TRANSCRIPT: WAGGA WAGGA LEVEE PRESS CONFERENCE, 21 September 2020

10:30AM

E&OE

Subjects: Wagga Wagga Levee Bank Official Opening, Federal Budget 2020/21;

GREG CONKEY

[Inaudible] Along with the completion of the upgrade to the Eunony Bridge which we opened a short time ago, this is one of the largest projects undertaken by the Wagga Wagga City Council in recent times. The works for this stage has included the construction of concrete walls, sheet piling, earthworks and crib walls. It includes two extensive spillways to cater for extreme flooding events. We have also been able to incorporate into this levee a community facility in the form of a shared pathway for walkers, runners and cyclists. We have also been able to provide better access for people with disabilities. Hand railings have been added to improve safety. And artwork from First Nations people has been placed on to the sheet poling capping to highlight the strong link between the Rotary people and the Murrumbidgee River. I'd like to acknowledge the contractors who worked on this project and also acknowledge the hard work of the Wagga Wagga City Council employees. Since its completion thousands of people have accessed the pathway on top of the levee and taken in the wonderful views across the Murrumbidgee River. In fact this pathway has become so popular one person has complained that we should have included overtaking lanes for pedestrians and cyclists. You can't please everybody. As mentioned this is stage 1. We now need to progress with the next stage and that's added protection for North Wagga. Thank you.

PETER THOMPSON

Thank you Mr Mayor. I'd like to now call on the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Michael McCormack MP, to say a few words.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Thank you, Peter. I too acknowledge Aunty Isabel and acknowledge that we are on Wiradjuri land. March 5, 2012. Anybody who's been a long term resident of Wagga Wagga knows that date all too well, because that was the night, that was the night that James McTavish and Wagga Wagga City Council took the decision to evacuate the city. It's never been done before. It's a city of 60,000 residents, many of whom live in this central Wagga Wagga region. They were asked, they were told, they were begged, “Leave the city now. Get to higher ground”. We never thought we'd see that night. We never thought we'd see that occasion, and yet they were. Let me tell you, we missed by about a centimetre or so having our city swamped by the Murrumbidgee River. It's a beautiful river. It's the life blood of our city but it can also be very dangerous of course. That night and the ensuing days everybody watched and waited, kept their collective breaths of course. Residents of North Wagga Wagga, yes, they did go under in many parts and there was a lot of heartache in our city. But the city was saved. But the decision was taken then to make sure that we built the levee to ensure that we had the protection against future floods.

Today is the realisation of stage 1. Yes, there's more work to be done and we're certainly going to be talking about other parts of the city and with other residents and to make sure that we get the right community outcomes. But today is a very auspicious day because the funding has realised this stage 1 levee bank which is going to protect our city into the future. Had the city gone under that night it would probably cost 60 million, perhaps even more. But we were saved thanks to the great work of James McTavish and his team, thanks to the river not overlapping the bank at the time. So Wagga Wagga City Council took the decision, in partnership with the State Government, in partnership with the Federal Government, we've provided as a Federal Government $10 million towards this $23 million project. Stage 1 we're opening today. A very important day. I know the residents of our city can breathe a sigh collective relief the fact that today has arrived. The fact that today, they can ensure in future that these floods, as big as they are, well they'll be protected from them. So a very important day. I do thank the project managers. I do thank all the workers and many of them were locals who worked on this local procurement, local workers. That's what our infrastructure programs and projects at a Federal level are all about. We're investing $100 billion right across the nation. No more important project than this. I congratulate Wagga Wagga City Council on it. Thank you very much.

PETER THOMPSON

Thank you, Deputy Prime Minister. I would now like to call upon the Honourable Wes Fang MLC. Wes is representing the Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional New South Wales and Industry and Trade John Barilaro.

