Prime Minister
Prime Minister: Well, g’day, everyone. It's great to be here in Western Australia. It's an absolute thrill to be here in Western Australia, and, of course, to be joined by Minister Price, the Minister for Defence Industry and Science and Technology, Minister Morton, and of course, the Assistant Minister for Defence Andrew Hastie.
This is an exciting day for Western Australia, but it's an even more exciting day for the defence of Australia because the integration between what happens on our western coast and on our eastern coast is incredibly important for how we defend our nation, and to have the capability to support those efforts is absolutely critical.
We've just undertaken a tour here with ASC on the latest mid-cycle docking which is taking place here in Western Australia. And one of our Collins, our Collins-class continues to be an incredibly effective submarine and plays a very important role in our operations in the Indo-Pacific region, and is highly respected by our partners, whether they be our AUKUS partners, Quad partners or those who have come from further afield and joined in the many exercises that we undertake. We work closely, hand in glove, with our partners in this part of the world.
And to ensure that we can support that capability into the future, here at Henderson today we are announcing that we'll be moving forward with some up to $4.3 billion in investment to establish a large vessel dry-dock and associated infrastructure here at the Henderson shipyard. This will be used to build and sustain large naval vessels and other commercial vessels. It provides redundancy, importantly, nationally, to the Captain Cook graving dock in Sydney. There's up to almost $30 billion worth of shipbuilding projects planned right here in Western Australia out to 2040. And this will be delivered through Australian Naval Infrastructure, a government business enterprise that is delivering the Osborne Shipyard in South Australia. This work will ensure that we can maintain our sovereignty, our flexibility, and offer long-term value for money outcomes for the Australian public.
We expect construction to commence in 2023-2024 with initial operational capability by 2028, and a final operating capability by 2030. 500 jobs in the construction of this world-class shipyard to put a large vessel dry-dock in place, and around 2,000 jobs for the ongoing works that will be taking place right here in Henderson, which will make and transform this precinct once again.
Last time I was here I think I was at the common user facility, and the investments that are being undertaken there. There's $1.5 billion worth of infrastructure investments going on both here and at Stirling. And we support, there is also support of some $90 million in a regional maintenance centre and the $30 billion I’ve mentioned when it comes to the shipbuilding projects that are going ahead here in Western Australia.
In addition, I want to touch on another announcement in relation to HMAS Stirling and Fleet Base West. Stirling will remain home to Australia's current and future submarines. Now this is a recognition of the enormous expertise that is here in the West, along with the strategic reality of our region and the Indian Ocean. Recent announcements about the east coast submarine base, they’re a critical part of the puzzle in terms of our expanded national operating capacity. But here at Stirling and Fleet Base West, they remain at the heart of our Navy and our submarine fleet, and we'll be investing even more. Of course, already committed more than $1.5 billion to improvements in naval infrastructure at Stirling and Henderson. But we will do more at Stirling.
To that end, I announce that the Government has directed Defence to commence their studies into what infrastructure and services are needed right here in the West to support the more frequent presence of United States and United Kingdom nuclear-powered submarines right here in Western Australia. We expect the results of that work to come back later this year and to get moving as quickly as possible. The ability of US and UK nuclear-powered submarines to be here on the west coast, and ultimately we’d like to see them on the east coast as well, is all part of what our plan is as we continue to push forward our AUKUS partnership - the Australia-UK-US partnership, which we were able to form last year and which is already underway. Admiral Mead has already been out here in Australia as we've been working through those initial phases, as we work towards the selection of the appropriate vessel, which will be part of that nuclear submarine fleet that we will eventually have here in Australia, and I suspect it'll be well before 2040.
But in addition to that, it's about the capability that we’re continuing to put in place in our naval operations, and that includes the Collins-class submarine, the life of types extensions, the mid-cycle and the full-cycle docking that is occurring with that important fleet of submarines. In addition to that, it's the work that we're doing in cyber, the work we're doing in AI, and other critical technologies for defence that is all part of that partnership.
