Transcript: PRESS CONFERENCE WAGGA WAGGA ELECTORATE OFFICE
SUBJECTS: May Budget, Wagga Wagga Airport Terminal, Wagga Cup
E&OE
STARTS: 10:30AM
ENDS: 11:00AM
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
I am here to talk about the Federal Budget and its Labor's second budget after the MYEFO Budget late last year, in which some cuts were signalled. But I think what we're going to see next Tuesday is even more cuts signalled. What I'd like to see for the Riverina are three major things. I'd like to see $45 million restored that was pledged by the Coalition and by way of the AgriPark at CFharles Sturt University. That was $20 million. $20 million for a Wagga Wagga Airport terminal which is sorely needed and $5 million for the Veterans’ Wellness/Wellbeing Centre. Particularly with Pro Patria seeking community funding. That $5 million is going to be so important because we owe it to our Veterans to be able to provide the funding that is going to give them the future they deserve.
And when we had the Royal Commission into Veteran suicide, it beggars belief that Labor would not make sure that $5 million for this, a military area, this a garrison town, would be available. Now I've very much lobbied and advocated, Richard Marles the Defence Minister, Matt Keogh the Veterans’ Affairs Minister, indeed, right up to the Prime Minister to make sure that the $5 million that we allocated is on because that's the least the Government can do. It's not about Labor or the National Party or any partisan thing. It's about the Veterans, it's about the people who deserve that $5 million, Pro Patria or even if the RSL can get some of the money for the centre that they've actually established here in town. Now, both of those centres will go ahead, but it would make it so much easier and so much better if that $5 million was restored by Labor.
It was a commitment that we made, not on a partisan level, not on a party level. It was made for the Veterans. For Labor to take that money away and then just provide it to Labor seats, quite frankly, it's disgusting. Of course, the airport terminal, $20 million pledged. We need a new airport terminal. I've been working with Wagga Wagga City Council on this. I'm only sorry that, you know, we haven't been able to, Labor hasn't been able to honour that commitment. It's something that is needed. It's something that the city deserves, when the first visitors come to town, many of them come through that airport and I appreciate there’s that juxtaposition with Defence. I think the airport needs to remain in Defence hands. But I've been working with council to see what we can do to have a new terminal in the business park as part of what is Defence land. And of course, the AgriPark out at Charles Sturt University. That centre of excellence for agriculture, that also was a commitment that Bridget McKenzie made when as Minister she came to town.
I've lobbied hard for the additional funding for infrastructure, for the agriculture centre and of course that was taken away too. I do appreciate, and I do acknowledge that Catherine King has made an announcement in the last 48 hours with another quarter of $1 billion for councils, for road funding. And that's not just going to go to regional councils, that's also going to go to urban councils.
I would argue that the regions are far more deserving of far more of that fund than certainly urban councils. I have been to a lot of capital cities in recent times, and there doesn't appear to be the potholes that we're enduring out here. And the potholes are not just terrible, they are dangerous. And what we don't want to see is accidents and crashes occurring because of potholes and the unseasonably wet weather late last year and of course, through winter made the situation terrible. Now, I know when I was the Deputy Prime Minister, we put down $3 billion just for road safety upgrades. A quarter of $1 billion is a drop in the ocean to what is needed. And I call on also the Minns Labor Government to make sure that they up the ante too, because it's not just up to the Federal Government, it’s also up to the State Government to indeed fund better roads and better infrastructure and certainly address the pothole issue.
Any questions?
JOURNALIST:
What do you think the Budget will have for helping families who are struggling at the moment?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Very little, quite frankly. And we've already seen that HECS debts are going up the most that they've been for 32 years. Now, you'll always pay more under Labor. They’ve closed Liddell Power Station just late last week. And if that doesn't cause spikes in energy prices and power prices, then, you know, there's a lot of people who are in that sector who are going to be very bad judges.
You'll always pay more under Labor. That's a fact. And I do have worries about people who are trying to pay mortgages. I appreciate that. The Reserve Bank, put another rate rise in this week. And of course, the banks are always quick to pass on that rate rise to their customers. These are tough times for people and people do need to obviously tighten their belts and at the time they are tightening their belts, we’ve got the Prime Minister going to Kyle Sandilands’ wedding. I mean, go figure.
