you know, our total investment now is $3 billion in looking after Antarctica. So we go from $2.2 billion to $3 billion as part of this program. And this extends out over the decade. And this is in the Budget and it's there and able now to be implemented by our world-leading scientists. So we need to keep eyes in Antarctica because there are others who have different objectives to us, and we need to make sure, not just for Australia's interests but for the world's interests, that we protect this incredible environment that we have responsibility for.
Journalist: And does this new, does this new plan include plans for a year-round paved runway, as the Australian Strategic Policy Institute report suggested was needed?
Prime Minister: I’ll let Sussan speak to that.
The Hon. Sussan Ley MP, Minister for the Environment: Well, we recently announced that we wouldn't continue with the 2.7 kilometre paved runway in the world's last wilderness, but what we would do is step up and boost our investment and our dedication to preserving the leadership role of Australia through the Antarctic Treaty System. And this $800 million investment is all about that.
Journalist: The report suggested, though, that paved runway was needed to assert greater influence in the region. So why the decision not to proceed?
The Hon. Sussan Ley MP, Minister for the Environment: Well, the runway didn’t stack up environmentally, but it also doesn't stack up strategically. What does stack up strategically is the investment that we're making, which allows us to extend our reach into the 42 per cent of Antarctica that we’re stewards over, allows us to develop capabilities that we haven't had before. And most importantly, asserts our role through the Antarctic Treaty Decision, because decisions in Antarctica are made through consensus and collaboration.
Prime Minister: So this is about getting the balance right, as it is with everything, and in such a sensitive environment it's about delivering the strategic effect through the capability that we've been able to bring together in this package. The goal’s the same, the objective’s the same, but we've been able to do that in a way which respects all of the issues that Sussan has just mentioned, while at the same time making sure we've got eyes on Antarctica.
Journalist: Can you outline exactly what your concerns are around Chinese activity in Antarctica?
Prime Minister: Well, they don't share the same objectives as Australia, as a, as a treaty nation, when it comes to protecting Antarctica. And so it's very important that we are very clear in our understanding about what activities are being undertaken there, and that there is an accountability and transparency around that. Australia has always been very happy to call out these things, and where we have to, we will, and we have given ourselves the capability to put ourselves in a situation where we can do that - not just on behalf of Australia, but Australia works in partnership with so many other nations who share our objectives. France, for example, we're working very closely with France when it comes to our stewardship responsibilities in Antarctica. We work with the Kiwis, we work with a range of countries, the Italians, in particular, who are very committed. The Spanish, both Sussan and I were part of the recent Conference on the Treaty very recently. So the world is working together to protect Antarctica, but there’ll be others who will have different objectives there and would seek to exploit its resources in a way that would not be consistent with those objectives. And, so, we're ensuring that in our stewarding of this incredible environment that we've got eyes on, and so there's a transparency about what's taking place down there.
Journalist: What's your understanding of what China [inaudible]?
Prime Minister: Well, I think I've sort of covered those issues off already, I think. They don't share the same objectives that Australia does.
Journalist: Are we talking fishing, mining, what's, where are the main concerns there?
Prime Minister: Well, I think you've outlined quite a few there.
Journalist: Do you see them as the biggest threat to Australia's operations in Antarctica, or are there other challenges we face?
Prime Minister: Well, this is a, what we have to protect against is threats to Antarctica. That's what this is about, and we protect against those threats through our scientific research, through the building of our understanding, through the mapping capabilities that are being put in place, by ensuring that we can go to places where you’ve never been able to go before. I mean, Mawson would be very thrilled about this, I think, to see Australians going out and doing this in this way. I think it's very much in keeping with that tradition, and where others who have different objectives to us, well, it's an opportunity for us to be there and make sure that we're protecting Antarctica from more exploitative interests.
Journalist: How quickly do you get those eyes down there? How fast can this technology be developed and move down there?
The Hon. Sussan Ley MP, Minister for the Environment: Look, there's money in the Budget averaging $70, $80, $90 million every year up until 2030, at least. So, as you can see, the Antarctic Division is positioned to leverage this announcement and absolutely make it happen in the real world of Antarctica.
Prime Minister: And we’re already doing it. As I said, we've already got $2.2 billion invested. This is $800 million on top of this. So we're, you know, we've been doing this for a long time and we have an outstanding record and reputation on our activities in Antarctica over a very long time. So this is adding to that and further extending our capability.
Journalist: China has accused Australia of slinging mud over the laser pointing incident. What's your response to that?
