RENEE COFFEY, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR GRIFFITH: Good morning everyone. My name is Renee Coffey, I'm Labor's candidate here in Griffith. I want to welcome you all to the Moreton Bay Smart Centre. It's been wonderful to be here with the Prime Minister, thanking our frontline workers who are putting so much work into supporting people in our region. We've had a lot of difficult weeks, these last couple of weeks here locally, and for many people that's continuing as they face the clean-up with debris and damage of their properties. And we've got frontline workers here who are helping them and aiding them and it's been fantastic to come and say thank you for all their hard work. It's my absolute pleasure to introduce the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, to speak with you this morning.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well thanks so much Renee and it's been a great privilege to be able to be here to say thank you to these frontline workers. There's 3000 people today processing claims from people in Queensland and in Northern New South Wales who need support as a result of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. These are frontline workers making a difference. And contrary to some of the rhetoric of the Coalition, of those 3000 workers, 89 per cent of them are in the regions, are on the ground. Yesterday I was in Hervey Bay - Hervey Bay Service Centre has been knocked out through flooding. So you have 15 people working essentially in the car park delivering support for the people of Hervey Bay who've gone through the trauma. It is extraordinary that overwhelmingly the claims are being processed within 24 hours. Money in people's bank accounts to make a difference so that they can get that comfort from knowing that the government is by their side at what has been a very difficult time. Up to now, as of last night there's been $80 million paid in disaster relief payments - that's making a difference. Whether it be the $1000 payments, or $400 for children, or whether it be the more complex 13 weeks payment that can come for people who are unable to continue to work. This is one of the engine rooms of the Australian government that we're in right here today. Frontline public servants making a difference to help Australians in their time of need. They've taken 6000 emergency calls a day here since Ex-Tropical Cyclone hit this area of South East Queensland, 6000 calls a day. And as you can imagine for many of these people they've been through trauma, these are difficult calls to have. And I pay tribute to the staff here who are working their way through what are difficult calls and of course for them they deserve very much our thanks. So I say to the staff here, we value you, we respect you. The other thing that has been able to occur here is that for many of the staff, particularly those affected by the floods themselves, their homes or roads, unable to get to work, they were able to work from home as a result of the improvements in technology which are there and that has made an enormous difference as well. I've said before but I'll say it again, at the worst of times we see the best of the Australian character. And we see the best of the Australian character with the workers from the council, from the energy sector reconnecting people there in Hervey Bay yesterday, the SES workers. But we also see the best of Australians right here in this office. Taking calls, making a difference to people's lives when it really matters. And for that I say on behalf of Australians, thank you. Happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you're up in the polls generally. Was Cyclone Alfred a gift to you in disguise?
PRIME MINISTER: There was nothing positive about Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. What I did was do what I did earlier this year, work in the floods in North Queensland. And one of the positives that's come is the way that the three levels of government have worked seamlessly during this period. I had another chat with the Premier yesterday, I'll have another chat to him today, and we're working through these issues. Local government have done a fantastic job. I was there with the mayor on the Fraser Coast yesterday. They've really stepped up, people really helping out their community. I went to the Star of the Sea School, primary school in Hervey Bay, and there we visited classrooms where the stench, frankly, from the flood was still there. The carpets have had to be ripped out, they're trying to get rid of the damp which is there, but the kids are resilient. The little kids in Year One and Year Two were crowded into what was the library, and I was able to talk to the different classes. The Year Six are travelling to Canberra next week and I hope to catch up with them during that visit. Queenslanders are tough people and they've shown how tough they are once again, as are the people of Northern New South Wales. I mean, the people of Lismore have copped it time and time again. But they get up, they work for each other and the government at all levels is there for them, as well as of course, the volunteers. And a special tribute and shout out to the men and women of the Australian Defence Force. They arrived in Hervey Bay, that gave a great deal of confidence for the community there. As did the arrival of SES volunteers from South Australia, driving for days in order to get to a position of helping their fellow Australians.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you've allocated $2.5 billion to the Brisbane Arena for the Olympics. But the thing is, if the state doesn't go ahead with that, will you recommit your money or will you pull your money away?