JOURNALIST:
In regard to cost-of-living pressures, would you support increases to JobSeeker Youth Allowance payments?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
I think this is a role that the Government needs to look at. When you look at JobSeeker payments, there are 80,000 vacancies in regional Australia at the moment. And so, I think what a lot of those job seekers who are in city areas and I appreciate that it's difficult to find accommodation, difficult to find rents, but there are jobs out there and you only have to look at any main street in any country town at any shop window to see that they will be signs in many of those windows to say jobs available, apply to them. And so, I would urge and encourage those job seekers to make sure that they exhaust all the available opportunities before they go looking or asking for the JobSeeker increases. But look, these are difficult times. This is up to Jim Chalmers. This is the challenge he faces. Do they in fact build sporting stadiums at Hobart or do they address the issues at hand? They're the sorts of questions, they wanted Government, they got Government. It's a bit like the dog which chases the car. Well, the dog’s caught the car. What are you going to do about it? You can't just sit there and bark at it. You've got to do something to help the nation, to help the people.
JOURNALIST:
On that though, the Coalition held government for a long time
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
And the economy was looking stronger.
JOURNALIST:
Are you disappointed that, for example, you weren't able to get that Wagga Airport funding over the line when you're actually in Government and you had the opportunity to have it funded?
JOURNALIST:
Well, I asked council for plans for some time to make sure that we could get an arrangement by which I could actually apply for funding under the various infrastructure programs that we had. But council chose to put their resources and the applications for the Equex Centre and we've got a brand-new sports stadium, a brand-new netball stadium at Equex. And it was magnificent for the Southern Sports Academy Games the other day, there were 3000 kids in there and adults, visitors, parents and coaches there at one stage for the opening ceremony two or three thousand people. They were all remarking about how good this was and that was Federally funded. We have got the PCYC, $10 million went towards that, we have got the new museum facility, $4.5 to $5 million went to that and the precinct at the Botanic Gardens, then, of course, the River Precinct. Council put their submissions and put their application into those projects. Had they chosen not to do those projects and put it towards the Airport Terminal, well the Airport Terminal would have happened. But there is only limited funding and whilst I appreciate a lot of people point the finger and say you are just pork barrelling, well if pork barrelling means that regional centres get the funding they deserve, then certainly I think what we have done around the Riverina and Central West is badly needed. You only have to look at the main street upgrades in places like Forbes, Parkes and Gundagai, Cowra as well. To know what a benefit it is, the Forbes Saleyards I could go on about the list of projects I was able to fund both as Deputy Prime Minister and also just as a Minister in the Coalition years, was quite remarkable considering what Labor have done in their six sorry years of Government between 2007 and 13.
JOURNALIST:
In regard to the AgriPark, apologise just to clarify that. Is that $20 million specifically just for the AgriPark infrastructure or does that include the upgrades to the Conference Centre at CSU?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
It was a project that we allocated $20 million into the Charles Sturt University. Most of it was going to go to the AgriPark, yes. But they were looking at other infrastructure issues at the university, make no mistake the university is one of the biggest drawcards of Wagga. We are so lucky that when we have those conditions by which drought or whatever else affects agriculture, we are still very much cushioned by the economic effects of that by having the military here, having all three military bases, having the university, such things as the Rex pilot academy. These things which have all been helped and supported by the Federal Government over many years, and certainly in the time I have been a Federal Member are significant. There is always going to be plenty of issues to fund, plenty of projects to support here in Wagga Wagga and the wider Riverina region, and I will always be supporting them. Unfortunately, Labor doesn’t. They have pulled out funding, we have already seen that Catherine King is reviewing every one of the infrastructure projects under the $120 billion, $120 thousand million infrastructure investment pipeline. Now, that is just code for Labor delaying, stalling, holding everything up. The only thing Catherine King is building at the moment is a pile of reviews and a pile of paperwork in her in-tray. I say to her get out and actually build projects, support those projects which the Coalition were supporting, she says “oh well it is pork barrelling”, well the Liberal and Nationals held most of the regional seats and still do. That is why the regional funding, the majority of which goes to regional areas because we hold most of the regional seats and there is a good reason for that. That is because people know we deliver.
JOURNALIST:
In regard to the Budget, we've heard a lot of discussion about changes to prescribing for chronic illness and the ability for that to be done on a 60-day basis. It's been opposed by the Pharmacy Guild. What's your view about how that issue should be treated in the Budget?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, probably best not to ask me, ask any pharmacist downtown. Ask Justin Smith out of Kooringal Pharmacy, ask Michael O'Reilly at his pharmacy in Baylis Street. They're the ones who are very concerned that this is going to have certainly an impact not only on patient care but on chemists’ bottom lines. And you go throughout regional Australia, and particularly remote Australia, sometimes it's the friendly pharmacist who is the only health professional in town. And if they're doing it tough and they have to lay off staff and they have to not then employ that new trainee pharmacist, then God help those regional areas. I know it's something that Labor looked at, thought, “well we can just take money away from that particular provision in The Budget and we can save, who knows, a few hundred million dollars”.
