SUBJECTS: Workplace culture in Parliament House; alleged sexual assault in Parliament House; JobKeeper ending; Andrew Laming; electric vehicles; holding the Government to account; gender pay gap; floods in NSW and QLD. 

TONY ZAPPIA, MEMBER FOR MAKIN: Good morning, all. And can I say thank you all for coming out here to the lovely Civic Park here at Tea Tree Plaza. It's great to have Labor Leader, Anthony Albanese, with me, and Blair Boyer the Member for Wright. We've just been over talking to some of the locals in this area about the issues that matter most to them. And it's interesting to note that as we move, hopefully, out of COVID, some of the people have come through pretty well. But there's a lot who have been left behind. People who are now even more worried because JobKeeper is coming to an end. People whose businesses have actually had to close down during the period of COVID. And as one family was just telling us right now, their son, 24-year-old, who's lost his job as a result of COVID. And with that, literally, his apprenticeship career. These are the people that the Morrison Government has left behind. These are the people that we need to try and do something for. But regrettably, we right now have a Government that, in my view, has lost its way. A Government that is shambolic. And a Prime Minister, who, quite frankly, is rattled and realises that things are not working out the way he would like. But I think I've said enough, and I'm going to hand over to Anthony who will talk a little bit more about what's been happening. Anthony.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Well, thanks very much, Tony. And thanks also to Blair for joining us here this morning. This morning's been an opportunity to talk to people here in this community in Adelaide about the issues of concern to them. There's a walking group here in the mall. And we had discussions with them, as well as others who gathered here at Westfield. And they're very concerned about the future. Because we know that JobKeeper will end on Sunday. We know also that what the Government said would replace it, for example their great employment program that was going to create 450,000, has actually created 609 entrants as of this week. So they are about 449,000 short. But they are short of so much. The fact is, that the vaccine rollout won't reach the four million people who Scott Morrison said would be reached by the middle of next week. So they are withdrawing support while the basis for that withdrawal is not being delivered. And that will place real pressure on individuals, real pressure on businesses. And the Government is too obsessed with being in damage control to be concerned about what they should be concerned about. There are real challenges in this country. But we have a Government that has been in office for eight long years and that's unravelled before our eyes. A Prime Minister who keeps searching for the reset button. But on Tuesday we saw the abuse as a result of just getting asked a question in a press conference in Parliament. And last night, in the interview with Tracy Grimshaw, what we saw was more dissembling, more deferral, more talk about inquiries. No action. Sometimes the Prime Minister, it seems to me, is asking himself, ‘If only I was in a position to do something about the challenges that are being confronted’. And, over coming days, what we will see is a reshuffle. Well, shuffling the deck will not change the bad hand that this Government is dealing Australians. Shuffling the deck will not change that bad hand. And the fact is that this Government needs to deal with the challenges of how we come out of this recession, how we build back stronger, how we actually have a plan for creating jobs, how we deal with the many challenges that are before Australia. And, at the moment, we're just not getting it. Happy to take questions.

JOURNALIST: What we have seen over the last three months is a very rapid jobs recovery and a claw back in the Budget of $23 million. Isn’t it time that we tested out where the jobs market is really at and take the support away?

ALBANESE: Well, I'd take the question about testing out. This isn't an academic exercise. This is real people who are going to be impacted by this. And real people shouldn't be the subject of academic testing. What we have here is that we know a million people are currently on JobKeeper. We know that from estimates, 150,000 are likely to lose their jobs. Businesses are likely to fold. And that is the Government's own estimates. And we have always said that these measures, wage subsidies, shouldn't be there forever, but for particular industries, in particular places, the idea that you just withdraw support is, I think, very unwise. If the conditions were right for these wage subsidies to be in place for particular workers and businesses, then they should be right to remain. And what we have also, we have got to put this in context, at the same time as the Government is ripping out support from those who need it, we know that tens of millions of dollars have been given to businesses that don't need it. Businesses that have increased their profits compared with where they were pre-COVID. Businesses that have used those government subsidies to increase bonuses for corporate executives. And we know that those high-wealth individuals, many of them have seen a considerable increase in their wealth over the last 12 months. This is a Government that says, ‘Oh, well, that's nothing to do with us, that's a good thing that profits are increasing’. Compare that with the chasing down of people on Centrelink through the Robodebt debacle that has resulted in $1.2 billion having to be paid back. So if you are an unemployed person who has got $50 too much more than you should have, or maybe you actually haven’t but the Government says you do, this is a Government who Alan Tudge said would be chased down and threatened them with prison. But if you have tens of millions of dollars of bonuses in your profits that are fed directly into increased dividends and increased payments to wealthy individuals, then the Government just gives you a clap. They are strong against the weak and vulnerable, but very weak against the strong. And that's something that defines this Government.

