TRANSCRIPT: NSW INFRASTRUCTURE PACKAGE - PRESS CONFERENCE – YASS, NSW, 29 June 2020

E&OE

Subjects: New South Wales infrastructure package announcement, Coronavirus, Eden-Monaro by-election, Australian Broadcasting Corporation;

WITH: Paul Toole MP, NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads; Wendy Tuckerman MP, NSW Member for Goulburn; Mayor Rowena Abbey, Mayor of Yass Valley Council; Trevor Hicks, National Party Candidate for Eden-Monaro.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

I'm joined today by the NSW Roads Minister, Paul Toole. I'm joined by the Member for Goulburn Wendy Tuckerman, the Mayor of Yass Valley Rowena Abbey here and Trevor Hicks who is The Nationals’ candidate for Eden-Monaro. So we've got people who are very committed, great advocates for better roads and today, Paul Toole and I are announcing the fact that the Commonwealth and the New South Wales Governments have combined to put in place more than $1 billion of roads infrastructure for New South Wales.

Now this is part of the national effort, of course, through coronavirus, to get people into work, to get infrastructure and construction happening on our roads right across the nation because it is so important that we get these people into work, that we get these shovel-ready jobs under way and that we get the right repairs and the right fixing of roads right across the nation.

New South Wales and the Commonwealth have combined more than $1 billion of roads infrastructure, $398 million to develop safer roads, so $398 million dedicated to building safe roads and the sorts of safety aspects that you would expect us to do, particularly across regional New South Wales where, sadly, the numbers of deaths in crashes are disproportionate to the number of drivers on the road. So that is very unfortunate and that is why we are addressing that particularly important matter. And there's $382 million for fixing roads and that is very much a State program combined with Federal assistance. This is what happens when the Liberals and Nationals come together at both a State and a Federal level and put money into road infrastructure.

And 5,000 jobs are going to be created by today's announcement, 5,000 jobs are going to be created right across New South Wales. 3,500 of those jobs will be in regional New South Wales. So Paul Toole and I have been very busy designing and planning and preparing this announcement today, this package of road infrastructure today, working with local councils and of course, local councils, they are at the very forefront of the three tiers of Government. They are at the forefront of making sure that we get these local roads to the state to which they need to be and delighted that Rowena Abbey could be here today for this particular announcement and indeed, her district alone, her shire alone is going to be the beneficiary of nearly $2.5 million of the funding that's going to occur in regional New South Wales. So delighted that this has taken place.

Of course, in Sydney today, Premier Gladys Berejiklian and the Prime Minister Scott Morrison will be talking about the money that we're spending in the metropolitan areas to address those pinch points, to ease congestion. So right across New South Wales, $1 billion, it's part of the money that the New South Wales and the Federal Governments have combined and of course, the Commonwealth Government has put $1.5 billion right across the nation for bring forwards, for road safety measures. I wrote to each and every one of the States, wrote to each and every one of the 537 local councils across the nation to ask them for their priority projects, to ask them what they wanted in particular as far as road infrastructure is concerned because we know that there's been a downturn in jobs, of course, through coronavirus. And what we want to see is shovel-ready projects, having workers on site, having excavators pushing dirt around and having that activity to build better roads, to build safer roads but also to get that local infrastructure in place, to build more jobs, to create activity, to help with local procurement and we know that if you get local roads fixed up, if you get local roads being built, then you're going to have that local procurement, those local jobs.

So I might ask Paul Toole to add to those remarks. Then happy to hear from Wendy, Rowena and Trevor, then happy to take any questions.

PAUL TOOLE

Thank you, Deputy Prime Minister. Can I just say it is a great pleasure to be here today with the Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack in announcing this major funding announcement for regional New South Wales. It's also a pleasure to have my parliamentary colleague, the Member for Goulburn, Wendy Tuckerman, the Mayor of Yass Valley, Rowena Abbey and the Nationals’ candidate for Eden-Monaro Trevor Hicks.

I want to say that today we are turbocharging our Fixing Local Roads program in the bush. This means jobs, this means safer roads, local roads being improved. Last year the State Government announced $500 million as part of our Fixing Local Roads program and this was to go towards resealing, maintaining and repairing local roads in our communities.

Now local roads are important to locals. We want safe roads to drive upon when we're travelling around our local area. Today, with the Commonwealth putting in $191 million, that means we can actually see this program having a joint funding of $382 million in the areas. This means, in the first round, $250 million is going to be rolled out. This is going to see 258 projects being delivered in 83 Local Government Areas. As the Deputy Prime Minister has said, this immediately will create 3,500 jobs.