But it's the customer care, it's the health care of regional centres which is going to be affected. And it's not just the pharmacists saying it. I was talking to a GP in town just yesterday and he said he felt for the pharmacists, he felt for those chemists who would be affected by these changes. But don't take my word for it please, go and talk to the pharmacists. They are very concerned; they are very worried, and they are very angry.
JOURNALIST:
So, you don’t take any comfort that some of those savings are going to be channelled back through the Community Pharmacy Fund?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
I’ll believe that when I see it. You can't trust what Labor says. Labor talks a big game prior to the election, but they then do all sorts of things after the election, which makes what they said prior to the election just a furphy. I mean, look at the look at the power cuts that they said that they were going to introduce when are those going to occur? Then they say, well that was going to be in five years’ time. It is just rubbish, absolute rubbish.
JOURNALIST:
The Aboriginal Legal Service in New South Wales is calling for urgent help, $250 million in order to be able to continue servicing local courts. Is that something, you know, from a Federal level that you've been lobbying on or are concerned about or could push for in this budget?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, again, we're not doing the Budget, Labor are. They hold the whip hand now. They'll look at all those things. And the difficulty is, when did the Aboriginal Legal Service raise this issue? The difficulty with budgets, and I know having helped prepare at a very high level three Budgets. A lot of the Budget work is done in February-March. It's now May.
So, it's now just days out from the Budget. And I appreciate that the people, even the Australian Community Media have gone out just in the last week or so calling on more provisions to help local media. But it's a bit late. Those sorts of things need to be put in February-March when the Budget is being framed and the Budget is being done. When the Expenditure Review Committee is sitting and talking about all the things that they're going to do in the Budget.
But rest assured, next Tuesday night, when Jim Chalmers goes to that dispatch box to unveil his first real May budget, there will be cuts and those cuts will hurt regional Australia the hardest because they always do. Labor's budgets are always cruel to regional Australia. We will see that next Tuesday night. I hope I'm wrong, I hope I can stand here next week and say; “Hey look, I've got it wrong, well-done Labor, fantastic, great Budget”. I doubt very much that I will.
JOURNALIST:
On that question, the Legal Service is saying that they could have to stop, I think 13 services across New South Wales, including Temora and West Wyalong. That's probably going to put pressure on Wagga. So, you’re happy then if you're not going to advocate for.
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Oh look, I'm happy to advocate. I'm certainly happy to advocate. And I know that we need these legal services for those most vulnerable members of the community.
JOURNALIST:
Well, is it too late for them?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, this is up to Labor. I mean, Labor talks a big game when it comes to this, their so-called help for Aboriginal people. I know they're advocating very much for The Voice. Look, the Aboriginal Legal Service, should very much and I'm happy to take on board what they say, what they're asking and to provide it up to the various channels. To Linda Burney if that is what’s needed. But the difficulty is that the printer would have already printed the Budget, most of the Budget would be in hard copy as we speak. So, if it is not in hard copy, it would be at the printers now. These sorts of things are difficult, I appreciate the Aboriginal Legal Service, they provide a good service to most needed. But there are big calls on the Budget always, and I get that. Like I said I was very high level, I helped frame three of them with Josh Frydenberg and Scott Morrison, and they were good Budgets, good Budgets, particularly for regional Australia and for all sectors of the community. I don't think this Budget coming up will be favouring all sectors of the community.
JOURNALIST:
Stepping away from the budget for a bit and looking at what's going on in Macquarie Street in the National Party at the moment. What do you think about the offer that has been made to Ben Franklin to take on the President of the Upper House and what that might mean for the New South Wales Nationals?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, it means that the Coalition loses the vital vote in the Upper House of the Legislative Council. So, I would say to Ben Franklin, just remember those people who supported you to get you to where you are. Once things might go your way, or indeed you get a better offer to do something in the political sphere, you have got to remember the people who put on yellow t-shirts or indeed with the Greens, green t-shirts and Labor red, Liberals blue. Remember those people and remember the people you represent. Don't throw your toys out of the cot and stick true to what you said all along when you first stood for the election. You know, it's a bit like the Member for Calare going and choosing to be an Independent, he could have just crossed the floor and left it at that. No, he chose to leave the National Party. The National Party whose supporters actually supported him at both State and Federal level to get elected. And it's a very great honour and a very great privilege. And you shouldn't when an opportunity arises or when you just don't get what you want, then desert the Party that supported you.
