ALISON BYRNES, MEMBER FOR CUNNINGHAM: Really excited to be here at WIN Stadium with the Prime Minister and with my colleagues Stephen Jones, Fiona Phillips, and our fabulous new candidate for Whitlam, Carol Berry, to make a great sporting announcement here for our region. Before we go on, this backs on to another exciting announcement that we made this morning. $10 million from a re-elected Labor Government for the Southern Suburbs Community Centre down at Warrawong. So this is Labor investing in our region. And I am so excited to have the Prime Minister again, he has been a very regular visitor to the Illawarra over the years, for this exciting announcement. And I'd also like to thank Andrew Lancaster for hosting us here today for this great announcement, and I'll hand over to the Prime Minister. Thank you.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, thanks so much Al, and thank you as well to Stephen and Carol and Fiona who've joined us here, and to Andrew Lancaster who I've been talking with about this project, and to St. George Illawarra for the important commitment that they have, not just to the first grade team running on the field – of course, it's pretty important here at WIN Stadium. But what Rugby League is really about is that sense of community identity. That sense of belonging, participation, the kids here – young boys and girls – learning how to win, how to lose, how to be part of a team, is so important for social and human development. And that's why Rugby League and team sports are so important, and that's why my Government's determined to invest in them. This High Performance and Community Centre, which will be built at Fairy Meadow, is a game changer for this region. It's not just about Rugby League and sport, it's about community and it's about education. This is a partnership with the University of Wollongong to build a world-class facility that encourages all of those activities across the board, from juniors right through to having a high performance centre here in the Illawarra. Now, the Illawarra has been a great nursery for Rugby League, and this great stadium here has, of course, seen some magnificent matches. But what happens behind the scenes with Rugby League and community building is just as important. And in recent years as well, what we've seen is that now it isn't just about boys and men, it's about girls and women as well, and that is absolutely critical. And what these performance centres and these upgrades enable to happen is for that increased participation. Reaching out, making sure that as young girls and boys grow into young women and young men, they can engage not just in sport, but grow as people as well, it is so important. This will be state of the art facilities. It will foster talent, innovation and opportunity for the Illawarra. It's a testament as well – and I pay tribute to the local members here, to Alison, Stephen and Fiona and to Carol – for their advocacy. These funds are in the budget. We want to make sure that this gets done. In addition to that, the announcement that we have about the community centre and library at Warrawong is also really important. The Illawarra is an area in which, for many people who are disadvantaged, need a community centre. They need that activity that comes with it. And Alison Byrnes has been a relentless lobbyist for this, making sure that the southern suburbs here are not left behind as well. So, this is a great day for the Illawarra. I wish the Illawarra and the St. George Illawarra the best of luck, except for – I'll be cheering for them, except on a couple of days – I've got to say, as a former South Sydney board member, but it says something as well about that sense of history that the Charity Shield will be held this weekend, it’s a fantastic event that raises money for charity. It says something about that community commitment from the club that I belong to, but the club where I'm here today in St. George and South Sydney. The two clubs, I think, that exemplify that sense of history and that sense of belonging. So to Andrew, congratulations, mate, and to everyone associated with the club here. It has a great history, with this investment has a great future.
