SUBJECTS: Visit to WA; WA borders reopening; Federal election; Labor’s policy agenda; Premier Mark McGowan; climate change; Labor’s Powering the Nation plan; electric vehicles; A Future Made in Australia; floods affecting the East Coast of Australia.
 
TANIA LAWRENCE, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR PEARCE: Good morning, everybody. My name is Tracey Roberts. And I'm the Labor candidate for Pearce. And I am so proud to be here at Aries Rail and to host Anthony Albanese, the Leader of the Australian Labor Party. And it is fantastic that he's here in Perth. Just arrived at one minute past midnight. And it was his birthday yesterday. So, we reckon he's got the longest birthday ever today and yesterday. But to Aries Rail, to Ewan McAllister and Ben, a huge thank you for hosting us here today. This is a real showcase of a thriving business which started from very humble beginnings, and is now local employment for many people. And we've just been talking to apprentices who live local so they can still enjoy that lifestyle and have a great opportunity for employment. And on economic prosperity, the thriving business that is actually servicing not only Western Australia, Australia, but also internationally. And for Anthony Albanese to be here and to see this for himself is fantastic. I know I've experienced firsthand his support of outer metropolitan growth councils. Being on the National Growth Area Alliance, the Deputy Chair, and also the Australian Local Government Association, I know how hard Anthony Albanese works. I know he's passionate for outer metropolitan areas in his support. So, without any further ado, I'm going to introduce Anthony to the microphone to say a few words. Thank you and welcome to WA.
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Well, thanks very much, Tracey. And thanks to Ewan and Ben and the other workers here at Aries for welcoming us here to this extraordinary facility. An extraordinary facility that's creating jobs, giving skills to young Australians and making a difference to our national economy, not just here in Perth, it began here, but is now, of course, contributing on the East Coast as well, Melbourne, Brisbane, and it will be opening up in Sydney very soon. It is a great example of Australian manufacturing, of value-adding, of making sure that our economy is strengthened. A more resilient Australia. That is one of the lessons from the recent couple of years that we've been through. How does the Australian economy become more resilient? How do we get more secure work, more skilled workforce, and a future made in Australia? We know on the East Coast, my local light rail line has shut down because they've got to get parts from Spain. We should be making things here. Making trains here, making trams here, making more buses here, making more heavy vehicles here. Making sure, as well, that we have businesses like this one that are creating high-value jobs for the economy. We will get better outcomes. Better outcomes with jobs being created here, but also better outcomes in terms of efficiency and that connection here in Australia. And that is why one of our main planks of a better future for Australia is a Future Made in Australia.
 
Can I make a couple of other points as well, which is that it's great to be here with Tracey. Tracey Roberts is someone who I got to know through my engagement with local government and regional development and the National Growth Areas Alliance. I rang Tracey and asked her to stand for this seat, as the Mayor of Wanneroo, as a champion for outer suburbs. I want Tracey as part of the Federal Labor team in Government to make a difference. And I'm very confident that Tracey will do just that. And I'm very proud to have her as just one of the quality candidates that we're putting forward here in the West to join a Labor Government. A Labor Government that works with the McGowan Government, not against it. A Labor Government that understands Western Australians, that acknowledges the role that Western Australia plays as a driving force in our national economy. The whole country benefits from the success that we see here in Western Australia, from the wealth that's generated, from the businesses that generate that economic activity that goes to fund not just Western Australia, but the entire country. Which is why it's important that Western Australia get its fair share of the GST and why we supported and campaigned for that as well.
 
