PRIME MINISTER

16 March 2014

TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER THE HON. TONY ABBOTT MP JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE WITH THE HON. BARRY OFARRELL MP, PREMIER OF NEW SOUTH WALES, SYDNEY
Subjects: Building the roads of the 21st century for New South Wales; South Australian and Tasmanian elections; Malaysian Airlines flight. E&OE. PREMIER OFARRELL: Prime Minister its terrific to have you back at the Traffic Management Centre, its terrific to be with you again as the State and Federal Governments commit funding to meet private sector funding to deliver another missing link in Sydney. As the Minister for Roads just said this is an important project, its an important project because it again fills in one of the gaps in Sydneys road network. Its a gap that sees 80,000 vehicles a day, including 10,000 trucks, plying their wares along Pennant Hills Road. Under this proposal people using this link, 5000 trucks will come off Pennant Hills Road missing 21 sets of traffic lights and thats good for locals, its good for those who are travelling through Pennant Hills Road and its also good for the environment. I want to thank the Federal Government for their clear commitment to infrastructure projects like this. This is the second time in less than a year Ive stood beside a Prime Minister committed to delivering infrastructure in Australias largest city, but infrastructure that will also assist the national economy. I want to thank Transurban for putting this proposal to the New South Wales Government; a proposal thats come through the unsolicited policy approach. I want to thank the Minister for Roads whos worked overtime to ensure that within 12 months of receiving the proposal its now going to become a reality. But above all, I want to make the point that this is a government in New South Wales that is building both road and rail projects to ensure that people in this city, people travelling through this city, have choice of options, have ease of travel because we want a modern economy, a modern transport system. Were determined to deliver balance, whether through heavy rail projects in the northwest and the southwest, whether through those light rail projects that are either underway or about to start or through projects like this that seek to fill in long term missing links in Sydneys road network matched with WestConnex as well as the widening the M5 West. Its a State Government determined to deliver the infrastructure that the people of this city and state need; its a State Government delighted to stand shoulder to shoulder with a Federal Government who has the same objectives. So this is a great day for anyone who uses Sydneys road
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network, but its also a great day for those who want to see a balanced approach to transport in this city because you have a government that is again demonstrating whether through rail, light rail or road projects were getting on with the job. PRIME MINISTER: Ok, well look, its really good to be here with the Premier today because this is a very important partnership between the Commonwealth Government and the New South Wales Government. Its a very important partnership - both Governments are putting in just over $400 million each to make this $3 billion bit of infrastructure happen. As the Premier and the Roads Minister have indicated, this is very good news for the motorists of Sydney, its very good news for the transport operators of Australia, its very good news for the environment because by cutting out 21 sets of traffic lights, by saving 15 minutes in travel time, by getting 5000 trucks a day off Pennant Hills Road, we help the environment, we help transport operators, we help motorists and we also help communities because we restore local roads to local people. So Im very excited about this, I have done everything I humanly can in cooperation with the Assistant Minister for Infrastructure Jamie Briggs to try to accelerate processes since the change of government in Canberra in September. We are working with every fibre of our being, every waking moment to try to ensure that the infrastructure that Australia needs the infrastructure of the 21st century that Australia needs is built more quickly, much more quickly than would otherwise be the case and I want to commend Premier OFarrell, Roads Minister Duncan Gay and the New South Wales Government for this unsolicited bids process which seems to have dramatically accelerated the speed with which we can get this particular piece of infrastructure built. So a great day for Sydney, a great day for Australia. Some questions? Okay. QUESTION: Prime Minister, is there any new Federal Government money in this project. The Federal Opposition Anthony Albanese says hes signed a deal with Barry OFarrell in June last year for $405 million. Is this new money? PRIME MINISTER: Its happened and the trouble is with the former government nothing much ever happened. This is now on the high road to construction and completion in a way that you could never be sure of under the former government in Canberra. PREMIER OFARRELL: Can I just add my perspective to that? Look, the difference between the Abbott Government and the RuddGillard-Rudd government is that the former Labor governments were very good at allegedly setting money aside in their budget so they could point to it come an election campaign. This Prime Minister, this Government points to the money and says to the State Government get on with the job. So whilst weve been enthusiastic about this project from day one, that enthusiasm has been fired on a regular basis by the Assistant Infrastructure Minister and by the Prime Minister himself who continue to say to the State Government whats happened? That didn't happen under the former government. QUESTION: Premier, when will construction and completion happen?
