Radio Interview – ABC Radio Newcastle Drive with Kia Handley
KIA HANDLEY, HOST: Prime Minister, good afternoon.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good afternoon, good to be with you.
HANDLEY: How much dirt did you move today to make the job a little easier for the tradies?
PRIME MINISTER: I’ve got to say, between the three of us with three shovels –
HANDLEY: The job’s done.
PRIME MINISTER: There was three small bits of dirt, but it’s underway, work is underway. And of course it is such an exciting project. The beginning of the $55 million commitment that we made prior to the election. And I was here today with Meryl Swanson, the local MP of course, but also Sharon Claydon the deputy Speaker and Minister Pat Conroy, and it was a great sense of excitement I think. There is an enormous opportunity. As your preview said, people from this region do like to travel and we need people to come here as well, to bring their dollars and to create the jobs here. You have so much to offer with some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, with the wonderful Hunter Valley, and wineries and of course with Port Stephens, whale watching and everything else that you have to offer from the Central Coast right up in the Mid North Coast. It makes enormous sense for it to be a hub for the region, servicing well over a million people in that region. So it’s a big market, and there is an enormous opportunity for growth.
HANDLEY: You know, we have heard a lot of conversation about the second airport in Sydney as well. To see regional hubs like this, why is that important for the federal government to support?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it’s important because it also takes pressure off the capital cities, and for air services agreements whereas there’s a limit on how many of any particular airline can fly into Sydney Airport and the gateway airports, and there’s four of those around Australia, there’s no limit in air services agreements for flying into Newcastle Airport. And that means that there’s great prospects for growth. And as the preview said, it makes no sense to spend hours travelling to Sydney to then sit in the airport and to then travel overseas if you can do it directly from here, particularly with some of the hub airlines. You only really need the one to be able to then connect up with the whole of Europe, and one to connect up with the whole of the United States. But also in our own region of course, countries like Japan and Thailand and Vietnam, Singapore and others – enormous prospects. And of course, we have had direct flights to New Zealand from the region. And so I just think there is enormous opportunity here for growth. And it shares, of course, the space as well with the Air Force there at the airport. But it’s a great asset, and it’s one that that should be enhanced and today’s decision, today’s commencement of infrastructure building to have a new terminal together with the work that’s been done on the runway, and other works can really be a very positive thing for the region
HANDLEY: With the expansion of the airport, we know the Port of Newcastle is growing, encouraging more investment as well. That brings challenges, we’ve seen Varroa Mite discovered first here in New South Wales at our port just last week. Stories of the struggle to keep cocaine from coming on bulk carriers. Right now we have a very small Border Force crew here in Newcastle at the moment. Should we be concerned we’re opening ourselves up as a target if our Border Force doesn’t keep up with the changes in the port and the airport?
PRIME MINISTER: No, well we’ll examine what’s necessary to ensure that our borders are protected. Be it from issues relating to biodiversity and those issues or criminal activity. We will always make sure that that occurs. We’re an island continent, and therefore we have to make sure that we are always vigilant on those issues.
HANDLEY: Is that being investigated now so it’s ready to go?
PRIME MINISTER: We always have a watching brief on what’s required right around our airlines and airports. They are our gateways to the world, and we are constantly monitoring those issues.
HANDLEY: I’m keen to just quickly talk offshore wind if you don’t mind, Prime Minister. Because at the end of last year, you know, the government announced the very early stages of an offshore wind farm here on the Hunter coast. We had a number of information sessions in March, submissions closed in April. Where is this up to with the government and your departments at the moment?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we’re making sure that we have proper consultation about these issues, and that’s why we had that process. We called for submissions from the community, they closed a couple of months ago, and they will be examined by the Department and in addition to that any proposal, of course, will have to have full and proper environmental assessments. The first major wind farm offshore is occurring in Victoria, in the Gippsland region and that has gone through previously an extensive process that is being finalised. That will be the first one to occur. But we’ll continue to engage with the community because we want to make sure that any proposals are sustainable and that they are got right.
HANDLEY: And there are, you know, some frustrations here from the Central Coast to Port Stephens, just around that, you know, maybe in those information sessions there weren’t many answers to questions like impact on wildlife, impact on our bulk carriers coming into the port as well. When might we know the answers to some of these questions?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, they’re the issues that need to be properly assessed. And what you want is to get accurate answers rather than people just giving answers that they’re uncertain of, so that’s why any proposal like that requires proper examination.