JOURNALIST:
So, do you think that public disunity like this that we're seeing in the NSW Nationals flows on to have an impact on the Nationals brand at a Nationals’ and a bigger level?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, I mean I think if you went down the main street and asked the people of Wagga Wagga about to-ing and fro-ing of the Legislative Council in the National Party, I am not quite sure many people would really care. They’re worried about their electricity prices. They’re worried about their petrol prices. They’re worried about paying their house mortgages. They’re worried about paying their rent. They're not too worried about who might be the Legislative Council President. I mean, I dare say if you went down the main street and asked Wagga Wagga people to name three people in the Upper House, they'd be flat out doing it. They might say, Wes Fang. I doubt whether they’d be able to actually recall any other names.
I mean, with all due respect. And Ben hasn't made up his mind yet, I hope he makes the right decision. That's entirely a matter for him. There is enough issues going on in the Federal Parliament than worrying about, you know, what's happening in the Legislative Council. I know Matthew Mason-Cox was indeed the President. We had at the time, the President, and the Deputy President of the Upper House in New South Wales and both from Wagga Wagga.
But honestly, there's a lot more going on in this city and in this country than worrying about who's going to be the next President under Chris Minns of the Legislative Council.
JOURNALIST:
You talk about electricity prices there. Is there a role for the Government in terms of the time and the cost blow out for delivery of the Snowy 2.0 project? And what responsibility should the Coalition take for that, given that that's where the project came from in the first place?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, the actual drill didn't stop under our watch and it's up to Labor to continue the project. I mean, these sorts of things happen with the infrastructure projects all the time. There is things that happen on a level that people are not expecting with engineering, et cetera. And I feel for the project managers, they want to get the project up and running. It's a good project. If we are serious about renewable energy and we're serious about building national projects of this size and scope, then the Snowy Hydro 2.0 is a good project. It is provided many, many jobs.
I was down at the Wagga Beach not that many months ago talking to Aboriginal people who for them it was their first ever job and a bit like Inland Rail, this has provided jobs for many, many people. But we need to get on with Snowy 2.0. The experts and engineers need to do everything they can to get the project back on track and it's a good project creating jobs, creating renewable energy into the future, and that's what we need. If we're going to lower emissions, that's one of the projects we need to support.
JOURNALIST:
So, should the Government take a bigger role?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, the Government doesn’t want any role with infrastructure at the moment, they have put everything on hold, everything on ice. Catherine King is leaving everything, putting it out to review. And like any review that the Government ever tasks people to do the parameters around the questions that they and the answers that they want are always very much the same. They'll get the answers they want, and I appreciate Mike Mrdak and others are going to conduct a review into infrastructure projects. Well, that's just delay, that's just it's just a stalling tactic by Labor because they don't want to pay the bills. It's a stalling tactic by Labor because they don't believe in infrastructure, they believe in obfuscation.
JOURNALIST:
So, the Coronation is on Saturday, what are you doing for it, anything special?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
I'll be watching it on television, I don’t know whether my wife Catherine’s planning a high tea and serving it on our best crockery. But good luck to King Charles III. I've met him on a couple of occasions. He gave a very, very good speech at the Centenary of Passchendaele, which I attended on behalf of the country, on behalf of the Government at the time, back in 2017. And look, I think for the monarchists of the Riverina, it will be a special moment, I think even for those who are avowed Republicans. I appreciate there are many of those too. They'll probably like the pomp and grandeur and ceremony. We're a Constitutional Monarchy at the moment and I'm sure that people will look forward to watching the ceremony like a Royal Wedding they are always special.
I hope King Charles III makes Wagga Wagga a destination in the future when he comes to Australia, I’ve certainly made overtures to see if he would come to the city. I think it'd be a great day for the city. The Queen was here of course, very early in her reign back in 1954. It was one of the city's greatest days and so, to have a Royal visitor is always special. Good luck to King Charles III and Camilla. I'm sure it'll be a very special day.
JOURNALIST:
What are the changes that are going to impact Wagga, when he becomes King and is coronated?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, he's not going to get on the $5 note. You know, there was that argy-bargy where Jim Chalmers and that is another thing you know he made out as if that was the Reserve Bank Governor’s decision. Well, Dr Philip Lowe then produced the correspondence to show that no, Labor didn't want King Charles on that banknote. You know, again it was just little thing, but little things matter.