When you look at COVID, the most important thing in the regions right now is creating jobs. These are projects that are shovel ready and these are projects that our communities are looking out for. Sometimes we talk about those big infrastructure projects, big infrastructure projects that get the headlines. But sometimes smaller projects like this make the biggest difference in our local communities.

Now, here in Yass Valley, they're going to receive just under $2.5 million. But that's going to go towards fixing 21 local roads. Now when we talk about 21 local roads, that's roads that mums and dads drive upon taking their young kids to school, they might be roads they drive upon just to get to and from work, or it might be roads they drive upon just to go shopping.

What we're also seeing as part of the program is our Safer Roads Program, another $140 million being put in by the Commonwealth Government. This is on top of the $258 million from the State Government. This is going to see another 62 projects on top of the 383 already earmarked and another 36 Local Government Areas being earmarked for safety upgrades. We're investing in the regions. Today we're actually turbocharging the regions with $1 billion being unlocked for infrastructure which is critical for our local areas. I'll hand over to Wendy.

WENDY TUCKERMAN

Thank you, Minister and welcome, Deputy Prime Minister, today and of course our local mayor, Rowena Abbey. It's wonderful to be here. I'm so excited to see that there's investment in our regional areas, particularly in the electorate of Goulburn.

Local roads are big. Local roads is what our constituents want to see fixed. They want to have safe roads, they want to be able to get their stock to market and they want to be able to travel safely. So I'm very pleased to see this investment in regional New South Wales and I'm delighted.

I know that I have five very happy mayors. Five very happy mayors in local government councils in this area about this announcement today. So thank you very much and I look forward to seeing the works go in the ground and create a lot of jobs for our regional areas. Thank you.

ROWENA ABBEY

I'm a very happy Mayor. One of many. Thank you, Deputy Prime Minister, thank you Paul. Thank you Wendy. Thank you Trevor, for coming to join us today.

I think from a local council perspective, our big issue is the demand from our community for better and safer roads and it's one of the hardest things for us from a budgeting perspective to find enough money to be able to deliver what everybody has as an expectation from us in terms of being able to get their kids to school safely, getting to work safely and keeping local produce moving on and off farms. So we get weather conditions, we get droughts, we get floods, we get bushfires and all of those things require maintenance after that process. So this goes a long way towards helping us deliver even more for our community.

We have a budget to do some but this will actually allow us to do, we have is a very long wish list of things to get completed in our community for our community. So we really appreciate this funding. It's fantastic and as I said, I'm one happy Mayor amongst five in this region, but I think the importance is acknowledging the fact that this money is being spent in regional New South Wales. Yes, some is being spent in the cities as well, but from a regional perspective, this is a really, really important announcement and I thank the Government of New South Wales and the Federal Government for actually helping us and helping our locals keep things moving. Thank you.

TREVOR HICKS

Thank you. As a candidate for Eden-Monaro, it's a huge electorate, there's a lot of country roads. The councils do struggle to keep up with country roads. It's a big expense for local councils and this announcement today is really going to help the country people, not just for Eden-Monaro but right around the whole State and whole country. I thank you for the announcement here today and hopefully we'll include the Barton Highway at some point. Thank you.

JOURNALIST

A question on the Barton Highway, you committed $150 million, the Labor Party has committed $250 million, what's their extra $100 million going to buy?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

I'd believe what Labor does, not what Labor says it's going to do. Labor talks a big game. They talked a big game prior to the State Election in March last year, talked a big game prior to the Federal Election in May last year and they didn't get elected to either. It's a bit tough to do things when you're in Opposition and what the voters of Eden-Monaro need to know, is that in either the Liberal or the National Party candidates, if they get either one of those up, they're going to have a person in Government who is going to make a real difference for the people of Eden-Monaro. They're going to have a real difference, if they vote for Trevor Hicks, to get somebody in Government with a real say with the people who sit around the Cabinet table, who make the decisions for and on behalf of the people of Eden-Monaro. If the Labor candidate gets up, well, it's just another voice in the wilderness. It's a person in Opposition who can't affect change.

We've put on the table $150 million. That's way more than what Labor ever did when it was in Government between 2007 and 2013. Like I say, Labor talk a big game, they talk a big game whether they're in Opposition or Government. It's delivery that counts and that's why we today, Paul Toole and I are making this announcement for and on behalf of regional New South Wales, for and on behalf of regional Australia, because we get it. We're National Party members. We understand that country areas are important. Labor doesn't get it. They don't have a regional policy, they don't care about the regions, never have and never will.

