Doorstop Interview – Callala Bay
FIONA PHILLIPS, MEMBER FOR GILMORE: Hello everyone and welcome to beautiful stunning Callala Bay here on Jerrinja Land. I’m delighted to be here today. Of course, we have Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister of Australia. Chris Minns, the New South Wales Labor Leader, Liza Butler, our wonderful Labor candidate for South Coast. And Katelin McInerney, our fantastic Labor candidate for Kiama. Look, this is a beautiful spot. It’s actually a spot where I’ve held many picnics with my own children as they’ve grown up over the years. And as a local here, that’s great to see so many locals out here today, we’ve heard story after story of potholed roads. Obviously we need to keep our roads in better condition to make it easier for people right across the region. So I am delighted to have Albo here, he’s going to talk a bit more about our roads package. So I’d like to say thank you and welcome.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, thanks very much, Fiona, and it’s great to be here with yourself, but also with Liza Butler, our local candidate for the South Coast, and of course, Chris Minns, the Labor Leader in New South Wales. One of the things that I know is that local roads can make an enormous difference, not just in getting from A to B, but importantly as well, in road safety. And one of the things that local governments like the Shoalhaven have to deal with is the fact that their ratepayers aren’t as many as the people who visit their communities. And that’s why this $40 million commitment from the Federal Government to upgrade six local roads is so important. This is a beautiful area and it’s not surprising that people want to visit this area. But at holiday times in particular or weekends, it gets pretty busy. And that’s why upgrades to the roads here will be so important. I myself have holidayed here at Callala, and it’s a beautiful spot. And these upgrades will make an enormous difference. We’ll contribute to Shoalhaven Council $40 million – to upgrade Culburra Road just up the road with $14 million; Forest Road east of the Princes Highway, $8 million; Callala Bay Road, $6 million; Callala Beach Road, $5 million; Worrigee Intersection, another $5 million; and the Callala Bay Intersection, $2 million. Together, this $40 million package will make an enormous difference to road safety. It will make a difference in reducing travelling times, reducing congestion on what are busy roads. And it will make a difference of the quality of life with people who have the great privilege, I’ve got to say, of living in this extraordinarily beautiful location. So it’s great to be here with Fiona and Liza as the locals today. Thank you to the locals who’ve come out to say g’day as well. The reception that we’ve received today in Kiama, in Wollongong and earlier today, first thing in Oatley has been really heartening. It’s been a big day, but every day is a big day when you’re determined to make a difference. And my government is determined to make a difference each and every day. And that’s one of the reasons why I want the bloke who’s going to speak next, Chris Minns, to be elected Premier of New South Wales. Because I know that he’s also determined to make a difference each and every day, to be constructive, to be positive. And he’s run a positive campaign. As Opposition Leader, he’s been incredibly positive, including during the pandemic. And I know that it’s difficult to be an Opposition Leader during the pandemic. You had to put the national interest, or in Chris’ case, the interests of New South Wales first, before politics and before raising profile and those issues. But Chris did the right thing by the people of New South Wales. He’s now running a very positive campaign and I look forward to working with him into the future and working with Liza into the future as well. Liza combined with Fiona here as the local members will make a big difference for this South Coast community.
CHRIS MINNS, NSW LABOR LEADER: Thanks everybody for being here. It’s wonderful to be here with the Prime Minister as well as our candidates Katelin and Liza, and Fiona, the local Federal Member of Parliament. Anthony, it’s great to be on the campaign trail with you and we genuinely appreciate the fact that you’re here with us on the New South Wales South Coast with an important announcement about local roads. These roads will make a big difference to the local community and those that need to use them to visit tourist places to drive the local economy. It’s much needed. It’s been called for for a long time by local communities. And I know that this investment from the Commonwealth Government will make a big difference to these communities. We’re looking forward to the opportunity, if we win the election on the 25th of March, to work collaboratively with the Commonwealth Government on important infrastructure announcements on the New South Wales South Coast. Labor has already announced last week $20 million for the Tripoli bypass in Katelin’s area in the Shellharbour region. We know we’ve got further work to do in relation to the Nowra Bypass. And of course, there’s infrastructure that’s important in the Nowra community to ease traffic flows, not just in peak tourism seasons, but right throughout the year. And you’re seeing, with increased population, far more need to traverse local roads and therefore the infrastructure is required. I think that there’s a real opportunity, with the Prime Minister’s appearance on the campaign trail today and earlier this morning, to point out that there’s wonderful opportunities in New South Wales if the State and the Commonwealth can work together on the issues affecting the people of New South Wales. We’ve seen, in the last nine months of the Labor Government in Canberra, that the adults are genuinely in charge, that politics is taking a back seat to the urgent needs affecting the economy and the community in Australia. And it’s that kind of, I guess, theory of governing that we want to bring to New South Wales. I lead a united and disciplined team that’s putting politics second and the interests of the people of New South Wales first, and I think you’re seeing that in spades at the federal level. It’s wonderful to be here with Anthony and my candidates.