PRIME MINISTER: We support the Brisbane Arena. We support an indoor arena, not just because of what it will do for the Olympics, but importantly as well, it will provide an ongoing indoor venue for things like concerts and other activities. We have $3.4 billion on top of the Brisbane Arena funding. There are 19 different smaller venues which we're providing support for. But on top of that as well, it's important to remember as we look to the success of Brisbane 2032, the billion dollars we're putting into high level sports. People like Gout Gout there, a young fellow from Ipswich who has the potential to be the best in the world. He's beating Usain Bolts times at the same age. And the sort of funding that goes into the Australian Institute of Sport, the money we've put there, the money we've put into elite sports, the money we've put into women's sport programs as well to provide them with facilities, all of that is making a difference in building up confidence for Brisbane 2032.
JOURNALIST: But Prime Minister, back to the Brisbane Arena here. Sorry, I'm a little bit slow. Would you recommit -
PRIME MINISTER: I answered. I answered the question.
JOURNALIST: I don’t think you did –
PRIME MINISTER: I did.
JOURNALIST: You said what you've committed to, all the funding you put in. But if the state government does not go that way, if they do not commit to the Brisbane Arena, that $2.5 billion, would you pull that funding away? Is it conditional? Is it resting on the Brisbane Arena?
PRIME MINISTER: If you ask the same question, you'll get the same answer. I refer to my last answer. We have money for the arena and we have money for 19 other projects.
JOURNALIST: I feel like it's a yes or no, Anthony. Will you recommit that funding?
PRIME MINISTER: Well that's your view, but I've answered the question pretty clearly.
JOURNALIST: PM, the Coalition is pledging to fast track federal approval for Woodside's West Shelf gas expansion within 30 days if it wins the upcoming federal election. Will the Federal Government make its position or decision clear before the election?
PRIME MINISTER: You know, there's this thing called the EPBC Act that was put in place by the Howard government. The state government had this project for a long period of time. It's been with the Federal Government just for a matter of weeks. We'll go through that process in accordance with the law. Do we support the gas sector? Yes, but subject, of course, to environmental approvals. This is just another, you know, I said yesterday when the Coalition came up with their second plan for a referendum next term that it was a thought bubble. Well, it's a thought bubble without the thought. It's really like a soap bubble because it lasts about as long as a bit of a soap bubble that comes up from a bubble bath or something. It just disappears into the ether within hours. They just come up with these things, then they walk away from them. Whether it's referendums, whether it be zonal taxation rates, whether it be the other statements that Peter Dutton makes where he's like, you know, a character dials it up from Spinal Tap. Everything goes up to eleven straight away. You know, like they need to start getting serious about policy. I mean Angus Taylor is on a listening tour this week, the week before the budget, our fourth budget that we have produced during this term of government. This guy's a Shadow Treasurer. They have no economic policy. He put out a range of things when asked that weren't actually economic policy. And no one has any idea what they stand for except for $600 billion on nuclear power plants. $350 billion they say it's wasteful expenditure, like the people here helping. These people are under the gun to lose their job if Peter Dutton is elected, 36,000 public servants. NEMA didn't exist, the National Emergency Management Agency did not exist before we came to government. They are under the gun. These public servants aren't in Canberra, they're in Hervey Bay in a car park helping people and Peter Dutton regards them as being waste. That is what they stand for. Those two things and then one thing more, of course - $20,000 for every taxpayer to pay for some bosses to have lunch. They're the only policies they've come up with. It's about time Peter Dutton came up with some sensible policies. And while in WA, we know that they've said they'll abolish the Production Tax Credits that will assist the resources sector. Assist us in critical minerals and rare earths that's so important.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, do you support the opposition's plan to amend the citizenship test to prevent those with anti-Semitic views from becoming Australian citizens?
PRIME MINISTER: It's another soap bubble. We'll see if it lasts until, you know, a couple of hours away. Yesterday's didn't make it to lunchtime, so we'll wait and see what happens.
JOURNALIST: But do you support it?
PRIME MINISTER: The Coalition have run a campaign complaining that too many Australians were making the citizenship pledge who'd been in the queue, some of them for years, in order to become Australian citizens.
JOURNALIST: On energy, can you guarantee that energy prices will come down or at least remain stable under a second term Albanese government?
