TRANSCRIPT: DCFM RADIO DUBBO INTERVIEW, 17 July 2020
E&OE
Subjects: China, Coronavirus, JobTrainer, Community Radio;
RICHARD MUTTON
My guest this morning is the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and he is on the line right now. Michael McCormack, good morning.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Good morning, Richard.
RICHARD MUTTON
Thank you very much for your time. I do appreciate it. What are you doing in Dubbo, by the way?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Look it is great to be here. And Dubbo is like my hometown of Wagga Wagga, it is one of those great regional capitals supporting a great region. And we know that Western New South Wales is a fantastic area for food and fibre. Mark Coulton represents it fiercely in the Parliament there in Canberra and right around the nation as Regional Health Minister and Local Government Minister and all the other portfolio caps he wears. And it is great to be here.
RICHARD MUTTON
All right. I put questions out to our listeners this morning. I'm trying to condense them altogether.
Basically, [inaudible] and I suppose the question really as I put them together, are we being invaded by China through the internet, through cybersecurity and by China buying up land in this country?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Well, we've got very strict rules around foreign investment. And those have been tightened since we've come into government. When we came into government you could buy land, you could by agri-businesses, you could buy anything you like.
The trigger for the Foreign Investment Review Board was set at around $252 million. Well, we've brought that way down. And at the moment through COVID‑19 and through the intervention of Mark Coulton and the National Party, we've made sure that every single foreign investment acquisition or potential buyout now has the ruler run over it in a very strict sense. And it has to pass the national interest test. And that is a very rigid test.
And, look, fact is that China and Australia have a very good trading relationship. And many farmers, many of our resources go to China. We've got nearly $150 billion worth of exports to that nation. And they, like anybody else, we welcome them, Australian partners, because we are a trading nation. Always have been, Richard. And many of your listeners this morning would be growing grain, would be growing stock, you know, to export to those nations.
RICHARD MUTTON
Indeed and that is one of the other questions that came up this morning. Are we jeopardising our trade with China because we are allowing Hong Kong expats into the country because of the situation there? And are we antagonising China and will that hurt our trade relationship?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Well, we've also always had a very strong relationship with Hong Kong, of course. And Hong Kong being part of China, you know, we want to make sure that we do the best by those many expats who, as you identify, are doing business in Hong Kong and living in Honkers.
As you know, what we've done is we've reached out the hand of friendship as you'd expect us to do and as we do for many nations. I know I've got a lot of Yazidis who live in Wagga Wagga and that might upset others around the world because we've got that but, the hand of friendship both in commerce and trade, but humanitarian goes right around the nation, right around the world, it doesn't just stop at our borders.
RICHARD MUTTON
All right. What do you say to people who are saying the Macquarie River right now, along with basically the whole Murray-Darling question, is being launched and organised towards irrigation and other people are missing out?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Water is always going to be one of those difficult issues where the environmentalists will always want more and of course, the irrigators want more water to grow the world's best food and fibre. There is a happy balance that needs to be reached, of course. Keith Pitt, who is the Water Minister, works very closely with the states. And the states have a big part to play in this, too, let's not forget. And the amount of money that we've spent on infrastructure and are going to be spending on infrastructure on the next few years, if not decades is a record amount.
As the Minister responsible for Infrastructure, I want to make sure we've got the right dams, we've got the right pipelines in place to indeed store the water when it falls, through rainfall of course. As I flew into here, it is very green. It is much greener than what it was when I was last here.
So what we want to make sure is we have got the right water infrastructure, we're doing that through the Water Infrastructure Development Fund, we're doing that through the newly formed National Water Grid. And I can see that it is going to help our farmers and indeed, the environment at the same time.
RICHARD MUTTON
This morning with us is the Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack.
Michael, another question from the listener, the Inland Rail, the progress is slow. When will we see action on the Narromine to Narrabri section of the Inland Rail?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Well, it is one of those sections, one of 13 sections. Some may argue that it has been slow, well, in fact, it has continued right throughout COVID and right through the drought. But not for the Inland Rail there would be many of those country communities that have relied on those jobs and relied on that indeed procurement at a local level between Narromine and Parkes that otherwise would not have actually had work and would not have had business through their tills, through their cash flow. So it has actually continued at a pace. That section is nearly finished. Of course, Narrabri to North Star is not far away. I've been up in Queensland in Stanthorpe in recent days talking to people about Inland Rail there.
We're getting on with the job. We've signed the three inter‑governmental agreements. Inland Rail is going to get that wonderful food and fibre produce from inland to port, whether it is Melbourne or Brisbane, within 24 hours. Been talking about it since the 1890’s, we're delivering it.
RICHARD MUTTON
Yes, indeed. I want to say I'm a big supporter of the Inland Rail and I've made that known to the public on numerous occasions in fact, in a couple of meetings where I was [inaudible].
Basically, I'm worried this morning about the cybersecurity situation, the Russians trying to gather information for a COVID‑19 vaccine. Is our cybersecurity safe? Is it enough? I know we're pouring more money into it, but is it enough?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
I'm sure if we had the vaccine for COVID‑19 we would share it with the world because that's what we need right now more than anything else. So, no sense hacking into any security system looking for a vaccine because sadly there isn't one, although I'm glad the research and development has a lot going on in Australia, both through Melbourne and particularly Brisbane, I know. So let's put that aside for just one moment. With cybersecurity and the concerns around this, which has always been an ongoing concern. Of course, since they've turned the first computer on, there have been people who are willing to hack those systems. That is why the Federal Government has invested and just recently upped the amount – millions upon millions of dollars, if not billions – into cybersecurity measures, and that's why we are supporting those local governments, supporting those businesses which may have had their data compromised in recent times. We want to make sure they are cyber-safe and that's why we're investing that money.
