BRIDGET ARCHER: Great to see you all here on this beautiful day, I’m really excited to be here at Neville Smith Forest Products for this important announcement today. The forestry industry is so important to Tasmania and to Northern Tasmania, and it’s one of the great motivators that encouraged me to get involved in politics. I remember very clearly, not so long ago, when we had Labor Greens Government here in Tasmania that brought the forest industries to its knees, with the loss of thousands of jobs. And the Liberal Government here in Tasmania, working with the Liberal government in Canberra has revealed that industry. And the announcements that we are here to make today will build on that, and build on our plan to take these timber industry jobs forward into the future. So, Prime Minister, I hand over to you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much, Bridget. Well, it’s tremendous to be here with you, of course, but it’s also great to be here with the Premier Jeremy, Jeremy Rockcliff. Mate, it’s great to be here together. We’ve known each other for some time, and congratulations on taking on the new role as Premier. Can I also welcome Guy Barnett, who’s here with us, the Minister now with his portfolios extended after the latest swearing in. And happy birthday to you also, Guy, for today. He’s 60 today – Guy, and he’s doing a terrific job. And of course, Jonno Duniam, and Wendy. But Jonno I want to commend particularly for the great job you’ve done working together to pull this very important package of support for our forestry industry today. As I remind everybody every day, this election is about a strong economy, and who can continue to deliver a strong economy. Because a strong economy means a stronger future. This election is a choice between a Government who understands the economy. A Government that has the economic plan that has ensured that through this pandemic, we are emerging as one of the strongest advanced economies in the world. We have seen the biggest Budget turnaround in the last 12 months, in 70 years – over $100 billion – which is enabling us to invest in keeping those pressures on cost of living down, particularly when it comes to fuel prices. And it’s great since I was last down here with Bridget, just less than two weeks ago. We’re seeing those petrol prices come down now in Tasmania, and I welcome that. It’s a choice between a Government that has been able to maintain our AAA credit rating, which keeps the pressure down on those inflationary forces that we’re seeing all around the world. So that’s who we are. And a choice of a Labor Opposition that people don’t know, that hasn’t got an economic plan, that people know can’t manage money, and that have had three years to set these things out, and haven’t. An important part of our economic plan for our country is we understand, our Government, what drives regional economies. And why that’s important, because regional economies drive our national economy. What is produced in our regional economies, whether it’s forestry, whether it’s the agricultural sector, whether it’s the fishing sector, whether it is our resources sector. The Deputy Prime Minister is up there in the Hunter today. These sectors are what enables us to drive a strong economy that creates the jobs and the momentum in our economy that enables us to employ nurses, and teachers, and care workers, and all the other jobs that flow from our successful producing regional industries. And forestry is key to that. Under my Government, under our Government, we won’t support any shutdowns of native forestry, and we will continue to work with state governments to create permanent, permanent timber production areas. And I want to thank the Premier this morning. It is great to work with the Premier here in Tasmania who understands the importance of the forestry industry and who isn’t trying to shut it down, but ensure that the jobs that come from the forestry industry are supported. And the Premier and I, like with his predecessors, have been very committed to this sector. Today, we’re announcing $106.6 million to boost Australia’s forestry research and development capability. Now that’s a $100 million over five years to establish an Australia-wide National Institute for Forest Products Innovation. And that will include a central host hub right here in Launceston – the epicentre of one of our biggest forestry industries in the country, and up to five regionally located centres of excellence across Australia. There will also be $6.6 million in funding to extend the 11 regional forestry hubs for the 2025-26 and the 2026-27 financial years. These regional forestry hubs their remit will also be expanded to allow them to provide extension services for 2022-23. Now on top of that, there’s $112.9 million in grants to accelerate the adoption of new wood processing technologies, and that funding is in the Budget. So combined, these two initiatives are providing a future for our forestry industries and our forest products industries. Not just the production of the resource, but the products that that resource is being turned into. And in particular, that innovation enables us to do things like