TRANSCRIPT: MORUYA PRESS CONFERENCE, 10 June 2021

11:34AM

E&OE

Subjects: Eurobodalla Southern Storage, Kosciuszko Snowies Iconic Walk, Biloela Family, Victoria;

LIZ INNES

We are absolutely delighted to welcome the Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack, here for an incredible announcement that is going to do so very much for us here for generations to come with water security, resilience, helping us with many of the things that we’ve been dealing with over the last 16 months and for many, many years. So, Mr McCormack, welcome. It’s a $51.2 million announcement to our southern catchment project. That is a project that is a group effort by the Federal Government, the State Government and of course, by Eurobodalla Shire Council and we’re very proud to welcome the Deputy Prime Minister.

KRISTY McBAIN

Well, thank you very much and thank you to Mayor Innes who I’ve known now for a number of years and have had the great pleasure of working with, not only as neighbouring council mayors but also on the Canberra Region Joint Organisation, which was where this project was first brought to my attention. It’s been an honour for me to be able to support the Eurobodalla Shire Council in their advocacy to the Federal Government as the member for Eden-Monaro. A project like this is one that is above politics. It brings three levels of government together and it is above politics because it’s a great initiative not only needed and wanted by this community but, as Liz said, one that will for generations make a huge difference as to the ongoing water security for primary production, the town water supply, but also in any future natural disasters that we may encounter. So, a huge congratulations to Liz and your team, General Manager, Catherine Dale and Director of Infrastructure, Warren Sharpe for their vision, for the elected council body for putting their time, effort and energy into this project, because it will make a difference for the future and well done to the three levels of government for making this project a reality for communities like ours.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, thank you to both the Eurobodalla Shire Mayor Liz Innes and Kristy McBain, the Member for Eden-Monaro, for their comments and I’m also here talking on behalf of the New South Wales Government, Andrew Constance, John Barilaro and Melinda Pavey, who could not be here today because the New South Wales Parliament is sitting in Macquarie Street, but certainly their best wishes are with this project and with this community, the wider region which will benefit from this announcement today. $102.5 million is going towards this special project, this important piece of infrastructure, which is going to unlock, I believe, investment and potential for the Eurobodalla for decades to come. This is a significant announcement, $51.2 million from the Federal Government, supported by the Eurobodalla Shire, supported by the New South Wales Government. This goes to show what we can do as a nation when you have local government, State Government and Commonwealth supporting an important project, coming together cooperatively, collaboratively and working together for the benefit of the community. As Kristy McBain has just said, this is above politics. She’s Labor. I’m National Party. I work in the Federal Government, but we work on behalf of communities, we work on behalf of people to get things done and that’s what we have done since getting back into power in 2013. We have worked so hard for communities, for communities to bring about the best outcomes and this is going to be so important for primary production, for town water security and indeed for any potential natural disasters that might happen into the future. So, this investment as part of the $3.5 billion National Water Grid Fund is going to make such a difference – a world of difference – to this community. I know how hard the community has fought to get this outcome today – this announcement as part of the May 11 Budget – where we put down the money, we put down the plan, so that the nation knew that during these difficult times, these unprecedented challenging times, the Government was there to support their efforts, the community’s efforts, to get delivery, to get action on the ground and of course, water storage is one of the most important things in our nation today and we are delivering. Also delighted today as well, for the economic recovery partnerships. Now, I know this area has been hard hit by any number of factors in recent times and, of course, those $10 million projects right throughout the nation – the Snowies Iconic Walk, 55 kilometres, stage four is being funded as part of a $10 million initiative by the Federal Government, supporting the money that the State Government has put into it, $17 million for the first three stages of that iconic 55 kilometre walk. So, we’ll be finishing off the last 11 kilometres from Perisher Valley through to Bullocks Flat. It is an iconic area. It is for adventure trails. It is for those eco-tourists and I know how much of a difference that is going to make when people want to have a holiday at home, because with the international borders closed, they’re going to have a holiday at home and what better place to do it than Kosciuszko National Park? What better place to do it than Eurobodalla, than the South Coast, than this wonderful part of New South Wales? And indeed, the eco-trails are something that more and more Australians are visiting, loving, it’s picturesque, it’s wonderful and I know that Tim Fischer, a former National Party Leader and indeed Deputy Prime Minister, he pioneered that Tumbatrek. I know Kristy was part of that when she first became the Member for Eden-Monaro. I know how much she enjoyed it and how much I’ve always enjoyed it having restarted the Tumbatrek. It’s all part of the Kosciusko experience and I urge and encourage Australians to do that. They’re going to be able to benefit to the tune of $10 million as we finish off that stage four of the Snowies Iconic Walk, that trail which has lured so many people to this area and will do so much more into the future.