WES FANG

Thank you very much, Peter. It is fabulous to be here today to be opening the levee bank. What we saw, as Michael said, in previous years was a risk to Wagga, a risk to its population and we have elected to help fund this levee bank to help protect residents. Earlier today we opened the Eunony Bridge which was another State Government-funded project along with the Federal Government and the local Council and that was to unlock the prosperity in Wagga. In order to unlock that prosperity we need to make sure that we protect what is here in Wagga in times of crisis and so the State Government was very pleased to contribute over $4 million to this project. We have now seen the levee bank completed and it is yet another example of what the State Government can do for a city like Wagga in partnership with the Council and the Federal Government. When all three levels of Government work together, this is the result. I am really pleased to be here representing the Deputy Premier John Barilaro. He passes on his warm regards and congratulations for today and thank you to all the contractors and the staff involved in delivering this project and let’s hope that we never have to use it.

PETER THOMPSON

Thanks, Wes, and just before we go to the official unveiling of the plaque I would just like to recognise, as GM, the staff that worked on this project. Some of the staff are here today, I can see Darryl Woods over there who oversaw the construction contract. Next to Darryl is the head of the construction company for the last stage of the city levee which went well from our perspective – it was a great partnership and I would also like to acknowledge Caroline Angel, who is not here today but she was director during much of the strategic planning for this levee and the early delivery work. It is not often that a GM gets to stand in front of a crowd and say this project came in four weeks early and under budget but that is the nature of this particular project, it came in early and under. I would do that every day of the week if I can and I will take the opportunity to say it now. But also point out another thank you to the State Government for their Active Travel Plan because our levee [inaudible] a combination of two different projects – one is the flood mitigation work which is the levee itself but it is also the Active Travel Plan to provide a high-quality cycleway and footway around the river and the city itself, which I am sure everyone here knows is already well embraced by the community, has been a very positive attribute added to the city. I will point out that the Active Travel Plan was funded 100 per cent by the State Government and what you are seeing today is a part of that.

[Unveiling of the plaque]

[Press conference starts]

JOURNALIST

Just on insurance premiums, have you heard anything from providers about when they will be lowered now that this stage is finished?

GREG CONKEY

I haven’t heard in recent times concerning the insurance companies but I did get in touch with insurance companies some months ago and I made them aware of what was happening as far as this levee project has been completed.

JOURNALIST

Did they indicate at that time whether they would be wanting to lower premiums [inaudible]?

GREG CONKEY

They were certainly interested in the progress and where we were up to concerning the project.

JOURNALIST

We have obviously got North Wagga residents here as well. What’s next with that levee and making sure they [inaudible]?

GREG CONKEY

So, the process was that a recommendation by our independent consultants in 2018 was to build a one-in-20-year protection for North Wagga. So, it was approved by Council. Following discussions with North Wagga residents, they didn’t accept that 2018 report and they have asked us to go back to look at other options and one of those options being one-in-100. So that’s what we’ve done – we’ve decided to go back with the support of North Wagga residents to have a look at one-in-100-year level of protection and that’s what’s happened and that’s the process as we stand.

[BYSTANDER INTERJECTS]

BYSTANDER

Mayor Conkey, I’m sorry, but can you explain to the public about the main city levee increasing flood levels for North Wagga by 200 metres? Can you explain that effect? Can you also explain what you are doing about our vegetation, please, and the lack of action which has increased flood levels by 300 millimetres in our village. Please explain it and balance up the story.

GREG CONKEY

[inaudible]

JOURNALIST

[inaudible]

GREG CONKEY

As far as the vegetation is concerned, we are looking at the vegetation and we are looking at slashing that vegetation. We have received some photos back from the North Wagga Residents’ Association as far as that slashing is concerned and that is being addressed by Council staff at the moment. As far as a one-in-100, we are looking at that, as I mentioned to you. So, the one-in-100, unfortunately, does impact 2085 residents and so we need to have a look at that and take that into consideration. Now, as far as North Wagga residents are concerned, they are pushing for a one-in-100 but I have heard in recent times that maybe they would accept a one-in-80 or a one-in-60, we’re not quite sure, but we will need to look at that independent investigation – it is a peer review of the 2018 report, that’s what we are doing.