But another part is to ensure that we can bring more of our partners’ vessels here to Australia, have them here for extended periods of time, and ensure that they can maintain and perform operations out of Australia. This is part of the AUKUS partnership, delivering early results to ensure that we can keep Australia safe, and our ability to build the facilities here at Henderson will play an enormous role. There’s enable the service and support naval fleets from all around the world who work with Australia, but particularly with our friends in the United States and UK, and what we're be putting in place over there at Stirling that will ensure that we can maintain those operations and play our role as part of this important partnership that is keeping Australia safe.
Now I particularly want to make mention of the fact that with our submarine operations here out of Western Australia, that they will remain critical to our future. And that is a key reason why I wanted to come here today and make those announcements, not just about Henderson, but also about Stirling. This is very much at the centre of our operations and will always continue to be so. So thank you very much for being here today. I'm going to ask Melissa Price to make a few comments as well, and then we'll be happy to take some questions.
The Hon. Melissa Price MP, Minister for Defence Industry: Thanks PM and welcome to Western Australia. The Morrison Government has a very ambitious shipbuilding program. Already here in Henderson, Western Australia we have got $5 billion worth of naval vessels being constructed. We announced turbocharging that $5 billion to a $30 billion shipbuilding program. Right across Western Australia, here, also in Henderson, shipbuilders doing the best they can, and as the Minister for Defence Industry, I'm incredibly proud of our world-class shipbuilding industry that we have here in Western Australia.
With today's announcement of the building of a dry-dock, what that says to West Australian shipbuilders is that the Morrison Government has full confidence in your abilities and full confidence in what you are able to achieve in the future. At the moment in Australia, if we wanted to build a large naval vessel like an LHD, that would not be possible. So the message to Western Australia and the shipbuilding industry is that we are backing you 100 per cent because these are, these are the types of vessels that we will be able to build here in Western Australia. Yes, more jobs, the creation of more small and medium-sized enterprises to help with this incredible enterprise here in Western Australia. But just as importantly, this announcement today says to Western Australia how important you are to the defence of our nation. Thank you.
Prime Minister: Happy to take some questions.
Journalist: Is it the consolation prize in terms of full-cycle docking, though, that the Government [inaudible]?
Prime Minister: Not at all. This is part of our core operations. This is the role that is played here in Western Australia. We’ve put capabilities where they're, where they're best delivered, whether that's here in Western Australia or on the east coast or South Australia or anywhere else. We operate a national network. And the more than $4 billion worth of investment that is being put here recognises the
need for that capability here in Western Australia. These decisions, like all of our decisions, are made on their merits, in the best interests of Australia's national security. That's how we make these calls, and we've been making a lot of these calls. Let me be clear. I mean, we have lifted defence spending in this country from 1.57 per cent, the lowest level that it had been at since before the Second World War, to 2.1 per cent today. Now, to understand what that means, if we kept our defence spending at the same level we inherited from the Labor Party, that would have meant $55 billion less spending on our Defence Forces than has occurred under our Government - $55 billion. And in this year alone, it would have been $10 billion less than would have occurred under what Labor’s settings were when we came to government. So we've made sure that we've got a stronger Defence Force right now, and have had every single day that we've been in government constantly rebuilding and re-equipping our Defence Forces, and we have the strong plans going out over the next 20 years, of which the announcement we've made today is a key part of.
That's the difference between the Liberals and Nationals and Labor and the Greens when it comes to defence. You know, others can talk about what they might do. I can tell you what we have done, and that demonstrates what our capacity is and what our commitments are to defence. You know, defence is not something that you can just talk about. It's something you deliver, which is what our Government has done.
Journalist: Prime Minister, you mentioned that Defence would look at what additional infrastructure was needed. Paul Papalia said he believed a dry-dock would cost about $2 billion dollars. You’re committing $4.3 billion today. Is that because you're adding a second channel dredging to be able to support the nuclear submarines?