understanding the new and innovative timber building products that can be used in multi-story residential and commercial buildings. Turning wood waste and residues into products like biofuels, which help develop further our circular economy and also replacing fossil fuel based plastics and biodegradable wood-based bioplastics. That’s what they’re producing and we saw that here today. Wood waste that would have gone into landfill or been burnt – putting emissions into the atmosphere, instead being produced into recycled wood products that are finding their way into a consumer market, which is looking for these things. So it’s not just about ensuring the preservation of (inaudible). Last time I was here, a few weeks ago with Jenny, I announced the $86.2 million in a new plantation establishment program to ensure we’re developing the new plantations, and that we’re putting smart science behind it to ensure that we know where to plant. That the right sort of advice for our regional forestry hubs is getting to farmers. So if they want to get into the industry, they know where to best plant and where they’re going to get the best results. The research, the science, combined together with the entrepreneurialism of industry and great businesses like the one we’re here today at in Launceston, at Neville Smith Forest Products, a three generation forestry business, we’re looking forward to that being the fourth generation, and a fifth generation, and a sixth generation. And that’s what will happen under our economic plan, because we understand traditional industries that drive regional economies, whether it’s forestry here in Tasmania, whether it’s resources in the Hunter or the many other important industries that drill, drive and fuel our regional economies. We get regional Australia and our economic plan backs it in. I’m going to ask the Premier, of course, to make some remarks, and he’ll be followed by Guy Barnett, who’s the Minister here in Tasmania, and Minister Duniam will make some remarks also, and then we’d be very happy to take your questions.
PREMIER ROCKLIFF: Great. Thank you very much. Prime Minister and it’s great to catch up this morning, but particularly we welcome this announcement today. It is evident, of course, Prime Minister his team do get regional Australia and me as a farmer, of course, gets regional Tasmania and understands the importance of evaluating and particularly evaluating such a precious resource as we have here without our forest industry, and particularly when it comes to supporting rural and regional jobs. And why this is important for Tasmania, is it provides a commitment to the investment and a commitment to an industry, of course, which supports directly and indirectly some 5,000 jobs here in Tasmania, right across Tasmania, every part of Tasmania, in rural and regional areas in particular. And that what that means for the economy is $1.2 billion dollars worth to the Tasmanian economy. And it’s important that we back in our regional jobs, our regional productive industries, such as forest industries, because the flow on effects right through the entire state of Tasmania. That means we can, through a growing economy, supporting jobs growth in these areas. We fund and support the services that Tasmanians want us to focus on – our health and education and housing and all those areas that are so critically important. As the new Premier, I did say that our priorities as a government will reflect the priorities of Tasmanians, and I’ve just mentioned a key one in terms of health. So I welcome this investment, particularly when it comes to the very strong partnership between our University of Tasmania and indeed, of course, industry working hand-in-hand alongside state and federal governments because the forest industry is critical as it is needs to continually drive investment through innovation, research and development development. So we continued, that high quality premium product, which globally is increasing in demand, ensuring we as a state forest industry nationally is self-sufficient. When we came to government as a Liberal government in 2014, the forest industry in Tasmania was decimated. Thousands of jobs were lost. And in true partnership with the federal government, we have rebuilt our forest industry to support those 5,000 direct and indirect jobs and indeed that $1.2 billion industry worth which is significant. So thank you, Prime Minister, for the commitment today, a very strong supporter by state and federal government of our forestry industry and continued into research and development. And there will be many, many families right across Tasmania to work hard day in, day out. We’ve seen them here today working to support their families, knowing full well that the federal government, the coalition and indeed the state government have got their backs. Because these resource based industries are the industries, we need support to innovate and so we can ensure a continued jobs growth throughout Tasmania. So we, as a state government, can also support those key areas of investment in health, education and housing to name just a few. Thank you very much, and I will hand over to our Resources Minister.
