TRANSCRIPT: Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and Federal Member for Calare Andrew Gee, 9 May 2019
Canowindra Showground commitment
EO&E
GEE:
Well, good morning everyone and thank you for joining us here today. I'm here with the Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack and Mayor Kevin Beatty and Jeffrey from the Canowindra Showground Trust, because today we are announcing an election commitment of $250,000 for amenities upgrades here at the Canowindra Showground. Now, that money is going to be used for new amenities blocks just behind us over here and also another block down there and one just up over there. And the reason that we're doing that is because these original amenities were built in the 1940s and they are sadly passed their use-by date, but the showground is not. It is a much loved destination here in Canowindra and very well used. In fact, just a week or so ago, we had thousands and thousands of people here for the Canowindra balloon glow and over those 10 days of the Canowindra balloon challenge, this showground was jam packed with campers. They come from stations near and far. We're at capacity here and unfortunately the amenities just can't handle the amount of people who love to use this showground.
It's not just the balloon glow though, we've also got the Canowindra show, we have a number of equestrian events and a heap of other community events here that go on throughout the year. And I think it's really important that if we want to keep growing strong country communities, we need to be investing in our country infrastructure and one of the great ways that we can do this is investing in our country's showgrounds. And a number of people from Canowindra have been lobbying for this for quite a while now and when I was a State MP, we were able to secure the upgrades to the yards and sheds just down there and this will help complete the next stage of the Canowindra showground redevelopment.
The folks from the Canowindra balloon challenge, Graham Kerr is here, he’s just over there. He was a very strong advocate. He and his wife Jan, who spent countless hours on the balloon challenge, really saw the need for this as well. As well, as our local Lions Club members who are here today. They man the facilities here when the big events are on, including this show, and they know that this showground is at bursting point in terms of the capacity and the ability of its facilities to cope. So, I'm delighted that we've been able to make this announcement today and I think to do it in Canowindra, in the heart of Cabonne Country, also shows that it's not just the larger communities that can share in the prosperity of our country, but also our smaller country communities as well. And when you have your budget back in black as we do, with the new surplus of over $7billion, this is the type of thing that you can deliver which is really worthwhile. So, I'll now throw to Jeffrey from the Showground Trust.
BEATH:
Good morning everybody, Jeffrey Beath here. This is a great announcement, and we certainly are very excited and this is going to go towards attracting a lot of tourism here to the Canowindra district again, and I'd like to congratulate the Andrew Gee and the Coalition Government on their commitment to rural and remote areas of this area or the one in particular. It's great for to see the district thriving with tourism and this will only enhance the availability of letting and making the facilities more user friendly throughout the year.
GEE:
Okay thank you very much Jeffrey.
BEATTY:
Good morning. Kevin Beatty, Mayor of Cabonne. It might have been said this morning, but I'd like to reiterate and thank, on behalf of the Cabonne Council, the Federal Government, for this funding announcement, should they be re-elected. This is wonderful news to upgrade the facilities here as already been mentioned a couple weeks ago. We had thousands of people here using this facility during the balloon challenge, but not only the balloon challenge. Throughout the year we have numerous events here at the showground so it's wonderful, wonderful news that these facilities are being, some upgraded and some new facilities for the use of people that stay here and visit. So once again, thank you on behalf of Cabonne Council to the Federal Government for this announcement and also from the town of Canowindra. So, thank you.
MCCORMACK:
Well thank you Mayor Kevin Beatty from Cabonne Council, thank you Jeffrey Beath, part of the head of the trust here at the Canowindra Show Society and well done Andrew Gee the Member for Calare, for once again delivering. Once again, Andrew Gee has shown how important regional development is and that's why he's the Assistant Minister for Regional Development. That's why he's the assistant minister, helping me with regional development, helping me as the Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister. He knows how important regional development is, he knows how important infrastructure is, he knows how important regional communities are. This show society has been on his site since the early 1900's. 11 user groups use this particular site and whether it's the balloon festival, whether it's the local golf club, whether it's the pony club, whether it's the trotting club, they all use these facilities and they all going to benefit from this announcement today.
