ANNA ZYCKI, REGIONAL DIRECTOR NORTH REGION TRANSPORT FOR NSW: Welcome everybody today to this event here at the M1 to Raymond Terrace. I would just like to kick off by acknowledging the Worimi People, the traditional owners of the land on which we stand, and to acknowledge any elders, past and present, and any Aboriginal people here today. I'd now like to hand over to Meryl Swanson, the local member for this area.
MERYL SWANSON, MEMBER FOR PATERSON: Thank you, Anna. Well, welcome, everyone and it is just fantastic to have so many people here at what is a game changing event and day for the Hunter. This has been years in the preparation, many people know that it couldn't have happened soon enough. I think people said if it happened twenty years ago, it'd be too late. I'm talking about the M1, it is one of the biggest bottlenecks on the eastern seaboard. And I am absolutely delighted that our government, an Albanese Government, fast tracked this project. We're digging it, we're doing it, and you're going to be driving on it. How good is that? I want to quickly say thank you to the people who are building this road, you're doing a magnificent job. It is a big job, a viaduct, a very complicated intersection and interchange. But the people of the Hunter will thank you for that, and also the people who are trying to come from Sydney to Brisbane, who are bringing grain from the West over to the Port, the people who are just trying to get on with their day and don't want to have five hours of their life at Hexham - as good a spot as it is, you want to be able to keep moving. So, I am just so grateful and so delighted to have so many people here working on this project. And I couldn't be prouder at this moment, to be honest, to welcome the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. He has backed this project in since I was a whippersnapper in parliament and first got elected in 2016 and started to talk to him and Jeff, his advisor, about this section of road. I used to go to him and say, ‘Albo, when are we going to fix this M1, mate? This M1? This M1?’. And he'd see me and he'd go, ‘Meryl, g'day, the M1, mate - I know’. So, it has just been so good to see this happen. And I do want to thank my friend and colleague, the Minister that is here today that's really done so much work on this, the Minister for Infrastructure and Local Government, Catherine King. Because she's the other one who's borne the brunt of all the representations from myself and all of those people who just wanted to make this happen. Catherine, thank you for being a champion. And my colleagues who are here, Yasmin Catley, the Minister for Police in NSW, Jenny Aitchison, the Minister for Regional Roads in NSW, Kate Washington, the Minister for Community Services and Justice, is here with us, and Dan Repacholi. Well, he's my guy in federal parliament, the Member for Hunter. He is a champion for this region and I love him like a brother. We fight like brother and sister for this region to make things like this happen. Prime Minister, welcome. Let's get this done.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Meryl. Well, it's fantastic to be here on my first visit to the Hunter for 2024 and to be here with my NSW parliamentary colleagues, but also with my colleagues, the Minister, Catherine King, and also Meryl Swanson and Dan Repacholi, the fantastic local members here for Paterson and Hunter. This is an exciting project that will make a big difference for the region. It'll make a big difference for the nation as well. For locals taking 25,000 cars off these roads, but for those people travelling from Sydney through to Brisbane, making an enormous difference. But it's also a nation building project because it will boost productivity. The Port of Newcastle is one of Australia's most important and this project will ensure that there's massive productivity benefits for all in the region. In addition to that, this is about jobs - creating over 3000 jobs during construction, but many more jobs will be created as a result of this fantastic infrastructure project. This will, along with the Coffs Harbour bypass, see the completion of the full duplication from Sydney to Brisbane, making an enormous difference. I'll make this final point as well - this is about road safety. When we build better roads, we get better outcomes for road safety. Better outcomes means saving lives and also reducing accidents, which we've seen around the nation have risen unfortunately in recent times. Projects like this will make a difference. Good for jobs, good for the economy, good for tourism, good for road safety. This is a great project.
JENNY AITCHISON, NEW SOUTH WALES MINISTER FOR REGIONAL TRANSPORT AND ROADS: Thanks so much. Thanks Albo, that's really great to have you here and Minister King, great friends of the Hunter. In fact, Albo has been integral, even when he was the Infrastructure Minister formerly in the last Labor Federal Government. And it's great to see that Catherine King has continued that legacy of investing in this most important productive area of the state. As the Prime Minister has said, this is a project that started way back in 1996 and this will be the last missing link of upgrading the Pacific highway, which is part of a legacy for this government, but so many governments before. And this of course, the hardest part. We've got 15 kilometres of road, we've got 2.6 kilometre viaduct, it's going to be an enormous benefit for those 25,000 cars that go off this area and will not be putting that strain on that ageing infrastructure that we have. Many of you who are local will know of the issues we experienced last year with the Taro Interchange, this will take about over a third of that traffic off that bridge. It will be an absolute game changer. And can I say, as the Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, but also as the member for Maitland, I'm excited because it will take a lot of that rat running traffic out of Maitland. I know the local members, Kate Washington and also Meryl Swanson, as federal member for Paterson, have really worked to get this to happen. And it has been great to see the Federal Government show that leadership for a $2.1 billion project. NSW is kicking in our fair share. We are very keen to see this going, and I will pass you on to Minister King.
