TRANSCRIPT: Doorstop at Tichborne, 18 July 2018
Subjects: Newell Highway funding, Daryl Maguire, Inland Rail
E&OE
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well look, fantastic to just beside the Newell Highway today to announce a $1.8 million project, $800,000 of which has been provided by the National Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program, and the state government is certainly chipping in its contribution as well. But $800,000 from the federal government as part of a $1.8 million project. I’m delighted to be here with my Nationals colleague, the State Minister Melinda Pavey; Rick Colless MLC and Yvette Quinn, who’s running in the state seat of Orange. And certainly this is what happens when the Nationals are in government, working collaboratively together. Making sure that these last [indistinct] first [indistinct] projects are looked at, making sure that these important heavy vehicle routes are funded where they ought to be and when they ought to be. And this is an important project. This particular stretch of road, Bewleys Road in Weddin Shire, and I’m delighted that Mark Liebich, the Mayor of Weddin Shire, is with us. And Wirrinya Road in Forbes Shire, I’m delighted that Graeme Miller, right beside me here, is here as the Mayor of Forbes Shire. This road was used certainly during the flood when the Lachlan overflowed and the Newell Highway became impassable. This road was very- an important route used as a detour route. It needs to be paved. It needs to be widened. That’s what’s happening today.
I’m delighted that the federal government – working collaboratively with the New South Wales Liberal Nationals government – is funding this particular piece of road. It’s vital infrastructure, but this is what happens when the Nationals are in government. This is what happens when you have Coalition governments working together. Not necessarily always funding those major roads and not necessarily always funding those not just the major byways, but certainly looking at these types of secondary roads, these roads which would otherwise not be funded, and I’m delighted that both the Forbes and Weddin shires have looked as well to making sure that the case was made to fund these roads. Making sure that they've used some of their money under the Roads to Recovery Program to fund these roads. These are, as I say, important stock routes. These are important for heavy vehicles, B-doubles. Important that they’re properly strengthened and widened and with bitumen down on them. This is what, I say again, happens when the Nationals are in government and I might ask Melinda Pavey to make a few comments as well
MELINDA PAVEY:
Thank you, Deputy Prime Minister and local member. What a thrill to be here [indistinct] and I echo the words of Michael McCormack: this is what happens when you have two good governments working together and that involve the Nationals because we are committed to improving our infrastructure in New South Wales and Australia. It is a new age of infrastructure in New South Wales, and working alongside Weddin Council and Forbes Shire, it’s not just about the Newell highways, the Great Western highways, the Pacific highways, the Great Western highways, it's about these feeder roads like Bewleys Road so we can have better connectivity and better efficiency for our farmers. We have the best farmers in the world and they need the best roads to be able to get their product to market efficiently. Sometimes our farmers are paying up to 50 per cent on their costs of production towards freight. If we can drive those costs of production down, get a B-double network working that is more efficient, but actually in essence also takes trucks off the roads. If you've got a B-double, you've got twice as efficient freight movement. So, this is a win-win for regional New South Wales, for farmers, for communities and ultimately consumers as we get that product to market at a cheaper price. This is what happens when you've got two great governments working together collaboratively and in partnership for the benefit of regional New South Wales and Australia.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Would either of the mayors like to make a comment?
GRAEME MILLER:
Graeme Miller, the mayor of Forbes Shire Council. It's great to have the Deputy Prime Minister who is our local member here and Minister Pavey for coming here today. This project is one that’s just been very pleasing to Forbes Shire Council, I know to Weddin Shire, because it was a joint submission, and I think that's one of the most important, that two shires can work together, and Mark it’s been good working with you over the years too. This is a very important agricultural region of our shire. There’s something like 50,000 tonne of grain goes into the Wirrinya silos. It's a great connection from the Newell Highway to the Wirrinya silos and also south into the Weddin Shire.
Agriculture in our region is, especially in this region here, has a very high percentage of products coming out of our region in the state. It’s quite a high percentage and these sort of things helps us to get- the modern transport is getting bigger and the roads is- the road before was a- most of it was a single lane, which has been widened, and also some new road. And I know our engineers got the drone up the road, it looks fantastic.
So, thank you very much to both ministers for coming here today and doing this through the- both governments. Thank you.
MARK LIEBICH:
Yeah firstly I'd just like to thank the- I’ll start again, sorry. Firstly, I’d just like to thank the federal and state governments for the money that they've put into this project. This is huge for this area because the locals out there have been waiting for this road for years. They've only had a single lane. So, it's a school bus route as well. So to widen this road to make it safer for the locals, to improve the width so that now we can get B-doubles say from the west of that area, we can feed all of that- the grain from out around Lake Cowal area all into the Wirrinya silos and make it safer for the trucks, make it safer for the other road users, this is just fantastic for the Weddin Shire and I thank the government, the two governments, for making this money available, to get this infrastructure happening and to make it safer for the community. So thank you.