A quarter of a million dollars to boost regional development, to boost Canowindra, to make sure that this is more user friendly, to make sure that the show society has the ability to attract events, conferences, conventions and more tourists to Canowindra. And why shouldn't Canowindra, a little community benefit in the fact that we've got a surplus budget? Why shouldn't Canowindra benefit from having this site upgraded, having new facilities, having new amenities. These ablutions blocks, these particular upgrades are going to make it so much more user friendly. It's going to attract so many more festivals and they can only build on their tourism capacity and making Canowindra a destination of choice. And when tourists come, they spend money, they spend it on fuel, they spend it on accommodation, they spend it on food, they spend it in the local community and Canowindra is a very friendly local community. And if you don't believe me, just go down the main street and talk to a few locals. This is a real tourist hotspot. It's not only for this particular show society but for so many of the other attractions in this area and we want to make sure that this historic site has a big future.
It will with this quarter of a million dollar announcement. Andrew Gee has fought hard to make sure that he continues to deliver for the central west and whether it's Orange, whether it's Canowindra, whether it's all the villages and towns in between, he knows how important it is to boost these local areas, to boost show societies. Show societies are indeed very much the heart and soul of the community. We want to boost these agricultural shows. We want to boost the amenities that they have and this just does it. Shows just don't happen once a year. They cause so much joy and happiness all year round because we've got show societies with hard working volunteers like Jeffrey and his team who put so much in to making sure that that annual show is such a big event. But, when you have other festivals such as the balloon festival, when you have golfers using these facilities, like I say the trotting club and we have a trotting horse just going around, being put through his paces a little earlier on, it makes these places a year round event. It makes these places user friendly all year round. This announcement today only boosts just that.
REPORTER:
Just to confirm, this money is only going to be delivered if the coalition is re-elected?
MCCORMACK:
It's an election commitment, if the coalition is elected, and I hope that the Liberal Nationals are back in government after May 18. It’s an election commitment and I'm sure that work will begin, once the coalition is re-elected. As I say, I hope we are.
REPORTER:
Perfect. Thank you so much.
MCCORMACK:
Any other questions?
REPORTER:
Andrew Gee, what is the reason that you haven't been attending candidate’s forums. There was one last night apparently, there's one tonight. I understand you're not going to those?
GEE:
No, I have been to one in Bathurst. Unfortunately, there wasn't a huge amount of notice given for the ones that are being privately organised. Unfortunately, we only got an email last Tuesday, about the privately organised ones. And we only got a few hours, we got in the afternoon, and by the morning the dates were set. I think if you want to organise them as a private individual, you really do need to give the candidates a good deal of notice so that they can actually organise their diaries and get there. So, I was at the Bathurst one, but the CPSA who organized that one, had actually given us weeks and weeks of notice for it.
REPORTER:
And the forum tonight? Is there another one tonight?
GEE:
There is one tonight as I understand.
REPORTER:
And will you be going to that one?
GEE:
I'm not able to get to that one because of a previous commitment, but obviously you know I would like to get there, but unfortunately due to that previous commitment and a lack of notice from the organiser, I'm not going to be able to get there.
REPORTER:
What's your response to concerns from Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, perhaps criticisms that you've been a lazy member?
GEE:
Look I think when you strip down their campaign, it's an empty campaign. They're not offering anything for the electorate. They're not offering any policies, and it's just nastiness basically and I think it's very sad that all they're offering is nastiness and insults to the electorate. And I think they should be doing better than that if they want to be elected representatives. The candidate was apparently announced... I'll say that again. The local candidate was thinking of running six months ago but it's only in the last few days that you're actually getting any talk on policy and I just think that you just can't run a campaign on insults and nastiness. There's got to be some substance to it as well.
