JIM CHALMERS MP
SHADOW TREASURER
MEMBER FOR RANKIN
SHANE HAMILTON
LABOR CANDIDATE FOR DAWSON
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP INTERVIEW
MACKAY
WEDNESDAY, 22 SEPTEMBER 2021
SUBJECTS: More opportunities for more people in reginal Queensland; A Future Made in Australia; George Christensen more interested in encouraging mob violence than creating local jobs; Melbourne protests; Victorian earthquake; AUKUS diplomatic fallout; China policy; Josh Frydenberg.
JOURNALIST: So tell us a little bit about why we're here today?
HAMILTON: We're here today to talk about the future skills for our region. Obviously, we're going through a transition stage where cars are moving more towards an electric powered vehicle instead of the traditional combustion engine. And today we're talking about Central Queensland University's Skills For The Future program and what that looks like.
JOURNALIST: And what will that mean, specifically, for here?
HAMILTON: What it means to be here is that we'll be able to train local apprentices in the skills of the future, which means more jobs for our local people, more jobs for our mining industry, and it will provide another pathway for people to have in our area.
JOURNALIST: And what are we looking to actually see built, is there a plan for something to be built here?
HAMILTON: Yeah, the university has got plans on building a new future careers or future trades pathway option here at the university. And what we'll see there is a new facility where the guys will learn new skills that may not be current in our current skill sets, whether it's fitting, diesel fitting, boiler making, we'll have a whole new industry right here in Mackay.
JOURNALIST: And what does that mean for the long term for our region?
HAMILTON: It means growth, and it means jobs, and it means that we're at the forefront. Anywhere else in Australia is not looking at this stuff yet and we're here leveraging on the back of our strong mining industry, to have jobs for the future that aren't even invented and when these jobs come in the next five or six years, we'll we actually ready, foots on the ground, and ready to go.
JOURNALIST: And some are saying there's kind of a skills shortage right now, do you think that's going to, I guess, help that in any way?
HAMILTON: I think it'll enhance what we already have. There's definitely a skills shortage around our traditional trades and we need people to fill them, but moving forward those trades have already got the base skill and with a facility like this in Mackay they can quite easily transition to the new skills of the future and supplement that work.
JOURNALIST: And do you think it's important to have it based here just purely because we are surrounded by that kind of industry?
HAMILTON: That's right. You look at the leverage we have in Paget here, we've got such a massive heavy industry. And we're perfectly poised here with the work that goes on in our mining industry, we've got ports down that on either side of Mackay, that's really heavy industry, and we're here perfectly poised in Central Queensland to do that.
JOURNALIST: And what needs to happen for this to come to fruition? Is it funding it?
HAMILTON: Yep, there's some funding, there's obviously industry will need to help us as well come up with this. Those guys will lead the charge with the new technology and taking it up into their industry. And what we're here today is to have the tradesmen and the apprentices coming through the fix that when industry does.
JOURNALIST: And how long do you think it'll take for this to all kind of come together?
HAMILTON: We're seeing Rio Tinto in Western Australia already looking at this technology and implementing it. And generally once they start somewhere it follows, and it won't be long until the Bowen Basin starts to follow what they're doing over in Western Australia. So I see the next five, ten, fifteen years we'll be really looking at this.
JOURNALIST: And what do you really want to see happen?
HAMILTON: As in?
JOURNALIST: What's your hope, like, once this comes to fruition?
HAMILTON: Once it's done, we get more people moving to our area. We want to be the trades, and heavy industry, the innovation hub of Queensland. And we're building our community based on that. We want to drag people from all over the country to move here to that our community grows.
JIM CHALMERS, SHADOW TREASURER: If I can just add to some of those ideas briefly. Shane's vision and Labor's vision for this region is for there to be more secure jobs and more opportunities for more people. And training is how we turn the aspirations of the young people here into opportunity. And what we're speaking about today, and why we want to thank Pierre and CQ University, what we're really talking about here is about skills and jobs for regional Queensland.
As the national economy recovers from COVID we want regional Queensland to be a much, much bigger part of the story. We want local people to get a slice of the action when it comes to the economic success of this region. We want the region to grow. We want it to grow strongly in a way that creates those jobs and creates those opportunities for local people. And so what we're talking about today is making sure that as the economy changes, as the energy needs and skills needs of heavy industry changes, that we have the workforce ready to go so that people can get these great jobs - good, secure jobs - provide for their loved ones, and make at home here in one of the best parts of Australia.
JOURNALIST: Jim, George Christensen overnight was calling for two police officers in Melbourne to be arrested over some of the things that we're seeing down there. That's caused some people like the former Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack to call on George to apologise for those kind of comments. What are your thoughts on what's being said?
CHALMERS: I'm with Mick on this. If only this region had a local Member as interested in creating jobs and opportunities for local people, as he's been interested in inciting mob violence.
We have here in this region a federal Member of Parliament - when he's here - more focused on encouraging extremist mob violence than creating jobs and opportunities for young people in this part of Queensland.
And one of the many reasons why we want to see Shane Hamilton elected as the federal Member for Dawson is because what this region desperately needs is a Member of Parliament not playing footsie with the extreme right in this country, encouraging mob violence against police. We want someone focused on jobs and opportunities and economic development. That's what Shane is. And that's why we need to see the change.
JOURNALIST: And what's been your reaction to the protests in Melbourne over the last few days?
