TRANSCRIPT: TELEVISION INTERVIEW SKY NEWS – AFTERNOON AGENDA, 15 JUNE 2020

E&OE

Subjects: Infrastructure announcement, Adem Somyurek

KIERAN GILBERT:

Let's discuss that infrastructure project now with the Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure Minister Michael McCormack.  Thanks so much for your time.  It's not just one project, actually 15 projects you're bringing forward.  Can you give us some more detail on what you're focusing on?

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

Indeed. Well, what we're focusing on is fast tracking those projects, so whether it's Inland Rail, Snowy Hydro 2.0, the Marinus Link from the Battery of the Nation, Tasmania, across to Victoria, we want to get through any impediments towards those projects. What we want to do is fast-track those projects.  Of course, work is proceeding on many of them.  What we want to do is have that work proceed even faster and we don't just want to be the Government known for building things, we want to build it sooner.  We want to build it better and that's exactly what we're doing. 

But also as part of the infrastructure announcement today, $1.5 billion for roads, particularly for roads that aren't necessarily the major highways but they're the Beef Roads in Northern Queensland.  The Bussell Highway in Western Australia, it's those sorts of roads, perhaps those Developmental Roads which make such vital linkage points when you're getting a B-double full of cattle from your paddock to the port but we want to make sure those roads are better and as part of that $1.5 billion, there's $500 million going to road safety measures, specifically to save lives. 

KIERAN GILBERT:

And they're the sorts of projects that, you know, are called ‘shovel-ready’?

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

Indeed. 

KIERAN GILBERT:

They're ready to go now?

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

Yep, ready to go now.  So we're getting workers on the ground.  We're getting people back on the tools instantly.  Look, infrastructure construction has certainly been working and going at a pace during COVID-19, but we want it to go even quicker and like mining and resources and agriculture, they've been part of the sectors which have continued and which have led the way and which are really providing many of the jobs through the back end of – hopefully the back end of COVID-19. 

KIERAN GILBERT:

You said you're bringing forward the Inland Rail from Melbourne to Brisbane, but I remember discussing this back in 2013 when you first won the election.  So bringing it forward is seven years on. 

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

In New South Wales certainly we can bring things on because work is continuing on the Narromine to Parkes section, almost completed and you know, there's a lot of activity that's creating so many jobs. 

KIERAN GILBERT:

So bringing forward elements of it?

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

Elements of it and it's section-by-section and of course, with Queensland, now, appreciating that Queensland was the last Government to sign up to the intergovernmental agreement. But, there are sections there which could and should have their environmental impact statements signed off. 

I appreciate the fact that Mark Bailey has worked in good faith with me and certainly during the COVID situation, I have had literally daily conversations with transport infrastructure ministers of all political persuasions right around the country.  That's been encouraging and it was actually the Labor States which actually said we need to get through these planning assessment approvals and we need to do it a lot faster.  The Prime Minister talked about moving some assessments forward from three-and-a-half years to 21 months and that's going to be a really important aspect, as we work through this COVID situation. 

KIERAN GILBERT:

Indeed, it makes it a lot easier, I guess, to get things up and going if you halve the approval time.  But today in the speech, the Prime Minister spoke about Inland Rail, as you said, Marinus Link from Tasmania to Victoria, the Olympic Dam, emergency town water projects in New South Wales, road, rail and iron ore in WA.  That's five.  What are the other –

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

Watch this space, they're being announced by Alan Tudge, the Urban Infrastructure Minister and I in the days to come.  So there's still some good announcements to be made.  But as we work through this and as we work with States, States have been very co-operative.  That's good, we need collaboration with the States, whether it's building dams, whether it's building roads and we want to make sure that we fast-track projects and we'll be having more to say about that in the days ahead. 

KIERAN GILBERT:

You want to make it a week-long story?

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

Indeed, indeed. 

KIERAN GILBERT:

Is what you're telling us this afternoon. What about the Barton Highway, this road just outside, in Eden-Monaro? 

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

I travel it regularly, Kieran. 

KIERAN GILBERT:

I know you do. 

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

$150 million to the Barton. 

KIERAN GILBERT:

How come you haven't upgraded that?

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

Well, we've committed $150 million to that.  We've certainly spent more money on the Barton Highway than Labor ever did in their six years.  But, yes, I appreciate eventually it has to be duplicated, eventually it has to have all of that work done.  But as I travel the Barton Highway, a lot of work is being done right as we speak. 

KIERAN GILBERT:

The budget obviously includes some other big-ticket items.  Can you give us a sense of where that's heading in an infrastructure sense?

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

Well, we want to make sure that the 85,000 jobs that are supported by the infrastructure, by the $100 billion that we're spending over the next 10 years continues to not only make those projects happen but happen quicker.  Now, I'm not going to give away anything that might be on the table in October.  Of course, there could be many or any things happen between now and then and we've seen with COVID-19 it has been a situation where it has been changing on a daily basis. 

Thankfully, we've flattened, seemingly flattened the curve.  There haven't been any deaths for quite a while.  102 deaths.  Of course we extend our sympathies again to those families who have lost loved ones.  But we are the envy of the world when it comes to how we've addressed the health pandemic and of course, we've also cushioned the economy against the effects of that global pandemic. 

KIERAN GILBERT:

So by the sounds of it, that means basically, you know, we've got that $100 billion envelope to bring some of that forward?

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

Indeed and that's what we are doing.  Certainly the States, they brought forward projects late last year, they've done so again with this announcement today and with the things that Alan Tudge and I are going to be announcing in the next day or so. 

KIERAN GILBERT:

And there will be more in October, obviously?

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

Well, yes.  I mean infrastructure is always going to play a vital role in any budget that the Liberal-Nationals Government brings down. 

KIERAN GILBERT:

Finally, we've had this drama out of Victoria.  Does this concern you that the faceless men continue to have quite a bit of influence in the major political parties, not just Labor, but more broadly?

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

When you're a family trying to put bread and butter on the table, when you're a family wanting to have the job certainty for your kids and for yourselves, the last thing you want to be reading about is politicians talking about themselves.  And this activity, thankfully, he's been sacked, as I called for, before breakfast this morning, that happened and that was the right course to take. 

KIERAN GILBERT:

Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack.  Thanks. 

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

Always a pleasure. 

KIERAN GILBERT:

Appreciate it.

Shane Manning