Prime Minister: All of these issues will be worked through as part of the program that we’re now engaged in with partners on how [inaudible].
Journalist: Prime Minister, it's been a long time between visits, largely out of your control. But has that …
Prime Minister: Completely outside of my control, actually.
Journalist: Has that left you open, though, to criticism that WA’s been neglected? Do you get WA?
Prime Minister: Well, the reason I haven't been here has been because the borders have been shut and there has been, I myself had to go into isolation because of COVID. And the minute I got out of that isolation, I went straight to the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, which I think all Western Australians would want me to do because of the utter devastation that has occurred in that part of the country. For those Western Australians who have family back east, it's the worst flood they've seen in 500 years - a one in 500 year flood.
But having attended those important responsibilities, I'm very pleased to be here. But, you know, every single day during that period of time, the amount of GST that the Western Australian Government has been receiving from our Government because of the deal that I put in place has continued to go up and up and up. Over $5 billion in extra GST has been provided to the Western Australian Government since we were re-elected, in the last three Budgets that we delivered. And on top of that, some $14 billion was provided directly here in economic supports to Western Australia, and almost half a billion dollars to support the health system, as the health system has prepared itself for the very phase that Western Australians are now in. Putting the mask on again today - well, have to get back in the habit of that. On the east coast they’re not wearing them anymore, but I'm looking forward to the time where Western Australia similarly will be in that phase. Western Australians have done incredibly well to come through COVID, and we've been investing heavily in Western Australia to support the Western Australian State Government to bring the economy through, carrying that burden equally, and in many ways, more so, particularly when it came to the direct economic supports of some $14 billion.
You know, when you put that together, the $14 billion on support for COVID and and the $4 billion and more when it comes to the GST, extra GST, we're talking about around $6,500 direct support per head of population in Western Australia. That shows I think our commitment more than any have done before.
Journalist: Will you do something to reduce the fuel excise? Will you do something now to ease the cost of living burden that’s happening for families?
Prime Minister: We're very conscious of the significant impact of the rising fuel prices on Australians all around the country. And all Australians understand that that is being caused by the terrible war we're seeing in Europe and the invasion of of Russia on the Ukraine. We all understand that's what's driving oil prices up and fuel prices up around the world. We haven't seen oil price per barrel hit these levels for many years. In fact, it's happened about three times, including this one, over some period. And so the Budget’s at the end of this month. And that's when Parliament will obviously be coming back and the sort of things you’re talking about actually require legislation.
Journalist: Barnaby Joyce says that that the changes to fuel excise are off the table. Is he right?
Prime Minister: Well, I haven't seen those comments.
Journalist: Prime Minister, Australian families are hurting now, though. They're struggling to pay their mortgage now and fill up their petrol tank now. You’re telling them they won’t know what help they're going to get until the Budget in two weeks’ time. Why can't you give some sort of indication about how you're going to help them now?
Prime Minister: Well, let me tell you what we're already doing. I mean, if you're on $90,000 bucks a year right now, you are paying $50 a week less tax under the tax cuts we’ve delivered and the tax system that we put in place, than the tax regime we inherited from the Labor Party. If you're under Labor's tax regime, you'd be paying $50 a week more if you are on $90,000 today. And so whether it's tax relief, the pension next this week goes up by $20 a fortnight for singles and $30 for couples. Electricity prices have fallen by eight per cent in the last two years. And so we've been doing everything we can to ensure that we can keep downward pressure on these increases in prices. The inflation rate in Australia, at 2.1 per cent, compares to almost eight per cent in the United States, over five per cent in the United Kingdom.
But these pressures are real. The fact that it's worse in so many other parts of the world says that in Australia we've handled these issues better, but it doesn't take away from the fact that people are paying more at the bowser. Now we have carefully considered these issues and we are still finalising arrangements for the Budget in a fortnight's time. But I can assure you, the Treasurer and I have been keenly focused on ensuring that we can address some of these immediate pressures when it comes to the cost of living that Australians are facing. But we make these decisions carefully. We do our homework, we make the assessments. We understand the pressures that are there and make sure we can tailor the support in the best possible way we can.