JOURNALIST: The Prime Minister has reprimanded Liberal MP, Andrew Laming, over claims that he abused constituents online. Does the MP need more than a reprimanding? 

ALBANESE: Once again, Scott Morrison, he has got out the feather. He has got out the feather against a Liberal MP in Andrew Laming who has had vile abuse against his own constituents, who Andrew Laming said himself in Parliament yesterday afternoon in delivering a belated apology for abuse that has gone on for year after year against people who have done nothing more, according to Andrew Laming, than be upstanding citizens in their community and have led organisations delivering services in his own community. Quite frankly, the Prime Minister's response is totally inadequate, as it always is. As it always is. He waits and waits and waits and then says, ‘Oh, that's a real concern and I'll look into it and we will get Andrew Laming to stand up and say he's sorry’. This has gone on for a long period of time. I saw distraught people on TV last night who have suffered from trolling from a Federal MP against his own constituents. I will say this. In my view, Andrew Laming isn't fit to continue as a Member of Parliament. And if the Liberal Party want to continue to associate themselves with him as what a federal public representative would be, then I'll look forward to campaigning with the Labor candidate in that seat and sending a message, not just to Andrew Laming, but to the entire country that that sort of behaviour is completely unacceptable by removing Andrew Laming from the Parliament.

JOURNALIST: The PM said that he is happy to meet Brittany Higgins, but she has to go to him. Do you think he should be the one going to her?

ALBANESE: The reported sexual assault on this brave woman, Brittany Higgins, occurred two years ago. The Prime Minister, of course, says that he didn't know about it even though in the interview with Tracy Grimshaw last night, as Tracy Grimshaw said, that was reported to the Chief of Staff for Minister Reynolds just a few days after the event. The details were known. That person works in Scott Morrison's office. In his office. And has worked there for a long period of time. And yet the Prime Minister says he didn't know about it until that Monday morning that reports appeared in the media. We asked every day for two weeks after Brittany Higgins’ courageous speech at the March 4 Justice outside Parliament House where she said that the Prime Minister's staff were backgrounding against her loved ones. We asked every day, I think 13 or 14 questions of the Prime Minister, just asking him, ‘Had he asked his staff had that occurred?’ The Prime Minister again last night, dissembling again to Tracy Grimshaw, saying that he couldn't comment any further because he had now set up a process because firsthand, someone has indicated that they had information, they witnessed his office out there briefing in the way in which Brittany Higgins has described. And then he says, because he has been put on the spot, that he is prepared to talk to Brittany Higgins. The Government had a duty of care to Brittany Higgins. Brittany Higgins worked for the Prime Minister in terms of the responsibility that is there for ministerial staff going to the Prime Minister, just like in governments of the past. And yet this Government let down Brittany Higgins. And the Government is still, though, at the same time he is saying he is prepared to talk to her, still will not give a straight answer. He should ask his Chief of Staff what they knew. He should ask his own office and should just say what happened with the undermining of Brittany Higgins’ loved ones that she had to write to him about yesterday. Until that point in time he was just refusing to answer.

JOURNALIST: Just over a week ago the public were made aware of some Labor staffers posting on a Facebook group about serious allegations regarding sexual misconduct and harassment. Since then, have any of those staff come forward to you? Have you made any steps in investigating those allegations?

ALBANESE: No. The Facebook site was there, it was anonymous, the complaints that were made on that Facebook site. I have said consistently, I have never suggested this only affects a single side of politics. This is an issue for our entire society. Labor has processes in place that allow for confidential processes to be examined when people come forward. And I respect that process.

