TRANSCRIPT: PCYC Wagga Wagga $10 million funding announcement, 12 April 2019
EO&E
Subjects: Funding for PCYC, homelessness, budget, climate change
With: Regional General Manager PCYC Brett Somerville
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Okay. Michael McCormack, Member for Riverina and Deputy Prime Minister.
It's great to be here today with Brett Somerville the manager of Police Citizens Youth Club here at Wagga Wagga. It's great to be here with Rob Scott, the Regional Manager of PCYC, with David Bardos who's a member of the board at PCYC Wagga Wagga and indeed with Fred Loneragan who is a life member and has done so much for the young people through PCYC here at Wagga Wagga. Also Bob Noble, the Local Area Commander and Mayor of Wagga Wagga Greg Conkey OAM. It's great to be here to announce that the Federal Government, the Liberal Nationals Government, is going to invest $10 million and I know that the PCYC don't know about this yet, but I'm announcing that the Federal Government is going to invest $10 million to enable them to build what they have had as a dream for so long, the dream now becomes a reality. They can build confidently on the site on the corner of Edward and Fitzhardinge Streets. The facility that they've always dreamed in.
We're on the site of Gurwood Street which has served the area faithfully since 1963. This site is past its use by date. This site needs badly an upgrade. It needs to be replaced. Well it can now, thanks to the Federal Liberal Nationals Government. A $10 million investment under the Community Development Grants, making sure that we put the right investment, in the right places, for the right organisations. And I know what a difference this is going to mean for the thousands of young people, the thousands of families, who use PCYC each and every year, each and every day. And I know this is going to be a fantastic, fantastic boost for this wonderful organisation. It's served our community for so many years and it will now serve the community, in a new capacity in a new site, in a new and wonderful way, into the future.
The building? Well it can start virtually from mid-year, once we get all the paperwork signed away, the money is good, the money is in the federal budget. So there'll be no drama, no conditions about the money, it will be a $10 million grant to the PCYC to enable it to go forward to build the building that it's always dreamt of. I know they've been lobbying hard, I appreciate that they've missed out under the last round of the Building Better Regions Fund, but good things come to those who wait and I know how much Brett is going to be excited about this announcement and with that, I'll get him to make a few remarks as well.
Where are you Brett? There, right. Good on you mate. Okay.
BRETT SOMERVILLE:
On behalf of PCYC New South Wales, PCYC Wagga, it's an amazing announcement, it's fantastic for us as a club, as an organisation, as a not-for-profit charity. We do a lot of good work in the community here and across the state. We have a lot of people doing a lot of things that we can now, with this money and obviously the other funding we've received from the Wagga City Council and the State Government, build a facility that Wagga deserves, build a facility that the youth of Wagga can use anytime of the day for whatever purpose they feel the need to. We get to be part of the community, in the fabric in the sporting sense, in a community sense. For kids, for mental health, for any number of programs that we run with the great work our police officers do, and also just from the point of view of PCYC it really speaks volumes to admission about being empowering young people, about being the preeminent youth organisation in this country. And to have the full support of the government shows that they have faith in us to deliver on that message too.
JOURNALIST:
Hi Brett, can you take us through how you felt when you found out about this funding?
BRETT SOMERVILLE:
I was sitting just there, 30 seconds ago the same as you guys. So, look we thought it was either going to be a few gym mats or it was going to be $10 million so we had an inkling. So look, ecstatic. There's been a lot of work, like you talk to be people, this is a 15 year project, not three. I've been with PCYC for four years, we started work on a three court facility back then, it got multiplied to four. We've had some ups, we've had some downs and there's been a lot of good people do a lot of good work to get it to where it was. We're confident we know what we can deliver, we know that this is going to be the right thing for Wagga and the Riverina, because it gives us a facility that is state significant from a sports point of view, it gives us the flexibility from our infrastructure point of view across Wagga and the Riverina. From what we can deliver out of this facility, to what we can deliver out of something that’s six or seven times bigger is very, very exciting.
