ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Can we begin by speaking briefly about the floods. This morning we've had the opportunity to visit the communities of Deloraine and Latrobe, following Monday, my visits to Forbes and Parkes in western New South Wales, and then on Sunday I visited Bendigo and also Rochester with the Victorian Premier. What I have seen throughout Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania is the devastating impacts of these floods. My heart goes out to the communities who have been impacted. I recommit to the federal support that we've offered already for the floods. We have six Local Government Areas here in Tasmania are receiving the Disaster Recovery Payment of $1000 for adults, $400 for children. In addition to that there are 17 Local Government Areas eligible for the Disaster Recovery Allowance. So if people have missed out on work because they can't get there, because the businesses are shut or their communities have been isolated, then they're eligible for up to 13 weeks' payment at the JobSeeker rate. I do want to say that we have worked very closely with Jeremy and his government, with Dominic Perrottet's government in New South Wales and Daniel Andrews in Victoria, as well as with local government. What Australians are doing is what we always do. We are uniting to work towards looking after communities that have been impacted by these floods, and we will continue to do so. And we will be continuing to be in contact with those three governments. It is expected that there may well be more weather events on the way. So I say to people: follow the advice that emergency services personnel and SES volunteers are giving. And I conclude by saying two points. One is, at the worst of times we always see the best of the Australian character. And secondly, just to say thank you to the incredible volunteers and emergency services personnel for, once again, sometimes risking themselves, certainly going out of their way to help their fellow Australians. And it was quite inspirational this morning to see what people have done in those fantastic local communities here in Tasmania.
I'm here with the Premier of Tasmania for what is such an exciting announcement. I've been discussing with the Premier the way in which we can get the Commonwealth together with Tasmania and Victoria to get what has been a project that's been discussed for a long period of time into reality, to get this project moving. Because we need to act on climate change. We need to make sure that we have clean, cheap energy and Tasmania, of course, has led the nation in renewable energy. What this will enable is it to go even further. A big benefit for jobs here in Tasmania, in construction alone something like 1400 on the Marinus project alone and over a thousand jobs in the Battery of the Nation project. This contribution by the Commonwealth is the largest investment in energy that we have seen by a Commonwealth Government in any single announcement since the Chifley Government announced the Snowy Mountains Scheme. That is how big this project is, an exciting project to create jobs here in Tasmania, economic activity here in Tasmania, as well as assisting to lower emissions right around the country. I thank the Premier, we had a number of discussions about landing this project. And together, what we've done is work towards our common interests, the interests of Tasmanians, the interests of our nation, to make sure that this project can go ahead. It will create jobs well into the future. And one of the things about our projects, as well, is we want to make sure while construction and infrastructure is going ahead, we're training Tasmanians at the same time. So this sits side by side with the commitments that we have for fee-free TAFE. In our budget next week, you'll see the line item there: 465,000 fee-free TAFE places. We want to make sure this benefits the whole economy, contributes to economic growth, contributes to job creation, contributes to skills creation, contributes to making a difference on climate change and lowering emissions around the nation. So thank you very much, Premier. I have a good relationship with all of the Premiers and Chief Ministers. What we do is, we sit down and we talk about producing results and this is a great example. I also give a shout-out to the respective energy ministers, Chris Bowen and Guy Barnett, for working through the detail of this proposal to make sure, along with our Victorian friends, Lily D'Ambrosio the Minister and Daniel Andrews, for what is an incredibly exciting project for Australia.