ANDREW LANCASTER, ST. ILLAWARRA CHAIRMAN & WIN CEO: Good afternoon and welcome to WIN Stadium. I usually say, welcome to sunny Wollongong. It's not really helping as much today, so. Can I take the opportunity to thank the Prime Minister for the support of not only the Community High Performance Centre, the Dragons – and clearly he's supporting the Dragons, except for on two or three occasions this year – and more broadly, for Rugby League, the commitment from this Government to Rugby League has been exemplified, particularly over the last period with the Papua New Guinea announcement. Can I also thank Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo from the NRL, for the state that Rugby League finds itself in. I was at the ARLC Commission, or the ARLC Annual General Meeting this morning, and the confidence from the clubs, the states, and the financial outcomes that are produced were beyond so that's a tremendous achievement. We mentioned the local Members. Can I also thank the Member for Cunningham, Alison Byrnes and the Member for Whitlam, Stephen Jones, the outgoing Member for Whitlam, who's been in the gig for 15 years, and I've known Stephen very well over that time, and the commitment to this region has been exceptional. So thank you, Stephen. And also thanking the University of Wollongong, our partners. We couldn't ask for a better partner in this development, but the level of collaboration has been exceptional. The Community High Performance Centre, the Dragons Community High Performance Centre, is by name about community, but it really is about community. It's about giving the community the opportunity to utilise a facility that we're invested in very heavily. It's about grassroots. It's about Junior Rugby League, and male and female Junior Rugby League and related codes across the region and the pathways for those juniors to get to elite stage of representative football. The Dragons Pathways Programs, by way of our representation of two regions, is the biggest in the NRL, and it's something we're extremely proud about. But the Community High Performance Centre is about girls' and women's Rugby League and providing gender neutral facilities. It's about collaborating with a world class university on research education and wellbeing, and it's about building a world class High Performance Centre right here in Wollongong. But it's also about the first time in 25 year history of the St. George Illawarra Dragons as one club that all of our staff will be under the one roof. We've had the tyranny of distance between Kogarah and Wollongong, as our football department has been in Wollongong and our administrative department has been in Sydney. That hasn't been optimum, and having everyone together, when the Community High Performance Centre is complete, will be exceptional. And building the facility is about further strengthening Rugby League in this region, and about furthering our connection, not just with the Rugby League community, but with our broader community. So thank you very much.
PRIME MINISTER: Happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: The timing of this announcement, is it to do with giving the Dragons a boost when they play Souths on the weekend?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm sure it will give them a boost on the weekend. I reckon that they'll be rapped with this when they when they run out on Mudgee, it'll give them a bit of extra fuel in the tank. We're hoping that Souths will be able to field a team on the weekend. I hope there are no more training runs.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, after the Whyalla debacle, is federal Labor planning on (inaudible).
PRIME MINISTER: What we've done in Whyalla is significant investment to ensure that we continue to make steel at Whyalla. The two facilities in Australia, of course, Port Kembla, not far from where we are here with BlueScope, and the Whyalla steelworks, our investment, together with the South Australian Government, will ensure that that community has a future. We invest and we support regional Australia. Regional jobs are so important. It's also important that we make things here, whether it be a BlueScope, or whether it be at Whyalla, the investment we're making in aluminium as well at places like Tomago, consistent with that in the Hunter. These regions have driven the Australian economy. We support blue collar workers with investment, because we need those jobs, and we need to make things here in Australia.
JOURNALIST: What do you say to the 450 odd workers at Tahmoor whose jobs are currently in limbo?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what we say – This is a separate issue from the issue of Whyalla, we've made the investment in Whyalla, of course, Tahmoor and the mine sector do have, I think, a future as well, and we want to make sure that people are looked after. But this week has been about making sure that – the pressure that was there in Whyalla, was leading to the need for a significant intervention of $2.4 billion. The administrators have now been appointed there. Tahmoor, of course, is an important mine. My understanding from Mr. Gupta's statements is that they're looking at selling that mine to a new owner.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you promised more than $20 million to the Illawarra region just today. Are you feeling pressure that these seats aren’t as safe in the upcoming election?
PRIME MINISTER: No, we deliver for people wherever they live, we deliver for people. In Whyalla, you might notice on the pendulum, it's not on our side. We look after people, particularly in the regions, and this region needs investment. My Government has consistently invested, when I was a Minister, in this region. We're investing additional funds in the Princes Highway south of here as well. But this is an investment in these young people that we see here. It's a vote of confidence in the Illawarra and the Community Centre is one that's needed in the southern suburbs.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister the ABC has been told commercial pilots have been warned about a potential hazard in airspace between Australia and New Zealand, where three Chinese warships have been transiting. Can you advise why this alert has been issued?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, China issued, in accordance with practice, an alert that it would be conducting these activities, including the potential use of live fire. It's outside of Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone. Australia and New Zealand ships and P-8 aircraft have been monitoring the Chinese fleet while they have been travelling down the coast of Australia, off the coast. As you would expect us to be doing, I've spoken with the Chief of the Defence Force, the Defence Minister Richard Marles, the Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and I've also had contact with the New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon this afternoon. It is the case that the notice was given. When that occurs, airlines are notified and stay out of the area. Air Services Australia also has been informed and has taken action as well. That time has expired now. According to, the Chief of the Defence Force has advised that it's not clear whether there was any actual live fire used in this area, but it is consistent with international law. Now, the Australian Foreign Minister will be meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister. So, Penny Wong is meeting Wang Yi in coming hours as part of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in South Africa. And at that time, Penny Wong will be making that diplomatic representation on our behalf.