Can I just make some comments before taking questions as well about what is happening with the extreme weather event that is affecting the East Coast? Yesterday morning and the day before, I spent time in Brisbane, with flood-affected communities on the north side and the south side of Brisbane. It's been devastating. And unfortunately, there's potentially more extreme weather on the way. And we know that it has gone right down the coast. We saw the devastation in Lismore. Lismore has always been flood-impacted. And I had the opportunity to talk with Janelle Saffin, a former Federal colleague and the State Member for Lismore, who had to swim to safety. We hear extraordinary stories coming out. And that has occurred right down the coast. Yesterday, I went home to my home suburb of Marrickville, which the Cooks River has flooded and is having an impact on homes and communities right around Sydney, the Georges River. This morning, I was able to speak to Andrew Johnson, the CEO of the Bureau of Meteorology. And Andrew asked me to pass on the message - please follow the advice that the bureau is giving. If you're asked to evacuate your home by a particular time, don't wait, do so. Because it's just too important. We have seen tragic loss of life during these floods. We want to minimise the damage. And we want people to stay safe. It's absolutely critical at this time. It will be difficult couple of days ahead at least. These extreme weather events, which are more intense, which go for longer and are more frequent, are a sign, just as the fact that Perth has just had the hottest summer on record, just a sign of the need for us to be a part of acting on climate change, not sitting in the naughty corner, as we've done, not engaging in silly climate wars and debates about the science. The science is in. And the science is having an impact with the events that were predicted, and that were predicted again to become more intense by the IPCC report that was handed down just this week. So, please, follow advice, stay safe. And a big thank you, once again, to our emergency service workers, to our SES workers, to all those volunteers, who are helping out their fellow Australians. At the toughest of times, we see the best of Australians. We've seen that during the pandemic, where people have made sacrifices to look after each other, including Western Australians, who made sacrifices with border restrictions and other restrictions in order to keep the population safe. That is a difficult decision to make. But they were the right decisions. And what we're seeing with these extreme weather events is, once again, Australians being magnificent in helping each other out. In some cases, risking their own lives in order to keep their fellow Australians safe.
 
JOURNALIST: Mr Albanese, Pearce is your first stop on this visit. It is a marginal seat. (Inaudible). And you are meeting with the Premier later today. What are you going to talk to him about?
 
ALBANESE: Well, it is good to be here in Pearce. It is one of the seats that we believe needs a new member. And they need Tracey Roberts as the member. She has served this local community well over a long period of time. I've searched out the right candidates for the right seats. I did that with Kristy McBain in Eden-Monaro. I've done that with Tracey Roberts here in Pearce. After this, later this morning, I will be with Tania Lawrence in the electorate of Hasluck. And I'll be meeting with a range of other candidates, including Zaneta Mascarenhas just this afternoon as well. We have outstanding candidates. They are candidates that would make an enormous difference if they received the support of the Australian people to go to Canberra to represent them. It's a big ask, asking someone from the West. It is more difficult than it is if you live in Sydney being a Member of Federal parliament. But these are champions of their local community who are committed to representing their interests in Canberra. And that's very important. And they know as well that it won't just be one-way traffic. They know that I've been a consistent visitor to Western Australia for over two decades now. They know my record in supporting infrastructure here in the West.
 
And with Mark McGowan, we'll be talking about the issues facing Western Australia going forward. We'll be talking about infrastructure. We'll be talking about a whole range of issues that face Western Australians. I always catch up with Mark McGowan when I'm here. I value his advice. I speak to him regularly. And I look forward to working with him before the election. But most importantly, if we are successful in May, I want a Federal Labor Government that works with the Western Australian Government. And most importantly, with the people of Western Australia. The fact that Scott Morrison chose to side with Clive Palmer in the legal case and, use taxpayers' funds, a million dollars, including some that went directly to Clive Palmer, he doesn't need more money from taxpayers, you might have noticed, and the idea that the Federal Government joined that court case and supported it when Christian Porter, the local member here, was the Attorney-General from Western Australia, just shows how out of touch the Morrison Government is when it comes to the needs of looking after West Australians.
 
JOURNALIST: How many seats can Labor win? And are you claiming a head start by getting here first?
 
ALBANESE: No, I committed very early on, in a range of interviews, that I'd be on the first plane possible into Western Australia. I keep my commitments. That's why I was on the plane last night. I didn't expect to have a birthday that went for 27 hours. But so be it. I was determined to get here. So, we were booked on the first plane. I think it was important. Scott Morrison, my understanding is, was going to come next week. I'm not sure what the arrangements are. They've obviously been impacted by him testing positive.
 
