SUBJECTS: NSW Inner West light rail fail; a future made in Australia; manufacturing; Labor’s policy agenda; climate change; net zero by 2050; lack of trust in the Morrison Government; National Broadband Network; Federal election; NSW by-elections; privatisation; Mike Cannon-Brookes; South Sydney Rabbitohs.

JO HAYLEN, NSW SHADOW MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT: It's great to be here in Sydney's Inner West with Labor Leader, Anthony Albanese, also a local member and very familiar here with the Inner West here at Dulwich Hill, and Chris Minns, New South Wales Labor Leader. Well, we are here, of course, to discuss the Sydney light rail fail. The New South Wales Government's transport procurement policy is in complete tatters. Their obsession with overseas made means that we have cracked trams out of service for up to a year and a half, trains that don't fit the tracks and ferries that can't fit under bridges or operate at night. Everybody loses out because of this Government's poor procurement decisions. It's not just the passengers of the Inner West that are losing out here, it's the taxpayers of New South Wales, with billions of dollars worth of shoddy transport infrastructure that can't operate, as well as the thousands of manufacturing jobs that we have lost when the Government offshores these projects. The former Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, said that we're not good at building things here in New South Wales. But we've built trams before, trains before, ferries and buses. And we should do that again. Because we need to invest to ensure that passengers don't lose out, that taxpayers don't lose out, and the kids of the future have quality manufacturing jobs and a service that they can rely on. Chris?

CHRIS MINNS, NSW LABOR LEADER: Thanks, Jo. Thanks, Anthony. It's wonderful to be here with the New South Wales Labor Leader, even if it is on a dud rail line in an absolute transport disaster in the Inner West in Sydney at the moment. The New South Wales Government is getting a reputation as a Government that exports jobs and imports duds. And you feel very sorry for the half a million people that used to use this line every month to get to and from work, to see their family, to see their friends, to connect with the rest of Sydney. And also for the businesses that have a livelihood on this rail line, who've been closed and will close, potentially, for the next 12 months, potentially up to 18 months. Now, at the end of the day, the New South Wales Government has been caught out because they've persistently bought overseas on the cheap. And this is the consequences of an action and an activity over the last decade that has seen them build infrastructure and export jobs to countries around the world. If you look at the transport record of the New South Wales Government, it is appalling. You've got ferries that are filled with asbestos, that can't travel at night, they can't fit underneath bridges. You've got Korean built trains that are two years late. You've got the other light rail in Sydney that is $1.7 billion over budget and a year late. So, on issue after issue, on transport project after transport project, the New South Wales Libs and Nationals have got it wrong. In fact, the top six transport projects that they exported offshore have seen cost blowouts of between 40 and 50 per cent to the budget bottom line. So, what are we left with in New South Wales? No service, no jobs and, at the end of the day, no savings for the taxpayers of the state. 