BYSTANDER

And can you confirm, Mayor Conkey, that that is a good three years away. Peter Thompson confirmed in a recent meeting with the residents that any soil cannot be turned for a minimum of three years. We are standing looking at a disaster waiting to happen, it’s around the corner. We’ve got flood levels going to increase by 500 millimetres and that is regardless of what water flows down that river. We need urgent protection and we need Michael McCormack to release Emergency Response Funds so we can get that one-in-20 you have been promising since 2009. We need it built, stage one, and then when you get around to sorting out the actual height we should deserve then we can top it up, the soil would have compacted and we’re ready to go.

GREG CONKEY

The North Wagga Residents’ Association have asked us and they have supported us not doing anything, put everything on hold until we get the report back concerning one-in-100. Now, it is pointless building a one-in-20 if, in fact, it comes back that a one-in-50 or a one-in-100 is the best option. It is far more expensive to build on top of that one-in-20 if we need to go up to a one-in-100 and so we have put everything on hold with the support of the North Wagga Residents’ Association, so we have put it on hold pending the outcome of the report. It is pointless building two levees – we want to build one levee and get it right and we want to do the right thing as far as the whole community is concerned.

BYSTANDER

Mayor Conkey, I’m sorry, but you need to get your facts right. It has to happen in two stages. You cannot increase a miserable one-in-eight levee to a one-in-100 levee, or whatever the levee is going to be, in one hit. It needs to be done in stages, that soil needs to compact. So we need the one-in-20, the stage one, first and then by the time you get around to sorting out what levee we truly deserve which we will monitor then the soil is compacted and stage two can happen. But you need to get the public the right information.

GREG CONKEY

I am certainly not an engineer so I can’t comment on those sorts of things but I think the idea is to build a levee once and to build it properly once and regardless to what that height happens to be. Are there any other questions from the media?

JOURNALIST

Deputy Prime Minister, will you release that emergency funding the Association is talking about?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

We were asked to invest $10 million, that was the request from the Wagga Wagga City Council and we provided that $10 million for this levee bank. This is stage one. When you have stage one that suggests that there are going to be future stages and further stages, and that is in fact what's happening.

I'm happy to have a chat with Fiona Ziff and others after this particular press conference. I understand that North Wagga residents have concerns. I understand that they, too, want every bit of security that they need. But what we do need, obviously, is a levee bank which is going to protect as many residents as possible. When the Murrumbidgee River decides to flood and flood big. The trouble is it is going to flood some residents. That is a given and no matter how big you build a levee bank, no matter how you raise houses in North Wagga or elsewhere sometimes, sadly, unfortunately, people suffer. That's just a fact of life.

Wagga Wagga was developed, first established in 1849. The Murrumbidgee River, as Aunty Isabel would say, has been flooding long before 1849. The fact is many towns and cities in regional Australia were built on rivers. We need water. It's our most valuable resource. Unfortunately, the decisions taken to build localities were taken back in the 1840s and we're trying to make best with what we've got today.

This $23 million project is going to provide security for so many residents of this city. And the Australian Insurance Council, we talked about it before, they should look at making sure that they review insurance premiums today. Not tomorrow, not next week, not next month. The insurance premiums should come down from today. It's well and good for people on top of Willans Hill to be charged extra because they live in a postcode which is affected by flooding and they're charged a higher rate back then. Well, they should be charged and people in this flood plain area which is now not going to endure that flooding, well they should see a reduction in their insurance premiums from today.

