MARY DOYLE, MEMBER FOR ASTON: Well hello everyone, and welcome here to Boronia Heights Primary School and where Matt is the, I was about to say Premier. Where Matt is the boss of the school, that's right. So thank you, and what a warm welcome Matt's given us here this morning. And I'd like to also welcome Premier Jacinta Allan, Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, Federal Education Minister, Jason Clare, and also the State Education Minister, Ben Carroll. Thank you guys for coming here on this very auspicious occasion too, the signing of the agreement that just happened. Now I'd like to introduce our Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese. Thank you.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, thanks very much, Mary, and it's fantastic to be back here in the electorate of Aston that you so ably represent with such passion and commitment. And there's nowhere that it's more important to be in Australia than in a school, particularly when we're talking about education.
Before speaking about why we're here today, I do want to address the joint counter terrorism major investigation in Dural in Sydney. The AFP Commissioner and ASIO Director-General are continuing to work with New South Wales Police. It is critical that the police are able to continue to conduct this investigation. It remains an active one. We know that some people are in custody over issues related to this investigation. There's zero tolerance in Australia for hatred and for antisemitism. And I want any perpetrators to be hunted down and locked up - it's as simple as that. They have no place in this sort of engagement. It's designed to create fear and terror in the community, and it will not succeed. Because our community is stronger than the cowards who engage in this sort of activity.
Can I say about why we're here today - for Labor, nothing is more important than education. It is in our DNA. And what we are doing today here in Victoria is so important. Working in cooperation with Jacinta Allan and her Government, including Minister Ben Carroll. And I want to give a big thank you to Jacinta and Ben for the leadership that they have shown in bringing this arrangement to a conclusion. Of course, it's not about politicians and it's not about government. It's actually about the kids who we sat down with today. Them being able to have access to the best opportunities in life that come from a great start in life. And a great start in life means best quality public education and it means making sure that no child falls behind.
What this agreement does is not just inject $2.5 billion of additional funding into Victorian schools, but in addition to that, it's an agreement, quite frankly, Jacinta and her Government are doing it already, which is how do we address some of the concerns that parents have had over a period of time about things like learning and phonics and the basics of literacy and numeracy? How do we lift people up? What this funding will do is enable for testing to not have to wait for NAPLAN, not have to wait until a child is 8, but make sure that in the early years, if someone needs extra assistance, they can get it. They can get that smaller group tutoring or indeed one on one learning as well. This is so important, that every child has the opportunity to be the best that they can. To lift them up, which is what good quality schools and good quality learning will do. And a shout out as well to our teachers, many of whom are here. They do fantastic work. No one goes into teaching because of the salary that it provides. They go because of the satisfaction that they get from watching a young mind expand and grow and watching people learn. The young people we met in there this morning, were telling myself and the Premier, that the best thing about school is learning. How good is that? To hear that from a six year old really brightens your day because it is so important as we move forward. We have a great partnership with the Allan Government here in Victoria. Fair funding for schools has been talked about for a long period of time. 14 years ago, David Gonski brought down his report. What we're doing here is actually delivering, doing in the best tradition of Labor Governments, in the best tradition as well of Australia helping out our youngest Australians.
JACINTA ALLAN, PREMIER OF VICTORIA: Thanks, Prime Minister. Thank you. Well, I'd like to echo the Prime Minister and Mary's thanks for Boronia Heights Primary School for their really warm welcome to us here this afternoon and thanks to Mat for your leadership of this great school and thanks to the school leaders as well to Zoe and Samuel, Mackenzie and Ryan who have led us around this school so beautifully. And along with Ben and Mary and Jason, I'd also like to acknowledge Jackson Taylor, the local State Member for this fabulous local community.