I do say this to Scott Morrison, I wish him well. And I wish, as well, Ben Morton well. COVID is something that's impacted everyone in the community. It is a reminder that we need to continue to be vigilant and stay safe.
 
JOURNALIST: How many seats can you win? Can you pick a number?
 
ALBANESE: This isn't a game of lotto. What this is, is Labor putting forward our constructive plan for a better future for Australia. And one of my messages to people in the West is if you think this Federal Government is as good as it gets after a decade, then you might be inclined to stay where you are. But if you think you can imagine a better future and then set about creating one, working with a Federal Labor Government, then it is time to change government. This Government's out of puff. You see that with governments. And you see that in terms of the personnel. You see not just Christian Porter leaving, but he leaves an exit door that's more like a rush to the door, with Mathias Cormann, Julie Bishop, Michael Keenan, a range of senior members who were strong voices in the Liberal Government have all left. And what we're left with now is that West Australians, I don't think, are certainly not front and centre. They're completely sidelined.
 
JOURNALIST: Michaelia Cash is there.
 
ALBANESE: Well, Michaelia Cash, I look forward to watching her media conference today. Because if she does, it'll be one of the few appearances that she's made. Michaelia Cash has no presence in Canberra. I look forward to her interview this Sunday. She might be on Insiders, she might be somewhere. But if it is, it'll be a unique performance. That's part of the problem here is that Michaelia Cash has senior roles in the Government. But they buried the decision on industrial relations to go after the Australian Workers' Union. Again, Government being abused to try to attack, in this case, it was a not so subtle attempt to go after Bill Shorten. That has all been buried quietly during this period late on a Friday afternoon, where so many of this Government's actions are. And of course, we know there, Michaelia Cash went to a great deal of effort to avoid scrutiny during that period. We actually need people who are prepared to speak up for Western Australia. Tracey Roberts, I reckon from time to time, might even become a bit annoying in the Caucus. Because she will speak up on any issue. We want strong advocates, not people who have Cabinet positions but don't make any public appearances.
 
JOURNALIST: Do you support your colleague, Clare O'Neil's position, on wage rises for the aged car workforce?
 
ALBANESE: Well, I support my position, which is to support wage rises for aged care workers. It is something that we've said consistently.
 
JOURNALIST: Will you be revealing the policy any time soon?
 
ALBANESE: We have revealed the policy. We've said on at least 10 occasions, not the least of which was on the 1st of March, the anniversary of the Aged Care Royal Commission, that we would make a submission to the Fair Work Commission, saying that there should be a wage rise in accordance with the recommendations that were made by the Royal Commission that said that wages and workforce issues were a major component. And we know that many people in aged care are currently earning about $22 an hour for doing what's physically demanding, emotionally distressing, and a really tough job. During COVID, we've had a lot of recognition of the role that particularly feminised industries do. Childcare, aged care, our cleaners, in keeping the economy going, in keeping people safe. The idea that the Federal Government won't make a submission to the Fair Work Commission supporting a wage rise is, I think, simply untenable. It is not up to us to determine what the wage rise is, it's up to the Fair Work Commission. But we would make a positive submission. And I've said that on a number of occasions.
 
JOURNALIST: You are meeting with the Premier later today but are not making a public appearance. Why is that? It didn't happen last time either.
 
ALBANESE: We'll wait and see. It did happen last time. You talked about it. It did happen. There were about 500 witnesses to it. And we had a big event the last time I was here. I'll continue to engage with the Premier, publicly and privately.
 
JOURNALIST: Why is the Premier holding a press conference on the other side of town at the same time as you?
 
ALBANESE: The Premier is doing his job as the Premier of Western Australia. We're meeting today in the middle of the day, as we do regularly. Our diaries, I'm doing things all day, so at some stage when the Premier does something, my next event is at 10 o'clock, my next event is at 12 o'clock, then I have an event in the afternoon. I've already done two radio interviews. And then we have an event tonight at, I think, it's at 5:30 or six o'clock. So, I'm working right through. Tomorrow, I have five radio appearances. Unless the Premier went missing and went on radio silence for three days, then it's inevitable that we'll be doing some things at the same time.
 