GUY BARNETT: Thanks Premier, Prime Minister Bridget Archer. I strongly welcome and endorse today’s announcement. It’s a vote of support and encouragement for the forest industry in Tasmania. Tasmania is, Launceston specifically is the epicentre of quality forest management, practises of forest research and innovation. We’ve been backing it in these past years with funding support with the federal government, and today is a vote of confidence and we are so grateful because it will send the message that the industry is managed in a quality and best practise way. What we do know is that what is good, it’s recyclable, it’s sustainable, it’s renewable, it’s the ultimate renewable. And in Tasmania, that’s what we do and we do it well. We have trees and they grow really well in Tasmania. So wood is absolutely good and today is a big day and thank you to the Prime Minister and Jono Duniam, Bridget Archer and the Liberal team for supporting the native forest industry. Best practise management is what we’re about here in Tasmania and to back that in is absolutely superb. So we want to continue in an upward trajectory and today’s announcement will back that in. What we don’t want to see is another Labor grand government that brought the forest industry to its knees. With thousands of jobs lost, 4,300 jobs were lost in those years leading up to the election, when a majority liberal government backed in the industry and rebuilt the forest industry. And now there’s an opportunity to take it to the next level. We strongly endorse today’s announcement, and we’re very grateful.
SENATOR DUNIAM: Well, you heard it here today. We are a private forestry government. The announcements that have been made today, the commitments we are making to this industry have been designed with industry over the last three years. And we’ve seen what happens when the other side, the Labor Party, get into power. They shut it down. They work with their mates, the Greens, and they shut down forestry. It happened here in Tasmania, as happened elsewhere in the country. Today we’ve outlined our plan, which you can go away and compare and contrast against what the Labor Party will do and have done in the past. We’re investing in additional research and development. It’s going to take us back to the front of the pack as the PM said, doing things we have not done before, getting more out of less and enabling us to address some of the supply shortage issues we have now. The investments in processor supports, the innovative grants that we’re going to be rolling out those things in this bill. We’re standing here today, this family owned business, a very proud business and native forestry business. They’re going to be able to bring back operations from offshore, from outside of Australia and with it 50 jobs. That’s the kind of plan we are delivering, and that’s what we’re going to be able to support this industry to do the 73,000 Australian men and women. I just want to go to work and earn an honest living. We’re going to support them to make sure they can continue to do it and our commitment. To work at state and territory governments to make sure that there are no more politically motivated, reckless lock ups at native forestry is something we have to do. We do forestry here better than anywhere else in the world. It’s based on science. We have world’s best practice and this government, the Morrison government, stands behind those who work in it. So we are going to make sure that we underpin this industry, giving a resource certainty. The choice is clear. You can back a pro-forestry government with a plan that is going to generate jobs. It’s going to protect the jobs we have. It stands proudly with the industry who are here with us today or the three years of silence on forestry that we had from Labor.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, (inaudible) election campaign with congestion busting infrastructure, you said, you wanted to get people home sooner and safer, that largely has happened either. And you promised a National Integrity Commission, which also has to happen. If you can’t deliver on what you’ve promised, how can Australians trust what you say now?