CATHERINE KING, MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT: Thanks very much, Jenny. Can I start by thanking the amazing construction workforce that we have here. These projects only happen because of the hard work of our construction crews, our engineers, our people doing all of the planning work. And it's so lovely to be able to see and be here on such an important project for this region. Also, construction is changing. You see just how many women are working on this site. We want to see more women in construction. It is a great industry to come into and I'm so delighted to see just how many women are working alongside their colleagues on this site. Well, again, this is a terrific project, the M1 Raymond Terrace. We've been talking about it for a while and here we've got Labor governments actually delivering. I was here two years ago when we were in opposition with Meryl standing under the bridge, watching how terrible the traffic was, what a terrible bottleneck that was for people in this region, but also just how unproductive it is seeing freight trucks stuck in that traffic for hours on end. And here we are under 18 months of, just over 18 months in government, and we're actually delivering this project with the NSW Labor government. This is a project that is important for productivity, it is important for jobs, but as the Prime Minister says so strongly, it is also important for road safety. It is the sort of project that the Federal Government should be investing in, in partnership with our state colleagues. Making sure we're getting our freight moving, making sure that we're getting jobs in construction, but also, beyond really seeing Tomago grow, seeing this Hunter Region grow for jobs, new industries coming in, but also making sure that people get to work safely and get home, more importantly, safely as well. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, Catherine. We're happy to take a few questions.
JOURNALIST: What's the latest on this project? Can you talk us through the timeline of where we’re at?
PRIME MINISTER: The timeline, as you can see, construction is underway. It's been underway for four months. The planning work is all done, the approvals are all done. We expect that the project will be completed by 2028. It's being done in two stages with different, two separate contracts, that's in order to facilitate fast tracking of this project. We want to see it done as soon as possible because the sooner it's done, the sooner we'll be taking cars off the roads, the sooner freight will be more efficient, the sooner productivity will rise.
JOURNALIST: We've heard of some delays of taking 45 minutes to get from Sandgate cemetery to the turnoff. What's going to be done to, especially Hexham Straight widening, that is the link between Newcastle and Maitland.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it will be making an enormous difference. This project, along with other projects in the region, if you look at what we have done, it's like there were a few missing years when we were not in government. But I'm really proud of the Hunter expressway that was envisaged, commissioned, funded and most of the construction completed while we were last in government - making an enormous difference. In addition to that, we made enormous difference right up and down the Pacific highway. We did projects like the Tourle Street Bridge, as well, to improve productivity in this region. Labor governments have invested in the Hunter, we’ll continue to do so. We did so as well in rail freight, making enormous difference with the duplication of the lines to the port that have made a difference. What this will do is enhance job creation in this region. That is so important for the nation.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, is the high speed rail project moving fast enough for you?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'll ask the Minister to comment on this as well. But the high speed rail project hit a pause button in 2013, which is a pity because we had a high speed rail authority ready to legislate. We had an advisory group that included the late Tim Fisher, former deputy Prime Minister and leader of the National Party, who was a strong advocate in a bipartisan way for high speed rail. Jennifer Westacott, the then head of the Business Council of Australia. We had senior people, we'd done the work. It was a $2.45 benefit for every dollar expended on part of that project - an enormous difference. And high speed rail is now operating in every inhabited continent on the planet. It's being expanded in South America, North America, Asia, Europe and Africa. There is no reason whatsoever why because of the population of Australia and its location around the east coast, this can't be a transformative project. A transformative project for city to city travel, but also a transformative project in regional economic development. That's the thing that really lifts up the benefit-cost ratio of this project. But I'd ask Catherine to speak as well.
