MATT SMITH, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR LEICHHARDT: Good morning, my name is Matt Smith. I'm the Labor Party candidate for the federal seat of Leichhardt. Welcome to Green Island, one of the jewels in the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef to us in Far North Queensland, is more than a cultural epicentre. It's more than one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is our major economic driver. Over 64,000 jobs are directly related to the living organism that sits just off the coast here. It drives tourism. It drives fishing industries. It gives people hope. People come from around the world to spend three hours here. It is one of the most spectacular places on the planet. We know that supporting the reef means supporting jobs for Far North Queensland.
 
That's why I'm really proud to announce today an extra $10 million is going into reef promotion and tourism activities for the area. Our tourism industry does a fantastic job of protecting the reef. It makes it a part of their everyday existence. They go out, they know it intimately. They protect it. They look after it. We want the world to know that our tourism industry takes care of our Great Barrier Reef and provides jobs for North Queenslanders.
 
Just recently, my daughter completed work experience on one of the dive boats. She loved it, the time of her life. She knows that with investments like this, she has a future in Cairns and the Far North, and a place that she can call home.
 
I'll hand over now to Mark Olsen from TTNQ. He will discuss this further, and then the Prime Minister has some further really fantastic announcements for the region.
 
MARK OLSEN, CEO TOURISM TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND: Thanks Matt and thank you, Prime Minister Albanese. The tourism industry is thrilled to be a partner in this $10 million investment. 64,000 jobs supported by the Great Barrier Reef in our community of Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, that's one in every five families, have a job in tourism. It touches every life in the North. And every time we get an opportunity to share this seventh natural wonder of the world with the world, it brings great joy and really gives this destination a hope for the future. We have to be committed to the climate targets. We have to be committed to a pathway to net zero, but more importantly, we have to show what Australia is doing on the Great Barrier Reef.
 
A $6 million program, Reef for Kids, that takes kids from across Australia and brings them here to see the reef first hand is a game changer. We've seen already, when the state government of Queensland did this, 34,000 school kids got an opportunity, many of them to see the water for the very first time, let alone to see one of the seven natural wonders of the world in the Great Barrier Reef. A marketing program to let the world know what we're doing, so that they can see it, love it, and protect it. It's little known that every visitor who comes to the Great Barrier Reef is directly contributing to its conservation through the environmental management charge and through the operators work insight stewardship. So to be able to support the tourism industry that supports the jobs and supports the communities of the Far North is a game changer.
 
We're so thrilled to be here today, to be a part of this opportunity. We can see a ripple effect for many years to come. Young kids today who get in the water will go on to become scientists. They'll become marine scientists. They'll be inspired by the complexity, beauty and unmatched complexity of the Great Barrier Reef, to want to solve the world's problems. We've seen it for generations, and we'll see it for generations to come. So we're grateful for the announcement today. We're grateful for the incredible and ongoing support both of the Prime Minister, but also of Senator Nita Green, who has been a tireless advocate for the reef as Special Envoy and a tireless advocate for the needs of the tourism industry so that we can show the world this absolute wonder. Thank you.
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, thanks so much Mark, and thanks for the engagement that we've had with TTNQ over a long period of time. As a former Shadow Minister for Tourism, as well as a Minister with responsibility for regional economic development in a former Government, I've been associated with the tourism sector here for a very long period of time, and I want to make two general points. One is that the key to credibility in our region, in the Pacific, in the ASEAN region, and indeed in Europe and North America, is credibility on climate change. That's the key not just to our environmental sustainability, it's also a key to our economic future. If we don't take climate change seriously, we'll go back into the naughty corner at those international conferences where we were for such a very long period of time.
 
And our commitment to net zero, our commitment to 43 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030 is paired with the action that's taking place here, where you have an economic powerhouse in the Great Barrier Reef as well as an environmental asset. Great Barrier Reef directly is worth 64,000 jobs here in Queensland. But the indirect flow on, of course, is many more tens of thousands of jobs on top of that. Because one of the attractions of coming to Australia is to come to this part of the world and then people will go to a capital city or Uluru or Kakadu or other sites. But the Great Barrier Reef is a magnet for the world. And in order for it to be a magnet for the world, who want to see a pristine environment, we need to be able to show that we're behaving responsibly and sustainably. And that is what we are doing.
 