JOURNALIST

Thank you, Deputy Prime Minister, the Government has already spent millions [inaudible] the Biloela family on Christmas Island. Why hasn’t the Minister intervened [inaudible] to save money if nothing else?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, the Minister is actually making a final determination on the Biloela family as we can speak, so that announcement will come as soon as he’s assessed it, as you would expect.

JOURNALIST

Sorry – consideration involve granting the family a visa of some sort?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

That will be up to the Minister. Alex Hawke will make that determination and will make an announcement soon.

JOURNALIST

Did the Foreign Minister misspeak earlier this week when she floated the idea of resettlement in New Zealand or the United States and the Home Affairs Minister as well?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Yes, well, that is a possibility and that could well be part of where the family finally settles and certainly wish them all the very best.

JOURNALIST

Again, on the Biloela family, do you have compassion for the situation with the younger girl’s treatment in hospital at present [inaudible] would you personally like to see the family [inaudible]?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, we’ve always had a policy with those people who came to our nation via the boats that they would be resettled elsewhere. We’ve had that policy. They were put in detention by the previous Labor Government and we always had that assurance that we would, when we came back into Government, close the borders and stop the boats because too many people died making that unnecessary risky voyage to our shores and 55,000 people came to Australia in an unauthorised way. And we said when we returned to Government that we would stop the boats, that we would make sure that those people who came here in that fashion would be resettled elsewhere. We didn’t want to see that ugly trade continue and that’s what we’ve done and that’s what we’ve stuck hard and fast to and yes, there are of course, very difficult and challenging circumstances for so many people, for so many families, but the people who have been placed into detention have received the very best of care – the very best of care. Of course, I’m a compassionate person, as is everybody who gets into Parliament irrespective of their political persuasion. We’re all Australians. We’re all compassionate. These are difficult circumstances, as I appreciate and we’re working through them and the Minister will make that determination very soon.

JOURNALIST

This teleconference was actually muted at the very beginning of the announcement, so could you just go over the details for what the $51.2 million was for –

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Sure, so, it’s a 3,000 megalitre off-stream water storage dam – weir, if you like – that’s going to be put on a stream off the Tuross River. So, this is going to build capacity for downstream primary production, town security, water security for the 4,000 people who call Moruya home. This is also going to provide water storage which may well be used in the case of future natural disasters, obviously, fires and we want to make sure that as part of the $3.5 billion that we’ve got in the National Water Grid Fund that this money is going to build that vital water storage capacity right around the nation, whether it’s here in the Eurobodalla, whether it’s in Queensland, whether it’s in – well, whatever state or territory. I’m here. I’ve got a chequebook. I’ve got a fund and I want to build water capacity. I want to build water storage infrastructure and that’s what we’re doing. Only the other day, I visited Rookwood Weir where already there were 120 people onsite with 50 graders and excavators building a 202-metre-wide, five-storey-high weir, which is going to make such a difference on the Fitzroy. This is building primary production. We want to take agriculture from the $66 billion enterprise that it is today to $100 billion by 2030. We can do it by adding water and that’s what we’ll be doing.

