Thanks very much for joining us. Today’s National Cabinet has met to discuss some of the big issues which face our nation. We’ve had a positive and constructive meeting, and we’ve agreed the following, which is all included in the communiqué that has been distributed or will be distributed. Firstly, we’ll work together to form Australia’s new national artificial intelligence laws, which will be legislated by the Commonwealth early next year, and protect our water, energy systems, and importantly ensure that power prices are protected for Australians, and that these data centres are located in the right places. We will accelerate policies to end gender-based violence because we want to see every woman and girl be able to live in the safety that they should. We have signed a new firearms agreement today that we’ll sign immediately after I’ll speak, and then the CAF Chair, and then we’ll do the signing before we take questions. This is about improving our laws following the horrific antisemitic terrorist attack at Bondi last year. We heard a report from the Chief Vet Officer, and we will invest an additional $125 million to protect our nation from bird flu. And lastly, we’ll remain highly vigilant on fuel security in light of the ongoing serious conflict in the Middle East as we reach a six-month point of this war this Friday. We’ve had an excellent meeting today, began with a lunch at Kirribilli House. Once again, I want to thank all the Premiers and Chief Ministers for the constructive engagement, working through our national interest, whilst of course always having in mind their jurisdictions. While we are facing global uncertainty and challenges, I’m absolutely certain that we are getting it right as a nation, and I’m so optimistic about our future. I welcome as well the inflation figures today being 3.5. That reduction was very important. There’s nowhere on earth you’d rather be, and Australia’s well positioned to take advantage of some of the transition that’s occurring, particularly in artificial intelligence, as we go forward. I’m absolutely optimistic that our best days are ahead of us as a nation, and one way that we ensure that occurs is by working together for our common interests. So, we have much to look forward to. I’ll call for the Chair of CAF, and then we’ll have the signing, and then we’re happy to take a couple of questions.
ROGER COOK, PREMIER OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Thank you very much, Prime Minister. The Premiers and Chief Ministers are always happy to collaborate on issues of national priority. And today we made some important steps forward in relation to AI laws, ending gender-based violence, firearms reform, and avian flu. These are all important issues, issues which impact differently on each of the states and territories, each with their own unique opportunities and risks. But these are important reforms in which we can all collaborate in partnership to make sure that we achieve these important national outcomes.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you. We might have the signing of the agreement, I’ll pass along here. While that’s occurring, there are three elements to this: one, sharing Commonwealth criminal intelligence with states and territories; secondly, making Australian citizenship a condition of holding a firearms licence, subject to agreed exceptions; and thirdly, prohibiting the manufacture of 3D printed firearms and the possession and distribution of material for manufacturing 3D firearms.
While that’s being signed, I might make some comments on the other very sad news of the day, which is the death of Dolly Parton. Dolly Parton made our world a better place in so many ways. It’s hard to imagine the world without her. A singer and songwriter of rare power and talent, she also shone brightly as an actor, an author, and a philanthropist who made such a contribution to promoting education around the world, as well as funding hospitals and making an enormous difference. She had such an extraordinarily large personality, and was much loved here in Australia and around the world. One of the joys of my time in government was helping Dolly to bring her tour here in 2011 when it was under threat at one stage. There’ll be a lot of broken hearts in Australia today, and may I just say that Dolly Parton, I’m sure, will rest in peace. She lived loudly, and she lived a great life, and she’ll be much missed.
Happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, were you able to get either Queensland or the NT on your AI data centre plan? And to any one of the Premiers, Carroll, Minns, or Malinauskas, were you disappointed at the recommitment to the WA GST deal this week? And did you raise that in today’s meeting?
PRIME MINISTER: Good, well done, Paul, for getting any more questions in there. Good luck. We’ll have one question each. On the first, we have buy-in on Australia’s national AI laws. I certainly understand that different states have different issues, but we know that the priority is keeping our energy costs low and making sure that it doesn’t add to – the development of data centres will lose social licence. And there’s agreement across the board from all jurisdictions that we need to ensure that that social licence has occurred. Now, when Queensland and NT are in different positions from other states, in Queensland, you have public ownership of power generation, transmission, and distribution. So, if there is surplus, then that, of course, could be available. But we want to make sure as well that the principles are very clear. The Commonwealth will legislate, and we have the power under the corporation’s power to do so. And I’m very confident that we’ll move forward with every single jurisdiction, making a difference. We want to make sure that in attracting investment, we don’t have eight different systems operating around the country, and that’s why we came to a common position, which recognises that all states aren’t exactly the same, and that was accommodated in the way that we normally do, in a flexible way, and that will enable us to move forward, and that will be consistent when we deliver the legislation. We expect to have draft legislation by the end of the year. We’re going to legislate early next year. I don’t know if other states want to, anyone else wants to add anything?
PREMIER CRISAFULLI: Well, look, it was a productive meeting and done in good spirits. And I think what we’re signing now is proof of that, obviously, from the beginning on guns, we found good commonality, things like the fact that it should only be Aussies who own them, things like the 3D printing, we were always firmly of the view that we didn’t want to participate in the buyback, and this reflects that. And we want to thank the open-mindedness. In terms of data centres, I think the PM outlined it well. In the sake of Queensland, we’ve got a really big point of difference, and that is that we own distribution, transmission, generation, and that enables us to control that energy mix, and we’ve done that well. And our energy plan shows that. So, what this does is enables us to send messages, and states can can absolutely participate, what the PM says in that social licence, each state will have a point of difference. We believe that we can control our data sovereignty, protect the rights of local communities, and enable that energy mix to bring those data centres on, and that comes with the point of difference that we have in our situation. Lia’s in a similar place, and this has enabled that to occur.