JEREMY ROCKLIFF, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Thank you very much, Prime Minister. And firstly, can I thank you for coming down to visit farmers and small businesses that have been affected by and ravaged by the floods in the recent weeks. It's devastating for all people that have been affected by the floods. And many of the people you would have met today, PM, would've been affected by the 2016 floods and reliving that trauma. Like you, Commonwealth and State Government is working together to get those businesses, those farmers and those that have been affected back up on their feet as quickly as possible. And I know, PM, the people you met today very much appreciate your moral support, and indeed real support, to get them back on their feet as well. Can I say thank you to the Commonwealth, the Prime Minister, Chris and Guy, for all of us working together on what is a transformational project. This is Tasmania’s and Australia's future. People in Tasmania, indeed right across the nation, like it when Commonwealth and state governments work together for the benefit of everyone, and this is a great example of that. Renewable energy is absolutely 100 per cent in Tasmania's DNA. We have a very proud history of hydropower over the course of the last century, and we are building that. This is the next big stage. And this is, today, the next step for securing Tasmania's energy future. Reliable, affordable and clean energy that will unlock billions of dollars of investment over the course of the next decades; $7 billion worth of investment in clean energy, a renewable future. That is terribly exciting. This is one of the most exciting announcements for decades when it comes to Commonwealth and State Government investing together in future energy security, unlocking that energy for attracting investment right here in Tasmania. So can I thank, once again, all involved in the Commonwealth and the state working together for not only securing Tasmania's renewable energy future, but allowing Tasmania to also play such a significant part in the nation's renewable energy future as well. Thank you.
CHRIS BOWEN, MINISTER FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY: Thank you, Prime Minister. Thank you, Premier. Tasmanians and Australians have been hearing about the Marinus Link for a long time. It has been talked about for six years. I’m delighted that before the Albanese Government is six months old, we are taking this big step today to work with the Tasmanian and Victorian governments to make the Marinus Link no longer something that gets talked about and now something that will be built. This is good news for Tasmania. It is good news for all Australians. What this means is that Tasmania will now be able to move to 200 per cent renewables, unlocking and unleashing that investment potential for jobs and for renewable energy. It will take out 140 million tonnes of carbon by 2050, that is equivalent to taking a million cars off our roads. In terms of the details – I am sure Minister Barnett will talk about some of the details – but let me run you through what we will be doing. Firstly, in relation to Marinus Link itself, the Commonwealth will be providing $2.5 billion in concessional loans to ensure that this project can be built as cheaply as possible. Marinus needs to be built. The question is: how quickly and how cheaply? We will be building it as quickly as possible - let and as cheaply as possible using the power of the Federal Government's balance sheet. Then the Commonwealth, Tasmania and Victoria will also be taking equal shares in the ownership of Marinus Link, equal equity, to jointly manage this project going forward. In addition, related to it is the North West Transmission Line, to which the Commonwealth will be providing $750 million worth of concessional loans, that’s well over 80 per cent of the cost. And then, of course, we have a wonderful Battery of the Nation, which is really the key to Tasmania's potential going forward. It is only possible with Marinus, but it also takes investment. I am delighted to announce that the Commonwealth will be providing $1 billion in concessional finance to the Battery of the Nation, Tarraleah and other projects, which I know Minister Barnett is very passionate about. Although we are in Tasmania, of course this is also a joint announcement for Victoria. I want to again thank the Victorian Government and also confirm that the Commonwealth is partnering with Victoria for what is known as the VNI Link, the Victoria New South Wales Interconnector, very important for opening up Victoria's renewable energy capacity and ensuring energy can flow to New South Wales. Also partnering and supporting Victoria's very aggressive and ambitious Renewable Energy Zones and, very importantly, supporting Victoria's offshore wind plans. Under the Albanese Government, we have taken big steps forward for offshore wind. Offshore wind was not lawful in Australia until very recently. We are not only making it lawful, we are making it a reality, step-by-step. And we will be working with Victoria, as of course, I know there are important plans for Tasmania as well. So this is a big day. A big day for Australians, as the Prime Minister said, the biggest single Commonwealth investment in energy announced since Ben Chifley was Prime Minister. Can I thank Minister Barnett for his engagement. Guy and I have been keeping Telstra afloat personally over the last few months with our telephone calls. Can I thank our respective teams, who have been working, in some cases on Sunday nights and public holidays with us, working through the details to make sure that we can make this a reality. And, of course, thank our mutual friend, Lily D'Ambrosio and the Victorian Government for their support.