And as you can see, this week in Victoria, it's back to school week. It's back to school for tens of thousands of students and their families as we gear up for another school year. And I know families just want the very best start in life for their kids. And that best start comes from getting a good, strong education. And that good, strong education can be found in any one of our great government schools here in Victoria. And that's why, that's why this agreement that we have signed today – been negotiating for a little while – but signed today, this agreement is about demonstrating that federal Labor governments, state Labor governments are going to continue to back, back the work that principals like Mat do in our great government schools, back teachers, back staff, most importantly back the students as well so that they can get and continue to receive that top quality education. And it was back to school week for my own family as well. And as I dropped my kids off to school this morning in Bendigo, I could see the excitement, I could see the energy and I can see firsthand what a difference Labor governments make when they invest in our government schools. And that's why this announcement today and this agreement today is just so important. $2.5 billion over the next 10 years of additional funding.
And I want to thank the Prime Minister, thank Jason and thank Ben for reaching this agreement. Because this is going to go directly to supporting students, supporting teachers, but also those families I talked about earlier who just want the best for their kids, regardless of their background, regardless of what part of the state they're from, they know they can get that opportunity at our government schools. Also too, I think it's important to note that this investment comes on top of the existing investment that Victorian Labor Governments have been making in our government schools here in Victoria. $17 billion in new school buildings right across the state. And if I can make the point, since 2018, 50 per cent of all new schools in Australia have been built right here in Victoria. We've worked hard to support our teachers and staff with a whole range of initiatives. We're also supporting the teachers of the future with free uni degrees, supporting that pipeline of teachers for the year ahead. The work that Ben has done on phonics has been so important. We also, though, focus on the whole student as well and the wellbeing and cost of living pressures that we know families are experiencing. And that's why the rollout of the School Saving Bonus. Ben's just told me that today it's just ticked over $100 million has been redeemed through the school saving bonus. That's $100 million that supported families, $100 million that stayed in families’ pockets because we've supported them with some of those essential back to school costs. That's what Labor Government investment looks like. Teachers, staff, school, buildings and supporting families with those cost of living pressures. And that's why this agreement is just so important. Because it means for the decade ahead we can continue to plan, continue to support the great work of our schools here in Victoria and continue to support families as they want the best for their kids. So, does Federal and State Labor governments and we're going to continue to support them every step of the way.
JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: Well, this is a big deal and this is a big day for public schools in Victoria. You want to know what this is about? It's about the young people sitting behind these desks just out of shot here at the moment. And it's about those year one students that we saw in the classroom just a moment ago and the ones that will follow them and kids who aren't even born yet. This is about the future. This is about making sure that every child gets a great start in life, what every parent wants for their child, a great education. And what every Australian child deserves. That's what this is about. And I tell you what, this is real leadership in action. Prime Minister, this wouldn't have happened without your leadership and I want to thank you for it. Premier, I want to thank you for your leadership as well. As you said, this is a classic example of two Labor governments working together in the interests of Australian children and the future of our country. You get it. You know how to get things done and you get how important what's happening in that classroom really is.
The power of education to change lives, the power of a great education system to change nations. And that's what this fundamentally is about. And I want to thank my dear friend Ben Carroll, a real reforming Education Minister who's doing the heavy lifting here in Victoria already. And these reforms will help to fund and resource more of what Ben is already driving here in Victoria. You know, this is $2.5 billion. But more important than that, this is tied to real reform. This is about making sure that kids who fall behind at school when they're little catch up and keep up and that more kids finish high school. We've seen over the last 10 years across the country a decline in the number of kids finishing high school in public schools. We've got to turn that around. It's more important to finish high school today than when we were kids. And if we're going to turn that around, it means early intervention, it means phonics checks and numeracy checks when kids are little in year one. The sort of things that we were seeing in that classroom a minute ago. And it's about early intervention, providing more individual support for those children, perhaps out of a classroom of 30 into a classroom of three to help them to catch up and then they keep up, then more kids will finish high school and go on to TAFE if they want, or uni if they want, get the job of their dreams. So, fundamentally, that's what it's all about. It's about making sure that every child in Australia gets a great start in life. What every mum and dad wants and what every Australian child deserves.