PRIME MINISTER: Further questions?
JOURNALIST: Today, Prime Minister, also coincides with the final day of public hearings into the Antisemitism Royal Commission. What do you say to the families of Bondi victims demanding the Royal Commission be extended, and that you appear?
PRIME MINISTER: I say that the Royal Commission is independent, and I support it conducting its really important work.
JOURNALIST: Is that what you say to the families, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: I say – I don’t say one thing in one room and a different thing in another. What I say is that the Royal Commission is undertaking really important work, and it should be allowed to take its work. And I had discussions as late as yesterday and this morning with Rabbi Ulman, who lost his son-in-law during that terrorist act, and who is the Rabbi of the Chabad community in Bondi,
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, when you were in WA, you said you stood with WA for that state getting the current GST arrangements. Now that you’re in Sydney, will you stand up for your home state and the people of Western Sydney and back other states getting a fairer deal than the one that economists have labelled a corrupt, a corrupt attempt to buy votes?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, which economists?
JOURNALIST: Saul Eslake in The Telegraph.
PRIME MINISTER: In The Telly? Well, I don’t say one thing in one jurisdiction and something else somewhere else. I think that Western Australia deserves its fair share. People are aware of my position on that, but I support every state and territory. One of the things that we’ve been able to do as a Commonwealth is we now have agreements on health and hospitals, on fair and full school funding for public schools, on community services, on legal aid, on all of these issues between the Commonwealth and state and territory governments, going past the next federal election, and so we’ll continue to work through those issues. There’s an interim report that was commissioned by the Morrison Government. It handed down its interim report last week. It’ll have its report in December, and then we’ll have discussions with states and territories.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, does your home state deserve its fair share of GST funding?
PRIME MINISTER: I will always stand up for – well, you get to ask a question, I get to answer it. That’s the way the press conferences work. My state and this bloke here, the Premier of New South Wales, I’ll be working hard to make sure he stays the Premier after March next year. And under my government, under my government, New South Wales will always get support. We were in Tomago last week with a $2.5 billion joint announcement. On Friday, I’ll be at Raymond Terrace for the opening of the extension there, billion dollar commitment from the Commonwealth that will be open. We’ll continue to work with every state and territory.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just on gun buybacks – was there any progress on any other state picking up gun buybacks other than New South Wales or the ACT? Does anyone want to add any comment to that?
PRIME MINISTER: The offer is there from the Commonwealth. WA have already had their system, they put in place prior to the gun buyback, and good on them for doing so. New South Wales, we signed our agreement. It’ll be 50-50. ACT signed up just on the weekend. I think as well. The offer is open to states and territories, but we intend to proceed, if – states and territories are responsible for their own decisions. But today, this agreement, three-part agreement, is really important, and every single state and territory has signed up to it.
JOURNALIST: Just wanted to ask you a quick question about the seating arrangements in this room. How were they arranged, and is the fact that you’re sitting next to Premier Cook does it indicate that you’re both presenting a united front on the GST deal?
PRIME MINISTER: No, it presents that he’s the Chair of the Council of Australian Federation.
JOURNALIST: Premier Minns, can I get your response on Bathla Development going into voluntary administration, and does this have any impact on the national housing report?
CHRIS MINNS, PREMIER OF NEW SOUTH WALES: Yeah, look, it’s a serious issue. We’ve got a major developer, particularly in Western Sydney, that potentially will leave thousands of people without a home. The insolvency process is difficult for, particularly builders that are 80 per cent through, 90 per cent through, because the liability rests with the person who completes the development, and we understand that that that developer was significantly through a range of developments in Western Sydney. So, we have to think creatively about who’s going to step in, complete the projects. It’s not going to be easy. Obviously, we don’t want to have a situation where a lot of people put down enormous amounts of capital for the biggest investment in their life, not to see the home being completed. So, we’re looking very closely at it. Obviously, we’ll talk with the liquidators, and yeah, there’s also a role to play to ensure that other large-scale volume builders don’t fall into the same problem, although I have to say that the Building Commissioner in New South Wales has focused on firms not phoenixing and leaving home buyers out of pocket or in difficult situations, so, that’s good for New South Wales. Generally speaking, that’s been better in our state. This is very regrettable, and we’ll be working with homeowners to try and find a way through.
PRIME MINISTER: Last one because we’ve got a flight for the Bush Summit.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, I’m from Bloomberg News. When will the government outline its plans for migration? The UK Government seems unhappy with proposed changes to backpacker visa rules, and the dairy industry is complaining already. How do you ensure labour for essential industries while also reducing migration at the same time?
PRIME MINISTER: We have reduced the net overseas migration by 45 per cent. We’ve done that whilst delivering the skilled workforce that Australia needs. We’ll do it in an orderly way. That’s the way that my government operates. The UK situation is a separate agreement as a result of the UK Free Trade Agreement, which we are certainly honouring. Thanks very much, everyone. Thanks very much.