JOURNALIST:
[Indistinct] Few questions [indistinct] if that’s alright? Nice and easy though from us. Like they said, this project is really important, will make a huge difference. How long has it taken for this to be finished and why has it taken this long?
MELINDA PAVEY:
Well, you’ve got a golden age of infrastructure, where you have now a federal and a state government in alignment caring about regional New South Wales. We've also got two great councils that are supporting their communities, not only in freight productivity for their farmers, but also in bus safety for our school kids catching buses on this route. It is needed. When we came to government there was a lot of catch up to do and we're catching up. But the irony of this project, most of the funding coming from the state government, has come from the leasing of the poles and wires in Sydney. So, the Nationals were able to do a really good deal to ensure that one-third of that money came to regional New South Wales so we're able to fund these type of projects. It's not always easy to get the taxpayer dollars that we need to do this type of infrastructure, but recycling those electricity assets in Sydney has ensured that we've had a dividend that we can spend on communities like this that deserve it and that need it. That will actually help drive greater efficiency for the nation as a whole.
JOURNALIST:
Just how important is this for farmers?
MELINDA PAVEY:
It is really important for farmers that they can drive cost of production down by having efficient freight transport links. On average, 20 per cent of a farmer’s cost of production in freight. Sometimes in grain growing areas it can be as high as 50 per cent. So where we can get that grain onto a B-double to a silo on a rail track more efficiently, it drives the cost of production down for the farmer. It's a win-win for everybody and it's what we can do if we manage the books well, if we manage the economy, recycle assets, and put that money back into regional communities. That's what good governments can do and I'm very proud to be part of it, surrounded by great people from Weddin Shire and Forbes Shire and a great federal local member who happens to be Deputy Prime Minister.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think your Coalition colleague Daryl Maguire should resign?
MELINDA PAVEY:
I made some comments about that yesterday. Daryl Maguire is no longer a member of our government. It is important that Daryl Maguire listens to the very proud and resilient community of Wagga Wagga. Their voice is getting stronger and more determined. It is a great community that deserves the greatest level of respect and the greatest level of representation. It is a very, very sad time, but I do implore him to listen to the wonderful people of Wagga Wagga.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think by him not stepping down it’s tarnishing the city’s reputation?
MELINDA PAVEY:
Wagga’s reputation will never be tarnished. It’s too strong. It’s too an important community to the people of New South Wales and Australia. It’s the heart of the Riverina. No way will Wagga’s reputation ever be tarnished.
JOURNALIST:
Deputy Prime Minister, do you think- the relationship with the Nationals and the Liberals in that seat will be tarnished because of this?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well, the Coalition is always strong, whether it’s at state level or federal level. The Coalition has provided the very best government. Indeed when we were in Opposition, we provide the very best voice in Opposition that regional people need, wants, expect and demand. That relationship between the Liberals and Nationals will continue irrespective of this decision, irrespective of this situation. Daryl Maguire has been a friend of mine for 30 years and as I’ve said before, he has delivered in spades for Wagga Wagga, for the wider Wagga Wagga electorate including Tumut and Lockhart shires. We’ve got a new police station in Wagga Wagga, a new ambulance station, a new fire station and indeed working with me, we ended up with a new Wagga Wagga Base Hospital, something the community had been calling for, for more than 40 years. So Daryl has delivered, certainly as far as infrastructure is concerned. His situation of course is very troubling, it’s very sad. I was shocked and saddened and very disappointed to hear of it, and certainly I would urge Daryl to listen to the sentiment of the people of Wagga Wagga, very proud community. Wagga Wagga deserves the very best representation in the state parliament. At the moment, it doesn’t have a member in government. Daryl has decided to go to the independent benches. You can achieve far more in government, that’s certainly been shown with announcements such as this today here in Forbes Shire. You can achieve so much in government. The Nationals have worked so hard in conjunction with our regional Liberals to make sure that regional New South Wales, indeed regional Australia, always gets its fair share. That’s what the regional Liberals and the National Party does. When in government we always make sure that local government is looked after, that we have the very best roads and rail infrastructure, ports, et cetera. That's what Nationals do. That's what we'll continue to do. And our relationship with the Liberals will remain strong.
JOURNALIST:
You’ve asked him to listen to his Wagga Wagga constituents; they're calling for him to resign. Are you effectively saying the same thing?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well I've had a number of people contact my office and contact me personally, very disappointed in what has happened. Daryl has admitted that he has done the wrong thing, he’s admitted that to ICAC, he's admitted that outside ICAC and it's a very troubling situation. I think we should let the processes of ICAC take their course. They haven't as yet finalised their hearing. They haven't- ICAC has not come down with any findings or any recommendations, and I think people should wait until ICAC actually does that before we make any decisions on what should happen from there.
JOURNALIST:
Minister, you’re also here for the Inland Rail conference. [Indistinct] Can you tell me, what sort of difference would a project make to our roads in the state?