Prime Minister: I reject that absolutely. I mean, the facts are very clear. There was a Chinese naval vessel in our exclusive economic zone, and it pointed a laser pointer at an Australian surveillance aircraft. That's what happened. They need to explain that, not just to Australia, but this needs to be explained to the entire region as to what they would be doing undertaking such a reckless act, for what's supposed to be a professional Navy. There's no explanation that Australia has to give here. Our surveillance planes have every right to be in our exclusive economic zone and keeping a close eye on what people are up to in our exclusive economic zone. And that's what their job is. And the fact that they were put under that type of a threat I think is extremely disappointing, and I think requires an explanation. Not for it to be dismissed or shunted off or some of the usual responses that we get. Now, do I have an expectation that an explanation will be given? Frankly, not a strong one, based on the form. But what I do know is that's what occurred and I'll call it out.
Journalist: They've said that they were forced to take defensive measures because Australia was flying too close to their vessel. Do you know how far our aircraft actually was flying to the vessel, and was there any directive from the Australian Government to target that?
Prime Minister: Our surveillance aircraft was exactly where it was allowed to be, doing everything they are allowed to do, and keeping eyes on those who were coming into our exclusive economic zone. They were doing their job, as they do every single day, and we make no apology for where our surveillance aircraft are, looking after and protecting Australia.
Journalist: Prime Minister, can you guarantee that under your energy plan that the price of energy won't continue, sorry, will continue to fall?
Prime Minister: Well, what I can tell you is what our energy policies have delivered, and our energy policies have delivered electricity price falls of eight per cent over the last two years, and five per cent over the last 12 months. I can tell you that our emissions reduction policies have seen emissions fall by over 20 per cent. I can tell you that under the previous Labor Government, electricity prices increased by over 100 per cent. And I think there's a very clear contrast between those. What we understand is you've got to get the balance right as you transition your energy economy into the future, as we move towards our targets out to 2050, but we do that in a way that it can be absorbed by the Australian economy and ensures that we can keep stability in our electricity grid, that we can keep gas prices down, that we can ensure that manufacturers get access to energy prices, both whether they be electricity or in gas feedstock, which enables them to be world's best and very competitive. So that is our record. That's what our policies do, because we understand the need for reliable and affordable energy, not just reducing emissions. We're seeking to achieve both goals. And that's why the baseload power generation, which is so important to our grid and keeping electricity prices down, that's why our gas mechanism is so important, because that's helped us keep gas prices down and electricity prices down when they're under extreme pressure.
Now, what we're seeing in other areas like petrol prices and things like that, that's obviously being driven by broader global issues. These are not things that Australia or anyone else has direct control over, and we only need to see what's happening with gas prices in Europe in particular, when we see the the troubles in Ukraine, a country that is already seeing Russian troops enter their own sovereign territory, that has already occurred now. There's some suggestion that they’re peacekeeping, is nonsense. They have moved in on Ukrainian sovereign territory. And while I hope for the best in terms of the diplomatic efforts that are being pursued, particularly by the United States and France and other nations in Europe that are trying to avoid what would be an absolutely violent confrontation with terrible human consequences, at the same time, we cannot have threats of violence being used to seek to advantage nation’s positions over others. That is not a peaceful world order that would be achieving that. And so it's important that like-minded countries who denounce this sort of behaviour do stick together. And I can assure you, the moment that that other countries put in place strong and severe sanctions on Russia, we will be in lockstep with them and we'll be moving just as quickly. And that's what, they’re discussions that we've been engaged with now for some time with our partners.
Journalist: Do you agree with Tony Abbott's comments that Russia would try to take over Poland and the Baltic states if it invades Ukraine?
Prime Minister: Well, I'm aware, I'm aware of Tony’s comments. But right now we're pretty much focused on the immediate issues in Ukraine and to ensure that Russia steps back. Russia should step back. It should unconditionally withdraw back behind its own borders and stop threatening its neighbours. We've seen this behaviour before and seeking to take opportunity to threaten a neighbour for their own advantage is just simply not on. It's unacceptable. It's unprovoked. It's unwarranted. And Russia should understand that by seeking to invade another country that this cannot advantage them and would, it would seriously and significantly cost Russia and their international reputation and anyone else who supports them and stands with them and refuses to denounce it. Ok everyone, thanks very much.
Journalist: Sorry, I’ve just got one more question. Senator Claire Chandler’s been praised by your Liberal colleagues for her advocacy around women's sport.
Prime Minister: Yes.
Journalist: Where do you stand on the Save Women’s, Save Women's Sports Bill?
Prime Minister: I support her, as Claire knows. I think it's a terrific Bill and I've given her great encouragement. I mean, Claire is a, is a champion for women's sport, and I think she's been right to raise these issues in the way that she has. Well done Claire.