PRIME MINISTER: Let me tell you what we have achieved. Our Government has reduced unemployment to 4 per cent. Our Government, working together with state and territory governments around the country, has faced the biggest health crisis in a hundred years. The biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression. And coming out of that crisis, we’ve saved tens of thousands of lives. We have put 375,000 more people have jobs than we even had before the pandemic. Our rate of economic growth outstrips those of the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Japan. We have one of the highest rates of vaccination against COVID and pandemic preparedness in the world. We are delivering some of the biggest infrastructure projects this nation has ever seen. Whether it be Snowy 2.0, Western Sydney International Airport, the Inland Rail projects, the North-South Corridor down there in South Australia, and in this Budget in particular, we have announced some of the biggest regional transformation projects which are going to ensure that this country can unlock the wealth of our regions. Now when particularly it comes to forestry, we have seen the resurgence of the forestry industry. But yes, we’ve had some setbacks. The bushfires saw some 80,000 hectares, I think specifically, on forestry, which was damaged. And that target that we set was out to 2030. So there is still some time to go there, Johnno, until we reach that mark. And that’s why the research that we’ve put into this package is all about ensuring that we can increase the yield and the success of the forestry crops we’re putting in to meet the very commitment that we’ve set. But the difference, the thing is, Johnno, though, you’re right, this is a choice. This is a choice at this election. It’s a choice between a Government that you know. A Government that has a strong economic plan that has kept people in work, that has brought tens of thousands of businesses through the worst crisis we’ve seen. That has been tested each and every day in these very trying circumstances and an Opposition, that you don’t. And the consequences of that choice are very real, because the consequences of that choice is, if you choose a Labor Party that doesn’t know how to manage money, that hasn’t got an economic plan that hasn’t been able to tell people who they are and what they’re about, then you can’t have confidence about their ability to keep down the pressure on rising cost of living, to keep putting Australians into jobs as we have put people into jobs, and to keep delivering the infrastructure projects on the ground – working together with state governments to ensure that people do get home sooner and safer. And the big infrastructure projects we’re delivering to keep generating those jobs, which are seen in the Australian economy got to the head of the international pack.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister. In regard to the National Integrity Commission, you’re asking Australians to trust you and you haven’t delivered on a promise, about trust, about integrity?
PRIME MINISTER: I have to disagree with you, because –
JOURNALIST: It’s a broken promise isn’t it?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, no, it’s not.
JOURNALIST You promised to establish (inaudible). That’s a broken promise.
PRIME MINISTER: We put forward our proposal in detailed legislation and it has not been supported by the Labor Party. I need bipartisan support to put that in place. I’m not going to introduce a Kangaroo Court. I’m not going to introduce a policy that I don’t think is in the nation’s best interests and how it would be corrupted by a Labor Party that’s more interested in playing politics with this issue than addressing the real issues. I put forward a detailed plan, a detailed proposal, which the Labor Party rejects. So I’ve honoured my proposal. The Labor Party don’t support it. That’s where the issue rests.
JOURNALIST: I have a question for Bridget Archer.
PRIME MINISTER: Sure.
JOURNALIST: The Prime Minister indicated yesterday that he’ll only move forward with a National Integrity Commission unless Labor supports it in its current form (inaudible). Is that good enough? And do you agree with him (inaudible)?
ARCHER: Look, I have spoken on this several times and made the view that all sides of politics agree that we should have some sort of national integrity body. The disagreement comes on what that should look like, and I think the Prime Minister is quite right that nothing will move forward until politics is taken out of it. That’s what I’ve said all the way along.
JOURNALIST: You don’t support the Government’s position do you (inaudible) on a National, on a Commonwealth Integrity Commission?
ARCHER: But I think that all sides of politics think that we should have a National Integrity Commission, and my view has always been, my view has always been. No, I certainly do not want the Labor model. My view has always been all the way through and every occasion that I’ve spoken about it. But all sides of politics will need to come together to get this done in a bipartisan way, as the Prime Minister has said.
JOURNALIST: Why should the people of Bass support this Prime Minister when you haven’t supported key planks of his agenda? You sink key parts of his religious discrimination proposals, you also do not support his model on the Integrity Commission and now you’re asking the Bass to support you. Isn’t that a bit disingenuous?
ARCHER: Not at all. That’s absolutely my job, and it’s part of why I’m a Member of the Liberal team, because my job is to come out here and represent the people of Bass and to speak on behalf of the people of Bass. The Prime Minister has to balance that with the considerations for the entire country. And so I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t stand up and say what was important for the people of Bass. And the Prime Minister has to take that and balance that with the needs of everyone else across the country. And I’m proud to be part of this team that can give me the ability to do that and to move forward as part of that team. If I sat on the Labor benches, I’d be out the door.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just on forestries.
PRIME MINISTER: Yep.
