ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: I do want to begin by talking about the floods on the East Coast that continue to have a real impact on people, on households and on communities and I do want to urge people in flood affected communities to continue to monitor warnings and to updates closely. I spoke to Mark Coulton the local MP in Western New South Wales. He's very concerned about communities such as Moree that are really under threat and the impact throughout New South Wales, going now into Queensland, Victoria, and of course Tasmania are significant indeed. Flood warnings and watches are stretched continuously right down the East Coast at the moment. As of this morning, just a couple of hours ago, approximately 100 ADF personnel are assisting in Moree, Dubbo, Condobolin, Deniliquin and Hillston with flood preparations, community engagement and sandbagging. Approximately 100 personnel are helping with sandbagging in Northern New South Wales, 50 personnel are on standby to assist in the Hunter Region and ADF personnel have been seconded to the State Emergency Operations Centre to assist with planning and logistics. I do want to thank the ADF personnel who are providing this assistance and also pay tribute to our emergency service workers and our volunteers who are once again, at the most difficult of times we see the best of the Australian character. People helping each other out to provide this assistance. It's expected that this event that we're witnessing will continue for some period of time. So it is a case that people do need to remain vigilant. I will continue to work cooperatively with all of the state governments of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. We will remain ready to assist in whatever way is possible going forward. Happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: Just on the floods, obviously there’s more to come, is there a lot of forward preparation that you’re aware of? Has the Government made more forward preparation, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: There’s substantial forward preparation occurring. We had the full Cabinet briefed last week and the week before we had a National Cabinet briefing the last time that Premiers and Chief Ministers were in Canberra as well. It's expected that rain, heavy rain, will continue for a period which is substantive, certainly well beyond just weeks. And the concern here is, of course, that there's been so much rain dropping that there's nowhere for it to go. There's no soaking in occurring. And in particularly the areas such as the Murray, what you're seeing is rainwater go up from the river system into the Murray north in Victoria and head south from Queensland and right through Northern New South Wales now through the Riverina into the Murray. It's expected that that will take three to four weeks before it flows through into South Australia. So the time ahead is difficult indeed. In the Budget on Tuesday we'll confirm that the Disaster Ready Fund will be funded in the Budget. What that's about is trying to get ahead of these issues. We need to recognise that climate change is having an impact. We're seeing more frequent events and they're more intense when they occur. And so getting that preparedness done, investing in levees, investing in infrastructure for mitigation is actually cheaper of course than waiting for the disasters to occur. And in many cases, we just need to recognise we need to do better in terms of preparation and will continue to work with state and local government on those issues.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, there’s a warning of a $30 million jump in social security costs, is this the price we're paying for inflation?
PRIME MINISTER: Well there is, there are, I'm not sure the specific question which you're asking. But we know the context of the Budget on Tuesday night is very much one of a global inflationary environment that is resulting in central banks having the fastest and most continuous tightening of monetary policy that we've seen for many decades. That combination of increases in interest rates, higher inflation, is putting real pressure on people. But what we know is that the right response to that in the Budget on Tuesday night is a Budget that's responsible, is a Budget that does not add to inflationary pressure, and that's what you'll see on Tuesday night. You'll also see a Government that is committed to fulfilling our promises. Included in that here in Perth is $50 million that we committed to for a world class Aboriginal Cultural Centre here in Perth. That will make a difference, not just a celebration of the oldest continuous culture on Earth, a source of great pride. It is also a facility that will be a great tourism attraction here in Perth and WA.
JOURNALIST: Do you want Australians to rein in their spending?
PRIME MINISTER: The Government is being very cautious and we're making it very clear that what you won’t see is the sort of measures that we saw in the March Budget that had a range of measures that of course ran out straight after the election. That's the context. We would like to do much more, but we will be responsible. We'll make sure that we have our eye on the economic constraints which are there because we do need to address cost of living and there will be a range of measures. But they're all aimed at cost of living measures which don't put more pressure on inflation. So cheaper childcare, cheaper health care costs, paid parental leave, the National Broadband Network and other infrastructure investment. All aimed at areas that will boost productivity, boost the economy and therefore be able to provide that assistance to people. It will be a family friendly Budget providing assistance for people without putting pressure on inflation.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, are you concerned about the future of netball in Australia given the current sponsorship issues?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm very hopeful that there will be other individuals, companies, sponsors step up. Netball is an important sport in this country. It is played by so many people and in particular, by women and girls. And it's important that team sports, I think, are not just important for people to go out and get their healthy activity, it’s also important social interaction. Team sports teach young people how to win, how to lose, how to cooperate, how to value issues other than just themselves. And they're very important.
JOURNALIST: Can I just ask a Telethon question on indulgence. You were photographed with a gentleman in a mankini which made Telethon an extra $15,000. Was it worth it?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I would have thought that next year you could get more money for Telethon by promising to have no one in a mankini. And I'd suggest that that would be an appropriate response. I myself thought that the Telethon pyjamas that young Emily and young Ari encouraged me to wear as a top were enough myself. But I saw it and I can't unsee it.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Peter Dutton says the Coalition will oppose the Government's proposed expansion of multi-employer bargaining. Is the Government willing to split apart your IR bill so you can get other less contentious measures through the Parliament?
PRIME MINISTER: Peter Dutton opposes everything. He’s just opposed to everything. There's been no consideration of the fact that they weren't successful at the last election. Peter Dutton is the leader of the no-alition not the leader of the Coalition. He's someone who's negative, is someone who doesn't seem to have got the message that Australians are sick of conflict fatigue. What we're doing, my Government, is working with people in the business community, in the Union movement, in civil society organisations to advance the national interest. If Peter Dutton wants to be a part of that, that's good. But that's not something that I have control over. Thank you.