E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP INTERVIEW
QUEENSLAND COUNTRY BANK STADIUM, TOWNSVILLE
THURSDAY, 20 FEBRUARY 2020

SUBJECTS: New Townsville Stadium; Unemployment and underemployment; Regional jobs; Coronavirus; Mining; Unpaid super and wages.

NITA GREEN, SENATOR FOR QUEENSLAND: My name's Nita Green. I am a Labor Senator and I live right here in regional Queensland, up in Cairns. As you would all know when you get a tour of this magnificent stadium from the people who built the Townsville stadium they are incredibly proud and want to show off as much of it as they can. So thank you all for coming. I have the great privilege today of introducing Jim Chalmers, Labor's Shadow Treasurer. It's exciting for me as a regional Queensland based member of the Labor caucus in Canberra to have a Queenslander as the Shadow Treasurer. It makes it much easier for me to talk to him about the economic issues that we face in North Queensland and to have someone who understands and has been here on the ground many times before to listen and to learn from North Queenslanders directly. We're here at Townsville Stadium because this is what people in North Queensland can achieve when we work together and when there's an economic plan for the future.

When I was here in 2016, the press conferences that we were holding about the new North Queensland stadium were being held at the 1300 Smiles stadium. It is fantastic to see that in such a short period of time, in four years, we've managed to build this incredible stadium, employing thousands of local workers, in a stadium that will continue to employ lots of local workers in the future. It's part of a lot of projects that are going on in North Queensland at the moment, and it's part of a bigger economic story that Jim is here to listen to locals about and to talk to people about today. Before I introduce him I have heard that he's a Broncos supporter but he is welcome here anyway. Thank you.

JIM CHALMERS, SHADOW TREASURER: Thanks very much, Nita. It's great to be here with Senator Nita Green. She's doing so much work in North Queensland and Far North Queensland representing the people from the best state in the Commonwealth.

North Queensland's had a pretty rough trot in the last twelve months or so, so it's pleasing to see this good news and the unveiling of the JT statue tomorrow and the opening of this stadium before the first home game of the NRL season in a few weeks' time. This is a first class city and it deserves a first class footy stadium and that's what this is. It's been really pleasing to check it out properly today and to understand all of the work that has gone into it. This is a stadium built by North Queensland workers for the enjoyment of North Queensland families. It's going to make such a positive difference to this city and again we're so pleased to see it go ahead. We're looking forward to the first round of course, the Cowboys versus the Broncos on the 13th of March. We'll all cross our fingers and hope that that's the preview for the grand final, another all-Queensland final later in year.

I'm here for a number of reasons. Spending some time with Nita Green, talking with local businesses about the impacts of the Coronavirus in particular, but also the regional economy of Queensland here in North Queensland as well as the national economy. The Government doesn't have a plan for the economy. They don't have a plan to deal with and respond to the threat posed by Coronavirus. They didn't have a plan for the economy before the virus or before the fires hit. That's why even before the fires hit this summer in Australia, before most people even heard of Coronavirus the economy was already weakening substantially. That's because Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg don't have a plan to turn things around. We see the consequence of that again today. Brendan O'Connor will be speaking later about the unemployment rate which just came out a few minutes ago but I think one thing that's really clear is that unemployment is rising in Australia because Morrison and Frydenberg don't have a plan for jobs, for regional Queensland, Queensland itself or Australia.

These are some of the things that I'll be speak about at the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia lunch shortly in the Townsville CBD. My point will be this: we can't grow the national economy unless we grow the Queensland economy. We can't grow the Queensland economy unless economies like this one in Townsville grow strongly as well. That's how we create the jobs and opportunities that we need to see in this country so that people cannot just get by, but can get ahead.

I'm in North Queensland today and Far North Queensland tomorrow speaking with businesses about all of these issues, including jobs, the response to the Coronavirus. The State Government has come to the party when it comes to dealing with the response to the Coronavirus. It's time that the Morrison Government did the same. We want to make sure that businesses get the advice and support that they need to deal with what are really uncertain times in tourism, in education and in a range of other sectors.

