TRANSCRIPT: SOUNDS OF THE MOUNTAINS RADIO INTERVIEW, 19 May 2020

E&OE

Subjects: Regional COVID-19 Respiratory Clinics, Bushfire Recovery

DAVID EISENHAUER

Every couple of weeks we get the opportunity to chat to the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Leader of the Nationals and of course, the Federal Member for the Riverina, Michael McCormack, who joins us on the line. Mr McCormack, thank you for your time today.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

It's a pleasure and Rosemary, it's her birthday, so that was a birthday request, If I Can Turn Back Time. Well, I hope Rosemary's not feeling very old and I suppose we all would like to turn back time for some things or another but anyway. 1989, great tune actually, that was the last time Labor produced a budget surplus but anyway, I don’t think we’ll be producing a budget surplus. There won’t be one for quite a while, David, unfortunately, but fact is we have rolled money out the door and it's meant such a difference for this COVID-19. It has actually kept people in jobs and it's been a difficult time, as you know, difficult time for the Snowy Mountains, a difficult time for all of Australia.

DAVID EISENHAUER

Oh, look, hasn't it and it continues, Michael. I know we've got debates happening in the national media at the moment on the borders, particularly around Queensland. That's making the news at the moment. In our local region, of course, our timber industry not just with COVID-19 but of course, the bushfires and we've had sort of a real run of it in the region since Christmas. It was the day after Christmas, Michael, as we look back in time, turning back time again, there it is and we look forward to now, there's been a lot of things happening but in recent times, of course, fairly tragic stories there occurring with the community. Of course our Gocup Road intersection with a tragedy and of course that house fire yesterday morning in Batlow, not good news at all.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

No, look, those two incidents are absolutely tragic. The house fire in Mayday Road yesterday in Batlow, two twin beautiful girls lost. Any life lost is always precious and awful but this is just – I mean it just hits home, doesn't it? Two little three-year-old girls, beautiful kids. We saw their faces and beautiful, beautiful children and gone. And of course, last Saturday we had that dreadful accident on the intersection of Snowy Mountains Highway and Gocup Road when we had that dreadful, dreadful crash and of course we hear that the 10-year-old girl involved in that crash has since passed away and of course the unborn bub of the mother involved in the accident has also passed away. You know, it's just, you know, just awful.

DAVID EISENHAUER

Yeah, look and it adds to this, you know, the roads we said from just after Christmas. Michael, we talked that there are positives all the time but there has been a run this last 24 to 48 hours, particularly when you're talking emergency services as well, they're sometimes, in these situations, people we tend to forget that are dealing with these situations as well as the family too and our thoughts are with the emergency service workers.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

The first responders, they're just like you and I, everybody else. Although they're like us, they have feelings and all the rest, they're very special people on top of that. They have to show empathy, they show professionalism, they have to show the sympathy but they have to be professional. They have to involve all of that. They have to find out what happened. They have to present coroner's briefs, etc. They're amazing people, they're remarkable people and we never should forget the stresses and strains they're under all the time. And they're only human, like everybody else but they are incredibly brave and incredibly important people.

DAVID EISENHAUER

My word. As are our wonderful health professionals and of course, our doctors, our nurses and particularly our testing clinics that are being rolled out in regional New South Wales at the moment, particularly our local region, Gundagai and Tumut just in recent times with those mobile testing units. They're not here forever, which is a good story. Let's hope they're not here forever.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

We don't want them here forever. We want them here while the crisis is still on. The Tumut Family Medical Centre at the Old Railway Precinct on the Snowy Mountains Highway. If people do have flu-like symptoms they should make a booking, its 6947 2177, or the one at Gundagai and the Gundagai Medical Centre, 6944 3444. Call ahead, book, I was at the one at Young yesterday, I was at the one at Cowra yesterday. They're great. They're little dongas, they're little corrugated iron sheds. They've plonked them in there. They're the ones at Cowra and Young. The facilities at Tumut and Gundagai, they've got wonderful health professionals there, they're going to service those people who think they might have flu-like symptoms, a raspy cough and sniffly nose and all those flu-like symptoms we all know so well. This year it's going to be doubly important that people get tested to make sure they haven't got COVID-19 because we want to continue to contain the spread of this deadly virus. It is a deadly virus. There's been so many deaths worldwide. Of course we've kept it to 99 in Australia. We've done a remarkable job. The onus is on each and every person now to continue to contain the spread, download the COVIDSafe app and help yourself and help someone else as well.