Journalist: The GST deal was struck in 2018. You're heading to the northern suburbs this afternoon. What was the last thing that Vince Connelly or Ian Goodenough talked you into doing for WA?
Prime Minister: Well, I can remember, particularly for Vince. Vince has been, and Andrew will know this as well, Vince - yeah, I’ll come to the dry-dock in a second - but one of the things that Vince has always been a keen advocate for is support for veterans, and particularly support for veterans in his community. Now, all of our local members, Ian and others, they are very active, whether it's on issues of local roads or local health support, COVID arrangements. But I tell you, every single Western Australian Member of Parliament that serves in my team understands the absolute central benefit of this Henderson facility, and what it means for the Western Australian economy. And, you know, it's going to be challenging, of course, because as the economy continues to grow, the competition for workers is going to be very significant, but it's reassuring that those who’ve worked in the mining industry are now here working at ASC, and they're working on fitting out and retrofitting, I should say, and maintaining our submarines and the many other vessels that will be built here, they'll be involved in that sort of work. We have created, as a Government, I think, a pipeline of work which is bringing highly-skilled workers and investments here into Western Australia, which is going to support the Western Australian economy for decades to come.
But all of my members have been so focused on those issues, but I can tell you, it was the Western Australian MPs who were the ones who were most active when it came to ensure that we not only got the GST deal, and I joined with them in convincing our eastern, my eastern state colleagues that this was essential and in the national interest. I argued for it. I delivered it. And about $5 billion more has come into the coffers of the Western Australian State Government to pay for police and for hospitals and nurses and schools. That has been made possible because of the decision our Government, my Government, put in place, strongly supported by the great WA team that I have around me.
Journalist: What do you think of Mark McGowan being in quarantine when he doesn't need to? Do you think that sends the right message to a community trying to come out of the COVID fear factor?
Prime Minister: Well, as a leader that spent plenty of time in quarantine, I can send him a few tips and a few puzzles or, but like me, I don't think he would have, be having much time to be turning on the Netflix or doing anything like that. I'm sure he's remaining hard at work, as I always have been when I've been in periods of isolation or quarantine.
Look, I think Mark, the Premier, is ensuring that he's showing that there aren’t two rules here, and he's seeking to show that example and and I commend him for that. We work very closely together. We were on the hook up the other day on Friday where we made the decision that it was important to move beyond the close contact rule, which will happen first on the east coast states. But I look forward to that coming in place here in Western Australia. Premier McGowan's had the opportunity to have a ringside seat when it comes to what's happening on the east coast in management of COVID, and I'm sure those lessons are being applied here in Western Australia. The hospital system here is managing well and that, at the end of the day, is the purpose of how you're managing COVID - that your hospital system does not get overrun. And on the eastern states, we didn't see those peaks achieved from the modelling that was done as we went through that Omicron strain. And, similarly, I think it will be the case here that the careful, pragmatic management of this will ensure that people can get back to their normal lives, hopefully as as soon as possible. And there won't be the need for the masks and the close contact isolation or any of those things, because that only slows the economy down. Western Australia has done a great job in keeping their economy going strong, and we want to see that resurgence take place as soon as we can get through these next, this next month or so.
Journalist: Apologies, he's not on the ballot, but is Mark McGowan your pseudo shadow challenger in WA? Labor’s pointing out today that he's providing free RATs, but your, you didn't provide any free rapid tests. Are they setting him up as your real opposition in WA, and the face of Labor in WA?