PRIME MINISTER: Well we know that we have, international impact of global inflation has had an impact. The Russian invasion of Ukraine had an impact on energy prices. But you know what's happened here? Here in Queensland, every Queenslander is getting $1300 off their energy bills. They are measures that were opposed by Peter Dutton and his Coalition. Like they opposed the cap on gas and coal prices that we introduced as a result of the global spike. They said that was an intervention in the market that wasn't justified. It made a difference for people just like our energy rebates have made a difference for people. Just like all our cost of living measures. I mean, Peter Dutton needs to stop with, you know, flags and whatever else he’ll come up with and actually come up with a policy on cost of living that makes a difference to people. He's three years in as Opposition Leader. He has not put forward a single policy that will make a difference to cost of living for Australians, in spite of the fact that my government has been dealing with global inflation and has got inflation down from having a six in front of it to having a two in front of it, and is in the lower half of the band that the Reserve Bank are aiming for at 2.4. Which is why we've seen interest rates start to come down, just like they started to go up under the Coalition.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, 53 per cent of voters blame your, soaring energy prices on the government. What do you say to Australians angry about power bills?
PRIME MINISTER: People have been under financial pressure across a range of areas, that's why we've acted. That's why we support the $1300 energy rebate. That's why we support free TAFE. That's why we've delivered cheaper child care of $2700 for families. That's why we changed the tax cuts to give a tax cut to every taxpayer, not just some. That's why we're proud that real wages are increasing five quarters in a row. They were falling for the last five quarters of the former government. We are making a difference when it comes to cost of living measures. We'll have more to say, I'll have more to say in coming days as well. So, I'm here in Queensland once again, I was here yesterday in the regions, in Gladstone and Hervey Bay and up there in Longman in the Caboolture region as well. I'm here today, I've got a range of meetings and then I'll be on the Gold Coast and in Queensland still tomorrow.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, will your government consider extending the energy bill rebate for households?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, we have a budget next Tuesday. We'll always look towards what we can do in cost-of-living measures, but in ways that are designed to put that downward pressure on inflation, because that's important.
JOURNALIST: PM, on Canadas purchase of a $6.5 billion Australian Defence radar system. Is this an example of how countries can diversify their defence supply chains to be less reliant on the US?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, last night I had an excellent call with Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney. We both joined the call that was convened by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Macron on Saturday evening to talk about Ukraine. But this was a one on one conversation. It was extensive. It was a good opportunity for us to get to know each other personally. Canada, of course, has an excellent relationship with Australia. And one of the things that the Prime Minister confirmed is that he is looking at our, looking at what we have, which is our Jindalee Operational Radar Network technology. This is a world leading technology. Australians are smart, we're good at innovation. We want a future made in Australia and we want to export wherever possible. And this will be a significant export if this deal is finalised. He certainly spoke to me about the over-the-horizon radar technology that Canada is interested in purchasing from Australia. It's important that we diversify our trade relationships. That's why we've worked so hard on the ASEAN region with the work that was done on our Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040. That's why we've worked so hard on the Free Trade Agreement with the UAE. We're working with our European friends. We have of course restored the trading relationship with China, with more than $20 billion of exports going to China. So we'll continue to work and cooperate. It's important that we develop that diverse series of relationships, and Canada is a very important one. We have so much in common and we have of course a lot of diaspora in both places as well. And last night we talked about, not just in this area, but in other areas as well, of potential cooperation.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, did he give you advice about how to deal with Trump?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, we spoke about our relationship between Australia and Canada. That's an important one. Obviously there are issues taking place, particularly between Canada and the United States, that I wouldn't have expected to have been happening in my lifetime. But we have a very separate relationship with Canada and it's a very good one.
JOURNALIST: Back on the Olympics.
PRIME MINISTER: Yep.
JOURNALIST: Has the State consulted with you about how the $3.5 billion will be spent? And do you think it's taken too long to decide Games venues?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we've put forward our position. I'm not going to be anything other than supportive of the Brisbane 2032 Olympics. I will discuss respectfully with the Premier the issues, but we are very clear about our funding being capped. We have made a major contribution, not just directly to the Olympics, but in addition to that, the billion dollars that I spoke about earlier will make an enormous difference towards ensuring that Brisbane 2032 is a success. I, as a Sydneysider, saw what Sydney 2000 did for that great city. This great global city of Brisbane will be enhanced and transformed and that's why it's important. The experience of Sydney or of Melbourne in 56 is that you want to make sure that you leave a legacy as well post Olympics. I think that's what people want to see, not just in terms of venues, but in other areas as well, including of course, transport, including the road and rail networks which are there. We put in substantial funding for the Gold Coast Light Rail. That made a real difference during the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games that were a success. We put in $365 million to that. That was opposed strongly by the LNP at the time - both state and federal. Local federal members were out there campaigning, whipping up angst about it. And no one now thinks Gold Coast Light Rail is a bad idea. Thanks very much.
JOURNALIST: And the state, will the state consult with you?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course they consult.