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PREMIER OFARRELL: Well, were hoping that by the end of this year, but we're saying within 12 months construction will have started and its expected to be completed by 2019. But North Connex is an amazing project because if you think about simply one statistic a truck for instance leaving the Port of Newcastle to go all the way to Melbourne without going through a single set of traffic lights. QUESTION: Prime Minister, can I ask you about the State elections? PRIME MINISTER: Yeah sure, but look, if there are other questions about NorthConnex lets have them and then well go onto other subjects. QUESTION: Premier, on NorthConnex on the 2019 timetable for completion, is that something that your Government is willing to guarantee? PREMIER OFARRELL: I didnt hear the second part of it. QUESTION: The 2019 timetable for completion is that something that youre willing to guarantee? PREMIER OFARRELL: Yes, and can I just make this point, theres never been a toll road that has opened in this city thats been delivered late and thats one of the benefits of partnering with the private sector for projects like this because the incentives are to deliver them as quickly as possible. And I have no doubt that the person standing on my right will be checking with me fairly regularly how progress is going. QUESTION: What will the tolls be, Premier? PREMIER OFARRELL: Well the tolls, you know, to compare them to today, theyll be roughly in line with the M2. So currently cars on the M2 pay just over $6, trucks pay about three times that. Theyll be in line with that by the time they open. The tolls will be equivalent between NorthConnex and the M2. PRIME MINISTER: Okay, other questions? QUESTION: On the South Australian election, Prime Minister, the Liberals were expecting a resounding victory in South Australia which hasn't occurred or doesn't look like its occurred. How much of that is a result of the
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Liberals message on jobs? The shedding of jobs in the public sector and also obviously the losses in the automotive sector? PRIME MINISTER: Two points. The first point is that Steven Marshall and the South Australian Liberal team have done an excellent job. It seems that theyve secured 53 per cent of the two-party preferred vote and that is a very strong message that the people of South Australia want a change of government. And I imagine that this is a message that won't be lost on the two independent members of the South Australian Parliament. Second point, it was always going to be tough to win because of the nature of the electorates in South Australia. Last time round we got almost 52 per cent of the two-party preferred vote and still were, I think, six seats short of a majority. Thats an extraordinary situation when you can win 52 per cent of the two-party preferred vote and still be six seats short of a majority. This time it seems weve won about 53 per cent which, as I said, is a good result in anyone's language. We have run a much better targeted campaign so weve got very close to winning the seats we need for a majority, but let's not forget that theres still about 20 per cent of the vote to be counted and I am quite optimistic that our position will improve over the next week or so as the absentee and pre-poll and postal votes are counted. QUESTION: Are you concerned with that trend, Prime Minister? Winning the popular vote twice now and potentially losing the election twice? PRIME MINISTER: Well, I suspect the people of South Australia will feel cheated if having voted quite substantially for a change of Government, thats not what they get. And, as I said, I think thats a message that won't be lost on the independent members of parliament. Obviously they will be looking at the way the state voted overall before they make decisions about what they might be doing in the coming parliament. QUESTION: Prime Minister, do you think South Australians are worried about further job losses, job shedding under Federal and State Liberal Governments? PRIME MINISTER: I think the people of Australia understand that the only way to safeguard jobs for the future is to get taxes down, to get regulation down, to get productivity up, to unleash the creative potential of our people. The problem with the Labor Party at all levels is that they think government creates jobs. Well, the Liberal Party understands what I think the vast majority of Australians know in the marrow of their bones, that its business that creates jobs. That you cannot have a tax and subsidy led recovery because thats what Labor always wants; it wants higher taxes and more subsidies, but no country has ever taxed or subsidised its way to prosperity. No state has ever taxed or subsidised its way to prosperity and the fact that some 53 per cent of the South Australian electorate voted one way or another for the Liberal Party makes me think that people understand this well and truly. QUESTION: What impact do you think the spectre of thousands of looming job losses had or has had on the Liberal vote there?