GUY BARNETT, MINISTER FOR ENERGY: Thank you very much, Prime Minister, Chris, Premier. Tasmania is a renewable energy powerhouse. We are at 100 per cent fully self-sufficient in renewable energy. We have legislated to move to 200 per cent. Marinus Link will help us deliver on that. More electricity, more jobs. The benefits of today's agreement are substantial in so many different ways. I would also like to recognise the people and the team behind me, and Chris and our respective governments in Victoria, to help pull this agreement together today. This will renew our economy as a renewable economy. This is a plan for decades to come. It will put downward pressure on electricity prices. It will deliver improved energy security in Tasmania and will deliver thousands of jobs and billions in investment. We are talking at least seven billion in further investment here in Tasmania in renewable energy projects alone. In addition to that, 140 million tons of CO2 being removed from the atmosphere, that is a million cars coming off Australia's roads by 2050, as a result of Marinus Link. With respect to the support, in particular, the concessional finance for our Battery the Nation projects, I would like to identify Tarraleah in particular: a $700 million project to double the capacity of that power station going from 110 megawatts to 220 megawatts, double. That is fantastic. In addition, pumped hydro. Tassie wants to be and will be, with the vision that is delivered today, the Battery of the Nation. We can do that with pumped hydro: Lake Cethana, a 750 megawatt power station development, 1.5 million. I am talking hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of jobs across those projects. And, of course, thousands of jobs across the state for the decades to come. And we are talking about new jobs. Jobs that our future generations can appreciate and enjoy. So there is a real opportunity here. I want to put on record a sincere thanks to the Commonwealth Government for their support to deliver this. It will actually deliver and reduce the annual cost of operating Marinus Link by nearly half as a result of the arrangement and the agreement we have today. That will be a great benefit to Tasmanian customers in terms of electricity prices in particular. Electricity prices will be lower with Marinus Link than without it. Marinus Link will help save money on people's power bills. It is a great day, a historic day. It sets up a foundation to take us through to 2024, a financial investment decision, and hopefully way beyond that for decades to come.
JOURNALIST: When it comes to Marinus Link and the associated transmission infrastructure. Can you guarantee that will go through Tasmanian and local planning schemes rather than becoming a Commonwealth project?
BOWEN: We’ll be working very closely with Tasmania. Transmission, let's be frank, does have its issues in terms of community support because these are big projects which need careful management with consultation and respect shown to communities. So yes of course, all the necessary processes will be gone through. But also, the Minister and I and our fellow state and territory energy ministers have been talking about how we can better consult communities and engage communities earlier about these projects, better talk about how we compensate landholders, for example. We can do that through our review of the process. We can also do it by declaring projects are of national significance, which actually helps us engage better and all the relevant authorities engage better with communities. This is not about, to your question, overriding planning processes. This is about making them work better so we take communities with us.
JOURNALIST: This project, could it be a project of national significance?
BOWEN: I think it is. The Minister and I will need to sign a document, but I think you will find it is a project of national significance, yes.
PRIME MINISTER: Can I make this point about the difference of why an idea is now going to become a reality, which is the involvement of our national scheme, our Rewiring the Nation scheme. That is what has been the game changer here. This isn’t an idea that is in the abstract. This is a part of AEMO’s, the national energy regulator, Integrated Systems Plan. It has been there for some period of time. But what it has needed is the trigger to get it across the line, and that is our $20 billion Rewiring the Nation program that was put in my first Budget Reply. It was something that was there. Just like the Clean Energy Finance Corporation has been a major contributor to new clean energy projects around the country, it is the Rewiring the Nation program, enabling the cheaper finance through a government entity for a project like this, that has changed the economics of the project. As Minister Barnett said, what this will do is it halves the potential cost in terms of the output. And what that does is ensure that the project will pass that on to consumers. And who are the consumers? They are households and they are businesses. This project today, as well – something that we won't talk about here, but I suspect this – in three to four years’ time whoever is in charge of the respective federal and state governments at that time will be opening new manufacturing projects, saying that they have been made possible because of the cheaper, cleaner energy. That is why this is so exciting. Australia has real challenges of dealing with the climate change position. We have seen that and we see the impact of it, with more frequent and more intense natural disasters occurring. But we have an incredible opportunity, if we are brave enough, to seize it. And what I see here is people from different political parties, coming together with common purpose and common interest. And that is what we need to do.