JOURNALIST: Is this something you’re concerned about?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, this is activity that has occurred in waters, consistent with international law. The notification has occurred there. According to Defence, there has been no imminent risk of danger to any Australian assets or New Zealand assets, and that's why this notification occurs.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, do you think that the concerns over the lack of transparency around the Illawarra off-shore wind project could hurt Labor’s re-election prospects?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, of course, the existing rules are the ones that were put in place by the former Government. That's an important fact here, and there's an inquiry taking place to make sure that community consultation is appropriate and that best practice occurs, and that is occurring.
JOURNALIST: A big building is obviously a great thing, but will you commit to the ongoing investment to make sure that the services offered to the community for training can actually build out into those community levels?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, our job, here, is to provide some capital investment. That's our job. And one of the things about why it's justified is because volunteer organisations – I mean, Rugby League survives because these kids, when they go out on the weekend, they have mums and dads providing, in some cases, you know, touch judge duties, in other duties helping out, coaching and supporting their local community. That's what builds a local community, but our job is to provide appropriate capital investment. I think it's a worthwhile investment here. A lot of work has gone into this, and I congratulate Andrew and the club. The Dragons and the Steelers here have a great history. And the work has been done. It's done in partnership. The Council's been involved. The University has been involved, community sector, and I think it will be a great success.
JOURNALIST: Those partnerships, I guess in the University of Wollongong, I guess you know, how do you commit to who you partner with – whether it be the Dragons or the University –
PRIME MINISTER: Well with respect there's not a role for the Federal Government in ongoing partnership with Rugby League clubs. What our job is to do, though, is that where you have a proposal that will benefit, importantly, not just the clubs, it'll benefit school groups and will benefit the fact that you've got these world class facilities will benefit everyone in this community, and it won't be confined, inevitably, just to Rugby League as well. The sort of research that will take place with sport medicine and all of that can have an impact on all of our health as well. The other reason why expenditure in sport is worthwhile is that these kids running around makes them healthier. It keeps them out of other activities, and it's a really positive thing, and I look forward to it.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Katrina Hodgkinson, the new Nationals candidate for Whitlam, said today about the Illawarra offshore wind zone, and I quote, “I don't know anybody who wants it.” Do you know anyone who wants it?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, look, Katrina Hodgkinson, the National Party candidate, you say?
JOURNALIST: Yes, new National Party candidate, the former Member for Burrinjuck in New South Wales.
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, the same one. She ran for Gilmore last time? Yeah. Okay, so she's shopping around a few seats. Fair way from Burrinjuck. But you know that's up to her. But the truth is that the National Party and the Liberal Party know what they're against. I'll tell you what they're for. $600 billion of a nuclear industry, and the cuts that will have to be made for it. The $350 billion of expenditure, including the indexing of pensions and everything else that they say will have to be cut. Housing, education, health, will have to be cut, because they say that it's all wasteful. And of course, you've got $20,000 of lunches paid for by taxpayers in the Illawarra so that some people can go out and have a long lunch. They're the only policies they've put forward. The Coalition, if they're going to be taken seriously, better come up with more policies than that, because that's all they've got, just opposing everything and coming up with those three policies. Thanks very much.
JOURNALIST: And what about those comments in relation to offshore wind?
PRIME MINISTER: They'll be – well, we have a process in place. This candidate's not surprising. They're against everything. They're against everything except for nuclear industry. I hope you asked her what her view is about a nuclear power plant, because nuclear power plants have got to be near water. And the one – the sites that have been chosen, you know, New South Wales, they managed to find a site in in the Hunter which is susceptible, as we know, to earthquakes. I mean, these people can't be taken seriously. What we do as a Government, and here in the Illawarra with these fantastic Members, is come up with serious policies, and that's what we've done today as well. Thanks very much.