Joint doorstop interview, Parramatta, NSW
ANDREW CHARLTON:
Welcome everybody. It is wonderful to have the Prime Minister and the Treasurer here in Parramatta. Parramatta is a great city, it’s becoming a global city. It’s already New South Wales’ fastest growing economy and the fastest growing and most dynamic CBD in Australia. This week's Budget delivers for Parramatta. If you are a family, this Budget is for you. Cheaper childcare, more paid parental leave and cheaper medicines. If you’re a young person in Parramatta, this Budget is for you. More university places, more fee‑free TAFE and upgrades to local sporting infrastructure like the Richie Benaud Oval. If you're a senior in Parramatta, this Budget is for you. Better aged care, you're able to keep more of your pension when you work more, and you get cheaper medicines. And if you're a business in Parramatta, this Budget is for you. It's delivering solutions to the skills crisis which are crippling so many businesses across Parramatta. It's helping to fix the NBN, which has been such a problem for businesses in the CBD. It's delivering for Parramatta's industrial base through the National Reconstruction Fund and it's providing $3.5 million dollars for the small business precinct at Little India. This Budget is also delivering for the housing challenges facing many people in Parramatta. Only 45 per cent of people in Parramatta own their home. That's less than the national average of 66 per cent and that's partly because prices have been high and rising. In some suburbs, prices have been rising by more than 15 per cent over the last year. More than half of all residents of Parramatta are renters and rents have been going through the roof. Rents are up 11 per cent over the last year in North Rocks, up 14 per cent in North Parramatta, up 25 per cent in Dundas. This Budget delivers on Australia's housing problem. In addition to the measures announced in the Budget, there's a new Housing Accord which sets an aspirational target of a million new homes over five years from 2024. So thank you, Treasurer, thank you, Prime Minister. There is so much in this Budget for Parramatta and now I'll hand over to the Treasurer.
TREASURER:
Thanks very much, Andrew. It's a really real honour to be here with you, the new Member for Parramatta, someone I've known for a really long time. When the Prime Minister and I were working out where we would head on the Friday of Budget week, I think it's really important the Prime Minister was in flood‑affected communities and now we’re here in Western Sydney. Andrew and I will be spending some time today talking with the big local employers about the challenges in the local economy and in the domestic economy more broadly, and the global economy. We recognise that if we want the Australian economy to be stronger, more modern and more resilient, then we need local economies to be stronger, more modern and more resilient as well. The Budget that I handed down on Tuesday night was responsible, it was right for the times, and it readies us for a better future. In uncertain global conditions it recognises that the best defence that we have is a responsible budget here at home. Now we understand that even though these pressures are coming at us from around the world they are felt most acutely around the kitchen table. And that’s why the Budget that we handed down this week was all about responsible cost of living relief, it was all about investing in the drivers of growth and investing in our people and it was also about repairing the economy so that we can spend less money on waste and rorts and more money on priorities like a $300 million roads package for Western Sydney, and all the other commitments that Andrew ran through a moment ago, for this part of Australia. We do want to focus today on housing. Western Sydney is, in so many ways, the epicentre of our housing challenge in this country. Here in Western Sydney, we've got very low vacancy rates for rental properties. We’ve fast rising rents, as Andrew said, a large proportion of communities like this one are renters and something like every 10th worker in Western Sydney works in construction. So this is the sort of community that we had in mind when we put together the new Housing Accord that I announced on Tuesday night with Julie Collins, the Housing Minister. We recognise that when vacancy rates are low and rents are high, it's harder and harder for people to live near where job opportunities are. So what we have done is we’ve brought together superannuation and other investors, state and local government, and the building industry to do something meaningful about affordable housing. The lack of affordable rental properties is one of the big challenges that we have in our economy, what we've done here is bring people together to try and find solutions, bring people together from all different sides of politics, and all different parts of the economy to try and shift the needle when it comes to our housing supply issues. So I'm really proud of the Housing Accord that we announced on Tuesday night. I thank Andrew and the PM and Julie Collins and everyone who had input into it, we hope it's a really important investment in Western Sydney but also in Australia more broadly. The Budget was the beginning of laying the foundations for a better future, the Budget was all about making our economy more resilient, and our Budget more responsible. It was an important start, we know that we've got hard work to do but the hard work has begun.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Well thanks very much Jim, and congratulations on handing down your first budget. And it's great to be here with you in Parramatta with our friend Andrew Charlton, as the Member for Parramatta, the first time that we've been back here together since the election. We came during the election campaign and we said then that Andrew Charlton would be an amazing advocate for this community and indeed, Andrew was not only successful at the election, he's been building on that and will make a real difference in what is one of the largest CBDs in Australia already, but Australia's fastest growing CBD right here. Tuesday night’s Budget was about implementing our plan for a better future. We went through the commitments that we gave to the people of Australia in May, and have ensured that we delivered on them. From the youngest Australians receiving support through child care, from families getting support with increase paid parental leave, to businesses and new industries getting support through our National Reconstruction Fund, to people being able to connect with each other in the world through the upgraded National Broadband Network, through to our investment in productivity‑boosting infrastructure, right through looking after our oldest Australians through our aged care plans and our plans, of course, to get wages