JOURNALIST: Petrol prices are verging on $2 a litre. Australians have been paying record prices for the past year. What would an Albanese Government do to help with the rising costs?
 
ALBANESE: Well, the first thing that we would have done is act on fuel security. We've been saying that for a long period of time. We said that at the last election. WA, of course, had its refinery disappear. We've had, of the four refineries around Australia, two of them have shut on this Government's watch. And when they spoke about fuel reserves, which are nowhere near what the International Energy Agency says should occur, they made an announcement, Angus Taylor, that we were having fuel reserves in the Gulf of Mexico. How is that available if there's a shortage here in Australia to be immediately distributed? We need a Government that takes fuel security seriously. This Government has not taken fuel security seriously. It has come in belatedly and provided support for the remaining fuel refineries. But that is after half of them around the country have shut this term, during this term of Government.
 
JOURNALIST: On the floods, did you consider delaying or shortening this trip? Is Perth the right place for you to be while Marrickville is sandbagging against floods?
 
ALBANESE: Well, the area isn't in my electorate. It's at the bottom of my street. And I was there with people yesterday. And I committed to come to Perth. I was in my local area where I lived. There was a redistribution. So, I no longer live in my electorate. So, I am very confident and in touch with people there regularly. I was in Brisbane yesterday morning and the day before. And now, I'm in Perth. I want to represent the whole country. I make no apologies for keeping my commitment to the people of Western Australia that I would visit and that I would visit on day one. This has been planned for some time. And as soon as the announcement was made, I didn't want Lanai to make all the travel over here by herself and find no one was here also.
 
JOURNALIST: You have linked the floods to climate change. And you said the Government's not doing enough to combat climate change. Does that include the McGowan Government that is yet to legislate net zero by 2050?
 
ALBANESE: No, this is a national approach that is needed here. The McGowan Government are doing their bit. But it's a national approach that's required, a national leadership. The McGowan Government isn't represented in Glasgow. I'll give you the big tip. Scott Morrison was. And he spoke to an empty room and gave an empty speech that had nothing in it because there was no change to the 2030 target. What we're seeing is Australia, along with Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and just a few countries, that weren't prepared to increase the target for 2030. That was the issue of Glasgow. That's what every country in the world knew was the issue with Glasgow. It's what Boris Johnson said was the issue with the Glasgow Conference. He's not a member of the British Labour Party, Boris Johnson, just like Margaret Thatcher, who led the world, when she was the British Prime Minister, on climate change. This, in most parts of the world, this is not the subject of ideological dispute. This is something that in most countries, they understand, not only that it's necessary to protect the environment, but that good action on climate change is good for jobs and good for our national economy. Here we have a circumstance whereby Barnaby Joyce is in charge of Australia's climate policy. I will make this point as well. This is a failure of our Parliament functioning properly. Because for more than a decade, in 2009, when the Labor Government of Kevin Rudd tried to introduce an emissions trading scheme that was endorsed by both John Howard and Kevin Rudd prior to the 2007 election, there was a clear majority in the House of Representatives for action on climate change. There has been a clear majority ever since. But because you have this rump as a handbrake on action, Australia isn't taking the action that is required. And that's meaning that we're missing out on jobs. There are enormous opportunities here. During my last visit to Perth, I was down with Madeleine King at the nickel refinery. We produce everything, particularly in Western Australia, lithium, nickel, there's copper in abundance in this country that goes into a battery. We could be making more things here. That's part of what we see. An opportunity that is there for all to see. Last summer, I was here as well. The work that's been done in the West on green hydrogen, enormous opportunity. But only if we seize it. And the slower we are to act, the more other countries will get an advantage rather than Australia.
 
JOURNALIST: Emissions are going up in WA. Can the WA mining industry survive your pledge to reduce emissions by 43 per cent? What do you say to voters whose livelihoods depend on mining in WA and don't trust that you're committed to the industry?
 