DAVID EISENHAUER

That's right, with the assistance, of course, with these clinics that are being rolled out and this caused quite a bit of interest actually, in the local community. With the Government relaxing the policies that are coming through around the region, Michael, what's your thought there? How are things travelling with this?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

We have to, we can't keep people cooped up inside forever and people need to get back to work as best they can. If people can still work from home and their employers are encouraging that, then please do so. It's always been about just following what Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy and the Chief Medical Officers from around the States have always said and advised and encouraged us to do. That's what the National Cabinet has done and that's why we've kept the number of cases low. That's why we've kept the number of deaths to just 99 and when you compare what we've done to, you know, comparable countries overseas where they've lost tens of thousands of people, particularly older people, we've done exceedingly well.

But we're not out of the woods yet and we don't want a second wave, a second outbreak of attacks and certainly in the regional areas, where our health professionals are second to none, they're wonderful people but we don't have the number of ICU beds, let's face it, we do not and if we get an outbreak like some of those that we've seen in other areas, you know, that could be deadly and disastrous.

So we want people to be their best selves, we want people to, if they've got those flu-like symptoms, call the Tumut Family Medical Centre and those other facilities that have been established and get yourself tested.

DAVID EISENHAUER

Indeed and as we broadcast into the upper Murray as well, the Corryong Health Centre is doing a wonderful job there on 6076 3200 and they've got some wonderful medical professionals there doing exactly the same thing there with what we call asymptomatic testing.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

They're brilliant.

DAVID EISENHAUER

It's very important because other than that, what the big concern is in the region, of course, the oncoming ski season and there's been some talk of, you know, end of June, maybe into July it's going to be very interesting to see how things travel. Victoria's taking a slightly different stance, I think, on the start of the ski season but again, an industry that does involve a lot of close contact, loading lifts and all those sorts of things, Michael. But it's also a major economic input injection every year for our local community, isn't it?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

Look, absolutely and so many people love to go snow skiing, so many people love to go to the football, so many people love their winter sports, their winter recreation. It is going to be a winter like no other but again, people just have to follow the rules, follow the regulations and that way we'll get through this crisis. We'll do it together. We have so far. People have been very, very good and I thank them for that.

Again, I reiterate the more people who can download that COVIDSafe app and we're closing in on 6 million now, it will be great to get it up around 9 million, 10 million because that is going to save lives, that's going to protect livelihoods and the more people who download that app, the sooner the restrictions will be eased.

DAVID EISENHAUER

Part of this, of course, is bushfire recovery and you've been a big part of that during the fires as Deputy Prime Minister and also in recent times as well and there's a bit of activity happening around the region, quite a bit going on, Michael, with the clean-up that's under way. But also with our farmers in the region too with their recovery process. A long process, a long journey and our primary industries, our timber industry as well.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

Look and I would encourage people, if they have inquiries about the bushfire recovery, to visit bushfirerecovery.gov.au, or to call the inquiry line on 6228 6300. That's the number that people should call for the bushfire recovery efforts.

You know and I know there's been a bit of concern about forestry. I appreciate there's been some talk about farmers and forestry. You know, we can have both, David and anybody who lives in and around Tumut and Tumbarumba knows just that. I know that Minister Duniam, our Forestry Minister, Jonathon from Tasmania has provided $15 million of additional transport assistance for the forestry industry which, you know, is going to help haul those logs from farther away to the various mills and I know that Hyne and Visy and other forestry related industries and factories, they need resource, they need product.

It underpins the Tumut and Tumbarumba economies. Whilst I appreciate that, we've got a lot of, you know, crop growers, stock producers, etc, they can all work in tandem with one another, that's the ultimate objective but every industry has been hard hit. Been hard hit by bushfires, hard hit by COVID. The drought didn't help. It's been a trying time lately, David, but together we'll get through these things.