REPORTER:
And with that candidates forum tonight, it obviously is the peoples chance to ask the candidates their questions. There was no second thoughts from you about changing your prior commitments?
GEE:
No, look my commitments are there. I would like to get there, but at the moment I do have a prior commitment so at the moment I'm not able to attend simply because the notice was given was very late. It was an email last Tuesday afternoon and by the following day, the date was locked in and the email said we would like to talk about dates and then the following morning it was locked in. So I think you got to be fair to all the candidates and you've actually got to give them proper notice like the CPSA.
REPORTER:
And going off that, it's not just your rivals that have said that, but a few voters anecdotally have said that they found it difficult to get a hold of you. Not just recently, but also over the past three years or so. Do you think that this exacerbates that perception?
GEE:
No, I think I've been out there working hard for the last three years and I've been at just about every community event that I can be at. And I've done my best to get around the electorate and I don't think anyone could criticize me for that because I've been at just about every country show, every community event. I've been there when the community has needed me. I think that's a very cheap and easy insult to make but it's not in accordance with the facts because I can't work any harder. I've been to every single event that I can go to.
MCCORMACK:
And I can add to that. I made Andrew my assistant minister because of his hard work ethic. I made Andrew an assistant minister because of what he stands, what he represents for regional development and certainly for the central west and I know that the areas that I now represent that Andrew once used to represent, how much they talk to me about how fiercely he fought for and on their behalf as a state member and now as a federal member. He gets in and he has a real go, and he's always in my party room making sure that the interest of the people of the central west, the interest of the people of Calare are very fiercely represented. And he will go on to doing that, and the Nationals will go on doing that because the Nationals care deeply about the future of regional development. The Nationals are in there fighting hard around the ministerial table and when it comes to shooters, when it comes to other minor parties indeed, when it comes to Labor and the Greens, they can just throw rocks at the tent. They're not in the tent deciding when it comes to the funding for regional development and when it comes to Labor, they don't even care about regional development.
Bill Shorten talks a big game about the cities, but he has absolutely no idea or no policy about the regions. No idea and no policy about rural and remote Australia and they do not care about farmers. I know how much Andrew Gee cares about farmers. That's why he's supported, that's why he advocated for the future drought fund. Labor, the Greens and many of the independents voted against and how dare they do that, voting against a future drought fund. I mean we are in there, we're fighting hard. We're fighting hard for regional development. We're fighting hard for Inland rail. We're fighting hard for more jobs for the bush, making sure that we've got 80,000 additional apprentices, making sure that much of the $525 million for work skills programs into the future so that young people have a job. Particularly in rural and regional Australia. That's the Andrew Gee I know, he's in there fighting hard for those things, he's in there fighting for the people of Calare and he'll go on doing it. And for anybody, anybody to suggest that Andrew Gee does not work hard, well quite frankly, they've got their head in the sand.
He is in there fighting hard all the time and I know that. I know that because whenever I phone him, he's always at a country show, he's always talking to a constituent and he's always in there fighting hard for the interest of the people of Calare and he will go on doing that.
REPORTER:
Are you expecting a swing against the National, similarly seen during State election?
MCCORMACK:
No, I'm not because Andrew Gee has really fought hard. He lives in the area, he loves the area, he's a person who understands business, he's a person who understands just how important jobs are for the bush and that's just not the big regional capitals like Orange. He's in there fighting hard for the little communities and that's why we're here today at Canowindra announcing this really important quarter of a million dollars for the local show. We're making sure that we're building the amenities whether it's in little places like this or whether it's in the big centres because we know everybody in those country communities cares. We want a future for everybody who lives in our country communities and as somebody who’s got an electorate bordering on Calare, I know how hard Andrew Gee works and I know how hard he'll continue to work in the future. That's why he's my assistant minister and that's why we have such a great relationship, and we're always talking about how we can further benefit, how we can further advantage country people.