JOURNALIST: Will farmers impacted by the transmission be compensated? Can you offer them that commitment? And will you consult with Tasmanian (inaudible)
PRIME MINISTER: What I do is I consult with anyone who wants to be consulted. But we have worked with governments here. This isn't a partisan project, and we will continue to work in the national interest. This is in the interests of all Tasmanians, and part of the process, as Minister Bowen has outlined, is appropriate consultation, to bring the community with us on this journey. The Commonwealth doesn't control planning regulations. I am very confident that good planning results in better outcomes as well.
JOURNALIST: You have talked about Tasmania not paying more than 15 per cent of the total cost. How does that work? Can you go into more detail?
BARNETT: The first point to say is what I said earlier. As a result of this agreement, we have been able to reduce the annual cost of operating Marinus Link by just short of half. If that had not occurred, Tasmania would have to cover 50 per cent of the total cost of operating Marinus Link. So we are very grateful to the Federal Government for reducing it by nearly half. We believe that that is fair and reasonable for Tasmanian consumers at 15 per cent, and we stand by that. We also, going forward, obviously have supercharged Hydro Tasmania. We are standing in a Hydro Tasmania workshop today because of this will deliver great benefits for Hydro Tasmania, significant revenues which will be able to be delivered for Tasmanians, for hospitals, schools and for other purposes. And that is a decision for government in due course.
JOURNALIST: On the Marinus Link website, there was an analysis saying Tasmanian consumers would get six per cent of the Marinus Link benefit, so why should Tasmania pay 15 per cent instead of six per cent?
BARNETT: The six per cent is out of date. We have had green hydrogen, obviously, and our plans for green hydrogen for a growing economy, and to create more jobs. However, in addition to that, as a result of this agreement, that annual cost has been reduced by just short of half. So it is a fantastic return to Tasmania. And what Tasmanians will know and what they will see is the downward pressure on electricity prices. They will pay less for their power bills as a result of Marinus Link compared to if they didn't have Marinus Link. Marinus Link will help Tasmanians save money on their power bills.
JOURNALIST: It is not due to a cost allocation rule change? That hasn’t happened?
BARNETT: No, I can’t make it clearer that Minister Bowen and ourselves, both governments agree that we will progress with that rule change to the independent regulator to the Australian Energy Regulator.
JOURNALIST: Labor made a lot of promises in the lead up to the last election campaign. The budget is on Tuesday. How confident are you that you will be able to deliver things like (inaudible)
PRIME MINISTER: We will deliver on our commitments. I lead a government that delivers on our commitments, whether it be Rewiring the Nation that we are talking about here that is making a real difference or whether it be on the specific commitments we told the election. The upgrade in the airport here is very important. I want to see, and we have had discussions with the Premier, I want to see international flights coming into Tasmania. Tasmania has so much to offer. I myself did Three Capes a short while ago and it is fantastic. This great, green state. We flew over it today, every bit of it is picturesque. You should be very proud of it. But it has a lot to offer the world and I have no doubt that our investment will produce a return.
JOURNALIST: You have been a supportive of an AFL team. The government has committed money to a new stadium, would you come up with the rest of the money to fund that?
PRIME MINISTER: What we do is we look at projects on their merit. We work cooperatively with different levels of government on proposals. When we make commitments they are on the basis of a proper business case and we will do the same with that project, like any other projects that are put forward. I support Tasmania getting a football team and I think would be fantastic for this great state to have a team in the AFL. Tasmanian teams have done pretty well in the basketball league and other places where they have been able to participate. And I think truly national competitions should be truly national, that means that the Southern Island as well as the Northern Island having teams in the AFL.
ENDS