JOURNALIST: On Coronavirus, will the Chinese travel ban be extended how is that going to affect our economy?

CHALMERS: That will be a matter for the Government. Labor's been as constructive as we can be about the medical advice that we're receiving from the Government and about the imposition of that travel ban. Let's be honest, the travel ban has had a really big impact already and will continue to have a big impact on local businesses, tourism, the education sector, the retail sector and in hospitality. The implications are obvious and they are all around us. With the encouragement of Nita Green and other Labor colleagues, I wrote to Josh Frydenberg and I asked him to advise us on what kind of support and advice he would be providing to business, which is very concerned at the moment about the impact of the ban. Unsurprisingly but disappointingly I got back a long rant and nothing about what they might be doing to support business. We need the Government to get behind business here in North Queensland, right around Queensland and around Australia so that businesses can make the right decisions to try and get through what is a really tough period for them following the imposition of the travel ban. We are all in this together. We all want businesses and local economies in this country to get through this difficult period, to succeed, to survive. To succeed we need people to support local businesses and we need the Government to come up with a plan to deal with what's going on here.

JOURNALIST: Specifically, how's the ban going to affect North Queensland?

CHALMERS: For a region which relies so heavily on a combination of tourism, education, retail, hospitality, and accommodation when there are far fewer visitors from overseas that will have a devastating impact on local businesses here. You can see it just moving around the centre of town. Businesses have relayed to us their concerns about what's going on. A lot of people are worried about whether they can survive something as serious as this. We hope that they can hang in there. They need a Government on their side. They need a Government which provides them with the advice and support to get them through this difficult period and we need to make sure that they can thrive on the other side of it as well. That's what we're about. We want them to succeed and we want Government to play a part in that.

JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] Does that mean growing coal exports and increasing the number of mines that are being opened in Queensland?

CHALMERS: Mining is a crucial part of the economy of regional Queensland. We support the workers and their communities which rely on mining for their livelihoods and we've said that for some time. Future demand for coal will largely be determined on the big international markets and so we should be guided by the economics. The role of the Federal Government is to make sure that any new proposals stack up when it comes to the environment and it's up to the private sector to make sure that they stack up financially.

JOURNALIST: These jobs though, they are facing automation. They are also being phased out, they have an expiry date. If we have a plan, you say the Government doesn't, what's the plan for those workers who are no longer going to have a job at some stage in the future?

CHALMERS: There is a future for coal over the foreseeable future. The international market for coal is not going to dry up overnight. We resist the temptation to talk about doom and gloom in the industry. The industry has a role to play here in regional Queensland. The task for the Government is to explain to people where they fit into the future to make sure that we can have broad, diverse regional economies. If we do that, if we make sure that we've got strong resources sector, strong education, health services, retail, manufacturing, all of the industries which make up this part of Australia. We need to make sure that we have a plan for them so that we are creating jobs across the board so that when our kids graduate from school, TAFE or university they've got the opportunities they need and deserve.

JOURNALIST: The Prime Minister announced a Royal Commission into the bushfires today. What's your response?

CHALMERS: We welcome the announcement of a Royal Commission into what's going on here. We want to make sure that it does a proper job of getting to the bottom of what's happened. We want to make sure that climate change is a substantial part of what the Royal Commission looks at because the experts, the firies, scientists and others have been telling us for some time that climate change does have a role to play in the frequency and severity of these fires in what has been a horrific fire season already and it's not over yet. We support the Royal Commission. We also note that Scott Morrison has not actually been that great at listening to the advice of experts when it comes to the fire season. There have been issues before about reports which have been ignored, on things like aerial firefighting. We support the Royal Commission but we want the Government to actually listen to its conclusions. We want to make sure that those conclusions are based on a proper look at all of the factors here and not just one or two.