HANDLEY: You’re here with all of regional New South Wales on Drive today which is, you know, a real joy. We are hearing new data on support for the Voice in our rural and regional areas with it dropping considerably, which is also, you know, around New South Wales where our biggest and strongest Indigenous communities are as well. Are you concerned with these latest figures as we head towards that vote?
PRIME MINISTER: We’ll continue to put forward what is a positive agenda of why I’m hopeful that Australians will take the opportunity to vote yes in the referendum in the last quarter of this year. It is about two things, it’s about recognising Indigenous people in our Constitution, and it’s about listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on matters that affect them. We know that you get better outcomes if you listen to people who are directly affected by decisions, and that is all of this is about – an advisory body as well as that recognition. It won’t change the way that we’re governed. There’s everything to gain here but nothing to lose. It’s a positive proposal, but to come from Aboriginal people themselves, and I’m very hopeful that Australians will vote yes in the last quarter of this year.
HANDLEY: What do you say to people who say they don’t know what they’re voting for?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I say to them, I certainly respect Australians who, it’s now open to them. There’s been a parliamentary debate, the question that will be asked is very clear, ‘A proposed law to alter the Constitution to recognise the first peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice – Do you approve?’ And people will vote yes or no. And if that occurs, if a majority vote yes, then we will have that recognition in our Constitution, the recognition of the great pride that we should all share, of sharing this great continent of ours with the oldest continuous culture on earth. And then secondly, the advisory body or the Voice, simply says there shall be a body to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. The second clause is just the Voice may make representations on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. And the third is just the primacy of the Parliament, that the Parliament shall make laws with respect to matters relating to the Voice including its composition, functions, powers and procedures. So that is all that it is about, and when we listen to people we get better outcomes, we know that that is the case through our experience in life and I sincerely hope that Australians examine it. That is the detail, there is, it will be an elected body, it won’t have the power of veto over government decision making, and it is I think, a clear proposal that is worthy, in my view, of Australians support.
HANDLEY: We’re hearing a lot about the process of what happens if the vote comes back yes. What happens if the vote by the Australian people comes back no?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, if the vote comes back no then of course, whatever decision the Australian people decide will be respected. That’s the way we determine our Constitution. It’s unfortunate that though we won’t be taking up the opportunity if there’s a no vote of recognising Indigenous Australians in our Constitution. That has occurred in Canada last century, in New Zealand the century before that. Throughout the world the original inhabitants have been acknowledged in nations Constitutions. And what I say is, if not now, when? We’ve been debating this for a long period of time, the Howard Government, going back to literally the end of the last century was talking about recognition in our Constitution of Aboriginal people. And I guess one of the things that I say is, if not now, when? I hope that we take the opportunity to make this positive change, and if we do it’ll be like what happened with the apology to Stolen Generations where there was concerns raised and issues raised in the lead up to it, some of which was put forward genuinely. But of course, we know that none of that eventuated and it was a positive thing, it was uplifting and uniting for the nation and this change will be the same.
HANDLEY: Just finally, Prime Minister I know that you’re asked about the Ashes out at the airport today. But Knights fans wouldn’t be happy with me here in Newcastle, if I didn’t celebrate that we took a bit of a record off your South Sydney Rabbitohs just last weekend by the biggest ever winning margin in a game of football. The Rabbitohs had held it since 1999, we took it from you and I just want to know your thoughts on that?
PRIME MINISTER: It’s an extraordinary win. I think that the Knights, I love going to the stadium here, I’ve been a few times and I just love the passion of Newcastle Knights supporters. The fact that at least 20,000 people turn up no matter how well or not well the team is going is fantastic. And as a South Sydney supporter, I think it’s fantastic. I remember, I was on the board when we got kicked out of the comp, and Newcastle fans came down in their bus loads to march with us for our reinstatement. So you are genuine rugby league fans, this is a great rugby league town, and I wish the Knights well whenever they’re playing, except for a couple of times a year when they’re playing the Cardinal and Myrtle.
HANDLEY: Hopefully we’ll see you back here for a grand final one day.
PRIME MINISTER: But of course, Clive Churchill, perhaps our greatest ever player, a great Novocastrian.
HANDLEY: That’s it. Prime Minister, a real joy to have you on Drive this afternoon. Thank you so much.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much.