JOURNALIST: You updated us before, you, the 2030 target to plant one billion trees, you’ve only achieved one per cent of that. I know you say you’ve still got some time, but experts would severely disagree and they say that the target needs to be looked at, so will you change that target? And if not, who do you blame for the failure?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I already said we had, of course, the setbacks from the Black Summer fires, which had a massive impact on the forestry industry and a big part of our response to the forestry industry through the Black Summer fires. I was down there in Eden when I announced that package of support. To support the millers, support the industry to get back up on its feet. And so I don’t think anyone in Australia would take casually the impact that the Black Summer fires has had on our forestry industry and we’ve moved to support them. And we are monitoring that target. We intend to, we intend to hit it. And that’s why in today’s announcement, we understand that the future of the forestry industry, because we believe in it, we really do believe it, and we always have. Many of you will remember when John Howard came to Launceston many years ago when the Labor Party was trying to destroy the forestry industry then. It was the Liberals and Nationals who stood up to the forestry industry. When the Greens and Labor, here, at a state level ripped 4,000 jobs out of the forestry industry, who stood up for the forestry industry? The Liberals stood up for the forestry industry here in Tasmania. And again, that’s what we’re seeing here. And whether it’s here, or in Eden, or other parts of the country in Victoria, where forestry is so important. What they know from today is we’re going to invest in the research and the science. And (inaudible) is here today for the University of Tasmania. He understands the importance of getting the science and the research right to inform the industry’s plans and particularly to inform our plans to make those commitments that we take very seriously. We didn’t set them because we thought they were easy. We set them because we believe they are important. And so we’re going to keep working to that, despite the setbacks that we’ve had. And this is a big commitment to ensure that we can meet those targets today.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the UK Government has announced a five year refugee resettlement deal and endorsed boat turn backs. Albanese was just asked at his press conference about this, and he said he would turn boats back, which means there is no need for offshore detention. What’s your, what’s your reaction to this?
PRIME MINISTER: Anthony Albanese has had every position on border protection. He has supported everything he has opposed and he’s opposed everything that he has supported, and we’ve seen that across so many issues. So I’m not surprised that Australians are confused about what he stands for. Anthony Albanese said that he could not ask someone to do something that he couldn’t do, and he was, he was saying that that meant boat turn backs. Now, I designed the boat turn back policy. I implemented it. And I stood up to criticism, day, after day, after day. I remember back at the 2013 election, people said this was an inhumane policy. It wouldn’t work. There’s no way you could make it happen. And I stood firm on that policy. And then I implemented it. And it worked. And we stopped the deaths at sea. We closed 17 detention centres that Labor had to open. We got every single child out of detention that Labor had put into detention. And let’s not forget, because I saw them with my own eyes. I went to Manus Island, where Labor put children in offshore detention centres on Manus Island. I met them there. I met their mothers and I saw their distress, and I put in place a policy that ended all that and got them out. So if people want to weigh up and understand these issues of border protection, they can believe someone who came up with it, stood up to the opposition on it, which included Anthony Albanese, implemented it safely, stopped the boats, protected our borders, closed the detention centres, and got the children out. Or they can listen to Anthony Albanese, who has been a complete weather vane on this issue. Who is this guy? That’s what Australians are asking. They’ve had, he’s had three years to tell them who he is. People know me. Some people disagree with me. Some people agree with me. Some people don’t like how I say some things, other people do. But you know who I am. And when it comes to border protection, I’ll tell you who knows who I am? The people smugglers.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, would you be open to amending the Integrity Bill? Would you be open to considering making some of those changes to address those criticisms, particularly when one of your own members does support amending some of those?
