JIM CHALMERS
SHADOW TREASURER
MEMBER FOR RANKIN

 

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP INTERVIEW
PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA
THURSDAY, 25 FEBRUARY 2021
 
SUBJECTS: Olympic Bid; News Media Bargaining Code; Vaccine Rollout; JobSeeker.

JIM CHALMERS, SHADOW TREASURER: There's a long way to go in Brisbane's Olympic bid, but really terrific news overnight about developments when it comes to Queensland and Brisbane's bid for the Olympic Games. A successful Olympic bid means more jobs, and more opportunities, for more Australians. The potential jobs and opportunities which could flow from this successful Olympic bid would come right out of southeast Queensland, into the regions, and right around Australia. We want every corner of Australia to benefit from the jobs and opportunities which could flow from a successful Olympic bid for Brisbane. 

I want to pay tribute to everyone who's been involved in getting us to this point so far. This is potentially outstanding news. As we recover from the deepest, most damaging recession in almost 100 years, when jobs and opportunities aren't exactly thick on the ground, this could be a really important part of the story. We want to see jobs created by this Olympic bid, we want to be successful here, because we want more people to benefit. 

Those benefits won’t just be in the southeast corner of Queensland, but right throughout regional Queensland, and right around Australia. Everyone who's been involved in this so far has done a terrific job. We want to see that success continue, there's a long way to go yet, we’re not home and hosed yet, but a terrific development, with potentially really important consequences for jobs and opportunities, in every corner of our country. 
 
JOURNALIST: It's a bit of a poisoned chalice though, a lot of the other previous cities which have hosted have had massive cost overruns that have produced white elephants. What makes you think Queensland will be any different?
 
CHALMERS: We've seen what Australians can do when they put on an amazing Olympics. It wasn't that long ago that Sydney, in 2000, put on one of the greatest Olympics of all time. I'm confident that everyone involved in this bid could do a great job putting together an amazing Olympics. Every Australian has a stake in us succeeding here, because every Australian could potentially benefit from the jobs and opportunities, and all of the benefits which flow from a successful Olympic bid. We want to see this bid successful because of what it means for those jobs and opportunities, what it means for selling Australia on the world stage. We've got an amazing story to tell. We've got a record of success and this can be part of that story.
 
JOURNALIST: Would you like to see the federal government put its backing behind this bid, quite clearly, because we are the only contender now, but it’s likely now that everyone knows that it’s pretty vacant, you might have a lot of competition, perhaps even Japan, if those Games are suspended?
 
CHALMERS: We're all Australians first, and we want to see this succeed no matter who gets the credit for it. Whether it's the terrific state government led by Anastasia Palaszczuk, whether it's the federal government, local governments, we've all got a role to play here. And we want to be constructive about it, we want to be positive about it. We can see the potential opportunities that could flow to Australians right around Australia. We want to see this succeed. To the extent that we can be helpful, and supportive, and positive about it we will be.
 
JOURNALIST: Just on the media laws, they’ve passed through the Senate, now going to the House to seek the final rubber stamp. Is Labor going to be backing those and are you happy with the government's amendments that they don't sort of take the fangs out of this legislation?
 
CHALMERS: From the beginning, we've wanted to see a workable code, so that journalists are paid for the news that they create. We've been concerned throughout at the uncertainty created by a government which said over and over again that it's all fixed, when it clearly hasn't been fixed. We had an opportunity in the Senate to be supportive, in principle, of the code, and what it's trying to do. We've made suggestions along the way. They didn't want to include the ABC and SBS and it’s a tribute to Michelle Rowland that they are now included. That's the kind of approach that we take in the Senate, but we're supportive of the media code we want it to work we want it to succeed.
 
JOURNALIST: The government almost bungled it though, I mean getting to the point where Facebook blocked a lot of news, how do you think the Treasurer and the Communications Minister really handled these negotiations?
 
CHALMERS: First of all, I mean Australians were right to be absolutely filthy with Facebook, particularly when they are pulling down sites which were so crucial for health information during a pandemic. So first and foremost, Australians were right to be angry at Facebook. The government needs to take some responsibility here. This is a government where there's always a big gulf between announcement and delivery. Time and time again they said it had been fixed. They said it would be fixed last year, it still isn't fixed now so they've got to take some responsibility for the uncertainty that that's created. 
 