moving again. This was a Budget that was right for the times, it was responsible and we returned all of, or almost all, 99 per cent in the first two years of the revenue gains that have been received by the increased prices that are out there, we returned to the Budget bottom line. Because we understand that responsible economic management means fighting inflation and this Budget did that. But we also had new initiatives as well, building on our previous commitments. Previously in housing, we had our Housing Australia Future Fund, to build 30,000 additional social and affordable housing units, we had $100 million for emergency housing, for women and children escaping domestic violence. We had the increased funding for remote housing for Indigenous Australians and we had the development of a national homelessness strategy and of course a Housing Supply and Affordability Council being created. But one of the things that I said during the election campaign, and I've said since, it's important not just what you do, but how you do it. And that's where the Housing Accord comes in – a great example of Labor being prepared to use our support as the Commonwealth Government to work with state governments, to work with local government, to work with the Master Builders Association, to work with investment funds including superannuation, to ensure that we can have that target, that aspiration, of a million new homes from 2024 over five years. Making sure that we have a cooperative approach to the way that politics is done and the housing accord is a great example of that. Happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, just on the Bruce Lehrmann mistrial yesterday, do you have a comment?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think that you've answered the question yourself in referring to a mistrial, I think that people should be very cautious, given the legal proceedings that are ongoing, of making commentary and I don't intend to do so.
JOURNALIST:
What do you have to say to the families of Perth that are reeling following the violent death of Cassius Turvey?
PRIME MINISTER:
This is just a terrible tragedy and this attack, that clearly is racially motivated, just breaks your heart. We’re a better country than that, and my heart goes out to the family and the friends.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, on the repatriation from Syria. Are you concerned that so much information on these movements is now publicly in the media when they’re still to come out, and can you give assurances to those communities where they will come back and live, their children will be among other children that there are going to be no conflict that everyone will be safe?
PRIME MINISTER:
We will continue to act on national security advice, which is what we have done up to this point and what the former government did as well. So we will take that national security advice and we will always act in a way that keeps Australians safe and that is our objective and that is what we'll do.
JOURNALIST:
But the former government took the national security advice and didn’t bring them back?
PRIME MINISTER:
That's actually not right, as you know Hugh, the former government did bring back some children from that area.
JOURNALIST:
Will the women be charged under terrorist laws?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think once again the questions have been answered by being asked. I was just asked previously am I concerned about information being out there while there are ongoing issues and I don't intend to add to them. And I'd say to my Parliamentary colleagues who are aware of the national security implications here of information being in the public arena that the national security agencies would prefer to remain out of the public domain at this point in time, I don't intend to add to it, I will take the advice of the national Security agencies as my government always well.
JOURNALIST:
On the bullying complaints yesterday in Question Time, you were elected promising a more respectful brand of politics but yesterday's events in Question Time, some people have said that things haven’t changed at all, what do you say to that?
PRIME MINISTER:
I would say have a look at the footage yourself. Peter Dutton was interjecting, I had an exchange with Peter Dutton, the footage shows the Member for Capricornia laughing because the Leader of the Opposition didn't know his Yeppoon from his Yeppen. That's what happened yesterday, he was interjecting and yelling across the chamber as he does in response to every time I get asked a question by those opposite, I responded because he didn't seem to know the difference of where Rockhampton roads were, given the question was about Rockhampton roads, making a comment given particularly he’s from Queensland. The Speaker addressed this very clearly as have, I must say, a number of the Coalition colleagues, senior colleagues who were there and know exactly what happened.
JOURNALIST:
Should the ACT have different laws to clamp down on juror misbehaviour?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don't intend to comment on that matter. The judge has made it very clear, who presided over this case, that comments by parliamentarians and political figures are, while this is an ongoing case, not helpful.
JOURNALIST:
In the five pre‑pandemic years, there were not one million, there were 1.5 million houses built over five years, so what's special about announcing an aspirational target of a million?
TREASURER:
I'm pleased you asked this, Hugh, the projections for the next few years are more like 180,000 and that is a combination of some of the existing policies, state and federal, and some of the effort that usually goes into building homes. What we're doing with this housing accord is we’re bridging the gap between what we expect under business as usual, and something closer to 200,000 a year from 2024. So this is an ambitious target, we have built a lot of homes in the past, we are projected at the moment not to build anywhere near 200,000 a year. There is still some in the pipeline now for the next 18 months or so, there’s pressures on the industry because of labour shortages and because of building costs. But because we've spent so much time with the building and construction industry talking through our plans here, they have told us that the pipeline starts to trail away around the middle of 2024 and that’s our opportunity to work with super, to work with state and local government and to work with the builders, to try and bridge the gap between what we expect and what we need to try and shift the needle when it comes to vacancy rates and rents. But most importantly, we want this economy to be creating jobs and opportunities but in order for people to grab those jobs and opportunities, they need to be able to live near them. And that’s what this policy is all about.