JOURNALIST

You talk about actually following through, but the duplication between ACT and Murrumbateman was initially scheduled to be completed this year. So can voters trust that your Government will actually follow through?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Paul Toole said to me just a few moments ago, tenders will be called for very soon and there will be shovels in the ground for the duplication works between Canberra and Murrumbateman this year, that's right, isn't it, Paul?

PAUL TOOLE

That is correct.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

That is correct.

JOURNALIST

What about through Yass? When will voters see that duplicated?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

I want to see the Barton Highway duplicated. I probably travel on it as much as anybody as I go to and from Canberra to Wagga Wagga regularly. I do the trip every week and I, as much as any local, probably wants to see it happen. I understand that it is an absolute priority and that's why we've got $150 million on the table. That's why I work with Paul Toole. That's why we talk about the Barton Highway and other road projects each and every week. We almost wear out the mobile phone reception talking to one another about getting better roads and that's why we're here today. Here today at Yass, making these announcements, making significant announcements for country people.

We're country people ourselves. He comes from Bathurst, I come from Wagga Wagga, we understand the importance of better roads and that's why the Mayor, Rowena Abbey, just talked about the different aspects. I mean we talked about the millions of dollars that these projects are bringing but Rowena put it down to the granular. She talked about the fact that kids would get to school sooner and safer. She talked about produce getting to market, stock getting to the sale yards. They're the things that matter. Tradies getting to and from their jobs sooner and safer because time is money and when you've got better roads you can get to where you need to be for your jobs and when you're school kids, you can get home and get into the playtime or homework or whatever your parents want you to do.

JOURNALIST

What's your message to workers that are anxious about the cut-off, will JobKeeper be extended?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

We're discussing those things at the moment and as the Prime Minister has said, there will be a review into JobKeeper and that review is taking place at the moment. We've said all along that the Treasurer and the Finance Minister will stand up very soon and talk about the economic path going forward.

But the most important thing that we did as a nation was put the JobKeeper in place to cushion the effects, the economic effects of what has been a global pandemic. Importantly, we addressed the health outcomes first. 103 deaths and we, again, sympathise and offer condolences to those families who have lost loved ones but if you compare Australia's record, health record and economic record, against any nation in the world, then we've done very, very well and we will continue to look at what we need to do.

The Prime Minister always said it was a six-month program. We've stuck to that but of course we're reviewing it. Of course we want to make sure that businesses are able to come out the back of COVID-19 in the best way possible. We want businesses to reopen their doors, we want borders to be lifted, the restrictions there and we want the economy back on track as soon as possible.

It's been very difficult. I understand, I know, I've seen the job figures, I understand how difficult it's been, particularly for young people. Understand all those things and that's why we've done the responsible thing all the way through.

Of course, any dollar that we spend on any assistance measure has to be paid back with interest and so we're mindful of that, too. We're mindful of the fact that as a nation, we need to be our best selves. We've been that so far and we also need to remember that there are still outbreaks happening in Victoria as we speak. Download the COVIDSafe app, do the right thing as far as social distancing, do the right thing as far as quarantine, if required to do so and we'll get through this, but we'll get through this together.

JOURNALIST

Your colleague, Barnaby Joyce, said this morning that it's unfair for JobSeeker to revert to the old rate of $40 a day come September. Does he have a point?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, JobSeeker and Newstart was only ever a stop-gap measure for those people going back into work. The best form of welfare is a job, we've always said that. That's why as a Government in our first term we helped small business create 1.5 million jobs and we wanted to double that. Of course, no-one was expecting COVID-19 to hit and hit as hard as it has but we are the Government of jobs. Whether it's the Federal Liberal and Nationals Government or whether it's indeed the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government. We are job creators through small business, through lowering taxes, through making sure that we do everything right.

As far as the Federal Government is concerned, we've got the lowest tax rate since 1940. We've put the instant asset write off to $150,000. We've put all those measures in place, JobKeeper included, to help people, to help businesses through this crisis. And it is a crisis. We will, indeed, continue to meet on a daily basis to help the nation get through this and we will get through this.

JOURNALIST

You say the best form of welfare is a job. That's a little bit difficult during a recession.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Of course.

JOURNALIST

So do you accept that going back to $40 a day for Newstart is just not feasible?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, we're looking at all those things as we speak and I'm going back to Canberra this afternoon to, again, sit in Expenditure Review Committee meetings and Cabinet meetings this week and to do the necessary reviews about JobSeeker, about JobKeeper. We're looking at those measures. We're talking to people affected. Young people, older people, business people, people who have lost jobs, people who are on welfare for the first time in their lives.

