ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: It's been terrific to speak again to the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue about the important contribution that this region makes to our nation's economy, as well as the larger contribution that it can make in the future if we get planning right, if we build appropriate infrastructure, if we take advantage of the Western Sydney Airport to make sure that that Aerotropolis delivers on Science, on advanced manufacturing, on increasing high value jobs here in Western Sydney. Western Sydney is also the region that is the home to the largest urban population of Aboriginal Australians, and I've been very heartened by the fact that the Leadership Dialogue have joined the organisations that are calling for a Yes vote to acknowledge the important contribution of Indigenous Australians by changing our nation's birth certificate to recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait people should be recognised in our Constitution and should have a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament.
JOURNALIST: You mentioned the Western Sydney Airport. The Premier was out this week saying that you guys haven't given your fair share of the funding for rapid buses.
PRIME MINISTER: The Premier has not raised this with me in the many meetings that I've had him, not once. Nor has this issue been raised with the Federal Government. The Federal Government is getting on with and has, to the credit of the former government as well, significant investments in the Western Sydney Airport. It has been overwhelmingly a federal investment, be it in roads, in rail and in the airport infrastructure.
JOURNALIST: The funding commitment was in the Western Sydney City Deal that the former government signed, so shouldn’t you honour that?
PRIME MINISTER: That is not what I'm advised is the case.
JOURNALIST: The Opposition has accused you of going missing on the issue of tax cuts this week. Could you clarify once and for all whether you plan on seeking to amend the stage three tax cuts?
PRIME MINISTER: The Government hasn't changed our position.
JOURNALIST: So it’s a yes?
PRIME MINISTER: The Government hasn't changed our position, and I've been out and about this week. This weekend, I'll be in Western Australia. I'm here in Western Sydney today. It appears that the Opposition haven't got quite the memo. They're still looking for areas of disagreement, of playing the old politics. There's been meetings, obviously, this week about ERC and our processes. We'll continue to get on with making sure that we deliver a budget that is responsible, that acknowledges the pressures that are on it.
JOURNALIST: Is that a guarantee there will be no changes to the stage three tax cuts?
PRIME MINISTER: What I have said is that the Government has not changed our position.
JOURNALIST: I have a question about the Warragamba Dam. Premier Perrottet has said that he wants to raise it and says that it is a critical state infrastructure project. Now, is raising the dam, do you consider that a waste of money if developments don't stop on the floodplains?
PRIME MINISTER: Quite clearly, we don't need more development on the floodplains or in floodplains in general. It makes no sense to do that. With regard to an economic case, that needs to be made.
JOURNALIST: We understand that the Government is looking to repatriate women and children back from Syrian detention camps. Do you acknowledge that there are risks in those missions to bring those Australians back?
PRIME MINISTER: What we will be doing is continuing to prioritise actions which ensure the safety of Australians. That's our priority. With regard to any of these national security issues, we'll take the advice of the National Security Agencies.
JOURNALIST: You emphasised in your speech today that it was vital that fiscal policy complements monetary policy.
PRIME MINISTER: Which it is.
JOURNALIST: You don't want to do anything that would add to inflationary pressures and lead to interest rates going up more. You also mentioned the long-term fiscal pressures on big vital government programs like the NDIS. Isn't that you laying the groundwork to amend or claw back some of the stage three tax cuts?
PRIME MINISTER: No, that's me being economically literate.
JOURNALIST: Okay, can you promise the Australian people today –
PRIME MINISTER: That is me being economically literate. And what we know is that there is enormous pressure on the global economy. One of the things that I said today was that you have the global central banks all acting in a simultaneous way for the fastest and highest tightening of monetary policy that we have seen in decades. That is a fact. And that is something that, of course, feeds into budget deliberations in itself.