PRIME MINISTER: Bridget and I have had many discussions around this Bill. What I’m concerned about, is the circus that Labor would want to put in place with an Integrity Commission. I’ve lived with that in New South Wales. I’ve seen the lives destroyed by a Commission such as that which becomes a Kangaroo Court and goes around and seems to operate through politics and shaming people, and the proper process that should go to those important issues being properly considered. I’ve seen the damage that that causes, and I don’t want to see something of that nature. That’s why we carefully designed, and we’ve already taken steps by increasing our funding and increasing the powers to ACLEI. Now, those who aren’t familiar with that organisation, that’s the organisation that polices law enforcement in this country. And we’ve extended its mandate to many more arms of the Government’s law enforcement operations and to ensure, because at a Federal level, as you know, I mean, at a Federal level, we don’t deal with things like planning and development controls. We don’t deal with things like racing, and gaming, and liquor licensing, and all of those sorts of issues. At a Federal level, there are major contracts, and that’s done at arm’s length, and the decisions are made away from Ministers, and made by public servants. I’m just saying, our model has been well-thought through and we’ve considered the sort of protections that need to be around something like this to make it work effectively, and not see it descend into the sort of farce that we’ve seen in New South Wales, where it’s just weaponised politically to try and destroy people who have been cleared and time and time again.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible) Bridget Archer.
JOURNALIST: Bridget Archer, do you agree that the New South Wales ICAC is a Kangaroo Court?
ARCHER: Well, what I’ve said, and what I’ve said it a number of times now, is that there needs to be a bipartisan commitment to an Integrity Commission.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible) that New South Wales ICAC is a Kangaroo Court?
ARCHER: Well I’m from Tasmania and I don’t have too much exposure to the New South Wales ICAC.
JOURNALIST: (Inaudible), do you agree with the Prime Minister that the New South Wales ICAC is a Kangaroo Court?
ARCHER: I’m from Tasmania and I’m not that familiar with the New South Wales ICAC. What I have said and what I will continue to say is that I would like to see the positive promotion of integrity in public life. There are a lot of ways to achieve that. One of those may be through an Integrity Commission legislation, but there are other ways to achieve that. I’ll continue to talk within the Government.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible) So if you win the next election, will this be an Integrity Commission? Will it be a priority for your Government? Will you commit to introducing an Integrity Commission? And second to that, you didn’t answer Jono’s question, around commuter carparks. The last election you promised a number of carparks that are still not built. How can voters trust you that on the election commitments you’re making this time around will actually eventuate?
PRIME MINISTER: They were important questions. Just remind me on the the first part of the question?
JOURNALIST: Just on the Integrity Commission, are you committing to it? Is it a priority?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you’ve asked me about priorities and I’ll talk about what my priorities are: jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs and jobs. That’s what my priority is. That’s –
JOURNALIST: Is there no corruption at the federal level?
PRIME MINISTER: I haven’t, I haven’t finished my answer, so just. Okay. My priority –
JOURNALIST: You haven’t started.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I’ve uttered five words and each of those were jobs. That’s our priority. National security is our priority. The world we’re facing at the moment means that my Government will first and foremost be focussed on ensuring we secure our economic recovery with the economic plan that is creating the jobs and the forestry announcement today. It is important to that. And secondly, ensuring that in an uncertain world that we had in place the strong national defences and national security. Now, on other matters that are important, such as the ones you’ve raised in terms of Integrity Commission, our proposal is there. It’s clear, it’s detailed, it’s been well thought through. It is there to be supported. It is our policy. The Labor Party’s policy on this issue is two pages. It’s two pages.
JOURNALIST: If you win a majority, you don’t need Labor, if you have a majority.
PRIME MINISTER: So I would invite the Labor Party to come together in a bipartisan spirit and support our Bill. And that is our policy.
JOURNALIST: What about the carparks though?
PRIME MINISTER On the commuter car parks, this is a program, and many of those car parks are underway, and some of them are not, their partnerships done with state governments, and they require us to work together on securing land and putting projects in place. Because, as you know, the Federal Government does not have a department of building that is done through state governments. They led the contracts. On occasions when we’ve been able to do it with local councils, we’ve done that directly, and we’ve been able to get those in place. There have been some projects as we’ve gone through the planning phases, as you do to do them properly, that some of those projects have changed. But you asked me in particular, how people can have confidence about our ability to follow through with these plans.