LIZA BUTLER, CANDIDATE FOR SOUTH COAST: Thanks, everyone. This announcement today is extremely important for Shoalhaven City Council. They have over 1700 kilometres of road to maintain, and with the East Coast lows and the floods that we’ve had, it’s become increasingly difficult to maintain the roads that we have. The other thing I would like to say is that currently sitting before Minister Farraway, the Regional Transport Minister, is the regional roads report that has just been sitting on his desk gathering dust. And I know that Labor will take that report and return numerous regional roads back to the State to maintain, the regional roads that are 80 and 100 kilometres an hour that were never intended for councils to maintain are increasing the pressure. Councils need to maintain the 50 and 60 kilometre an hour roads that they traditionally look after. So I really welcome this announcement today. It will take a lot of pressure off the council. We’ll get our roads fixed. And I can’t wait to see a Labor State Government where we can put the infrastructure into our roads here that we need here on the South Coast. Thank you.
JOURNALIST: Now we talk about the adults being in charge in Canberra. This $40 million was announced before the election, so it’s been around for a long time. Is that ‘adults being in charge’ when we’re re-announcing something from months ago?
PRIME MINISTER: No, it’s actually delivering it. Actually delivering it. What we did was make announcements before an election, and after an election we deliver it. That is what good government looks like, as opposed to opposing everything for opposition’s sake.
JOURNALIST: You mentioned before it’s a privilege for people to be able to live here, but it’s kind of difficult for some people with the current housing prices. So what’s the Federal Government doing in particular for the South Coast with the current housing affordability problems?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what we’re doing on housing is multifaceted. First, we have our Housing Accord, which has been developed with the Master Builders Association, been developed with unions, with superannuation funds, with investors as well in the private sector, putting together a plan with state and territory governments to drive the delivery of a million additional homes. Secondly, we have before the Parliament the Housing Australia Future Fund, that will deliver 30,000 additional social and affordable housing units, 4,000 of which will be for women and children escaping domestic violence, $100 million for emergency housing, $30 million set aside to assist with veterans housing. In addition to that, as part of that legislation that’s before the Parliament, the Housing Supply and Affordability Council will be established with state governments and local government. We need to look at the supply of housing. We need to look at land release. We look need to look at local planning laws to look at how we improve affordable housing and its access for Australians. We have a multifaceted plan. And we have our Regional Home Buyer Scheme that’s already been accessed by thousands of Australians. So we talk about election commitments. We made a commitment. We announced the plans. Australians are benefiting already from our Regional Home Buyer Scheme. And then we have our Help to Buy scheme which will assist, through a shared equity scheme, Australians to get into housing. If you look at all of our plans, we have the most comprehensive housing policy of any federal government in decades. And what I want to do is to work with state and territory governments to do even better in the future. We understand the pressures which are on, which is why we have a multifaceted plan. But I make this point, the Coalition for reasons beyond my comprehension in Canberra – unlike the Opposition Leader in New South Wales, who’s constructive, who votes for good ideas when they’re put forward by the government here in New South Wales, such as the bipartisan way that we dealt with energy price relief and the price caps on energy in December last year – in Canberra, they just say no to everything. So they’re saying no to our Housing Australia Future Fund legislation, for reasons beyond my comprehension, in spite of the fact that it is supported by industry, in spite of the fact that it is supported by state and territory governments and in spite of the fact that it is supported by the housing sector.
JOURNALIST: You look like you get on pretty well with Dominic Perrottet. What are you going to be able to achieve with Chris Minns as Premier?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I do get on well with Dominic Perrottet. I get on well with Jeremy Rockliff. I get on well with every state premier and chief minister. And I’ve got to say, when we sit around the National Cabinet table and the dinners beforehand, they’re collegiate and we work constructively. But the problem for Dominic Perrottet is that he leads a rabble. He leads a rabble that is disunited, that’s too busy fighting each other to fight for the people of New South Wales. And that stands in stark contrast with Chris Minns and his team, including Katelin and Liza, who are with us here this afternoon. That’s the big difference. In order to actually take the state forward, you’ve actually got to have a constructive plan. I find it extraordinary that Mr Perrottet is going to an election with a whole lot of ministers who aren’t re-contesting their seats, because to replace them would cause the sort of chaos that we’ve seen over replacing a single member in the New South Wales Upper House in the last week, let alone the division and fights which are there between the Liberals and the Nationals. So I think that it’s time for a change in New South Wales. It’s time for a government that is united, where the Premier and the leader can speak on behalf of the government without having to watch the back the whole time.
JOURNALIST: Labor has a lot of ground to make up in the seat of Kiama, how confident are you?