REPORTER:
Before the state election, John Barilaro made the commitment that he would take responsibility for what happened on election day and then the shooters then claimed, the Nationals lost a number of seats. Will you make a similar commitment that you'll take responsibility if the Nationals do lose a few seats?
MCCORMACK:
Well if the shooters take a seat from the National party I'll take some responsibility.
REPORTER:
Well not just the shooters that's speaking broadly.
MCCORMACK:
Well you know this is a transformational election. We need to make sure that we don't allow Bill Shorten the keys to the lodge because he represents such a clear and present danger. Particularly to rural communities and rural communities should know that Bill Shorten does not have a regional plan or blueprint for the future. Regional communities, people in them should know that he doesn't care about farmers, he doesn't care about businesses in rural Australia. I mean they've piecemealed, put together some sort of telecommunications policy based as a poor cut and paste of what we've done. When they had six years in government between 2007 and 2013, they did not build one single mobile phone tower. How many have we built or funded or installed or constructed? 1047. Now there's the difference. 1047 to nil and that's just not in mobile phone towers, it’s across every sector. We make sure that when our farmers are in drought, we make sure that we're there to help. More than $7billion of drought assistance with a very good future drought fund. $5 billion of future drought fund going forward and Labor opposed it, Joel Fitzgibbon opposed it and when we talk about inland rail, well that Labor just wants to put up inquiries which is just going to provide no answers and just place the whole project in jeopardy. And they don't care about jobs either. I mean they've got no future policy plans for jobs creation in the bush.
What have we done? Well we've helped create 1.3 million jobs over five years, and you know what we'll do it again over the next five years should we be re-elected. Scott Morrison, when he became Prime Minister, first port of call was to visit a drought stricken community. And just recently we announced a really good policy, which is going to give school kids in city areas the opportunity to go on excursions to learn where their food and fibre comes from. So, we're trying to breach that gap that exists between city and country. That great divide, well that's what we're offering. What does Bill Shorten offer? Absolutely nothing. He has no regional policy. He has no regional plans, and he has no regional ministers who care about country. Andrew Gee does, he's my assistant minister, and he's doing a damn fine job.
REPORTER:
Will the nationals do anything to tackle rising agricultural production costs that have actually spiked since Scott Morrison took over from Malcolm Turnbull?
MCCORMACK:
Well, that's not correct and I'm not quite sure where you've got that information from.
I'm not sure that's correct, and the fact is what we are doing for farmers is we're making sure that we've put in place free market opportunities in Peru, in South Korea, in China, in Japan. Those sort of free opportunities that Labor, hello? Hello?, said would never happen. They said that they would never work. They said that we couldn't pull it off. Well we did and when that transpacific partnership eleven looked like it was going to fall over because America pulled out, Donald Trump decided not to proceed with it, well we pushed ahead, we forged ahead because we've got drive, application, determination and that's a $13.3 trillion opportunity for our farmers, for our regional small businesses. We're forging ahead with policies that are going to make it cheaper and better for farmers for farm cost production. The inland rail, more than $9 billion invested by the Liberals and Nationals, is going to reduce the tonnage cost for farmers, for small business, by originally on the business case, which made the project possible $10 a ton. Well now, according to the CSIRO, a report that I do believe in, up to potentially $94 a ton for post food production and at least an average of $76 a ton. So, they're really good statistics that are going to help our farmers and if there is one party that is always, always help farmers, does now, always will, it’s the National Party.
It's the National Party, the party to which Andrew Gee proudly belongs. The party which I proudly lead, and we will go on helping our farmers. I mean, I'm the son of a generational farmer. I know just how hard farmers do it, particularly in times of dry and we're in there, helping them all the time. Side by side, shoulder to shoulder, and we'll go on doing it.
REPORTER:
Councils across Australia, including Ken Keith, are calling for immediate action on climate change. If the Coalition is re-elected, will they look at upping the emissions reduction target?