JOURNALIST

Thanks. The Moruya Bypass is also moving ahead are there are some concerns in the community that [inaudible] could be updated to steer away from the new Eurobodalla hospital. Can you confirm today that road project will go ahead?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

This will be a matter of working with the State Government too. State Governments primarily fund state public hospitals. That’s their remit but I work very closely whether it’s Brad Hazzard, the New South Wales Health Minister, indeed even more closely with Andrew Constance, who obviously has the portfolio responsibility for building roads, as well as Paul Toole, of course, regional country roads. I work perhaps more closely with Andrew and Paul given the infrastructure portfolios that we all occupy. People aren’t going to miss out. I don’t want people thinking that it’s going to be robbing Peter to pay Paul. Road infrastructure is allocated under a bucket of money for roads that the Commonwealth certainly feeds into. In the case of regional infrastructure, as far as roads are concerned, it’s an 80 per cent/20 per cent Federal-State contribution. So, that’s how we do it. Whether it’s in the Eden-Monaro, whether it’s anywhere around the country, we’re funding $110 billion of infrastructure. That’s supporting 100,000 workers and we’re doing it in collaboration with states. We do it in such events as today’s in conjunction with local government and local government has certainly been the big beneficiary of the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure funding that we are putting down, millions upon millions of dollars going out to shires, such as this one, to improve those outcomes for their regional road network, to make roads safer and certainly with the $3 billion that we’re putting down as far as the road safety upgrades, putting down audio-tactile strips, rumble strips and shoulder strengthening and the like, that is making a difference and that is saving lives. Whether it’s the Princes Highway, whether it’s those country tracks that have never seen a lick of asphalt in their existence, we’re putting down road infrastructure that is going to actually save lives and get people where they need to be sooner and safer.

JOURNALIST

Victorian Treasurer wants the Commonwealth to extend payments for workers who are still out of work due to restrictions. Will the Federal Government – 

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, Treasurer Pallas has had a lot to say lately and Treasurer Pallas also knows that the Federal Government has provided so much support for Victorians, definitely more support per capita of population for Victorians than any other state. We’ve put down more than $40 billion of support for Victorians and we’ll go on working with the states, as we’ve always done, as we’ve always done through COVID-19. What I would suggest too, is that Victoria very much considers very carefully lockdown provisions in the future. Yes, of course, it is important that public health comes first, and I know the Victorian Government, just like any Government, listens to, very closely, its public health authorities, the experts who have guided us so well through the COVID pandemic. That’s why we have had low case rates. That’s why we have had such a low death toll compared to other nations in the world. But the assistance we’ve provided for Victoria has been unprecedented and it’s been record funding and of course, we’ll monitor the situation, we’ll take on board what the Victorian Government requests and we’ll certainly continue that dialogue with James Merlino. He’s got my number. I messaged him recently when I was Acting Prime Minister when our own Prime Minister Scott Morrison went to New Zealand and happy to talk to James any time he likes to pick the phone up and ask and talk to me.

JOURNALIST

[Inaudible] said that they would like to see the family returned to Biloela. Do you share that position?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

I share the Government’s position and that is that we have the Minister making a determination now and that is an important thing that he will consider that. It is his responsibility as far as his portfolio is concerned and I wish the family all the best.

JOURNALIST

Would you like to see the [inaudible]?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

What I don’t want to see is people encouraged by the fact that so many who came to Australia in an unauthorised fashion then get settlement in the nation, because what I don’t want to see encouraged is other people to want to try the same attempt to get to Australia. Now, we were very conscious of the fact that when we were returned to Government in 2013, that there’d been 55,000 unauthorised arrivals in Australia and that couldn’t continue. We were very hard and fast with the fact that we said we would not have those people settle in Australia. I appreciate this family has attempted through any means and a number of means – which is their right – to try to settle here. But what we don’t want to see is a return to the bad old days under Labor where so many people arrive on our shores unauthorised and sadly so many of them lost their lives attempting to do so. Thank you very much.

ENDS 11:51AM

Shane Manning