JOURNALIST: Electric vehicle makers say Australia is becoming an automotive third world and the missing ingredient is a lack of subsidies. Would Labor be willing to subsidise electric vehicles?

ALBANESE: Look, we recognise that electric vehicles will play an increasing role in our future. And we also recognise that Australia's falling behind the rest of the world. We had the absurd campaign by the Liberal Party that was just dishonest at the last election campaign. I remind you that I am a former Transport Minister. One of the things I know is that there is no auto-manufacturer in the world that is currently doing any research into any internal combustion engine. Whether it is passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, manufacturing vehicles, buses, they are all looking at electric vehicles, looking at hydrogen, looking at new cleaner forms of transport. And the Government is falling way behind. I will be having more to say about that over coming days, weeks and months in the lead-up to the election. This Government was dishonest with people at the last election because it is always about the scare campaign. It is never actually about Australia's future. It is never about where jobs will be created. It is never about growing the economy and growing productivity. And that is the problem. It is a problem for Australia going forward which is why this Government, when it comes to new technology, is frozen in time while the world moves past it. 

JOURNALIST: But are subsidies on the agenda?

ALBANESE: We will have our policies out there well before the next election. I will say though quite clearly, we need to examine the low take-up that has happened in this country. We also had this week the auto-manufacturers themselves, the chamber, saying that Australia is falling behind when it comes to emissions policies from motor vehicles. We run the risk of being the dumping ground for vehicles that the rest of the world won't accept. We need to do much better in this whole area. And that needs to be a part of how we deal with the challenge of lowering our emissions. Thank you very much.

JOURNALIST: It might take 26 years to close the gender pay gap. Do you think we need to do more?

ALBANESE: We certainly do need to do more. And that's why I announced a comprehensive plan on International Women's Day that all companies with more than 250 employees would actually, in a transparent way, have to report on the gender pay gap. That we need to allow the Fair Work Commission to examine, historically, gender pay inequities which are there, particularly in sectors that had been dominated by women. That we need to make sure that we have a comprehensive plan there that includes issues like 10 days of domestic and family violence leave, that we need cheaper childcare so women can participate in the workforce fully. Cheaper childcare by removing the cap on subsidies and lifting the subsidy to 90 per cent but then examine the provision of universal childcare. These are all critically important issues. We need to do much better than say it'll take decades to close the gender pay gap. We need action now. And we need to do it, not just in the interests of women, but the interests of all family budgets and the interests of our national economy. We need to harness the potential and capacity of our entire population, not just 49 per cent of it. And what that means is moving towards gender pay equity. What that means is respecting women's rights at work. The Government could start with the Respect@Work report there which was tabled more than a year ago and the Government still hasn't even bothered to have a formal response. Is it little wonder that women are so frustrated at this Government? 

Can I just say before I finish, some comments on the floods in New South Wales and Queensland and pay tribute to the police and emergency service workers but also the SES volunteers who are out there putting themselves at risk in order to help their fellow Australians and to help those communities. And I'll say this after talking with people like Susan Templeman, our Member from Macquarie, that when the bushfires occurred, I spoke about the need to have streamlined processes to make sure there's a one stop shop so that people, when they're traumatised, when they've lost their homes through bushfires, or their homes are underwater, as has occurred at the moment around the Hawkesbury, around the Mid-North Coast, they know where to go. They're not, on top of the trauma they're going through as a result of those disasters, having the trauma of trying to deal with a bureaucratic mess. The Government needs to get on top of this. There needs to be a one stop shop for people to go to which will then provide support for them. And I say that needs to be across federal, state and local agencies so that we get much clearer outcomes. But I conclude by saying as well, for those people in those communities, don't take the risk. If there's water on the road, don't think that you can tell how fast it's moving or how shallow it is. Don't risk your life and the life of loved ones by trying to drive through water. Stay safe. Follow the advice of authorities. They know what they're doing. We should respect them for that. And I would just say, stay safe, everyone. Thanks very much.

ENDS