It's tough. I don't deny that it is very, very tough for some people who have lost their jobs, who have had jobs all their lives and suddenly find themselves in the welfare queues. For them it is very, very difficult and I understand that and that's why we are continually reviewing it. That's why we're continually making sure that we've got the right assistance measures in place.

We've already put on the table $260 billion, even more, of assistance to help the nation get through this crisis but it is a global pandemic. It is a difficulty that has been experienced worldwide and we, as a nation, have done very, very well economically and health-wise, to address these issues and I say thank you to each and every ordinary everyday Australian for helping to get us through this crisis. But, there's a way to go yet. We're not out of the woods, both health-wise and of course, economically-wise. As you've just said, it is very difficult for those people who have found themselves unemployed.

We as a Government will do everything that we can to incentivise businesses, to get back to where they were somewhere before COVID-19 so that we can give those people the dignity of work and certainly for those people who can't find work we'll do everything that we can to endeavour to assist them in every way possible.

JOURNALIST

Looking to Saturday's by-election, how confident are you that one of the Coalition candidates will get up?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, we've got two outstanding candidates. I've got Trevor Hicks behind me. He's left no stone unturned, making sure he gets out and listens to people, hearing their issues. He already understands the issues because he's lived in the Eden-Monaro area for most of his life. He's been a farmer, he's a civil engineer, he's played footy here, he's done all sorts of things, a family man, husband, father, you know, volunteer. He's on the Queanbeyan-Palerang Council so he understands the issues. Fiona Kotvojs ditto. She's out there making sure that she also listens to people.

But whatever you get with a Coalition candidate, they're going to be in Government. If either one of those two candidates and of course, you know, I've got Trevor here, once again on the hustings, here at this important announcement today. If one of those two Coalition candidates is successful on Saturday, the people of Eden-Monaro will get somebody, who, unlike Mike Kelly and unlike the Labor candidate at the moment, is going to be in Government, is going to have the ear of the Ministers who make the decisions around the Cabinet table, make the decisions for and on behalf of the people of Australia, for and on behalf of the people of regional Australia and most importantly, for and on behalf of the people who live in the Eden-Monaro. They will be in Government and it will, let me tell you, benefit largely the people of Eden-Monaro to have somebody in Government with the ability to make change, to affect change, and for the better.

JOURNALIST

Regional media, we've seen the distribution of funds for regional media under the PING [inaudible]?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Those funds will start to flow very, very soon and I fought very hard to get those funds to ensure that those papers were listened to and those broadcasters as well. Because look at us here now, we've got journalists from both print and broadcast media. We've got people who are talking about local issues which matter to local people and screening them on the news tonight, on the airwaves today and in the print editions tomorrow. That's what local news gatherers do.

If we don't have those local journalists and I used to be one, for 21 years I was a local journalist. I was an editor for the last 11 of those years and if anybody in the Parliament knows how important local media is, it is myself. With all due respect to everyone else in the Parliament, I know how important that local news gathering is and that's why I fought so hard to make sure that we got the right package in for those local papers.

It saddened me to see the Daily Examiner, a paper, first started in 1859, printed its last edition on Saturday. It saddens me that in some areas of New South Wales and Victoria, some of those print editions have gone into hibernation during COVID-19 and so understanding that, having talked to Antony Catalano from ACM and other newspaper people as well, Michael Ellis from as far afield as the Yorke County Times in South Australia. I spoke to them, I understood their issues, I got where they were coming from and I made sure that we put in place, with Paul Fletcher, the Minister, the right announcement, the right package, to help those newspapers through because what we want to see is those journalists at work, reporting local events for local people about local issues.

JOURNALIST

Why won't you name which media organisations are getting the local news services grant?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Because they have to apply for it and then, of course, we have to make those announcements. Those announcements haven't been made. The $50 million, of course, has been announced but in due course, I mean any public spending, any taxpayers' money, is all made public, so you will be able to find that out in due course.

JOURNALIST

Is $50 million enough to cover all media across the country?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, it's a good start and it's a very, very good start and we want to make sure, you know, this COVID-19 situation and the downturn of business, it's something that we're addressing on a daily basis. So when we first put in place, say, for instance, the aviation measures, we've since updated those and upgraded those and extended the air services to regional areas, extended the domestic trunk routes and we've addressed the issue, as it unfolded because that's what happens in a crisis such as this, it's a daily moving feast. So what we've done is we've addressed those issues. If in six months’ time all those news print editions are back and broadcasting and going as it should be, then maybe there won't be any need to continue to put money into it. If not, we'll relook at it then.