MINISTER KING: This is an incredibly exciting project for the nation, but particularly for Newcastle and the Hunter. I met yesterday, the new CEO just started work yesterday, Tim Parker is on board. The first day of work, He's well known to you here in NSW having built most of the rail network and been responsible for building most of the rail work network throughout NSW and shows just how serious this government is about making sure we've got someone with the skills and the capacity to actually not just talk about high speed rail, but to actually deliver it. What the expectation is this year is the business case will be done, planning work undertaken, geotechnical work undertaken, and also recommendations to government about how the project is financed. This is a very big project. It's a project We're very serious about building the Newcastle to Sydney component via, obviously, the Central Coast as well, and that work is underway. It's my expectation there'll be an office here in Newcastle for the High Speed Rail Authority, because this isn't just a transport project. This is a project that will employ and see redeployment of people from across a range of other industries, not only constructing high speed rail, but also involved in the operation of high speed rail. But one of the lessons we learned when you see the failed National Party inland rail project, and I highly recommend people look at the Schott Review, is that you've got to get the structures right, the governance right, the planning right, the engineering right. You don't just rush out and start spending money before you know how much a project is actually going to cost. You actually do it properly. And we are very determined to get this project done, but to do it right and to deliver here for the people of Newcastle. I've been over and had a look at High Speed Rail One and High Speed Rail Two. High Speed Rail Two is transforming the city of Birmingham. It isn't just about people commuting into London. It is actually about head offices of major companies, major banks, relocating out of major capital cities into the regions. This is part of the economic development story of the Hunter, and we're going to be very proud as a government to deliver it.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you mentioned before a part of this is road safety. We've had a seven per cent increase federally in road deaths and five overnight here in NSW. Aside from upgrading roads to make them safer, what else is being done at a federal level to minimise fatalities on roads?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'll ask Catherine to comment on this as well, but we are convening meetings, including between all the Transport Ministers and the Police Ministers, about road safety and about ways forward. Quite clearly, there are three issues that you can do with regard to road safety. One is infrastructure that's there, the second is design rules. So for example, after the tragedy that we saw in Greta as well, we know that design rules for buses is something that's been looked at and considered as well. When I was the Minister, we did a range of changes of design rules for trucks to ensure safety there as well. So, that's the second element that's there. The third of course, is behaviour. Driver behaviour and personal responsibility are important factors as well. Getting that message across is absolutely critical so that people don't take risks with their own lives and with the lives of others on the road. I presided over the first ten year National Road Safety Strategy from 2011 to 2020. During that period you saw a loss, each year there was a reduction across that period in lives lost, and that is of such real concern. We know that those three things can make a difference. I myself stand here today as someone who mightn't have stood here were there not design rules, improvements in cars. As someone who had a major accident where the car was written off in January of 2021. And if you looked at the car, you would think that no one would have walked away from that. It was the design safety features of the car that made a difference. So, that's an element. Infrastructure and better roads is an element. But driver behaviour is an element as well. We have seen, tragically, an increase in the number of people committing offences for driving under the influence of drugs. We need to make sure that those messages get out, that they get out to young people in particular.
MINISTER KING: Thanks very much, Prime Minister. Any loss of life on our roads is an absolute tragedy, not just for the families involved, but every community. It's a loss of someone who is making a contribution in our society, and it's tragic to see. The road toll has been increasing, there is no doubt about that. And some states are doing a little better than others, but we've certainly seen that happening across the nation. Transport Ministers met in December and have agreed on a couple of things to start with. One is obviously we need again, a national advertising campaign to really go to that issue around driver behaviour. We've seen some really significant changes, we don't quite know what's going on, but since COVID about how people are driving on our roads, taking decisions about taking substances and about speeding behaviour as well, and our police are reporting that pretty strongly that that is a significant factor. Governments continue to invest in safer roads and of course, through Australian design rules and our fantastic car manufacturers overseas, unfortunately not here, are making better and better and safer cars and we want to make sure those vehicles make their way into the Australian marketplace. And we invest in the ANCAP safety rating to make sure people are aware of what they can buy. But those three things combined, as the Prime Minister said, is what the National Road Safety Strategy is based on. Carol Brown, who has carriage of road safety in the Albanese government for me is in fact convening a meeting, I think here in NSW there's a meeting happening shortly to try and really look at what are the other steps, what are the next steps, particularly in relation to driver behaviour that we can actually as governments work together on. But that first is an investment in a national education campaign. We've all seen much of that drop off of late and it's plateaued a bit in terms of people getting the messages out. But we think it's time for another one nationally, particularly when it comes to safety on our roads.
JOURNALIST: Why hasn’t Australia's extra defence personnel been deployed to the Middle East yet? What's the delay?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, there's no delay. The Defence Minister said that they'd be deployed this month. Today is the 16th, it's your wedding anniversary and you don't know the date. Congratulations to Jenny, the 16 January. There's no delay, we're doing exactly what we said we would do.
JOURNALIST: With resources prices so high, will you be able to use the extra revenue to fund more cost of living support to households?