This Reef Program that we're announcing today will provide $6 million for Kids for the Reef, for young people who wouldn't get the opportunity otherwise to see the reef firsthand, but also a million dollars for local tourism operators and $3 million to Tropical North Queensland Tourism, to go out there and tell the world what's happening here, as a major attraction. Now, we know that this is absolutely critical. When we came to Government three years ago, 100 jobs at the Australian Institute of Marine Science were at risk because the previous Government had cut funding. We know that the funding cuts to public servants were confirmed last night by Angus Taylor as still being their position. You can't cut 41,000 public servants without having a severe impact on what is delivered.
 
Today I have another announcement as well that is so important. It's one that links this region with our commitment to better education outcomes and better health outcomes. We've already announced major health funding including two Urgent Care Clinics here. But today I can announce we’ll deliver an additional $27.5 million to construct a health and engineering wing at Central Queensland University's Cairns campus. This will mean more students can study closer to home and help close workforce shortages.
 
One of the issues here that's been identified by Matt, as our candidate, is radiology here not just in Cairns, but of course on the Cape as well. We need to make sure that we can train more people so that people can get services closer to where they live. This will open, this facility, in 2028. It will double nursing student capacity from 630 to 1,260 to address workforce shortages. It will expand facilities to accommodate growth in physio, OTs, clinical exercise physiology, addressing the projected workforce shortages. But importantly as well, it will accelerate the delivery of the Bachelor of Medical Imaging, bringing forward commencement to 2026. As a direct result, Central Queensland University will make that announcement later today.
 
This will help to secure pipeline in demand graduates sooner. It will expand the total student cohort here in Cairns from 4,000 up to 6,000. It builds on our $50 million investment in the 2022-23 Budget handed down in October, our first Budget, for a Central Queensland University campus in the Cairns CBD. And of course, it is a part of our strengthening of Medicare that has to deliver increased services, but also a better and stronger workforce as well. And I say to Matt, it's an extraordinary commitment that you've shown to this local community, bringing forward ideas like this to make sure that the gaps are filled. And this will fill an enormous gap here in Tropical North Queensland. I'm very proud we're able to make this announcement today.
 
I'll turn to the Health Minister and then our Great Barrier Reef Envoy and then we're happy to take some questions. We'll do locals first and then take from the travelling party.
 
MARK BUTLER, MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGED CARE: Thank you, Prime Minister. Thanks again, Matt and Nita for hosting us here and to Mark for hosting us on the trip here to Green Island.
 
This is just a terrific announcement. Australians would have heard us talking right through this term, but particularly over recent months about our plans to strengthen Medicare, to deliver more free visits to the doctor, cheaper medicines, Urgent Care Clinics. But we know if we're expanding health services, we have to expand the health workforce. And we also know if you train in a community like Cairns, you are much more likely to stay there, to build a career and a life there as a doctor, a nurse or an allied health professional.
 
That's why our commitment last election to build an end-to-end medical school program here in Cairns was so important. It's up and running. Medical students are already training here in Cairns and we know that program at James Cook University will mean there are more doctors available in Cairns and the surrounding regions. The announcement today will mean there are more nurses, more physios, more occupational therapists and importantly, as Matt Smith has said to me so many times, more radiologists here in Cairns and the surrounding community. This builds, as the Prime Minister said, on our commitment a couple of years ago, $50 million to CQU. They've been talking to us for some time and certainly to Matt Smith and Nita Green about expanding that commitment to make sure that we can train even more young people in those critical areas of health workforce.
 
Our Department has been in discussions for some time with the Queensland Government about some of the challenges accessing breast screening services, for example, here in Cairns and up on the Cape. We have to find a short term solution to that between levels of Government and I'm committed to us doing that. But the long term solution is training more radiologists here locally. 86 per cent of CQU graduates here in Cairns stay in the region, build a life here, build a family and a career here. And that's what this announcement is all about. It builds on our announcements to train more GPs across the country, to train 1,200 more mental health workers that the Prime Minister and I only announced a couple of days ago. I say again, you can't strengthen Medicare without building the health workforce and building it in regions like this is a critical part of our commitment.
 
NITA GREEN, SPECIAL ENVOY FOR THE GREAT BARRIER REEF: Thank you Mark and thank you for this really important announcement today about CQUniversity.
 
As Mark said, this is a game changer here for our community because we know that training doctors is incredibly important, but training allied health professionals is important as well. And what this commitment will do is give the university the certainty that it needs to build a facility that this community can be proud of, and that will train regional local nurses, radiologists and allied health professionals for generations to come. It is something that I know Matt Smith has been fighting for since becoming a candidate and I know it is something that the community has been calling for as well. We know that when you train people locally, they're more likely to stay and work in regional areas. And that's why this is such an important announcement for our community that has been struggling to get those types of professionals here. It should not be the case that you should have to get on a plane to get the health services that you need. And because of this commitment by the Albanese Labor Government, that is no longer going to be the case here in Cairns.
 