JOURNALIST:
On the superannuation element of that though, Bill Kelty and the whole origins of it, super had one role and that was to provide the best possible retirement income. So if they’re being redirected towards a social good no matter how admirable that might be, are you not I suppose misusing the purpose of superannuation?
TREASURER:
No. Another welcome opportunity, thanks Hugh. Of course we're not doing that. What we are doing is by playing a role as the Commonwealth, subsidising the rental return that superannuation funds would receive from making these investments in the national interest, then they would be providing returns for their members. What we're looking for here is a win‑wins, strong returns for members and investors, and more affordable homes for people to live near jobs and opportunities. And because we are making a payment to change the attractiveness of these investments, we’ve budgeted for that on Tuesday night, that will change something from what is a marginal investment to a very attractive investment and in doing so, we get those win‑wins. The Government makes a small contribution, the state and local governments make a contribution when it comes to land release and zoning and in other ways, the building industry says we’ll build these homes and make them energy‑efficient, and we’ll use Australian apprentices, that's what a win‑win‑win looks like.
JOURNALIST:
When will the Government intervene in the energy market to stop prices getting out of control?
TREASURER:
Well what we’re seeing in energy markets is absolute havoc caused by the war in Ukraine. And right around the world, countries are dealing with skyrocketing power prices and unfortunately, we are no exception to that. What we have said is Minister Chris Bowen has done a lot of work already with his state and territory counterparts. In the Budget, I funded and empowered the regulators to do more in this area, but we've levelled with people and said that our expectation is that we will have to do more here and so my focus, working closely with the ACCC and working with my ministerial colleagues and the Prime Minister, is to see what we can do to reform the code of conduct that applies to pricing in the gas market in particular. We’ve commissioned some advice from the ACCC, we’re working closely with everyone who’s involved here. We understand that high gas prices put a lot of pressure on Australians and on Australian industry, we’ve made no secret of that fact and we’ve also made no secret of the fact that we will try and do more in this area. If there’s more that we can responsibly and sensibly do when it comes to gas prices in particular, we will do it.
JOURNALIST:
What about considering emergency powers for the Resources Minister to put a short‑term cap on gas prices in the event of the prices that we’re seeing currently?
TREASURER:
Well we’re not going to limit our options or narrow down our options, there’s a lot of work to do with the states and territories for example, but also with industries and all parts of this equation. I don't want to pre‑empt or unnecessarily limit or narrow our options. We've said that our immediate focus is on that code of conduct that applies to gas prices. I've commissioned some advice from the ACCC. I'll work closely with my colleagues and the Prime Minister and the Cabinet to see if we can do more here. My expectation is that if we get the advice that there is more that we can responsibly and sensible do, then we're likely to do it.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, about the women and children coming back, what can you tell us about any integration or deradicalisation programs? A lot of people are curious about, we know they're coming back, but people want to know what's going to happen to them once they're here. Are they going to be monitored, are they going to be surveilled?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I refer to my previous answer. The only people who have been returned now are people who were returned under the former government. Let's be clear. They're the only people who've returned. My government will always act to keep Australians safe and we’ll always act on the advice of the national security agencies.
JOURNALIST:
Is the Government considering a Royal Commission into sexual abuse in Indigenous communities?
PRIME MINISTER:
We had yesterday an anniversary statement to the Parliament about institutional sexual abuse that occurred historically. That was a courageous decision by Julia Gillard's government and it made a substantial difference to people's lives. And yesterday we remembered the bravery of people who came forward. But we also remembered and honoured those who weren't around, those who the weight and the burden of what they went through was too much for them to bear, and that's understandable. I think yesterday, that was the focus. We will continue to take action when it comes to any sexual abuse of children which is, of course, abhorrent in any circumstances. And I know that there's been substantial progress made by the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Minister Rishworth as well, working with the NT Government on these issues and we’ll continue to work those issues through.
JOURNALIST:
What can you tell us about the potential of using AUKUS to potentially deploy firepower in the region in response to the growing threat of China?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, AUKUS is an important arrangement. I spoke with the new UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, just last night. It was a very warm and cordial conversation. Rishi is someone who is a friend of Australia. He's someone who we will have a good relationship with, because regardless of who is in office, the friendship between Australia and the UK, like the friendship between Australia and the United States, is much bigger than a friendship between individuals. It is a partnership which is about our values, our common commitment to democracy, to human rights and we'll continue to work through with our AUKUS partners. Next month I'll meet with Rishi Sunak and also be with President Biden at the G20 meeting in Bali, and I look forward to further discussions there. Thanks very much.