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PRIME MINISTER: Well if you actually look at the statistics, as opposed to the gloom and doom that we constantly get from the Labor Party, the statistics suggest that theres been quite strong growth in jobs over the last month. Now, Im not trying to suggest that statistics dont bounce around, but nevertheless last months statistics suggested not only very strong jobs growth, but very strong full time jobs growth and I think thats an important antidote to the understandable disappointment when you had the announcements from Holden, Toyota and other big companies. QUESTION: Prime Minister, just on the issue of federation. If Jay Weatherill does manage to form a minority Labor government, can you guarantee that youll work as cooperatively with his government as you would with a Liberal government, given your particular history with hung parliaments? PRIME MINISTER: Well, I know what its like to be in a hung parliament and its not always easy for governments in hung parliaments, but again, if you look at the history of our country, particularly at the state level thereve been some quite successful minority governments as well as unsuccessful minority governments more recently at the federal level. I dont think we should make any assumptions as to the outcome of the South Australian election given that theres still 20 per cent plus of the vote to count. But whoever is the Premier will find a good partner in the Commonwealth, but the point I made before the election is that of the two candidates for the Premiership, one wanted to work constructively with the Commonwealth and the other was advertising what he said was going to be the world championship wrestling match with the Commonwealth. Now, I will be the same regardless. I will want to be a constructive partner with the Premier of South Australia whoever that Premier turns out to be, but one of the candidates wanted to be constructive, the other candidate said before the election that he wanted the mother of all fights. QUESTION: Has Steve Marshall been keen to do a deal with the independents to form a minority government if possible? PRIME MINISTER: Well my understanding is that the Liberals and the Labor Party I dare say too, have been talking already to the independents who will be in the coming parliament. QUESTION: To the Tasmanian election, will you be willing to put money on the table to help Hodgman come up with an alternative forest policy? PRIME MINISTER: Everyone knows the Commonwealths position on forestry in Tasmania. We want to revitalise the forestry industry in Tasmania and to that end we want to take 74,000 hectares out of the World Heritage listing because much of that is degraded, logged or plantation timber and we just dont see the sense in trying to lock up land which is either degraded, logged or plantation timber. So, we want to see a renaissance of forestry in Tasmania. Will Hodgman wants to see a renaissance of forestry in Tasmania and well work very constructively with the new State Government to try to make that happen. One of the curious features of the Labor-Green government in Tasmania was its relentless hostility to the forest industry, even though forestry is about as environmentally sensitive an industry as there can be and
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timber products are about as environmentally friendly products as you can get. I mean, timber is a sustainable, renewable, green resource and I think we should be making more and better use of timber, not trying to consign the timber industry of Tasmania and the timber industry of our country to our history. QUESTION: On the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, will Australia be ramping up security in our airports given that this plane seems to have been hijacked? PRIME MINISTER: Well we have strong security at our airports. No systems are absolutely fool proof, as we know, but weve got strong security at our airports. Obviously when this particular incident has been fully investigated, appropriate conclusions will be drawn and appropriate action might follow. But Im certainly very satisfied with the security arrangements that we currently have. QUESTION: On a totally different issue. The case of a 23 year old Aboriginal woman in Western Australia who has been declared unfit to plead and theres that tussle between Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Can you tell us what steps your Government and you yourself are taking to help resolve that issue and get her out of jail? PRIME MINISTER: This programme was on Thursday night. I asked for a full briefing on Friday. I haven't yet received it and it would be inappropriate to say anything until Ive been fully briefed on the issue. QUESTION: Is it something that youre taking a personal interest in? PRIME MINISTER: Well Ive asked for a briefing. I personally asked for a briefing because I have often remarked that I not only want to be known as an infrastructure Prime Minister, but I also want to be Prime Minister for indigenous affairs and I do take these issues seriously. But I don't comment on them until Ive got all the facts and Id like to get all the facts before I say anymore. QUESTION: Do you expect that youll comment next week? PRIME MINISTER: I expect that Ill say something when Ive got to the bottom of it. QUESTION: Prime Minister, back to the Malaysian Airlines missing flight. Will we increase our involvement with the investigation?