I might make a few comments on the Reef given my special position as the Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef before we go to questions. I'm incredibly proud of the announcement that we are making today. But more broadly, I'm really proud of our Government's investment into the Great Barrier Reef. We have delivered record funding, $1.2 billion of funding to protect the Great Barrier Reef. That includes $500 million of water quality funding to improve the quality of the water running into the Great Barrier Reef. As the Prime Minister said, we saved 100 jobs at the Australian Institute of Marine Science and we're finally valuing marine science again. We saved Reef HQ from demolition because it was so badly underfunded by the Coalition. We have worked really closely with the Queensland Government to phase out gillnet fishing by 2027 on the Great Barrier Reef. And we're working with farmers, First Nations people and the tourism industry in partnerships that are making a real difference.
 
On top of the announcement we've made today, we're also extending the Tourism Reef Protection Initiative, a program that has tourism operators out there performing reef protection programs. Since its inception, that program has delivered 20,000 reef health surveys. And just as a strange fact, 300,000 Drupella snails have been removed from the coral reefs. And this is the type of work that we can do when we work in partnership. This is a really important program. And tourism operators have told me that it is something that has kept staff in the region because they really want to be part of the conservation piece as well.
 
I want to thank Mark from TTNQ and the team here at Green Island for having us here today. The Reef is such an important economic driver for our region. It is when you protect the Reef, you protect Queensland jobs. And that is something that Peter Dutton never understands and never will understand. That climate change is the biggest risk to the Reef. But we know that Peter Dutton is the second biggest risk to the Reef right now. His risky, reckless nuclear plan will delay the climate action that we need to protect the jobs that we are talking about today. We know that he does not have a plan to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Not in real terms or reputationally. There is a reason that UNESCO said that the difference between our Government and the former Coalition Government was night and day. Peter Dutton wants to take us backwards. But when it comes to the Reef, we can't afford to go back to that dark time. We need to keep protecting the Reef, protecting the jobs that are created by the Reef and protecting regions like this in the future. Thank you and I'll hand over to questions.
 
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Nita, and thank you for what you do. There’s a couple of local faces here.
 
JOURNALIST: Cairns has a vacancy rate of less than one per cent. Will you build more student accommodation to house these new students?
 
PRIME MINISTER: We have an incentive program as well as part of the measures that we've done on student numbers, where when there is accommodation, then that boosts the number of student numbers from overseas who can come in as well.
 
JOURNALIST: Leichhardt had some of the highest yes voting communities at the Voice referendum, what will you do for these Indigenous communities if you're re-elected, given they feel completely let down by the referendum’s failure?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Indigenous communities overwhelmingly voted yes, and that's not surprising because this is an idea that came from Indigenous communities at the First Nations Constitutional Convention that was held at Uluru in 2017.
 
We took up the gracious invitation of First Nations people to put that proposition to a referendum. It wasn't successful and we respect the outcome.
 
So, what we have been doing, and I've met with people like Noel Pearson from the Cape York Institute, of course, who's done such an extraordinary job. There are wonderful examples, including here in the Cape, of improving the lives of First Nations people and closing the gap across a range of areas. We'll provide practical measures going forward in closing the gap on education, on health, on housing. These are the measures that we've put in place through proper funding in our Budgets going forward of how do we make a difference so that the gap, which is far too wide and in some cases is widening. It is a national issue and all Governments have not done well enough. That is the truth. We're committed to doing better in the future and we're committed also to engaging with First Nations people.
 
JOURNALIST: Would you consider giving Warren Entsch a posting?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Warren Entsch is a good fellow and I have a good relationship with him. He was kind enough to send me a photo of the class of ‘96, which we were both in together, and I thank him for that, and I thank him for his engagement over a long period of time. I've sat down with him about issues, including during crises such as the floods when I was here just about 15 months ago. But there have been a number of extreme weather events here as well and I've worked constructively with him as I tried to do across the Parliament. I get the impression Warren's looking forward to sitting back and putting his feet up, not doing a new job, I've got to say, but I certainly wish him well in his retirement and I thank him for his service. People who put themselves forward before the Australian people are making sacrifices for their family, time away from home. I'm so pleased that we've got this bloke behind me here who will stand up for this region, who will be such a strong representative for this region, in Matt Smith. One of the things that I've done over this term is take the time to seek out the right candidates in the right seat. After the last election, I came here, we had an event at Brothers Football Club here in Cairns. I met with Matt, I met his family. I encouraged him to think about running, and I'm very pleased that he is, because I think there is no better candidate that I have standing anywhere, than this bloke standing behind me.
 