Prime Minister: Well, whichever way people vote at the next federal election, I can tell you one thing for sure. And that is Premier McGowan will be the Premier the next day. That won't change. And Western Australians have made their choice about Premier. Now, Western Australians are being invited to make a choice about who they want their Prime Minister to be. Not who they want their Premier to be. Premier McGowan will tell you himself that he and I have had a very productive and very successful working relationship on so many projects, and that will continue if I'm re-elected as Prime Minister. And those projects are the ones we're talking about here today. And that has been, I think, a very productive partnership.
But, you know, I'm not pretending to be someone else. I'm not seeking to ride on someone else's coattails when it comes to being re-elected as Prime Minister. People, they might not agree with everything I've done, but they know what I'm about. My opponent is trying to pretend to be everything from John Howard to Mark McGowan or even Bob Hawke, and you can't present yourself to the Australian people as something that you’re not. You are who you've been for the last 20 or 30 years, and that's, we've got a Leader of the Opposition in Anthony Albanese who’s not being upfront with people. You know, he hasn't, he's not able to walk the talk when it comes to the things he's spoken about on economic management and defence, because it's, frankly, not his history. He was the one who was in favour of the mining tax here in Western Australia. The superannuation tax, the retirees tax, the housing tax, all of these things. And on border protection, he was the one who said that he couldn't do turn backs because he couldn't ask someone to do something that he wouldn't do himself. Well, as the Minister I was the one who put that policy in place, and put an end to the madness that was occurring on our borders under the former Labor Government.
So leopards don't change their spots, even if they change their glasses and their suits. They're still the same, and he's the most left wing leader of the Labor Party at a federal level we have seen since probably Gough Whitlam, if not before that. And so that's the choice - myself as Prime Minister and my team that have been delivering for Western Australia $14 billion in additional support economically through the pandemic, and around $5 billion of extra GST, which has flowed into the coffers here because of what we put in place - or a Labor Party at a federal level who, frankly, don't measure up to the McGowan model here in Western Australia
Journalist: How do you think Australians will view you charging $14,000 a head for a fundraiser, when they’re struggling to fill up their petrol tank?
Prime Minister: Sorry, I couldn’t hear what you said.
Journalist: How do you think Australians will feel about you charging $14,000 a head for a fundraiser, when Australians are struggling to fill up their petrol tank?
Prime Minister: Well, these are matters that are arranged by the the Party here in Western Australia. I attend numerous events, just like the the Leader of the Labor Party attends many events. So, you know, that's …
Journalist: Do you think it passes the pub test, though, to charge $14,000 a head?
Prime Minister: This is the democracy in which we work. And, as a result, we we seek support for our campaigns. The Labor Party does the same thing. In many cases, they get it from the big unions who take it out of people's fees that they pay to the unions. I’m not sure how they feel about that, either, when they're trying to fill up at the bowser and unions are channelling money from their union dues to pay for Anthony Albanese’s political campaign.
Journalist: Is it a low blow to criticise Anthony Albanese’s glasses and his recent weight loss? You know, are you making appearance a factor here?
Prime Minister: No, I'm not. I mean, I'm sure he's not that precious. Last night, I was having a giggle at myself. I was talking about the fact that I hadn't lost any weight and I hadn't changed my glasses and that I'm still wearing the same suits. But, you know, what glasses you wear and what suits you wear, that doesn't make you a Prime Minister. It's being able to make the decisions to support our Defence Forces. It's about making the decisions to ensure we keep our economy strong. Australia has an unemployment rate of 4.2 per cent. We’ve got 250,000 more people in work today than we had than before the pandemic. We've got one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, and I want to commend Western Australians on achieving that result here in the West. I mean, it was harder to achieve here because you didn't have the same number of cases that we had on the east coast and you had to work harder for it. And I commend Western Australia for that, as I did the Premier when we were on the call the other day. And most importantly, here in Australia we have saved more than 40,000 lives during this pandemic. So on all of those issues it demonstrates that we've made the decisions that’s kept Australia strong, that's kept our economy strong for a stronger future, and we’ve kept Australians safe. And what we're doing here in Henderson is all about that - more jobs, more security, more opportunity for Western Australians. Thank you.