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PRIME MINISTER: Well I spoke to Prime Minister Najib Razak last Sunday and I offered him two Orion search aircraft and theyve been hard at work over the last week in various areas and theyll be appropriately re-tasked given the changing search patterns. We haven't at this stage, to my understanding, been asked for additional resources, but we want to be a good friend to Malaysia. We want to be a good contributor to our neighbourhood. We want to be a good neighbour to all of the regional friends and partners we have and so if the Malaysians want additional help, we certainly stand ready to supply it. QUESTION: Do you hold any hope for the missing Australians? PRIME MINISTER: I just don't want to comment because this remains a profound and utter mystery. QUESTION: Just back to the Tassie election, has Will Hodgman asked you to lift the GST? PRIME MINISTER: Nope. QUESTION: Does his election strengthen the case for that to happen? PRIME MINISTER: Well, the short answer is no. As Ive often said, there can be no changes to the GST without the absolute agreement of all of the States and Territories and there can be no changes full stop that are inconsistent with the election pledges that the Coalition took into the election last year. Now I just want to stress that. I just want to stress that no changes to the GST without the agreement of all the States and Territories because it is a State and Territory tax and we won't do anything which is inconsistent with the pledges that we took to the people last September. QUESTION: And to South Australia, theres been some word out of the Labor camp this morning that you yourself joining the campaign in its final week hurt the Liberal campaign in South Australia. What are your thoughts on that? PRIME MINISTER: Well I was very happy to be part of the campaign, a couple of times last week in fact, very happy to be part of the campaign and thats what Liberals do. We support each other. The Liberal Party, the Coalition more generally, is an extended, nearly always happy family and so I was very pleased to be part of Steven Marshall's campaign twice in the last week and I just want to stress that to get 53 per cent of the two-party preferred vote is a tremendous achievement and in any other State, other than Tasmania or South Australia, a 53 per cent two-party preferred vote would have given the Coalition, the Liberal Party a thumping majority.
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QUESTION: Do you think you were a negative impact on the campaign, just to follow up? PRIME MINISTER: Well look, Ill leave others to judge that, but as I said, I was very happy to be involved and I know that my involvement was welcomed by Steven Marshall. DUNCAN GAY: [inaudible] PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Duncan. PREMIER OFARRELL: We're happy to have him involved here anytime and every time he brings along a cheque to deliver infrastructure. PRIME MINISTER: And were very happy to help when we get things done like were getting done today. PREMIER OFARRELL: Im happy if hes a one state Prime Minister. If he goes nowhere else Im happy for him to stay here. QUESTION: Prime Minister, lastly, theres a big rally today in Sydney against your Government. Do you have anything to say to those protesters today? PRIME MINISTER: Well, my understanding is that the only big rally in Sydney is the St Patrick's Day parade. Thats the big event - to be sure - in Sydney today and I wish all the St Patrick's Day revellers well and if their parade is rained on, theres always some Guinness available somewhere around the city. PREMIER OFARRELL: But remember alcohol locks off at 3am. PRIME MINISTER: Thank you. [ends]

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