CHALMERS: I think the whole country's heart goes out to the people of Victoria. They've had to face this stampede of stupidity in Melbourne at the same time now as they're dealing with the difficulties from today's earthquake. I think the whole country's heart goes out to the people of Victoria. The people of Victoria have had enough to deal with in what has been a horror couple of years for Victorians.
I think the best part of being Australian is recognising when other people are doing it tough. The people of Victoria are doing it incredibly tough. Just when they thought that 2021 couldn't get any worse, we've now got this earthquake. So our thoughts are with the people of Victoria, everyone affected by this earthquake. What we want to see is the country get behind Victorians as they deal with yet another challenge. It's hard to imagine that 2021 could have got any worse for the people of Victoria but this earthquake has thrown another challenge at them. The people of Victoria are up to this challenge, just like they've been up to the challenge of COVID and all the associated difficulties that come with that.
JOURNALIST: Do you support the Premier Dan Andrews decision to shut down the construction industry for two weeks?
CHALMERS: What we've said all along is Premiers of either political persuasion have had to take difficult decisions based on health advice. And where that advice is robust and clear then we support the Premiers taking necessary steps to limit the spread of the virus.
JOURNALIST: Does Labor support mandatory vaccination orders?
CHALMERS: What we've said throughout is we want to see some national leadership from the Prime Minister when it comes to mandatory vaccinations. As it stands right now, it's a matter for businesses and for industries to determine. There are some industries where it makes more sense than others. It would be good if there was some sort of national guidance, in the absence of that businesses are doing the best they can. I spend a lot of time in the business community of this country, they genuinely want what is best for their workers and for the country more broadly. They're taking the best decisions that they can and it would be good if there were some national guidance as well.
JOURNALIST: Moving on to the submarine issue. The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, says he's spoken to European leaders who now better understand why Australia walked away from the French submarine contract. Do you think that would be enough to ease tensions between the countries? And Mr Morrison has also played down the impact of the submarine contract on the Free Trade Agreement with the EU, saying it's comparing apples and oranges. Is he right?
CHALMERS: Well, the full consequences of this decision are yet to be seen and clearly there are some very unhappy friends in Europe in particular, and that no doubt brings ramifications for some of the deals that we are trying to negotiate. What we've said all along, is that we support working more closely together with friends and allies to make sure that our region is as peaceful and secure as possible, making sure that our military has access to the best technology and the best equipment. What we would like to see from this Morison Government is to get the implementation of this right. Clearly, they have not done some of the diplomatic work that is necessary to try and lessen some of the unhappiness that we're seeing around the world.
JOURNALIST: Also on the subs, he said he's yet to make any commitment allowing the UK or US to use Australia as a base for their nuclear submarines. Would Labor support such agreements?
CHALMERS: Let's see what he has to say about it first, I'm not going to react to an agreement that he says hasn't been made. I think, in the first instance, this is an agreement between countries - between governments of countries - not between oppositions and governments of countries. And so our interest is in making sure that we judge what the Prime Minister has announced against the national interest. We've said that we want a safe, and secure, and peaceful region. We want our military and our servicemen and women have access to the best technology and the best equipment. And we are supportive, in the main, for those reasons. But we want to see it implemented properly. We want to see the diplomatic work done. We want to see the various agreements struck in a way that gives people an opportunity to understand where the Government's coming from. So the next move on that front is Scott Morrison and the Government’s.
JOURNALIST: Former Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating has criticised your colleague Penny Wong, accusing her of muted complicity with the Government on policy on China. Do you agree with that assessment?
CHALMERS: No, I don't. Everybody understands that Paul Keating, who is a figure of enormous respect not just in the labour movement but in Australia, one of the architects of the modern Australian economy and society, he has very strong views about China and the United States. And we've heard those views before. We don't dismiss them lightly. But when it comes to Penny Wong, this is a decision that our team has taken collectively. And of course we don't agree with criticism that's made of Penny, one of our most effective Shadow Ministers. And so we listen, obviously, when Paul has a view to express, but this is the decision that not just Penny has taken on her own, but collectively, our whole team, we think this is the right decision for Australia. And obviously people will have views about that. It's a big deal. Support for this won't be unanimous in every corner of Australia but I think this is the right decision for Australia, and so does Penny, so does Anthony, and our whole Labor team.
JOURNALIST: He's also accused the Labor Party of condoning a false representation of China policy as a military threat. Is that fair?
CHALMERS: Look, I'm not going to go line by line through the statements made by Paul Keating. I consider him a friend, he is someone that a number of us look up to, but we're allowed to have different views about these issues. And his views on China, his views on the United States, are well known. It's not a surprise to hear him expressing those views. As the architect of modern Australia, in many ways, he has a right to express those views and we have a right not to agree with them.
JOURNALIST: On the topic of China, how concerned should we be about the Evergreen collapse and is there something that the Government should be doing to ensure stability within the economy over something like that?
CHALMERS: Let's hear what the Government has to say. The Treasurer has not had much to say lately, I suspect the Treasurer might be hiding from his comments which were very supportive of Christian Porter accepting secret donations, and that might be we haven't heard from Josh Frydenberg for a while. But if there are issues around this relationship that have economic consequences, but also more broadly, including that issue that you raised with us, let's hear from the Treasurer. If there are economic consequences that need to be explained to the Australian people, Josh should come out of hiding and explain why he thinks it was aboveboard for Christian Porter to take secret donations. Once he does that, then perhaps he'll be free to make comments on some of these other important issues. Thanks very much.
ENDS