It's wonderful to be here with Anthony Albanese, the alternative Prime Minister of Australia, someone that will commit to local manufacturing, someone that will build jobs right here in Australia. He's pretty much the only working politician left who's actually built something in this country when he was the Minister for Infrastructure. He established Infrastructure Australia. He doubled the roads budget. He's built one third of the interstate transport lines across this country. And under his leadership in the transport and infrastructure portfolio, the Federal Government spent more on public transport than any federal government had. In fact, all federal governments combined. So, you've got a potential Prime Minister in this country who believes in manufacturing, who will build the jobs of the future. And it's a great privilege to be with him here today.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Well, thanks very much, Chris. And thanks, Jo. One of the great distinctions in Australian politics today, at the next election, will be a Labor Party that believes in building things here, that believes in supporting jobs here, that believes we can have A Future Made in Australia. And Liberal and National parties that are addicted to exporting jobs offshore. Whenever Coalition governments have come into office, whether in Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia or here in New South Wales, what they've done is shut down manufacturing in the transport sector. Well, I want to reverse that. I want a National Rail Manufacturing Plan. Because what we know is that if we build trains, trams, buses and ferries here, they'll be fit-for-purpose. This light rail line that will be shut down for 18 months will have a devastating impact on the small businesses along the route, but also an incredible inconvenience to those people who rely upon this light rail line. My own son went to school every day on this line. Got on the train here, got it to Blackwattle Bay to his high school for year after year. And before that, he got it to Leichhardt. It was one of the things that attracted him to go to that local high school. Now students, having been through COVID, are going to have to get on a bus, go through the suburbs, deal with the congestion which is there. It makes no sense whatsoever. And why, when this light rail line is shut down, could they not just fix it by taking carriages from the other light rail line in Sydney? There are only two networks. Guess what? They're different systems. They've been bought through different companies. If they were made here, you could fix it. Now, the Government would like to say, and Gladys Berejiklian was at least honest and explicit about the Liberal Party's view when she said we don't make things here. The fact is that we do make good product here. And the Tangara trains that were built decades ago in Newcastle in the Hunter are still operating. They don't have lines shut down for 18 months. What we don't have is trains that are built here that can't get through tunnels or can't fit stations. We don't have ferries that were built here that couldn't get under the bridges at the Parramatta River. The fact is that Australia has an enormous opportunity to go from strength to strength in the future. We have an opportunity. And my vision is for an Australia that embraces the opportunity from moving to clean energy, lowering energy prices, lowering the cost of manufacturing here, building things here to create high-value jobs. That's why I'll establish a National Reconstruction Fund of $15 billion to support the transformation of industries so that we can manufacture things right here, keeping the jobs here, getting the quality manufacturing right here as well. My opponents think if they just sit back and let it all happen, put things overseas, then somehow, there'll be benefit. But the truth and the experience at this light rail line shows that their strategy is not a pro-Australia strategy. It's a strategy for offshoring jobs. And it's a strategy for higher costs. Happy to take questions.

JOURNALIST: Will you be releasing Labor's medium-term targets before the end of the year?

ALBANESE: We will be releasing further climate change policy before the end of the year. We already have a circumstance whereby we have released net zero by 2050. No ifs, no buts. That's our policy. We didn't have to wait until three days before someone jetted off to a conference to do that. We've released our Rewiring the Nation policy - $20 billion to fix electricity transmission in this country. That is the single lowest hanging fruit that you could pick in order to really boost productivity and boost the opportunity which is there to make sure that renewables can fit into the grid. How absurd is it that this Government is building Snowy Hydro but it won't be able to fit into the grid when it opens? It just shows how inadequate they are. We've also got our community batteries program for solar energy. We have our New Energy Apprenticeships program to make sure that Australians can be trained for those jobs. And I note today, there's further reports of skill shortages. We will create Jobs and Skills in Australia to make sure that we have the planning that we have for Infrastructure Australia, for investment in infrastructure, in the investment that goes into supporting skills and the future of the labour market so that we have more apprentices, more trainees, for the jobs that will be required. That's what we need to do here in Australia. This Government don't have plans for the future. And I find it completely extraordinary that 24 hours after the Federal Government signed up to having a higher 2030 target in 2022, they've walked away from that commitment that they voluntarily signed up to in Glasgow.

JOURNALIST: Will you have a higher 2030 target for 2022? The Glasgow summit calls for everyone to take, next year, higher targets. (Inaudible). Will you present a policy for a higher 2030 target?

ALBANESE: Well, we will have our policy announced before the end of the year. A range of positive initiatives that we will continue to roll out to supplement the commitments that we've already made. But I note that this Government, the Morrison Government, signed up to a higher target for 2022 at the Conference of the Parties to be in place for 2030. They signed up to that. And then they walked away from it. Why is it that when it comes to Scott Morrison, what he says yesterday doesn't matter today? He himself walks away from his own words on renewable energy targets being, to quote him, ‘nuts’. On batteries for renewables and storage being as useful as the Big Banana or the Big Prawn. And on electric vehicles ending the weekend. This is a Prime Minister who leads an entire Government now that walks away from its own words and its own commitments within 24 hours.

JOURNALIST: Did you, just then, confirm that you’re going to have a 2030 target announced before the end of the year?

ALBANESE: What I announced was that we will have further things to say on climate change before the end of the year. And I don't want to spoil the announcements that are coming, James. I don't want to spoil the announcements.

JOURNALIST: Is 35 per cent by 2030 (inaudible)?

