Doorstop Interview – Bundaberg | Prime Minister of Australia
TOM SMITH, MEMBER FOR BUNDABERG: Well ladies and gentlemen my name is Tom Smith, I’m the State Member for Bundaberg, and today is such an exciting day for the entire Bundaberg region and of course for the family here owning Bundaberg Brewed Drinks. We know how important manufacturing is to the Bundaberg region and we know how important that community feel is. So to the family who has every part of Bundaberg as Bundaberg is part of them, congratulations on such a great event. Congratulations on making sure that we are keeping jobs here in the Bundaberg region and I’ll hand over soon to the Prime Minister. We also have Senator Chisholm. We have Cameron Dick here as well, the Treasurer of Queensland, but it’s great to see Prime Minister Anthony Albanese coming back to Bundy. Last time he was here we had some chocolate on Good Friday, and today we’re gonna have some ginger beer as well on what is a fantastic day. So I’ll hand over to the Prime Minister. Thank you.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Tom, and it is great to be here. This is such an extraordinary company, run by an exceptional family, family owned business creating jobs here in Queensland, and exporting to the world representing the jobs and creativity and activity that can occur here in Queensland, and taking the natural products, turning it into an export oriented business, but one which makes all Australians proud. One that when you see a Bundy bottle, you think of this region and that is a great thing. Some extraordinary number of jobs created as well, 850 during construction at this facility, $152 million of investment, $19 million from the Commonwealth Government, over 600 direct ongoing jobs, but many thousands of jobs coming out of this business here. So congratulations to the family and all involved with this. What this will mean is more jobs, more economic activity, more revenue for our nation, and as well a great representation. Because when people have a Bundy ginger beer or other products, they know that they’re tasting quality and that is the basis of the success of this company. Secondly, today as well, I want to announce that we have granted the Urgent Care Clinic here in Bundaberg will be located at Walkervale. Urgent Care Clinics are playing a vital role, a role in between emergency departments and a visit to the local doctor. Over 40% of the presentations at Bundaberg hospital, are either for non-urgent care or semi-urgent care. So if little Johnny or Mary falls off the skateboard or off the bike, if Mary’s dad or mum cuts their finger, doing onions for the barbecue, then they don’t clog up the emergency department at the local hospital, they get the care that they need, when they need it, in an efficient way and one in which they only need their Medicare card, not their credit card. Part of the commitment that we have to strengthening Medicare, working with the Queensland Government, to make sure that we take pressure off the hospital system by improving primary health care and together with the Palaszczuk Government, we’re working very closely through the National Cabinet to make sure that that happens. The other thing that we’re doing, is tomorrow is the day when the bulk billing incentive gets tripled the largest ever injection of new money into the Medicare system so that more people can go and see a doctor bulk bill without being charged and making a difference right around the country. And so from November 1, that takes place as well. So you combine our commitment to Urgent Care Clinics, to the bulk billing incentive for Medicare, together with our cheaper medicines policy of 60 day dispensing, plus reducing the costs of the PBS from $42.50 down to $30, the first time that costs actually have gone down in the PBS since the Labor Government introduced it in the 1940s, making a difference, all part of our strengthening Medicare. So this today here in Bundaberg two of the big themes of my Government, strengthening Medicare, and a future made in Australia by backing manufacturing. That is something that my Government was elected with the mandate to do. It’s something that we will continue to do and focus on in the years ahead. Happy to take a couple questions.
JOURNALIST: Albo out of the entire range of Bundaberg drinks, which one is your favourite?
PRIME MINISTER: Ginger beer. I’m a bit old school, and I love a Bundy ginger beer. But I also I think that traditional lemonade is extraordinary. Their pink grapefruit is a great product as well. And so it depends on the time of the day and what you want. But what you know, is that you get quality, no matter what the particular variety is that you’re trying. And I note down at Bargara, the surf club down there, where they have all of the bottles all lined up for people. It just says something and is a source of enormous pride in this regional community, and quite rightly so.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, is there any update in support for Australians in Gaza or Lebanon?
PRIME MINISTER: We have said for Australians in Lebanon, we’ve said that people should leave whilst commercial planes are available, people should take advantage of that. There is concern about what is happening in the region and we remain concerned about the Australians in Gaza. We are working as closely as we can to urge the opening up of exit points, including Rafah, an exit point where I have entered into Gaza in the past. So I’m familiar with that entry point. We want Australians and other citizens to be able to leave. And we’re continuing to work through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to try to achieve that.