BEN CARROLL, DEPUTY PREMIER OF VICTORIA AND MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: Thank you to all my colleagues that are here today. I also just want to give a shout out to Justin Mullaly from the Australian Education Union because the Australian Education Union have played a pivotal role in getting us where we are today. And $2.5 billion in Commonwealth additional funding for the State of Victoria, the Education State. We know public education is the most important investment in our future. We also know that 73 per cent of disadvantaged kids are in the public education system and this funding will go straight to them to support them going on to live their dreams and their life of purpose. This is a big day in the Education State. I think Anthony Albanese, today, has got the mantle of the Education Prime Minister. Also Premier Allan, who has led from the front, been with me every day working very hard to get this deal done. And I thank Premier Allan for not only her leadership in the schools agreement, but the work she's done championing children that focus on early intervention through pre-prep, the Free TAFE, the free university degrees for teachers. This is a game changer for our education system. To Jason Clare, we've worked incredibly hard over the journey on this. It's been a 12 month journey. But I've got to say, Jason, we've always been on the unity ticket when it comes to what's best for our kids. World's best practice in the classroom. And as the Prime Minister and Jason alluded to, the funding is one big important component and it will go to those public school kids. But there's the other elements to it. There's bringing in world's best practice inside the classroom. The phonics literacy checks, the mathematics checks, the support for wellbeing. We are so proud as a Labor Government that every school is getting the mental health support and the nursing program being rolled out. That is so really, really important. I thank Premier Allan, Prime Minister, Jason Clare. For the very first time, Gonski, now, that had that vision of a needs based, sector blind education system is coming true today. No longer will a young child in any part of the State of Victoria start schooling in grade prep and go right through to year 12 without full and fair funding. We have ended that and that is a credit to the Federal Labor Government and the State Labor Government and it shows you great federalism working very well in the national interest and for our future, which is our children. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, Ben. We're happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: Can I just ask you about the incident in New South Wales. When were you first briefed on the caravan incident?
PRIME MINISTER: I get briefed regularly by the national security agencies. We don't talk about operational matters, obviously, for obvious reasons.
JOURNALIST: Chris Minns has said when he was briefed, can you say when you were?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what I do, is I don't comment on operational matters. There are two issues that are my priority. The first is making sure that people are kept safe. The second, which is related to that, is making sure that any investigations aren't undermined and that the police and national security agencies are able to do their work. I get ongoing briefings. Every day I get a national security briefing. And indeed, just this morning, we had a full meeting of the National Security Committee.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just asking you about the Toorak dinner that was on the paper today. Was that a fundraiser for Labor?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I have dinner with people. Although it was reported as a lunch, my recollection is it was a dinner. It was nowhere near as long as it's been reported either, I've got to say. But I engage with people. And I’m having a dinner tonight too, and I'll have lunch at some stage today. That's what you do. And I had breakfast this morning as well.
JOURNALIST: So, Prime Minister, back on the caravan. Just following on from what Simon was saying, so, with the timeline of this Premier Minns was saying he was briefed on the 20th, you had a National Cabinet meeting on the 21st to discuss matters to do with antisemitism. So, was this something that was raised at the National Cabinet meeting? And if it wasn't, isn't it something that should have been raised, given that all the First Ministers were dealing with their own problems?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I've been asked this before. And I repeat, I don't intend to go through operational matters, nor do we go through the detail of what's discussed at Cabinet meetings or National Cabinet meetings or National Security Committee meetings.
JOURNALIST: The Opposition Leader says it's entirely predictable that the nation has seen this escalation in antisemitic incidents. What's your response to that?
PRIME MINISTER: This is a time for unity and for the country to come together against these atrocities and these appalling acts. Not a time to look for political partisanship or to make political points. I don't intend to do so. I intend to do my job, which is to work with the police and national security agencies. I must say they do an extraordinary job. We want people hunted down and put in the clink. That is what we want. And there have been a range of arrests made. Some of those have been made public, were made public on the 21st. I take the advice of the police and national security agencies for when those matters become public so that we ensure that ongoing investigations are not undermined. There is a common sense approach to this and I note that the New South Wales Police Commissioner has made comments on that this morning as well.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, do you have any update on the status of Oscar Jenkins?