JOURNALIST

John Barilaro said that cuts to the ABC are devastating. What have you said to him and do you share his concerns?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

There's no cuts to the ABC. The ABC's, in fact, getting more money year on year and so there are no cuts to the ABC. The ABC is getting more than $1 billion of taxpayers' money to do what it does and let me tell you, many of the other media outlets in Australia, many of the other media organisations in Australia would love $1 billion to play with, would love $1 billion to spend on their news gathering, on their public broadcasting. So there's no cuts to the ABC. Any of the changes that the ABC has itself made, regional areas have been carved out, have been exempted, have been quarantined, call it what you like, from those changes, from those reforms. And I've always been an advocate of the ABC, particularly in regional areas because they do a wonderful job. Bushfires, floods, in fact in 2011 I actually helped save the ABC studio in Wagga Wagga when it looked like getting washed away in the Murrumbidgee River flood of that year. So I'm a big believer in the ABC and so any comments, any claims, any criticism that the ABC is getting cuts are not right.

JOURNALIST

Should the Communications Minister have taken a look at the ABC's proposal to go further afield into the regions?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

You'd have to ask the Communications Minister.

JOURNALIST

Or do you support that idea, though?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, that was a letter sent to the Communications Minister. It was for him to deal with. I mean he doesn't deal with the roads package that we're announcing today and so I leave the communications areas to the Communications Minister. As the Nationals Leader I will always fight for better regional services, for more regional services. That's why I went into bat for the newspapers and the publishers and indeed, the ABC in the past. But, like I say, the ABC changes are changes that the ABC is making of its own volition using its own taxpayer money.

JOURNALIST

Was it remiss of him not to look at that then, to consider it?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, that's a matter for the Communications Minister. But, like I say, the changes that the ABC has made itself, the regional areas, have been exempted from that. I mean the ABC probably needs to look at what it does too and probably needs to be a little bit less Ultimo-focused and perhaps more Yass-focused or regional-focused. That would be something that I would suggest to the ABC, if it is looking at restructuring, refinancing and making best use of its taxpayers' dollars, then COVID-19 has shown us one thing is that you can do anything anywhere in Australia and certainly anywhere in regional Australia you can do anything. So many people working from home, so many people being able to use the telecommunications that the Federal Liberal and Nationals have put in place. You can do anything from regional Australia. So maybe the ABC could look at that, revisit how they do things and perhaps it's time for the ABC to move out of the Ultimo and perhaps into regional New South Wales.

JOURNALIST

It's hard when you're funding's being cut, though.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, the funding hasn't been cut.

JOURNALIST

According to the budget papers, the funding has been reduced.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

The funding hasn't been cut and if you look at the amounts that the ABC is getting and they're increased year on year on year, I hardly think that's a cut. The ABC is getting more money year on year. That's more money. You can hardly call that a cut.

JOURNALIST

How many quarters of a billion dollars?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, they're getting more money year on year. As I say, there's a lot of people around Australia who run media outlets and run media organisations who would love the taxpayers' help that the ABC gets. And, I say again, I'm a big fan of the ABC but a billion dollars is a lot of money, a lot of money. Maybe the ABC also needs to look at how it's spending its money and rather than start campaigns up against the Government, look at how it's spending its money.

JOURNALIST

Farmers have accused the Commonwealth of drawing out its decision on whether to appeal the live cattle class action decision. What's the hold up, especially given the Coalition criticised Labor for so long over the ban?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, the decision is being made today and so we will get a better idea of the actual full decision, so it's being brought down by the court today and then there are 28 days for the Government to decide what its next step will be.

JOURNALIST

What's your response to claims in Chinese State media that Australia has ramped up spying on Beijing?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Not true. Not true at all. I mean, look, we will always look after our sovereignty. We will put Australia's national interests first. We will spend the right amount of money that we need to on cyber security, on doing what's in Australia's interests.

JOURNALIST

Can I just ask a question of Trevor? Rowena Abbey actually says anywhere between $600 to $800 million is needed to fix the Barton Highway. Do you agree that that sort of investment is needed?

TREVOR HICKS

Look, as an engineer, I know that roads cost a lot of money. I don't know why we can't do it in stages. Something needs to be done immediately and I'm all supporting of Rowena and the Barton Highway, to get duplicated as soon as possible.

Shane Manning