MELINDA PAVEY:
We expect the freight task to double in New South Wales towards 2050 and we need some solutions to improve freight. And Inland Rail and our Federal Government's commitment to Inland Rail, led by Michael McCormack, is just an incredibly profound and important part of the future of Australia, and we need both rail and we need both trucks and heavy vehicles to be able to do what we need, in terms of the future of that supply chain, as well as drive the cost of production down and the costs of freight down. To be here today in Parkes has just been such a privilege. A privilege to see 400 people leading freight experts from around Australia descend on Parkes like they have gives us an example of how important Inland Rail is going to be to Parkes and this part of New South Wales. The development of the regional development opportunities are profound - not just during the construction phase, funded by the Federal Government and Michael McCormack, but through that extra investment, through the intermodals, all the private investment that's going on to make this work. It's an incredibly exciting time, and to see Australia's best logistics and freight networks and people descend on Parkes like they have is just the biggest tick of confidence in this project going forward, which is going to revolutionise this part of the world and the way we deliver freight north to south and east to west across Australia.
QUESTION:
Deputy Prime Minister, how's it been so far this morning?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Oh, it's been fantastic and delighted too that Yvette Quinn has joined us, talking about Inland Rail, talking about the road project here bordering both Forbes and Weddin shires. Yvette Quinn understands the importance of job creation. She also understands how important it is that small business is able to have all the components of success, and that's what Inland Rail is doing. Four hundred delegates from right throughout Australia descending upon Parkes, Yvette Quinn’s hometown, to see how we can better progress this transformational piece of nation-building infrastructure, this 1700 kilometre corridor of commerce. And we heard this morning how a couple of businesses have succeeded in gaining $7 million worth of contracts, Calvani and AusRock Quarries, making sure that they provide the ballast to- for the Narromine to Parkes section of the road - section of the rail, sorry - and making sure that indeed they've created 16 local jobs in the process. So those two local businesses providing the ballast for Narromine to Parkes section of the inland rail, not only providing job employment for 16 additional full time equivalent positions but also sharing in the huge windfall that is inland rail.
JOURNALIST:
When does construction start?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well, construction has already started. Certainly, the Narromine to Parkes section is under way. They have dropped off the first 600 tonnes of the 14000 tonnes of steel from Whyalla, Australian-made steel. They dropped that off on 15 January, and so work there on that particular section has already begun and it's going to continue through to ‘24, ‘25 and I very much look forward to seeing the first train on the track. Whether I'm in Parliament or whether or not, I'll be- I'll be here. Certainly, I'll be here with Graeme Miller and Mark Liebich, and we'll be waving hello to that- and Yvette, I bet, will still be in Parliament. Certainly, she’ll be in there, she’ll be probably Deputy Premier by then. But anyway, looking forward to making sure that- you know, we do everything that we can to boost the job prospects and that's why a shop, a storefront has opened in Clarinda Street in Parkes, and I urge and encourage locals who are seeking employment opportunities to drop in there to that particular main street Parkes store that the ARTC has opened, and indeed even school kids and adults alike who want to take part in the interactive opportunities there, to see just how it’s going to benefit their community, just how it's all going to unfold. It's an exciting time, it's certainly been an exciting time to be in the infrastructure portfolio. I know Mel Pavey spoke earlier at the Inland Conference and she was very, very upbeat about it, as we all should. Delighted that Ken Gillespie, who’s now got such a role with infrastructure in New South Wales, he's here, he's excited too - as we all are. Mayors, farmers, local business people, people who are seeking employment, small businesses who want to get a slice of the action. It's very exciting and it's all happening and it's very much centred here in the Central West of New South Wales.
JOURNALIST:
Inside the conference, there’s a number of farmers protesting. Many of them said they've spoken to you before. What's your response to those farmers who say they're still calling for more transparency?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well there's been a lot of transparency. We've had 10 years of independent analysis. We've had 10 years of expert engineering reports done on the preferred route. Of course, when you've got a 1700 kilometre corridor of rail track, it's going to go through some farms, it's going to go through some people’s places and properties, and of course in Australia we'd all like- we all like the infrastructure being built, but we all don't want it through our own property. I understand that. I get that. I'm the son of a generational farming family, and you know- and I know when the telegraph poles, when electricity wires were being put through my father's property, I knew that it was concerning but for the greater good. We accepted the fact that this was happening and a corridor was left for those particular lines, overhead lines, to go through our property and that's part and parcel of nation-building infrastructure. I've spoken to the Gilgandra farmers and farmers along the route. There's certainly some concerned farmers at Stockinbingal and Illabo, further south from here in my electorate as well, and I understand that, but we are narrowing the corridor from five kilometres down to 60 metres and that will ease the concerns of some farmers for whom the rail track won't be going through their properties. We've used existing track and existing alignments and corridors as much as possible, but there will be some [indistinct] rail. There will be that prospect of the rail going through some properties, and we'll continue to work with those farmers to make sure that they understand the benefits that inland rail will bring.
JOURNALIST:
Thank you.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Thank you.