PRIME MINISTER: We’ve said that we'll always look at more measures to assist households and that is precisely what we did last year, it's what we'll do this year. I've asked for Treasury and Finance to give ongoing advice. We did that in the lead up to the mid-year economic forecast that we released in December, and that work is ongoing to get that advice about ways in which we can provide support for people whilst putting downward pressure on inflation. Now, the good news this month is the inflation figures year to year on a monthly basis are down from 4.9 to 4.3. That shows it's heading in the right direction - there's more to do. Our main fight is against inflation. We are fighting for things to be cheaper in stores. Peter Dutton is fighting over what goes into stores in a culture war. And I say this here in regional NSW that Peter Dutton has called for a boycott of Woolworths. It's unclear whether that is a forever boycott or what the timeline on that is, and he needs to make it clear what his position is and over whether it also applies to Kmart and Aldi and other stores as well. But I'll say this, Woolworths alone employs some 200,000 Australians. Peter Dutton needs to explain to those 200,000 Australians why they shouldn't continue to be employed. Because if no one goes into their stores, if there's a boycott by all shoppers, then the company stops trading and people lose their jobs. Our priority is serious. Our priority is not thought bubbles and just negative politics like Peter Dutton is constantly engaged in. Our priority is providing assistance for people and making sure as well that people can get their goods for the cheapest possible price. That's why myself and the Treasurer met with Dr Craig Emerson yesterday. That's why the ACCC are also examining those issues.
JOURNALIST: Under what circumstances could we see that ACCC investigation into price gaps?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the ACCC will answer those circumstances. The ACCC, are an arm’s length body. They're looking, I noticed that Gina, the head of the ACCC, has said, it's reported this morning as saying what I know to be the case, that the ACCC is continuing to monitor what they can do.
JOURNALIST: What's your message for sections of the local community opposed to the Hunter Offshore Wind Project?
PRIME MINISTER: That we're continuing to have appropriate community consultation. As a result of that community consultation, changes have already been made to the proposal. But the provision of power is about jobs. It's about jobs being created in terms of construction, but also jobs in places like Tomago, not far from where we are here. We'll need a reliable supply of power, and that is important for the region. But we'll continue to consult constructively. I know that Meryl’s very engaged in those issues as the local member, making sure that what is delivered is a win-win. A win in terms of reliable energy being supplied, but a win as well in terms of jobs and looking after what is a very important local environment and other local jobs in areas like tourism.
JOURNALIST: Will the Federal Bus Safety Taskforce be established this year? And what will be at the top of its list?
MINISTER KING: Thanks very much, and I note the report of the NSW government bus industry task force that that's been handed down again. Senator Carol Brown immediately following the terrible circumstances of the hunter bus crash, convened a meeting of the bus industry, transport industry as well and that's been done. And there is a range of activities that are actually occurring right at the moment, including looking at Australian design rules as they relate to buses, looking again at whether the safety seatbelt rules are fit for purpose and the Australian design rules are fit for purpose and we'll continue to do that work. I think it's really important that we actually deliver and do the work and that's been continuing under the stewardship of Senator Carol Brown.
PRIME MINISTER: Can I just make the point that I visited in the aftermath of the Greta tragedy, the Singleton Roosters with Dan Repacholi. Every time there's reports, as there have been again this morning, about charges that I won't comment on because they're matters before the courts. But I would say to the families and friends affected by that tragedy who I met who were going through an incredibly difficult time, that a tragedy like that does not diminish over time and you can have a retriggering as well of that trauma when it's discussed publicly. So, I would just say that if people do need assistance, don't hesitate to reach out. It is so important that it be dealt with and that people receive the support that they need. And I know that if they contact any of their local, state and federal members here, then that support I'm sure will be provided.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the Glendale Transport Interchange has been on hold now for a long, long time. Is that still on the government's radar and where are you up to that? When can we see some more action?
PRIME MINISTER: It is, and it has been on for, certainly some of that work was done, as you'd be aware, when we were in office the last time around. That's how long it's been around. I'll ask the Infrastructure Minister to add some comments on that. But that was a project that was about a public private arrangement. It was about providing a project that would see private sector investment in housing and economic development for the region as well. It's something that unfortunately was cut by the former government.
MINISTER KING: Thanks very much for that and thank you for the question. We're working pretty closely with the NSW government all the time about what are the new projects, the new investment that needs to be made, and obviously that is one project that we'll have discussions with. But what I'd also point to, and particularly given the nature of that project and its link to housing, is that as part of the National Housing Accord, the Albanese Labor government has committed $500 million into infrastructure for bringing housing to market. And that is for local council, for state governments and to work with private developers to look at that. So again, whilst it's not in the infrastructure investment pipeline at the moment. That's no reason that that can't come into the pipeline, but also this other additional money that is looking around, really that enabling infrastructure for housing to make sure that we actually deliver those projects fairly quickly, that that money is available also. And we're happy to talk to the state and the local council about that. And I'll be meeting with the Newcastle mayor shortly after this meeting to talk about some of those issues.