RICHARD MUTTON
We've got a number of apprentices in the area at the moment. A number of apprentices have actually gone down. I know the Government has recently announced help for apprentices and help for businesses. How is that going to work in regional New South Wales, in fact regions right throughout the country?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Well, it is a $2.5 billion initiative, $500 million of which is the states. And we're providing the $2 billion. We're doing the heavy lifting. But we're working with states, through TAFE making sure that, indeed, the 90,000 businesses which employ apprentices and I know Mark Coulton has had a big part to play in this.
What we're going to do is make sure that those apprentices have the skills for the future, that they're job‑ready and indeed, those people who don't necessarily want to go to university and there are many of them, that there are jobs for the future. I know that the Industry Minister, Karen Andrews, and the Small Business Minister and Skills Minister, Michaelia Cash, the Senator from Western Australia, have been working diligently with Mark to ensure that we get this blueprint for the future, that we get this JobTrainer that the Prime Minister announced yesterday. It is a $2.5 billion initiative. It is a good one.
RICHARD MUTTON
Yes, but you've got to get the states on side. Are the states on side at the moment?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Yes. Yes, they are. Absolutely. Why wouldn't the states be on side? They are big players in this. And you know we want the federal money that goes out, a lot of it goes out through state entities, through state funding streams. And look we work extremely closely with our state colleagues to make sure the money hits the ground, to make sure it goes where it is needed to and make sure that it gets maximum benefit.
Because whether it is State, whether it is Federal, it is taxpayers’ money, Richard and it has to, of course, be transparent. We work collaboratively with our Nationals’ colleagues in the State Government and we will continue to do that.
Look, I've always said I'm happy to work with any government. I don't care what their political persuasion is. And through COVID‑19 I've had some great meetings and great results with Labor Ministers right around the country to get infrastructure built, to get roads money where it needs to go, on the ground, as bitumen, get those jobs happening. And I think that's what the public expects, moreover they deserve. I know Mark is of the same mind, we're happy to work with anybody of any political persuasion to get things done for and on behalf of the people we represent.
RICHARD MUTTON
Michael, I've got to say that the country's deficit is going to be horrendous. Is the Government really worried about that? I mean, we're spending money to keep people in jobs, we're spending money here, there and everywhere and I've got no argument with that, but is the Government really worried about a deficit, or do you think we can cope with it anyway? I mean, most countries around the world are in the same boat.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Every country in the world is in the same boat. COVID‑19 is not being discriminatory. It has affected economies right around the world. Thankfully we were in good shape going into this situation in February-March because we were just about to announce in May the first surplus budget in a dozen years. And that was something that was a reward for hard work and effort. Not necessarily by government, but by the small businesses that prop up this country. And they certainly do. And we respect the work that people in small business do, taking the risk, investing their own dollars, not taking holidays, putting the money where it needs to be in staff, in training, in capital investments. We've helped that with the instant asset write‑off. We've extended it from $30,000 to $150,000. We're absolutely backing our small businesses. Yes, it is a big deficit, there is no question, Richard, but we will get out of the situation because the hard work and resilience, particularly of regional Australians, who know that we've got their backs.
RICHARD MUTTON
Well, I'm glad you mentioned small business and I'm glad you've got the backs of small business. The Prime Minister today is announcing a $400 million prop up for the film industry and he's doing that in Queensland at the moment. We've had previous announcements from Mark and our other sources about regional New South Wales, in fact regions right around the country getting help to keep local newspapers going and I understand money to go to commercial radio, newsrooms in rural areas and I've got no argument with that, but when is the Federal Government going to recognise the role of community radio and look after us because there is 419 stations around the country now and a lot of them are really doing it tough?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Look, I appreciate that. And as a former newspaper editor and somebody who understands the role that local media plays –
RICHARD MUTTON
That's why you got the question, Michael.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Indeed. And look, I understand and recognise the pivotal role that local media and moreover local people play in getting on the airwaves, in getting in print, in getting on those local television stations and telling the news and that's why I and Mark Coulton have worked very hard with Paul Fletcher to make sure that that is recognised.
Look, Richard, as you'd know, we haven't got a limitless bucket of money. If only we did have. And had COVID not occurred we would be in surplus right now, but we'll dig our way out of this hole and we'll do it thanks to community media, thanks to local small businesses and certainly thanks to regional Australia.
RICHARD MUTTON
Well, I hope they're going to dig a little bit of money out of the hole for community radio because I really believe that it is the backbone now of many news sources for many towns and I'm looking at, say, Narromine who will hopefully get a community station very shortly. Wellington, who don't have a paper, but have a community radio station that is broadcasting local news.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
And we thank those volunteers who get on those community radio stations and bring all sorts of programs and multicultural, indigenous, whatever the case might be, they do a sterling job.
RICHARD MUTTON
On that note, it is 20 past 11, I know you have other things to do. Welcome to Dubbo, Deputy Prime Minister and enjoy your time in Dubbo. Look, just don't take the Fitzroy Street crossing, there is a train derailment there at the moment that we've been telling people about this morning.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Yeah, they're cleaning it up and doing a sterling job to do just that, so a big help.
RICHARD MUTTON
Mark will guide you around. Thank you for your time. I appreciate it.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Thank you so much.