JOURNALIST: Do you support the letter signed by former Prime Ministers, and why do you think Paul Keating didn’t sign it?
PRIME MINISTER: I think that’s a question for Paul Keating, I would have thought. I support the positions that I’ve taken, and the position in the Parliament last Monday was done with overwhelming support. It is important that we recognise that the attacks from Hamas on Israel are worthy of absolute condemnation in an unequivocal way. It’s also important to recognise that Israel has a right to defend itself, but how it does that matters. And we need to make sure as well, that every civilian life is valued, whether it be Israeli or Palestinian. Every innocent loss of life is a tragedy. And that is why we remain very concerned and continue to put forward our case while we’ve provided humanitarian assistance, as well, to Gaza, some $25 million dollars has been provided so far. The people of Gaza, innocent people are suffering, innocent people, of course in Israel, which is as a result of the attacks by Hamas, you saw people literally hunted down and we continue to call as well, for the release of hostages. There is no place for that sort of activity that we’ve seen and this is a very difficult time for people with families, whether they be in Israel or in Gaza.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, what about support for those affected by fire, as Queensland faces what is potentially it’s worst fire season?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, we did, I remember back in July, I was doing media conferences alerting Australians to the upcoming season, and we’re still in October, and we have these devastating fires. We are providing support. Tara’s fire as of 7.30 last night was now watch and act level. Today we will have established a recovery centre in Tara. We expect some 42,000 claims as a result of these fires so far. Minister Murray Watt is visiting that area today to see what other support can be offered. I spoke to David Littleproud, the local member, yesterday and offered my support, we will be kicking in that support. Victorian and New Zealand crews will soon be on the ground, there to help. These are heartbreaking scenes when people lose their houses. There’s been some 45 houses now assessed as destroyed, and of course, we’ve seen tragically a loss of life of a gentleman on Tuesday of last week, and a woman on Wednesday. This is tragic, I again, say to people in fire areas that when authorities provide advice, please follow the advice which is there, and this is a difficult period and it’s going to be a difficult summer. We are seeing more extreme weather events and they are more intense and the government needs to respond to that in the short term and of course my Government is also responding as is the Queensland Government in the long term as well, by recognising that climate change is real, and that it is having an impact.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister I’m the journalist who broke the exclusive investigation on the labour hire agencies taking advantage of PALM Scheme workers here in Bundy. The Department of Foreign Affairs knew about the allegations of human trafficking months before the Australian Federal Police launched their investigation recently into agencies like Linx Employment based in Tasmania. Why did it take so long to look into those allegations?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you’ve just answered your question by referring to a police investigation. And when there are police investigations, we allow the police to do their tasks, we want to make sure that there is no exploitation as far as my Government is committed to stamping out exploitation of workers wherever it occurs and whoever is involved in it.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, will you be raising China’s ban on Australian sea food when you meet with the President at the end of the week?
PRIME MINISTER: I always raise impediments to Australia’s trade. I’m very pleased that issues such as barley, hay, timber, and wine, are either resolved or on the way to being resolved. This makes an enormous difference. That’s why this engagement matters $900 million for barley annually to China was the trade, $1.2 billion when it comes to wine, what that represents is Australian jobs. That’s why it’s in Australia’s interest to be engaged in the world. That’s why the improvement in relations between Australia and China are in both of our nation’s interests. It’s in Australia’s interests to be able to export our wonderful products to the world. Bundy goes to China and I was speaking before, this company will have representatives up in China in a couple of weeks time, because it’s an important market. This matters for jobs, our engagement matters for jobs, my Government’s focus, with more than 500,000 jobs created since we came to office, more jobs created by our new Government than any new Government in Australia’s history in their entire first term and we’re not halfway through yet. We’re a Government that getting things done lifting up jobs, creating as well. Wages are beginning to increase and we have on the horizon real wage increases next year, as well as cost of living pressures being dealt with through measures like our Urgent Care Clinics, through our support for strengthening Medicare, through the bulk billing incentive been tripled as well as the other measures, cheaper childcare and other measures which are making a difference to people’s lives. Thanks very much.