ALBANESE: Well, they should talk to their industry. Because BHP support net zero by 2050. Woodside supports net zero by 2050. Rio Tinto supports net zero by 2050. FMG are doing a bit, you might have noticed, Andrew Forrest talking about not just net zero by 2050, but far stronger action. Business knows that action on climate change is good for their business. That's why they're getting ahead. All of those businesses have targets that are stronger in 2030 than the Federal Government's target. They're falling behind. They know that secure employment and the future of their businesses is tied to action in this area. And that's why they're taking action ahead of the Government. What we have here is that the private sector are getting ahead of where the Federal Government is, both in terms of its leaders, and I've met with all of the above on a regular basis, I've met Andrew Forrest and the Head of Rio Tinto, globally as well as here in Australia, in the last week. And one of the things that they have spoken about is the need for action and that they want to work in partner with Government. That's the way you get successful industries. Businesses which are successful aren't ones that stand still. They're ones that get ahead of the curve. That's why they're successful, compared with their competitors. That's the whole point here. And we need to seize that opportunity. And here in the West, there's an extraordinary opportunity to benefit.
 
JOURNALIST: You mentioned Madeleine King. If you win at the next election will she remain as Resources Minister? And how important is it to have a Resources Minister from WA?
 
ALBANESE: Well, the only problem with that question is I then get another 20 questions about my entire Cabinet. So, Madeleine King will continue to play an important role. I think she's doing a great job. And it was a very conscious decision to appoint Madeleine. And she will remain a very key part of my team.
 
JOURNALIST: What do you think the costs of the floods will be? And how will you pay for it in Government? Do you think we need to consider another flood levy?
 
ALBANESE: Look, the cost of the floods, we don't know. And it's not appropriate to speculate while the rain is still falling. We don't know what the consequences are. I spoke to Andrew Johnson just this morning. There are warnings and evacuations taking place as we speak. But I will tell you what the biggest cost is. The biggest cost has been loss of life. The biggest cost when you have a flood or a major natural disaster isn't economic, it's human. And we're seeing a devastating human cost. And I want to express my condolences to those people who have lost loved ones during this crisis.
 
JOURNALIST: WA is the only state not to incentivise electric vehicles. What would you say on that and the McGowan Government? Obviously, it's the way of the future and we've got the surplus, and the McGowan Government hasn't invested in that.
 
ALBANESE: Well, we'll be providing a national incentive by lowering taxes on electric vehicles. After we come here, we will be in Hasluck with Tania Lawrence, looking at a community battery, which is another part of our component. Our component is major, that we did in consultation with the business community. I'll make this point. We announced our policy on December 3 last year. Since then, we've had Parliament sit. And not a single peep out of the Government about our climate policy. Remember their scare campaigns? The Federal Government at the last election, not back in history, Scott Morrison said that electric vehicles would end the weekend. He said they couldn't tow your trailer, couldn't tow your boat. An absurd, rather pathetic, anti-science, anti-future anti-jobs, anti-economy position that he held. Now, we know, as we knew then, that every auto manufacturer in the world, in Europe, in North America, in Asia, are all moving very fast to electric vehicles. Indeed, a number of auto manufacturers simply won't be producing anything other than an electric vehicle in the future. This is something that is happening. I attended, as the Transport Minister, a conference way back in 2006, in Tokyo, Japan, whereby all of the world's auto manufacturers then had abandoned doing research into an internal combustion engine focused vehicle and had already moved on. They've moved on to electric vehicles, hydrogen, to clean energy. That has a number of advantages as well, even in terms of our air quality will benefit from the shift that will occur. What we've got is a policy of lowering taxes on them. But we put forward that policy on December 3. It's a comprehensive plan, Powering Australia. It will lead to a 43 per cent reduction in our emissions by 2030, some 604,000 new jobs created, $52 billion of private sector investment, of those jobs, five out of every six of them will be in regional communities, something that will make an enormous difference going forward. And it's been endorsed by the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Australian Industry Group, the National Farmers' Federation, as well as the ACTU. We've got this policy right. It's fully-costed. It is the most comprehensively costed plan of any policy by any opposition since Federation. It's an example of whereby Labor is all about the future. This Government just want to be stuck in the past. They're scared of the present. They're terrified of the future. We need a Government that's prepared to take up the opportunities that are there to seize the future. Thanks very much.
 
ENDS