JOURNALIST: No I asked you but can they trust you to follow through with your election commitments (inaudible)?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, let me answer that question. Because only Liberals and the Nationals have an economic plan that can back up the promises and the commitments we’re making at this election, because you can say a lot of things in an election campaign. You can say all the things you like, but if you don’t have an economic plan, and if you don’t know how to manage money, and if you don’t even know what’s going on in the economy – and I’m not talking about the fact that he couldn’t remember a number – I’m talking about the fact that he didn’t even know what the number was. I’m talking about that he didn’t know what was going on in the economy, in one of the most fundamental issues. And for those who may not be thinking, well what does that really matter? If you don’t know what’s going on in the economy, then you can’t put together plans that grow jobs. He talks about job security. He talks about wages. If you don’t understand what’s going on in the economy, if you don’t understand how important the resources industry is, the forestry industry is, and all of these to regional economies, then you can’t look regional people in the eye and say that you’ve got their backs. The Premier and I can say that here in Tasmania, when it comes to the forestry industry. I’ve got the economic plan, and the economic record, and the economic wherewithal, to deliver on what we’re saying.
JOURNALIST: You’re trying to form a majority Government, why is your position on an Integrity Commission even dependent on what Labor agrees?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the Senate. Simple as that.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible) introduce it in the House?
PRIME MINISTER: My position has been very clear on many pieces of legislation. I don’t, I don’t go through theatrical exercises in the Parliament. What I do is I seek to have legislation passed. And where I believe legislation can be passed, that is in the national interest, then I pursue that. Sometimes people have pretended to act in good faith towards us on these issues. And you will remember in the middle of the pandemic, I set out very clearly at the National Press Club. I said there are some things we really need to do in the industrial relations area to give people certainty about their jobs. I remember one of those was the Greenfield sites commitments and we got everybody together. We sat down with the ACTU, we sat down with employers. There was countless hours of consultation, of negotiation. Labor said they were engaged in the process and when it got into the Parliament, they played politics and they referred to the sort of security that we were looking to give to casual workers in this country as collateral damage, as a result of not supporting that Bill. So forgive me if I don’t take the Labor Party at their word, because what, it’s today’s Thursday. What Anthony Albanese will believe on Saturday is an open proposition because he stood for everything he’s opposed and he’s opposed everything he stood for. No wonder people don’t know who he is. And this election is a choice between who you do know and what they have done and what our plans are. And someone you just don’t know.
JOURNALIST: What you just said about the Senate, what attempts have you made or your Attorney-General made, what negotiations have you had with crossbenchers in the Senate on the Integrity Commission Bill? The Bill was out for consultation for a year. No changes were made despite 300 submissions, more than 300 submissions. So what attempts have you made to get actual bipartisan or crossbench support for this?