JOURNALIST:
Tell us a little bit about the facility you have in mind. I guess, how much of an impact it's going to make on the Wagga community?
BRETT SOMERVILLE:
Yeah. So it's a four court multi-purpose stadium down at Bolton park, so in one of the sports precincts. The parts of it outside of that, obviously it's a function centre, so it's a 1,600 sit down, 4,000 concert. It's got multi-purpose rooms, breakout rooms, it's got a 60 person after school care centre which we run here already and some other office space as well. So in terms of the ability to be able to open up rooms, close down rooms, to whatever size they need to be. Have it available for the whole community, because that's what PCYC is, we are not just for youth, we are for this community and we are about making people part of the community, help them be better in the community and that's what we want to achieve.
JOURNALIST:
Mr McCormack, less than a month ago the Federal Government didn't have $10 million to give to the Wagga PCYC. Apart from the federal election, what's changed?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well what's changed is that the PCYC applied for funding under the Building Better Regions Fund. Now that was a very competitive round, we had more than 900 applications received right around Australia. About 300 of them were funded, but had we funded every single one of those applications we would have been looking at $1.5 billion. 1.5 thousand million dollars. The fact is, we only had $200 million to spend and there was only one successful application in the order of $10 million for that particular program. So, having obviously known that the PCYC were very keen on this proposal, having spoken to David Bardos and Brett Somerville a number of times about the program and what made the project and what they had in mind, I went to see where I could find the money. I found it under the Community Development Grants funding arrangements. That's what I do, and that's the benefit of being the Infrastructure, Transport, and most importantly perhaps, the Regional Development Minister.
The fact is, this is a good initiative. This is a great project, I found the $10 million and I'm going to take a little bit of aim here at Kristina Keneally who came here. This is the same person who sent New South Wales broke, this is the same person who, under her premiership, left New South Wales $35 billion in the red. And comes here and makes a big fuss, "Where are you Mr. McCormack?" She tweeted at me half an hour ago. Well the fact is, Kristina, I've delivered. The fact is, Labor doesn't deliver too much at all when it comes to regional development. I've found the $10 million, where are you?
JOURNALIST:
Mr McCormack, we've just heard that the PCYC has been working on this project for 15 years. You've been the local member for almost 10, why has it taken to this point for the-
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well the PCYC first applied for funding only a couple of years ago under a Federal Government funding program. That was the Building Better Regions Fund. The latest round was only round three of that particular fund and the fact is, it has now been funded. The fact is, the money has been found. I've been on this case for about 12 months. That's pretty good, $10 million in 12 months. And the fact is the Liberal Nationals have also funded the new multi-purpose centre out at East-West, something that this community has need for a long, long time. I found the money for that too, so I've delivered, I've achieved, I've recognised, I've listened to the people of my community and what they want, what they need, what they expect and I've delivered, in spades. And the fact is, since becoming Deputy Prime Minister this community has benefited largely from the fact that I have delivered these sorts of projects and these sorts of programs. Not just for Wagga Wagga, but indeed right around the Riverina and Central West. You only have to look at the main street upgrades for Forbes, for Gundagai, for Parkes, for Cowra. They're all happy because the Liberal Nationals Government recognises that we want to make sure that regional development is first and foremost in all that we do as Nationals in Government, and we'll continue to deliver.
JOURNALIST:
So this'll be delivered regardless of any election outcomes?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Regardless of any election outcome. The money's good, the money's in the budget, and that's what you can get when you have a surplus budget. First surplus budget for 12 years. Labor hasn't delivered a surplus budget for 30 years, they don't know what the definition of surplus means. We do, we get on with the job and when you have surpluses and we can run surpluses year, on year, on year, which is what we hope to do, just like the New South Wales Liberal Nationals Government's done, you can deliver more programs and projects just like this. So that's why I'm really delighted to be here at the PCYC of Wagga Wagga today, because I know the State Coalition Government has also delivered $10 million for this particular project. And I commend Wagga Wagga City Council too for its $3 million investment. This is going to be an outstanding project for the City of Wagga Wagga, for our hard-working police officers in Wagga Wagga. No one works harder than our police officers in Wagga Wagga and we want to back them, and we want to back the programs that they put in to place to help our youth. To help our youth of all ages to become better citizens, to become their best self and to realise their potential. That's what this project will do.