PRIME MINISTER: We continue to request the Russian authorities to provide more information. They have provided information at this point, but we don't take anything we hear off the Putin regime at face value. So, we want to – we have made it very clear that we think Mr. Jenkins should be released. We don't think that he should have to suffer from ongoing incarceration and will continue to make representations, but we’ll also continue to work as we will with Ukraine as well, on ascertaining further information.
JOURNALIST: Are there any certain under which you'd consider a prisoner swap for Oscar Jenkins?
PRIME MINISTER: No, well, Australia doesn't have prisoners in those circumstances –
JOURNALIST: There aren’t a couple of suspected Russian spies in Brisbane?
PRIME MINISTER: What we want is for Mr Jenkins to be able to return home.
JOURNALIST: Do you have any message for the Jenkins family?
PRIME MINISTER: My heart goes out to you. This is a really difficult time for you. And the fact that some information has been made available, will be a difficult time. And we stand with you and we continue to offer every assistance that we can to these families.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, do you intend to fund both Melbourne Victoria's Suburban Rail Loop and the Airport Rail Link?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, there's no link between the two things. We have funding available here for Victorian infrastructure. Suburban Rail Loop is an important project for a growing city. And I've been in consultation with the Premier. Minister King is looking after infrastructure. But one of the things about our cities and people will see this when Melbourne Metro opened. When I was the Infrastructure Minister some time ago, there was $3 billion from the Commonwealth for Melbourne metro. It was cut by Tony Abbott. For Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, both – all suffered, all three Eastern capitals suffered from a clogging in the centre. Now, the keys to that have been in Sydney, the metro, in Brisbane, the Cross River Rail project and in Melbourne, Melbourne metro. But the next stage is how do you get around this growing city that will be Australia's largest without having to go into the city and out again? That's what Suburban Rail Loop is about.
JOURNALIST: So the $2.2 billion will be given to Victoria before the Federal election? I mean, it was committed at the last election. Will it be handed over to Victoria before?
PRIME MINISTER: It's in our Budget and we are working through those issues for early works. Because one of the things about Suburban Rail Loop that I know, as well, is it's not just about a rail line. It's about housing and it's about infrastructure more broadly as well, and about making this great city of Melbourne more liveable, more sustainable and more productive.
JOURNALIST: Could an airport rail be built sooner?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, airport rail – I'm not the infrastructure Minister for Victoria.
JOURNALIST: But you're in charge of the money. Is it a priority or is SRL, for you?
PRIME MINISTER: No, it's not a matter of either or. That's like saying, is Boronia Heights Public School a priority or is the school down the road a priority? We regard – they're two very different projects. All of Victorian infrastructure is a priority. I'll give you the big tip on the difference between us and the former Government. The former Government reduced Victorian infrastructure funding to about eight per cent of the national funding. Under my Government, that won't happen. Under my Government, Victoria will always get its fair share.
JOURNALIST: Just on the railway link. Is there currently an additional $2 billion on offer for the Commonwealth to build the airport rail link?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm not sure what you're referring to.
JOURNALIST: Well, previously there's been $5 billion. (Inaudible). This is a lot of money, and it’s important.
PRIME MINISTER: Negotiations are taking place.
JOURNALIST: Is there $2 billion on the table, in addition to the $5 billion from both the Commonwealth and the state that's been previously committed to?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I suggest you ask Minister King. Those discussions take place between, with due respect, as Prime Minister, we run a big Budget across a whole lot of portfolios. I'm here today announcing significant funding for public schools. The Infrastructure Minister deals with state and territory jurisdictions on specifics of the infrastructure program.
JOURNALIST: Do you think it’s possible to have Suburban Rail Loop work happening in one side of the city and then Melbourne Airport happening at the same time, or would they have to be separate?
