JIM CHALMERS MP
SHADOW TREASURER
MEMBER FOR RANKIN
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND
WEDNESDAY, 10 NOVEMBER 2021
SUBJECTS: Labor’s $50 million commitment to a new CQU campus in Cairns; Elida Faith’s advocacy for Tropical Far North Queensland; Vaccination rollout; Skills shortages and jobs; Regional Queensland powering the recovery; Federal election.
KIER SHOREY, HOST: Advance Cairns is holding a big brekkie today, bringing together a lot of politicians through the region and outside of the region as well. The Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers will be there and he's here in the studio, thinking I need to get there in about ten minutes. So, sorry.
JIM CHALMERS, SHADOW TREASURER: I'm in no rush, Kier. It's nice to be here, and nice to talk to you again.
SHOREY: Have you seen the eggs benedict that they've got, it's fantastic! Also alongside him is Elida Faith, who is the Labor candidate for the seat of Leichhardt. Elida, welcome on.
ELIDA FAITH, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR LEICHHARDT: Thank you Kier, and good morning to all your listeners.
SHOREY: One thing that Nick Trompf from Advance Cairns said just before Mr Chalmers was that there's been a commitment made by a Labor Government when it comes to a new campus for CQU in Cairns.
CHALMERS: Absolutely, Kier. I'm really pleased to make this announcement. This is one of the first big announcements that we've made anywhere in Australia, and it comes as a consequence of Elida Faith's advocacy for this part of the world. And what it is, is $50 million from an Albanese Labor Government to build a Cairns CBD campus for CQU, for Central Queensland University. This is all about more jobs, more skills, more opportunities, for Cairns and the Tropical Far North - and also to try and make sure that this really important part of Australia can be a bigger part of Australia's national economic recovery.
SHOREY: Do we have a sense of where it might be, where it might happen?
CHALMERS: Yeah, we're looking at around the corner of Hartley and Grafton streets down near the Convention Centre there. We've had some conversations with CQU. There is actually an opportunity to make that a knowledge precinct. And what it will mean is, 780 jobs - direct and indirect - in building this campus. It means that the enrolment there could go from just over 2,000 to more than 4,000, so double the enrolment. And it's expected to create something like $500 million of economic activity over the next 10 years. So what that means is, this is a vote of confidence from Elida Faith, Nita Green, Anthony Albanese and our Labor team in the area. What it says is, we can't let the skills base of Cairns and the Tropical Far North hollow out during the difficulties of this COVID pandemic. We don't just want the place to kind of limp through the worst of the pandemic, we want it to stride out of it and we want it to be a big part of the story when it comes to our national economic recovery. There's no reason why this part of Australia can't be an economic powerhouse, but in order to do that it needs to have the skills and opportunities and the jobs. That’s what Elida Faith and I are talking about today.
SHOREY: Elida, can I ask how's that process gone when it comes to connecting with CQU, having these discussions. They must be excited to hear this commitment I'm assuming?
FAITH: They are pretty excited, most definitely. I have had the opportunity over the last couple of months to get into the ear of my Shadow Ministers, and I have actually over the last couple of months brought a few up. And we've had multiple meetings with CQQ and I'm really excited about this. I mean Kier, we have a world-famous lifestyle here in Cairns, right. So we need to have the education and the jobs to match. It's exciting.
CHALMERS: And can I just say about that Kier, there are some very persistent candidates around Australia but there is no more persistent or no more forceful Labor candidate anywhere in Australia than Elida. And she understands, as does Nita Green, as does our whole team, that there are big opportunities here but we need to believe enough in this region to actually invest in it as a federal government. Not just take the area for granted, not just see it as one kind of economy or another, but to really invest in it and really believe in it. Elida's been in our ear about this for some time.
SHOREY: We also have an issue going forward in that we're not quite up to the rates that we need to be vaccination wise going forward. I want to get a sense from both of you as to how we could maybe turn that - I know it's not your purview, necessarily - but I would love for you to touch on that if that's possible. Because the discussion also at the brekkie this morning will be Advance Cairns saying we need money to try to fix up the International Airport for when the borders reopen. When when I say borders, I'm talking international borders here, for when it reopens. So are we going to be ready for it? How do we change our unreadiness? And what do we do about the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef here at the International Airport?
CHALMERS: Elida will obviously have views about the local community. First of all, a big rap to Advance Cairns. They have been really effective advocates for some of the issues that we're talking about today, including this CQU announcement that we're making. It comes partly from discussions with them, and they have the interests of the region at heart and so we take very seriously what they say.
I think that there are pockets of Australia where we would like to see the vaccination rates much higher than they are. Here, obviously. Where I'm from in Logan City in the Southeast corner is not doing as well as we would like it to do. And so we need to encourage people to get vaccinated. We need to encourage people in family groups to make sure that the rest of the family is vaccinated. We need good role models. Because until and unless we do that we can't open up as confidently as we would like to do. But Elida no doubt has some perspectives on the local scene.
FAITH: Thanks, Jim. I think we need to have faith in the system - that wasn't a pun, by the way.
(LAUGHTER)
FAITH: And we really do just need to get out there and get jabbed. If you haven't got your jabs, please go out there and do it. Because the borders are going to be opening up, we don't want anyone to be disadvantaged, you want to get back out there, enjoy yourself, just go and get the jab.
CHALMERS: Get amongst it.
SHOREY: And are there going to be other priorities that you mention today, Mr Chalmers?
CHALMERS: Skills and skill shortages, and the weakness in the labour market, and the opportunities there, are obviously our big priority but we're not pretending that that's the only issue that needs to be addressed here. And we'll be back and forth many times between now and the next election to make other announcements and to make other commitments. But today is about a hollowing out of the skills base, what we can do to turn that around, and how we can grab the opportunities of a recovering economy.
SHOREY: Can I ask you when you think the election is going to be? We've heard a little bit of rumour that it might be around the Mardi Gras weekend, have you guys picked that up at all?
CHALMERS: I haven't picked that up.
FAITH: I'm looking at Jim. Jim's looking at me, thinking you're better to answer that one!
(LAUGHTER)
SHOREY: This is what we're gonna do from this point on.
CHALMERS: Yeah, I think so.
FAITH: Double celebration - Mardi Gras and voting - woo!
CHALMERS: I know for a fact how much door-knocking Elida's doing, so she would probably prefer it was sooner rather than later.
(LAUGHTER)
CHALMERS: It might save a few pairs of shoes from Elida's point of view. I think there are two windows Kier. It might be at the beginning of March. It might be in the middle of May. The Government wouldn't have decided yet. We'll be ready for it whenever it comes.
FAITH: We sure will.
SHOREY: I'm going to let you go to brekkie.
CHALMERS: Thanks very much Kier for making time.
SHOREY: Thank you so much. Jim Chalmers, Shadow Treasurer. Elida Faith, Labor candidate for Leichhardt.
ENDS