JOURNALIST:
They've been waiting a long time for this. When is it going to happen?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well, I've spoken to Brett just a little while ago and I said, well if you get the funding when you can start? He said "Midyear". So they're geared up to start in about June, I look forward to turning the first sod with Brett then.
JOURNALIST:
I guess do you know long it's going to take to build this facility?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
You'd probably have to ask Brett that.
JOURNALIST:
Yep.
BRETT SOMERVILLE:
It's about 18 months. 18 months roughly, obviously depending on a few things and yeah, we're DA approved, ready to go. Yeah, keen to get started.
JOURNALIST:
Bill Shorten has accused Treasury of doing the dodgy on some books, what can you say in response to that?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well Bill Shorten and dodgy are two words that belong, three words in fact, that belong in the same sentence. That's first and foremost. The fact is, Labor is, by its own measures, by its own reckonings and by its own promises, is going to send this country, send this economy, $387 dollars, $387 billion in fact, worse off than it is now. And we look at the housing tax, we look at the retiree tax, we look at deficit tax, we look at their retirement savings tax, $387 billion of additional taxes that will be forced upon Australians if they go down the Bill Shorted path. Chris Bowen can't explain the figures, he should be coming out, he should be facing the cameras and actually explain why Treasury modelling shows that they are going to send this country $387 billon further into debt.
JOURNALIST:
A number of social services organisations have, now that the election has been called, said that homelessness is one of the big issues that the government needs to address. What is the Coalition doing to address homelessness, and in specific, affordable housing? We know that's a big issue here in the Riverina. What are you going to do?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Sure. And look, and that's true too, and there was a $1.56 billion initiative that we're going to be working with the states and territories, through the budget process. We've announced that, it was in the budget papers, fully costed, unlike anything that Bill Shorten or Chris Bowen could ever come up with. Fact is, we will work with the states and territories, we will address this issue, and it is a major issue. Not just for our metropolitan cities, but as you quite correctly have pointed out, our regional areas, but also remote areas and I know how much we've picked up the slack left behind by some states and territories, particularly Labor states and territories, when it comes to Aboriginal housing. So, we've got the policy on the table, moreover we've got the real, funded agenda on the table and we'll work with the states and territories to address this issue.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think that the Federal Government should be doing more?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well of course, we can always do more. We can always do more in housing, in affordable housing, in making sure that homelessness issues get addressed. But the pie is only so big, and of course when you have a stronger economy you can actually pay for more services, services that particularly those in regional Australia need and expect. When you actually have a budget in surplus you can do more, such as build such things as the PCYC centre that they so desperately wanted. More homeless, more issues, address more concerns for homeless people. You can address those things, you can address the plight of farmers who are at the moment very much drought stricken in our regional communities.
You can build better roads, and that's why I'm delighted as the Transport and Infrastructure Minister that we're spending $100 billion, $100 billion on better roads right across the nation. And in the Wagga Wagga City Council that means five million dollars more for roads to recovery funding and for the twelve councils I represent, that's a 25% increase on their Roads to Recovery so that they can put more asphalt on those dirt roads, they can put better bitumen on the roads which have potholes in the streets and in the byways. And making sure that we get those issues addressed. There are plenty of issues, we're addressing them and we're addressing them because we've got a stronger economy, we're addressing them because we've got a budget in surplus. Labor, I say again, does not understand the meaning of surplus, they haven't produced a surplus budget since 1989 and we don't want to give them the opportunity to send the country into more debt and deficit. We saw, in six years under Labor, how badly they wrecked the economy, we don't want to go down that path again.