MINNS: We’ve got a fantastic candidate and we’re putting up a plan to fix New South Wales, a positive plan to invest in education and health, to tackle the housing crisis that we’re seeing on the New South Wales South Coast and across the state as well. And we’re going to leave it up to the voters and I’m not in the business of hypothecating of what the result will be on the 25th of March. That’s up to the people of this state. But I know that we’ve got great candidates and a good plan. And I think we’re making efforts and ground by presenting that plan to voters over the last two months and we’ve got four weeks to go.
JOURNALIST: (INAUDIBLE)
MINNS: I think voters have to choose very carefully about who represents them in Macquarie Street. But what you know, if you vote for Katelin, is that you will not get the Perrottet Government in Macquarie Street. And for many people who are making a decision about who should govern New South Wales, they want to make a decisive break, the only way you can guarantee that is to not vote, obviously for the Liberal Party or an independent, but to make a decision to vote for change. And the only way to guarantee that change is to support Katelin’s candidacy, who is a fantastic candidate. The former captain of Kiama High School, born and bred locally, raising her own family in that community and someone who has the kind of empathy I think you need to be a regional MP and represent your community.
JOURNALIST: Why do you think the Liberal Party has not selected a candidate for the seat of Kiama?
MINNS: I’m not sure. I don’t know what the Liberal Party is up to in the state seat of Kiama. Obviously, for all political parties, including myself, we’ve got to get our candidates out into the field and I expect them to have a candidate in the field soon.
JOURNALIST: (INAUDIBLE)
MINNS: I think the New South Wales Liberal Party should be clear about whether they intend on preferencing Gareth Ward in the upcoming election campaign. I’ll be clear right now: we won’t be. And we’re asking people in the Electorate of Kiama to make a decisive decision to vote Labor, to vote for change. It’s the only way to guarantee a change of government in New South Wales.
JOURNALIST: (INAUDIBLE)
MINNS: We have opened preselections for those seats, the remaining seats that we don’t have a candidate for. Bear in mind there’s 93 seats in the New South Wales lower house. It’s been an iterative process where we’ve opened preselections going back, I think, about nine months. We’re in the final stages of our last few seats and I think there’s enough time to have candidates in the field to present Labor’s plan and talk about a positive vision for New South Wales
JOURNALIST: You admitted today that your energy plan will take seven years for relief to go to households.
MINNS: There’s a few points here that I think are really important in terms of context. Firstly, as part of the National Cabinet process, there’s the Federal Government bill relief plan, which is due to begin on the first of July. That will happen regardless of who wins the state election, and that includes Labor. But when it comes to the decisions that the New South Wales Government has to make, we’ve made a call that we need to look at long term reform to energy markets in New South Wales so that we don’t keep falling back into the cycle where bills explode for industry, companies and households. Now, the Government’s made a decision to use a one-off cash splash for one year only. And what they don’t say when they release that plan is that the year after that cash, money is distributed to households, bills will go up an additional 30 per cent. The last thing I’d say is the best thing the State Government can do to put downward pressure on bills when it comes to energy is to not privatise the remaining assets owned by the people of New South Wales. This is an under-reported part of the New South Wales election campaign. We own 100 per cent of Essential Energy. We own 49 per cent of Endeavour Energy and we own 49 per cent of Ausgrid. Under Labor, it will not be privatised. If Dominic Perrottet is re-elected, it’ll be the first thing to go.
JOURNALIST: (INAUDIBLE)
MINNS: It doesn’t. We’ve got an evidence-based approach in relation to that reform. We think that’s the best way of navigating what is obviously a tricky public policy issue. And that’s the platform and policy that we’re taking to the people in New South Wales.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you promised energy relief for households in New South Wales.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, for Australia we have.
JOURNALIST: Will you likely make that announcement before the March 25 poll in New South Wales?
PRIME MINISTER: One of the things that my government does, to be very clear, is we will provide support as we do regardless of who’s in government, our one and a half billion dollar plan. We’re about outcomes, that one and a half billion dollars that we’ve committed, we will work through. There was a request from New South Wales for the payment to be made on July 1 and that is when it will come through. It’s a part of our Budget process. And there was a meeting today, I don’t know what the outcome of it was, a meeting today of Energy Ministers. I know that because I spoke to Chris Bowen this morning.
JOURNALIST: On the Voice, Sussan Ley has accused you of using the referendum as a re-election vanity project. Are you concerned that her comments flag that the Liberal Party will oppose it?
PRIME MINISTER: I’m concerned in general with the negative approach of the Liberal Party here. We haven’t engaged in partisan politics. We are open to try to get as broad support as possible. And this is a people’s movement that has arisen. It’s not the Labor Party’s idea. It’s something that came out of the Constitutional Convention of First Nations people at Uluru in 2017. And I make this point, if we can’t recognise Indigenous People in our Constitution in 2023, when is the right time? If not now, when? And I say to everyone across the political spectrum, now is not a time to play politics with this. Now’s the time to recognise there are two things at stake in this referendum: recognition in Australia’s Constitution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and our commitment that they should be consulted on matters that affect them. That’s what will be before the Australian people.