PRIME MINISTER: Two Attorneys have had, have made strong approaches on these issues. The problem is we’re not going to agree to changes which we think aren’t in the national interest. We’ve put forward our proposal. Everyone knows what our proposal is. It’s in detailed legislation. Labor has a two-page fluff document. It’s not a real policy. They talk about these issues in, in a fluffy sort of way. But where’s their specific proposal? We’ve got a specific one and we believe it’s in the national interest. And if they put things forward that we don’t agree with, you know, we are allowed to disagree in this country. We are allowed to have different views. And I think we have to disagree better. I think that’s important for civil debate in this country, but we’re very clear about what we stand for. Australians don’t know what the Labor Party stands for. They don’t know what the Labor leader stands for. Mark.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese said today the reason that you won’t put a National Integrity Commission forward is pretty simple. It’s because you’re protecting people on your frontbench. How do you respond to that? His accusation is that the actions of the Ministers there, would put them into question now and that’s why you don’t have one?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, this is Anthony Albanese as usual. He doesn’t have an economic plan, so he goes for the grubby smear. He’s been doing that for the last three years. Anthony, having a crack at me is not a substitute for not having an economic plan and not knowing what’s going on in the economy. You know, we’re in an election campaign now. People want to know what you think now, mate, not just what you think about me. People know what you think about me. I think it’s pretty clear. You’ve made it pretty obvious. But they want to know what your plans are on the economy. And so far all we’ve seen is nothing. And when they do come up with a policy, they borrow it from Kevin Rudd, and I’m going to tell them, if you’re going to go through Kevin Rudd’s policy book, try and pick the good ones. I know, I know it requires a bit of effort, but try and pick the good ones.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, (inaudible). The housing industry at the moment, how exactly does this announcement help tradies that can’t find timber or those (inaudible)?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you’ve highlighted exactly the issue is seeking to address and these issues you can’t turn around overnight. And it is true that the events in Ukraine and Russia have further exacerbated some of those supply chain issues. That is true. And that’s why it’s so important that we continue to ensure we have a sovereign forestry industry here in this country, which is exactly what this is about. Making sure the forestry industry works smarter, has the best science and has the best research and, and ensuring that the trade agreements that we have in place, which are extensive. I mean, no government over the last eight years have done more than to expand our trade frontiers and ensure opening up supply chains, and particularly with trusted, like-minded partners than our Government has. And so getting access to those supplies is incredibly important. But equally, you have to build up your own sovereign capability. So could you imagine, what it would be like right now if you were trying to get timber products, if there hadn’t been a government in Tasmania and a government at the federal level, two Liberal governments that have kept this industry going? It would, it, mean you’d think you’d have issues now, they’d be far worse because, you know, remember Nick McKim. Senator McKim was in the Labor Greens Government here in Tasmania and it’ll be one of those Greens Senators at a Federal level. You know they’ve laid out their log of claims for the Labor Party about what it’ll cost them to buy their support. I tell you what, I will never, ever do a deal with the Greens, because we’re just not on the same page. We’re not even on the same planet as them, when it comes to economic policy. But I’ll tell you what, Labor and the Greens, they’re cohabitators.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on the airport crunch we’re seeing across the country ahead of Easter, people having to line up for hours ahead of flights. Sydney this morning at 3am, people running up with bags. How are you actually going to be able to fix this? Is this something the Federal Government could do, given this is such a crucial issue if you want the economy to take off?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you know, obviously the airlines are finding some challenges, particularly as they’re building up again after the pandemic. And I think while these are very frustrating delays for travellers as they’re getting away for, thankfully some school holidays and being able to spend some time with family, these are days we’ve been looking forward to during this pandemic. And it’s particularly great for the tourism industry. I’ve noticed down here, especially Bridget and Jeremy, that it’s great to see so many people down here in Tassie, enjoying a holiday. I noticed that Bridget, when we were down in Georgetown the other day. People up from Sydney and Melbourne, and that’s terrific. But as the country, you know, comes back up again, as it revives our tourist industry, our travel industry. Yeah, there’s going to be some congestion issues along the way. There’s going to be some setbacks as the staff come back in, the systems build up again, and I just ask people to show some patience. I know it’s frustrating and I know the airlines and everybody is doing everything they can to turn that around, and I’m sure they will. And but, you know, isn’t it great? You know we’re –
JOURNALIST: Is this what living with COVID looks like?
PRIME MINISTER: I think this is, this is what returning to normal looks like. This is what, this is what returning to normal looks like. We’re not at normal yet, and we get through these challenges as the industry stand up again. We’ve got real challenges when it comes to workforce around the country. And no different here, but it was great to meet Richard inside. You know Richard, a couple of weeks ago, he was picking grapes, and here he is, working at this plant here because there’s lots of jobs. And you know, you want a strong economy, you want a stronger future, then you’re got to focus on the jobs. You’ve got to focus on the things that matter most. And what matters most is that Australians can be in jobs and Australians can be safe. Thanks very much, everyone.