JOURNALIST

Just to other matters. Is support for the Nats slipping and how can regional people trust the Party given that its own members are leaving?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well why would support for the Nationals be slipping? There were 16 seats at the last Federal election. I'm the Federal leader of the National Party. Sixteen seats at the last election. We retained each and every one of them. I'm here today making sure that there's more delivery for regional Australians. That regional delivery doesn't come by chance. It comes because you've got a Coalition Government in State Parliament. A Coalition Government in Federal Parliament working together to produce better outcomes. Regional areas are never well served when you've got anything other than a Coalition Government in power. They're never well served. They forget about our health services. They forget about our education services and they certainly forget about vital infrastructure. Whether it's roads, bridges, we opened Eunony Bridge today, or whether it's in fact flood mitigation. And we're getting on with building dams that will also help with flood mitigation right across regional Australia. Any suggestion that the National Party is in any way affected or slipping or anything else is just a nonsense. In fact, we're growing. We're growing support and people actually like the delivery that we are providing. They like the infrastructure that we're rolling out right across this nation. I'm leading that charge as far as the infrastructure is concerned for regional Australia – $100 billion.

Let me tell you, on October 6 when the Treasurer goes to the dispatch box to unveil the budget, well there'll be more infrastructure programs and projects I'm sure as part of that narrative, as part of that economic recovery through COVID. Australians are doing it pretty tough at the moment with COVID. They are. But let me tell you regional Australians are leading the economic way out of it. They are ensuring that agriculture keeps up and the rain over the weekend has been fantastic. We've already seen a $1 billion growth in agriculture over the last 12 months. We've already seen the resources industry increasing by 0.2 per cent in the July quarter. It mightn't sound much but they're big numbers when it comes to our export trade. Big numbers when it comes to our balance of payments. We're getting on with the job of making sure that we build the infrastructure to ensure the connectivity, to ensure that agriculture and resources can be its best self.

JOURNALIST

Just a couple of questions from Canberra. Can you confirm the budget speculation there'll be wage incentives for businesses to take on extra workers?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

October 6, it’s going to be a great budget speech by Josh Frydenberg. We've been working day and night on making sure we've got the right budget, on making sure we've got the relief and recovery through COVID 19.

This has been a very difficult time for so many Australians. So many Australians are doing it tough. They're either in lockdown, they’ve lost a job, they've got health outcomes that they're very, very anxious about and that's why the Federal Government has put on the table $314 billion of assistance to help Australians through the COVID situation. That’s why on October 6 when we have the budget, it's going to be a budget for infrastructure. It's going to be a budget for relief and recovery efforts and it's going to be a budget to make sure that we've got the right economic conditions that will help Australia through this crisis.

JOURNALIST

How much will the Government be spending on infrastructure?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

October 6, it's going to be a great budget. You'll have to wait until then. I'm not going to steal Josh Frydenberg's thunder. It's the way it's always been.

JOURNALIST

With a big infrastructure spend expected, do you risk pushing the price up on projects that are competing for scarce resources as well?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

We’ve got a high unemployment level of 6.8 per cent. Thankfully that’s actually come down and 110,000 people are back in work according to the monthly job figures released late last week. So there are more Australians getting back into work but of course COVID put many people out of work. Many people found they were on the welfare queue for the very first time. That's why we put in place the JobKeeper measure, to ensure that so many people, so many Australians, were still engaged with their employer. That's why we put in place the JobSeeker assistance, so that those for whom were doing it tough and those who found themselves on the welfare queues for the very first time had that security, had that dignity that they were able to continue to have a decent living through the COVID situation.

The time has come for Australians to get back to work. The Prime Minister said that last week. We heard from the Teys manager just the other day. He wants to see the assistance looked at because we've got to get people off the couch, back to work. The assistance can't go on forever. COVID won't go on forever. We'll get the vaccine, we'll make that freely available to each and every Australian. But rest assured, a Coalition Government in Canberra at a Federal level will make sure, working with the State, working with the Coalition, working through the National Cabinet process, will make sure we get Australians through this. That is so important.

A lot of Australians are anxious at the moment. They need to know they've got a Government that cares, that supports them and we’ll continue to do that. Thank you very much.

ENDS 10:46AM

Shane Manning