JOURNALIST: Just to another issue with your home state the vaccine rollout and this overdose yesterday. It's been revealed that the doctor didn't have the right federal government training they're a federal government contractor. Is this the first of many stuff-ups we're going to see on this rollout?
 
CHALMERS: First of all, Australians need to have confidence in the rollout of the vaccine. It's incredibly important that this vaccine is rolled out efficiently, broadly, and safely. Where mistakes are made, we need to see the federal government take responsibility for them, when they relate to training and the rollout of the vaccine. We don't want to see buck passing, we don't want to see blame shifting, we want to see the federal government here in Canberra take responsibility for this rollout. They didn't take responsibility for quarantine and that was a very worrying precedent. Australians can have confidence in the rollout of this vaccine, we want to see people vaccinated. We want to see it deployed broadly and safely, as soon as possible, so when mistakes are made people need to take responsibility for them and those mistakes need to be fixed and addressed.
 
JOURNALIST: Are you leaning towards, or is Labor leaning towards, supporting the rise in JobSeeker? Would you like to see it be more? And have you got a plan to make it more than the government's currently offering?
 
CHALMERS: Clearly, we're not going to stand in the way of an increase in the JobSeeker payment. Any increase is better than no increase. I think that without the pressure placed on this government by the community, first and foremost, but also the campaign by Labor, to see an increase to that old $40 a day rate, I think without that campaigning, and that pressure, we might not have seen this increase from the government. Clearly, what the government is proposing will not address the poverty and hardship that exists in our community. As the Labor Party we will be focused on poverty and hardship, not just as it relates to the JobSeeker payment, but more broadly as well. As we move along from one budget to the next, we will always be focused on that. We will always weigh up the JobSeeker payment against other important priorities, which address the poverty and hardship that exists in our community.
 
JOURNALIST: Are you happy to see the Brisbane Olympics bid become the preferred bidder? It's pretty exciting for Queensland?
 
CHALMERS: I'm absolutely ecstatic. It's a very exciting development. Brisbane is not there yet when it comes to the Olympic bid, but some really important, really exciting, really encouraging, developments overnight. What this could mean is more jobs, and more opportunities, for more Australians, not just in the southeast corner of Queensland, but right throughout the regions and right throughout Australia. We want to see Australia grab these opportunities that would come from a successful Olympic bid. A lot of people have been working on this for some time. They've done a great job to this point. We want to be constructive and supportive as we try and nail down the Olympics for Brisbane, because the potential benefits for Australians in every corner of our country are could be immense.
 
JOURNALIST: What do you make of One Nation campaigning against it saying it would be the southeast Queensland Olympics? Do they have a point with regards to things like infrastructure spends being concentrated in the southeast?
 
CHALMERS: Well, two things about that. Firstly, our job is to make sure that all of Australia benefits in some way from a successful Olympic bid. We want to see those opportunities, which will be in the southeast corner of Queensland but also in regional Queensland and throughout Australia. We want to see Australian suppliers get a slice of the action. We want to see jobs and opportunities flow right throughout Australia from a successful Olympic bid. It would be better if One Nation was constructive about that, rather than critical about that. They just can't seem to see the potential benefits in terms of jobs and opportunities for Australians. The second point I'd make about it, is really this. Now is not the time - with opportunities not exactly thick on the ground for Australians when it comes to jobs as we emerge from this recession, now is not the time for us to lightly dismiss the potential benefits of something as big as this. We want to see One Nation get on board, we're prepared to be constructive about it, we think it's terrific news, and we will work with governments, state, local, federal - of any political persuasion - to help make it happen.
 
JOURNALIST: Just one more on JobSeeker. A Senate motion passed overnight from the Greens asking for the JobSeeker lifted above the modern poverty line here in Australia, which is around $80 a day. Labor backed that motion. Is that sort of a sign of whereabouts you think the rate should be?
 
CHALMERS: It's a sign that we think that the job of alleviating poverty and hardship isn't finished by this increase that the government is proposing to JobSeeker. The point that we've made throughout is that we make alleviating poverty and giving people opportunities, social mobility, and addressing inequality, these are permanent focuses of the Labor Party. That's for many of us, the reason why we're here. We can't undo all the damage done by this government overnight. We will address and evaluate the rate that we inherit and weigh that up against other priorities. There is more work and more discussion to be done on that front. Thanks very much.
 
ENDS

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