ALBANESE: The Government says itself that it will achieve that. So, the Government itself is saying that it will achieve that amount by doing nothing. And they have no plan for 2030 outlined. Its modelling, no wonder they released it late on a Friday afternoon, because it has a whole lot of things in there about trading carbon credits. I thought this was a Government that was against carbon trading. I thought that they ran a campaign against carbon trading. But they had that as part of their plan. And their plan adds up to 85 per cent, not 100. Because it's future technologies that are not invented yet. This is a Government where, when you have future technologies, they walk away from it. I remind you, and we'll have more to say about the National Broadband Network later on this week, but I remind you that fibre is the 21st century technology and has been for some time. This Government came into office in 2013 and stopped the rollout of fibre and replaced that with its multi-modal system based upon copper. This Government bought enough copper to wrap around the entire planet more than two times. This Government bought enough copper to go to the moon. This is a Government that is not fit for purpose for the 21st century. So, when it talks about technology, what we do is look at what they do, not what they say. And what they do is they walked away from electric vehicles and said that it would end the weekend, even though on its modelling, 90 per cent of electric vehicles by 2050, the vehicles will be electric. Well, there must be no weekends coming for 2050. So, for the young children today, I say enjoy the weekend while you can. According to the Morrison Government, we won't have one in 2050. And they also rolled out copper to replace fibre for the National Broadband Network. Meaning that for so many areas, including my electorate office up the road there, I can't do video crosses from there, because you can't upload, because the speed is too slow, it's too hopeless, because it is last century's technology. And homes and businesses throughout communities right around Australia are experiencing that. The ones that were lucky enough to get the rollout while Labor was in Government, where I, as Communications Minister, turned it on in places like Burwood, in places like Windsor, in places like Coffs Harbour, they're getting 21st century technology. Others are missing out. You can't rely upon this Government. 

JOURNALIST: Whoever's in power next year needs to take Australia's medium-term target to the next climate summit. Are you confident a Labor Government would satisfy international demands?

ALBANESE: I'm confident that a Labor Government will tackle climate change and will join the world rather than being in the naughty corner, as Australia is under this Government. You have Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Brazil and Australia as the only industrialised countries that refuse to increase their 2030 commitment. Labor will always engage with the world and will punch above our weight. Why do we do that? Because it's in our national interest. Because Australia can be a renewable energy superpower for the world. What's the key to driving down our emissions? The same principle that comes from households. The reason why someone in this street just up here in Wardell Road has put solar panels on their roof is because the payback time is five or six years on average. From that point in time with that electrification, they are better off. From that point in time. They're better off economically. They have more money in their pocket as well as doing something to protect the environment. Now, the reason why that principle should be adopted across the board in homes, in businesses, with electrification powered by renewable energy is that once the capital costs are repaid, which takes, for homes, five or six years, for businesses that will vary, but the reason why businesses, whether it be Rio Tinto's aluminium refinery in Gladstone, whether it be BlueScope Steel in Port Kembla, or whether it be those heavy manufacturing processors that I visited in this city, are investing in renewables is because it makes economic sense. And once you get that payback, then you're better off. You boost productivity. And that's why this Government's view of, 'You have to have action on climate change or economic growth' is so wrong. You need to couple our economic growth, our future, my vision for this country, with jobs growing, with the economy expanding, with more productive businesses, with being a renewable energy superpower. That's my vision. And part of that is a future made in Australia. I have visited, it's not just passenger rail, I visited the factory in Newcastle where train carriages that are used there in the Hunter Valley are having to be cut up and shortened because they're a different size to be applicable to the Australian rail network. Wouldn't it be good if we were just making them here? It makes so much sense. Thank you.

JOURNALIST: What do you think the main elections will be for Sydney? When do you think it will be held?

MINNS: The by-elections? Look, the Electoral Commissioner has said that he's likely to hold them in mid-February at the earliest, and might be in March, and we're not sure of the exact date. Obviously, the resignations have to be received by the Speaker. And my understanding is they haven't been received yet. 

JOURNALIST: And when will Labor choose its candidates for key seats like Parramatta?

MINNS: So, the by-elections are in Strathfield, Bega and Monaro at this stage, as we understand it, potentially Holsworthy as well. We're going through a process. So we'll call for nominations likely as soon as the local government elections are completed on December 4. And that will be a discussion between us and our branch members about putting the best candidates forward to take on those seats. Although, with the exception of Strathfield, they'll be all but impossible for New South Wales Labor to win.

JOURNALIST: What are you offering to win over voters across the key seats in Western Sydney?