JOURNALIST: Industry super has come out saying that millions and millions of Australians are not getting paid their super and Townsville is one of the worst in Queensland. Could you explain to me how we are going to fix that problem and [inaudible]?

CHALMERS: Unpaid superannuation is wage theft, pure and simple. It's a big problem in our economy. It's a big problem in our workplace. Australia's unions and the super sector have done a good job of identifying this problem. It's not good enough that so many Australians go to work and they don't get the super that they're entitled to by law. It's not fair that Australians are going to work and not getting the wages that they're entitled to. This is a big problem. This is a Government now under Scott Morrison, a Liberal Government in its third term and its seventh year. They found the time to introduce two anti-union bills into the Parliament but they haven't found time to deal with unpaid super or wage theft. We think that speaks volumes about their priorities. We need to do something on behalf of the workers of Townsville and further afield to make sure that super is paid, that wages are paid so that people can provide for their families and retire with dignity.

JOURNALIST: [Inaudible]

CHALMERS: I think we should be driven by the economics when it comes to new coal fired power stations. If you listen to the investors and the experts they say that the cheapest form of new power generation is renewables. That's why investors are not exactly clamouring to get involved in this latest thought bubble from the National Party. We don't think that Government money should be thrown at this proposal. If it stacks up economically, the private sector would have already been taking steps down this path. We don't think it's economic without a Government subsidy which we don't support and we don't think it's possible to go ahead without a massive $17 billion indemnity which is what the Australian Industry Group has said it will cost the Australian taxpayer to indemnify a new power station.

We're driven by the economics. The Prime Minister is driven by disunity in his partyroom unfortunately. This is a sop to the National Party but it's not something that stacks up economically and we think that is the most important consideration.

JOURNALIST: Townsville's unemployment is quite high. We are a town that is reliant on a lot of mining, obviously. As mentioned, it does have an expiry date. How are we going to take the community into a discussion where they do not feel afraid of what's going to happen to them?

CHALMERS: The most important thing is to be upfront about our challenges. The unemployment rate just rose again today. It rose again in Queensland. It's a challenge that we have, as is underemployment. People can't get the hours they need to support their families. We have a big challenge here in the labour market, not just in Townsville but right around Australia so we need to be upfront with people about that. We need to make sure that we're growing the economy the right way, that we have a plan to do that. We need to train our people, we need to make sure that we are investing in infrastructure like we're seeing here today. There's a whole range of things that the Government should be doing to make sure that people who want to work can work, that they can provide for their families and get ahead and not just get by.

JOURNALIST: [Inaudible]. Is Labor working on policy in that direction [inaudible]?

CHALMERS: We're the Labor Party and we're the party of jobs. Our highest priority is to make sure that people can find good opportunities in the workplace, that we can train them up for good, well-paid jobs. That is our priority. Anthony Albanese has made that very clear and that's why we are so focussed on the economy, on Queensland, and on labour markets like this one in Townsville. We need to make sure that we have growth which is broad based, inclusive, sustainable and that people have the certainty in their workplace that they can plan for the future, buy a house and provide for their families.

There's so much uncertainty around right now, in energy policy, economic policy and rising unemployment because Morrison and Frydenberg are in their third term now and they still don't have a plan to support people in the labour market and to get the economy growing again.

JOURNALIST: The debate at the moment seems to be that if you don't support the Collinsville power station, you hate jobs or you hate coal. What's your reaction to that?

CHALMERS: The discussion around climate change, jobs, energy and renewable energy has become unnecessarily polarised. People like Matt Canavan and others, they want to pretend that we are choosing between two very extreme binary options and I don't think that is the case. I'm a proud Queenslander and I don't like this caricature that Canavan and others put around that somehow Queenslanders don't want to do something about climate change - they do. Queenslanders understand that we can invest in more renewables, can get cheaper and clean energy, and get our emissions down without abandoning our traditional mining communities or the jobs that are sustained by the mining sector. That is not beyond us as a country and people should stop pretending that it is. Thanks very much.