MCCORMACK:
Well, what we're not going to do is de-industrialise Australia. What we're not going to do is put in a 45% emissions reduction plan and a 50% renewables plan that is going to force farmers to de-stock. That is going to force people to not be able to turn their power on in winter when it's cold, or power on in summer when it's hot. What we want to do, is make sure that our factories and our farms and our small businesses, have affordable, reliable power. What we're not going to do is put in place emissions reductions targets that are going to cripple Australia. We're meeting our international obligations. We're meeting all the contracts that we've signed up to as far as global emissions are concerned. We will go on doing that, we will do it in a practical, sensible way. And that's why we've put on the table recently $150,000 for electorates across the country to do good, practical measures to help with rivers, to help with land care, to help with projects at a practical, local level to make sure that we do address climate issues, and we're doing that also obviously by meeting our international obligations.
Bill Shorten doesn't and won't say, because he only tells half the story, how much his climate policies are going to cost. Well I'll tell you what they're going to cost. They're going to cost tens of billions of dollars and they're going to cost tens of thousands of jobs. I mean, here's Bill Shorten wanting to cut down the mining sector. He goes up to North Queensland and he says he's going to put in place a Just Transition Authority which is going to tell miners and make sure that miners turn from something from what they're doing now into what? Either unemployed or coffeemakers. Well, we can't be a nation of coffeemakers, much as I like coffee and I'm looking forward to having one in a minute with Andrew Gee, and his new caravan that he's taking around his electorate. It looks fantastic. It also looks like a coffee machine. But the fact is I'm waiting to see inside if there is a coffee machine in there.
But we can't all be coffeemakers and the fact is Bill Shorten wants to make so many more Australians unemployed. Well I say shame on him. I mean, we're here in the centre where there's a balloon festival. Well I can say Bill Shorten quite frankly most of the time if not all of the time is just full of hot air.
REPORTER:
So your response to those councils and mayors is that nothing will be changing and you won't be upping any...
MCCORMACK:
Well we are changing. We're doing practical, sensible measures. And I've spoken to Ken Keith about it just the other day. He's happy quite frankly with what we're doing as a government to make sure we address climate issues. And we'll go on doing that. But we'll do it not at the cost of pensioners. Not at the cost of families. Not at the cost of businesses who employ Australians who want a job. Bill Shorten won't say, can't say how much his climate policies are going to cost, but what it will do - it will de-industrialise Australia.
REPORTER:
Can I just ask one for our Wagga friends. Are you expecting a shift towards the United Australia Party?
MCCORMACK:
Am I? No I'm not shifting towards the United Australia Party.
REPORTER:
From voters away from the Nationals to the United Australia Party?
MCCORMACK:
No, I'm not. No, I'm not. And I think people in Wagga well know the delivery that I've done for them - $10 million towards a PCYC. Something that's been asked for, for a long, long time. Well, I've delivered. You look at the new Equex Sports Stadium, $4.5 million towards a $9 million project, I've delivered. Kapooka Bridge, talked about for decades, talked about for decades, $27.5 million of funding with state coalition funding as well. I've delivered. And you look right around Wagga Wagga - a billion dollars. A thousand million dollars toward the RAAF and the Kapooka for vital infrastructure upgrades. Again, I've delivered.
So Wagga Wagga has done very, very well, and I've been proud, humbled to represent what I believe is one of the finest cities in all of Australia. I've been proud to represent it. It's my hometown. And I've done that for 8 years and I look forward to going on doing it. I take nothing for granted. Absolutely nothing for granted. And I look forward to the debate in Temora tonight where I'm going to be talking about our policies going forward, our blueprint for the future. We laid that down in the budget last month. Josh Frydenberg's budget, which sets out a clear agenda - a clear surplus which is going to benefit all Australians. We've got the budget back in black, and given the opportunity on May 18, we'll continue to do good things for all Australians but particularly regional Australians.
Thank you very much.