Integrity matters in politics and you know, to even just try and mislead the public on something you know, let's face it, not national scale is that you know, it’s interesting. But look, there will be a few changes. There always is when there is a change of monarch. Mind you, I don't know too many about them because I've only ever had well, the Queen. I am not that old to remember the Queen taking over. But, you know, there will be changes. But I think King Charles, well he has had 70-something years to prepare for this moment and it’s his moment this weekend.
JOURNALIST:
And do you know when we will get the official portrait of King Charles?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, hopefully very soon. And look, when those are available, if people would like one it is only a matter of sending an email to me or contacting me via my Wagga Wagga or Parkes offices and we will certainly happily provide one of those for you. Long live the King.
JOURNALIST:
And just finally, just say circling back so I am absolutely clear on your position. If there's no funding for the Wagga Airport in this Budget, you’re putting that at the feet of Labor for not honouring that funding commitment. And Wagga City Council for not putting in the application.
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, here is the interesting thing. During the State Election, Keryn Foley made a few promises. They weren't big, but they were promises on behalf of State Labor. And when Joe McGirr was re-elected and when the Labor Government was elected, those commitments that were made by the Labor candidate who let's face it, wasn't going to win. I mean, good luck to her. I congratulate her for putting a hand up because put your hand up for public office. It takes a bit of guts. And I had a good chat to her, and I said, well done for doing it. But they were honoured by the Government. Now, Mark Jeffreson didn’t go and then lobby and advocate for that Wagga Wagga Airport and a pity because had Mark Jeffreson said: “if it's a Nationals’ commitment, if the Nationals’ candidate Michael McCormack gets elected it's my commitment as well. Because then it would have been honoured by the incoming Labor Government and it wouldn't have been a tough ask.
It's a $20 million project. I'll continue to work with council, happy to do that. I'll continue to work with the Labor Government. I've got a good relationship with Labor Ministers. I'm disappointed in their delivery thus far. I know I'm going to be disappointed next Tuesday. But it's not just me, it's the people who I represent who I'm most concerned for and yes, the airport is just one thing. We have ticked a lot of boxes in the nine years that we were in Government, and I mentioned those before. The PCYC, Equex, the River Precinct. You know, there's been a lot of things, Museum on the hill. You only have to look at the Kapooka Bridge. Those were big ticket items that we delivered on and of course the Wagga Airport. It remains to have a new terminal and I will continue to work towards that. I'll continue to lobby for that, and hopefully, if we only see a Labor one term Government, when we get back in Government, we'll do something about it.
JOURNALIST:
You said you've had conversations with the Council about it. Where's that conversation up to at the moment in terms of ongoing tenure and responsibility for upkeep of infrastructure?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, I note that Peter Thompson, the General Manager, has changed his tune just slightly. They were very concerned about not continuing the tenure for the Wagga Wagga City Council, for the airport. For the actual landing and their overview of that. They now will seek negotiations with the Government to continue that lease and that's a good thing because you can't have a council not running the airport. I mean, the airport is the gateway to the city as well as its roadways and railway, of course. But it's one of the biggest gateways to our city, it's one of our biggest paths out of the city when people need to go for leisure, for health, for business reasons to Melbourne or Sydney or wherever else. And we need to continue that. I'll work with council in good faith. I have got a good relationship with council, we will want to make sure that continues, we want to make sure we get the best outcomes, not just for the airport terminal but the airport itself.
Now, Rocket Tiger is running in the Wagga Cup, you know, I’ve texted Scott Spackman to wish him well. We'd like to see a Wagga Wagga horse win either the Plate or the Cup, preferably both. Thankfully, the weather is holding at the moment and whilst it might be a little chilly tomorrow for the Cup, I do urge and encourage people to get to this event and support it and support the Wagga Wagga businesses which support the Murrumbidgee Turf Club because it is Wagga Wagga's greatest institution. Not just a sporting institution but greatest institution. It's been in our city since the 1860s-our big turf club and I wish them all the very best. Mark Hart prepares probably the best racecourse, not just in regional New South Wales, but in Australia. It rivals Flemington and Randwick as far as the surface and he has got it looking magnificent and I urge and encourage people to get down to the track. Not just sit at home and watch it on Sky, but to actually get to the track and support the city and support the club which pays more group certificates and more to charity than most other organisations in this town. So well done to the Murrumbidgee Turf Club for again hosting the cup of all cups and of course, we're celebrating 150 cups. We've had 150 starting in 1873. It's only not been run four times. So, it's a great event and I urge and encourage people to get down and support The Race That Stops The Region. Thank you very much.