JOURNALIST:
Does the party believe in climate change and what's the plan there to address it?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well the climate's been changing since day dot. And I'm assuming by party you mean National Party? Well yes, and we are putting in place policies that address the issues which particularly affect our farmers. We're making sure that, as part of the Murray Darling Basin money, that David Littleproud put on the table to address Robert Vertessy's independent report, following on from the Menindee Lakes fish kill incident, late last year and earlier this year, that we address those particular issues. And we're meeting our international agreements, but what we are not doing, we're not going to de-industrialise Australia for the sake of buying carbon credits from Kazakhstan or any other country that might end in [inaudible] and what we are doing is we're going to make sure that there is affordable power for businesses. We're going to make sure that the smelters and the factories are able to operate. We're going to make sure that the people who have households, pensioners and families are able to pay for their electricity, pay for their energy needs and not to cost them the earth. That's what we're doing. We're not going to de-industrialise Australia when Australia has an emissions output globally of one point something percent. What we are going to do is making sure that we address a climate policy that's in a sensible, pragmatic and affordable way. While still meeting our international agreements.
JOURNALIST:
Are The Nationals pro-coal?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Yes we are. Coal means jobs. And coal also means $66 billion of exports. $66 billion which underpins the economy of Queensland, which helps pay for a lot of state schools, a lot of state hospitals, and for things such as this particular facility that I'm announcing today.
And, mind you, there's 55,000 people who rely on a coal job. They're not just people who've got torches on the end of their helmets and who've come out of a dark hole with blackened faces at the end their hard-working day, they are also people who are scientists, they're people who are executive assistants, they're white collar workers, they're people who work in high rise buildings in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. They also rely on the coal of Central Queensland and elewhere to be able to pay their way. And I'd love Bill Shorten to do what CFMU wants him to do and to sign that agreement to say he too supports coal mining jobs. So, he's the one who's facing a bit of a quandary today. He can either sign up to jobs and sign up to a future for those people who rely on a coal mining job and rely on the resources sector, or he can stick with the baristas in Batman, or he can stick with those people who think they can sit around, drink their soy lattes and muse about how much carbon is in the air.
That's the challenge for Bill Shorten today, that's the challenge for Kristina Keneally today. How are they going to pay for their state schools and hospitals? How are they going to do that? I mean Kristina Keneally has form, she sent New South Wales broke, and if the voters give Bill Shorten a chance, he'll send Australia broke. So the reliance is on Australians to do the right thing, vote Liberal Nationals because we support jobs, we support a future, we support an industry which has $66 billion of exports, provides two thirds of our energy needs and provides jobs for 65,000 hard-working Australians. Let's see the Greens and let’s see the Labor face those people and say "you don't deserve your job".
JOURNALIST:
There's evidence to suggest the issue of climate change could be an election winning issue. New England farmers are demanding action. Are you worried this could lose the seats for your party?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well I'll tell you what will be a big issue come election time and that's going to be jobs. Jobs, jobs and jobs. Particularly in regional Australia, they're the sorts of things I'm focused on. I'm focused on making sure that our drought stricken farmers know that we have their back. I'm focused on the fact that we're going to provide tax cuts for Australians, not at the expense of those who were one sector over another. We're going to provide tax cuts to provide for all Australians. We don't believe in smashing one lot of Australians at the expense of another, that's the Bill Shorten way. We're going to make sure that we provide tax incentives, business incentives, regional Australia incentives, better roads, better rail. They are all the sorts of things that I'm supporting, they're all the sorts of things I'm backing and we're backing lower taxes. We're not going to wack $387 billion of additional taxes on the economy, on Australian families, on hard working Australians.
JOURNALIST:
So are you concerned that climate change could lose you any seats?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well that'll be up to the voters, and the voters should know that we're not going to de-industrialise Australia. The voters should know that we're going to put in practical, pragmatic solutions to climate issues, as we always have, whilst meeting our international agreements, whilst still making sure that energy needs are affordable, whilst still making sure that people can turn the lights on. That's the important thing and those Australians who are worried about who to back and who to vote for should also think about their jobs and their children's jobs, because under us, under the Liberal Nationals, you'll always have a job, you'll always have a future. Under Bill Shorten, I'm not so sure. Thank you very much.