MINNS: Well, look, we've said for a long time that we think the battle for the next election in New South Wales will be in March 2023. A big and key component of that will be in Western Sydney. The main reason for that is that the population growth for those communities is massive. You've got Blacktown which is said to have an extra 260,000 people move into it. The same goes for Parramatta, the same in Liverpool, the same in Fairfield Local Government area. We don't believe they're getting the infrastructure they need to grow. And that means more investment in schools, more investment in public transport. That's what New South Wales Labor will be committed to doing. And I think after 10 years in office, they'll be 12 years in office by the time of the next election, they'll be asking for 16 years in office. It's time for a change in New South Wales.

JOURNALIST: You talked a lot about local manufacturing in the last couple of days. But Labor has had a bill in the House for years now, the NSW Jobs First Bill. It’s lapsed twice. Why did Labor let that (inaudible)?

MINNS: Well, look, as you'd be aware, James, the key fundamentals are that we don't have the numbers on the floor of the Legislative Assembly. So, we have to pursue tactical changes to our legislative agenda to get it back on the agenda. If I thought that would pass, I would move it this week in the New South Wales Parliament. More generally, we need to get the New South Wales Government to admit. There's been a week since this light rail closed down and no one senior from the Government has stood up and said, our procurement strategy, our overseas build transport infrastructure plan is not working for New South Wales, we will draw a line in the sand underneath it and start investing in New South Wales and creating good, well-paid jobs, particularly for the regions. Now, the top six transport projects that the New South Wales Government offshored would have generated between 4,000-5,000 direct and indirect jobs for New South Wales. That's the kind of investment we want in New South Wales.

JOURNALIST: What did you make of the new document revealing the New South Wales Government failed to deliver on so many of their promises?

MINNS: The incoming brief for the New South Wales Premier indicated that two thirds of the promises made in the 2015 and 2019 election have not been delivered by the New South Wales Libs and Nats. So, for many voters, they would be asking themselves, 'Is it worth the paper that it's been written on?' The big broken promise that New South Wales Labor is looking at, and I think will be a key component of the next election in March 2023, is the promise of the previous Premier not to privatise any more state assets. The current Premier was in front of estimates last week and he said that everything's on the table and everything could be sold. We want to make sure that no more public assets are sold off, $80 billion worth of assets that the state used to own have been pushed out the door. It's a direct broken promise. I believe the people of New South Wales know they're getting a raw deal out of it.

JOURNALIST: Why would you prefer it not to be privatised, all these assets? 

MINNS: There's a good example the WestConnex. New South Wales Labor begged the New South Wales Government not to privatise the remaining stake of WestConnex. You've got one private company that owns all or part of the M2, M4, M5, M5 East, M7, M8, the Lane Cove Tunnel, the Cross City Tunnel, the Eastern Distributor and NorthConnex. The ACCC itself came out and said this is monopolistic power. We believe that the motorists, particularly motorists in Western Sydney, are taking money out of their pockets to put into a private company all because of an obsession with toll roads and privatisation. Now, the state used to get enormous dividends from those assets that would pay for schools and hospitals and essential frontline workers. That's not happening anymore. So, you're seeing a deteriorating budget and the costs of privatisation being pushed directly to the families of New South Wales.

JOURNALIST: Mr Albanese, what are your thoughts on the new Rabbitohs investor?

ALBANESE: Well, I welcome Mike Cannon-Brookes. I caught up with him last week. And he is, like me, a tragic for South Sydney Rabbitohs. And he's a good mate of Russell's as well. And they have a common interest. They have a common interest in South Sydney. But also, a common interest in tackling climate change. And I welcome Mike Cannon-Brookes' views on both. On both, he is right. He's right to back South Sydney. But he's also right to back action on climate change. And as a businessman, he knows that’s smart. It's smart business. You look at where his business has gone. And a single project that says it all about the opportunity that is here in Australia for the future, one that can be seized, which is the Sun Cable project, the largest ever solar project in the world. And what it will do is help to power Singapore. Not just power Australia, power Singapore through cables. It shows what can be done. Mike Cannon-Brookes is a great bloke. And I'm sure that his contribution will strengthen South Sydney. And South Sydney, of course, have 21 premierships. And 22 in '22 has a ring to it. Thanks.

ENDS