DAVID EISENHAUER

The biggest issue, I think there too, that's emerging is the fact that the housing industry has taken a 20 per cent downturn and we're going to be having issues even stockpiling a lot of this timber that's been brought in from the bush, where do we put it and then who's going to buy it ? What are we going to do with it?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

Yeah, I had a chat, a long chat, to Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar last week, in fact, when Parliament was sitting, about the housing industry because that is going to be very, very difficult because whilst I appreciate, you know, recovery efforts and clean-up efforts are ongoing, we also need to rebuild, yes, but we also need new home stock, we need to be able to do that, whether it's in the Snowy Mountains or anywhere in the country and certainly getting those people into that construction industry is going to be one way that we're going to recover quicker because it provides a great boost to the economy. That's why the Government is trying to get as many people back into work as possible.

I have to say, the construction industry and the infrastructure area has still gone on regardless of whatever has hit the economy, but albeit not in the usual fulsome self that it always is. But I tell you what, those people in high-viz, those people who wield hammers for a living, those architects, they're great people, they've helped us through this crisis and they will continue to do so but the construction and housing is going to play a big part in our recovery efforts.

DAVID EISENHAUER

Indeed, very much like and I know we hear our Council Mayor James Hayes and his Deputy speak about this a lot, is the Brindabella Road and that will be a major, hopefully, down the track, Michael, one of our not just a transport route but also from a tourism point of view. Once we have the gates back open again in full, that Brindabella Road with some upgrades perhaps happening down the track.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

Yeah, I contacted James yesterday and we communicate regularly and of course, I know the Prime Minister mentioned Batlow and Tumbarumba just last week because it's going to require a different approach than, say, East Gippsland or indeed, Kangaroo Island or other areas affected by the fire. They've all got different challenges. They've all got the same challenges. So it's going to require, you know, a specific recovery effort for Snowy Valleys that perhaps isn't similar to other areas but at the same time all us regional Australians, we're all pretty like-minded.

There's going to be some necessary things go on there, whether it's Brindabella, whether it's the timber industry, whether it's replanting and restocking apple orchards and the like. No matter what it is, the Government will be there to help and support those areas in need. I understand that. I get that and of course, we've got a by-election coming up and that's going to involve a lot of politicians sort of having a focus on Eden-Monaro, at this time that's probably not a bad thing because these communities of Tumbarumba and Batlow, they're going to need help just like over the river, Corryong and I know you broadcast into those great areas of north-eastern Victoria. They're also, they're hurting, they're hurting from the bushfire and I know that and I know the Corryong Mayor and those good people up there, they're all wanting recovery efforts as well.

DAVID EISENHAUER

Indeed and of course, we look on the bright side, Michael, of what the future has in store for us and of course we're coming into those cooler months. You mentioned, I mean, the CiderFest and things like that back next year. It will be a big year 2021 and with all these different events and festivals that have had to have been postponed, we don't say the word ‘cancelled’, we say the word ‘postponed’, they will be back with these wonderful community groups in their full force and we'll see the Deputy Prime Minister at some of these, no doubt, as well.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

Indeed and those agricultural shows, they play a big part in the fabric of local communities and it does give those show societies the opportunity to also look at their infrastructure. I appreciate we're rolling out a bit of showground infrastructure money at the moment, which is good, which is needed and which is going to help those shows come back bigger and better next year.

DAVID EISENHAUER

Absolutely. Mr McCormack, we appreciate your time. Anything you would like to add today while we're chatting on the station? We've got Dean Lynch, we're going to talk another positive and some job opportunities for Snowy Hydro 2.0 and future generation.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

Dean's a good bloke. Yeah, look, it's all about jobs and it's all about making sure that we get people back into work as soon as possible. I appreciate that. There are many, many people hurting. That's why we put in place JobKeeper, that's why for those people who have slipped through the cracks, JobSeeker is there. We've increased the assistance there for all of those people. We want to make sure that business and individuals are able to get back to life as it was before COVID-19. Life as it was, perhaps, before the bushfires and indeed, before the drought.

It's difficult. I thank you, David, for what you do for broadcasting all this wonderful information and getting community involvement, getting community voices on community radio. It's so important that we hear from locals. Well done.

DAVID EISENHAUER

And we appreciate your time, too, as the Deputy Prime Minister. Michael McCormack, thank you very much for your time today.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

Any time at all. Thanks, David. Have a great day.

DAVID EISENHAUER

There he is, of course, as you know a regular guest, we chat to Michael McCormack.