PRIME MINISTER: There's lots of projects happen across lots of cities. You know, I'm a Canberran these days. There's a light rail project under construction and there's roads under construction around Canberra, let alone in a city the size of Melbourne. You need to deal with the growth in the West of this great city and the growth in the East of this great city, and indeed the growth in the North. I note you haven't mentioned there's a pretty significant road project here in the North East that has how much Commonwealth funding? That has $5 billion. And I've been to that project that's under construction right now. We will do a range of projects here in Victoria. And can I say this as well, not just in Melbourne, but in regional Victoria as well.
JOURNALIST: It is a point of quite some contention in Victoria whether we can afford to do both. Are you saying we can afford to do both? Will you tell taxpayers if you’ll prioritise one over the other?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm saying that Victoria will get its fair share of infrastructure funding from my Government, unlike what the former Government did. That, for reasons unbeknown really, ripped that $3 billion out of Melbourne Metro, ripped money out of Victorian road projects and never put anything back.
JOURNALIST: Can we return to the caravan and particularly the broader issues of antisemitism? I'm not drawing a direct link here, but there was an interesting speech Richard Marles made at the Sydney Institute the other night, two nights ago. And he said, ‘questioning the right of Israel to exist strikes at the heart of global Jewry. It is antisemitic’. He said, ‘denying Israel's right to defend itself is an attempt to delegitimise Israel's existence and has dangerous real world consequences, including here in Australia’. And the reason I ask is I think it talks about the thing that's been the heart of the pro-Palestinian protest in many forms has been this delegitimisation of Israel. Do you agree that we are seeing the real world consequences of that and somehow this has got to stop because it's gotten out of control?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, of course I agree that antisemitism has to stop, full stop. People need to be put, people need to be hunted down as is occurring. People are being arrested, they're being charged, and they're in the clink without release, without bail. That is occurring. If you go back to the resolution that was passed with the support of both major parties in the Parliament after the October 7 terrorist atrocities - that spoke about Israel's right to defend itself, I spoke about that on the Sunday as well. I support what has been Australia's long standing bipartisan position. The UN decision in 1947 for 1948 wasn't for the creation of one state, it was for the creation of two - the state of Israel and the state of Palestine. I support a two state solution where both Israelis and Palestinians are able to live in peace and security. Now to do that, in order to achieve that, clearly there needs to be as well some reform on the Palestinian side. Hamas can play no role in any future state. I go back to that resolution which I looked at it the other day. Quite frankly, history treats it well. The fact that the Parliament came together at that time and overwhelmingly, with the exception of the Greens who can speak for themselves, they overwhelmingly, the Parliament passed that resolution. That was a good thing. Thanks very much.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the Labor Party was right there. I mean you make the point, I mean Doc Evatt was right there. Formation of Israel played a crucial path to his role in the UN. The question I had for you, and I was hoping you could answer it, is whether or not this continuing question of Israel's existence is fuelling antisemitism?
PRIME MINISTER: We support the right of Israel to exist.
JOURNALIST: But the question about whether you agree that it's fuelling antisemitism?
PRIME MINISTER: That what is? Sorry, you're not being clear about your question.
JOURNALIST: The continual questioning of Israel's right to existence. Whether that fuels antisemitism?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I can speak for myself. I think that one of the issues that I certainly always say very clearly is that it is in the interests of Israelis, obviously, that Israel has a right to exist with security. It's also in the interest of Palestinians that Israel has a right to exist with security as well. You need a solution that stops a cycle of violence. The solution that is being negotiated out, if you actually take a bit of a step back, look at what a solution looks like. And it looks like, as has been advocated by the United States and others such as Antony Blinken, is the creation of is Israel firstly being recognised by countries such as Saudi Arabia and others in the region. It is then Palestine being able to step forward with a path towards security for Palestinians as well. Obviously, the international community has a role to play in that. Thanks very much.