JOURNALIST: Will your Government consider extending the cyclone reinsurance pool coverage from 48 to 168 hours as part of this year's review?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, there's a review, as you say. We'll wait for the review and then we will respond to it.
 
JOURNALIST: North Queensland has deep ties with China. Should this region become more reliant on China as a trading partner? And how has your Government strengthened that relationship since the imposition of US tariffs?
 
PRIME MINISTER:  Well, our trade relationship with China is an important one. Trade represents one in four Australian jobs and China is, by a long distance, our major trading partner. We have, of course, restored in excess of $20 billion of trade exports to China where there were impediments. I think there is a lot of opportunity to grow tourism, in particular, from the Chinese market. The statistics show that Chinese visitors to Australia are big spenders. They tend to come for a longer period of time than some countries. And we certainly welcome tourism from around the world, including from China.
 
JOURNALIST: Donald Trump has increased his tariff on China to 125 per cent. Do you think our relationship with Beijing could be hurting our chances of getting a tariff exemption?
 
PRIME MINISTER: No. No one has a better deal than Australia at 10 per cent. Now, President Trump has announced another change in policy overnight. We have, of course, got a better deal than any country on the planet in the announcements that President Trump made just last Thursday morning. But last Thursday morning I described this as an act of economic self-harm. It's quite clear from the response of the markets that that announcement is doing harm to the United States, is doing harm to its prospects of employment, inflation, all of those key figures as well.
 
We'll continue to advocate that Australia's tariff rate should be zero. We did not impose tariffs on US goods into Australia. We have a Free Trade Agreement with the United States and we expect that the sort of language that we saw from the US trade representative where he spoke about and gave the football analogy of essentially building up a buffer, when Australia currently imports US goods twice as much as we export to the United States. We don't think it's an act of a friend, as I said last Thursday. We'll continue to advocate strongly for Australia's interests.
 
JOURNALIST: You spoke about climate credibility, but it is the case that Labor is taking the same environmental policy to the 2025 Election as you took to the ‘22 Election. When will Nature Positive laws be delivered? And what do you say to disappointed voters who are now thinking of voting for the Greens?
 
PRIME MINISTER: The Greens have blocked measures including, they blocked Nature Positive and held it up. They held it up. And there weren't the numbers. I said this yesterday, it doesn't change from day to day. In the Senate there was not a majority for those laws.
 
Now we will engage with industry and with the environmental groups to make sure we get it right going forward. I make this point as well. We have been consistent on climate change. We have been consistent not from 2022 to 2025. We've been consistent about the need to act on climate change for as long as I have been in Parliament and beforehand, since the Rio Summit during the period a long time ago. And that is why we'll continue to work, the sort of work that's taking place here is on the Reef is an example of us responding. We have in place an orderly program that was agreed to, not just by the Parliament, but by the Business Council of Australia, Australian Industry Group, conservation groups, the ACTU, with a target and, importantly, a plan to get there with the safeguard mechanism and the ISP. That is what is important.
 
JOURNALIST: Just on gas, you've been very explicit about the fact that as part of the transition to net zero gas will be a transition fuel. How many new gas projects will need to be open to secure domestic supply and ensure prices don't rise too high?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Gas is an important part of providing stability, providing that firming capacity so that businesses like Rio Tinto at Gladstone, so, this isn't theoretical, this is what's happening, whether it's Rio Tinto at Gladstone or the facility there at Tomago, which is New South Wales largest energy user, so that they can have that confidence of moving to renewables, but backed by the firming capacity that gas provides. Now, we already have, in the policy that was brought forward in December of 2022, we strengthened the code of conduct to make it mandated. We made sure with the ADGSM that we can intervene to guarantee domestic supply. And we, of course, reduced gas prices from $30 when we came to office, down to $13. That was a direct result of the policies that were put in place. All the Opposition have isn't a gas policy. All they have is gaslighting of the Australian public.
 
JOURNALIST: You keep saying that Australia got the best deal last week, but now Donald Trump has changed those tariffs for all the non-retaliatory countries to 10 per cent. We have the same deal as everyone else. So, do we still have the best deal? And isn't the best deal zero? And what are you doing to achieve that?
 
PRIME MINISTER: The best deal is zero. And that's what we are continuing to put forward very strongly, using every avenue at our disposal. What the changes that have occurred from day to day, what they emphasise is the need for a considered, calibrated, clear position when negotiating over these international issues, including with the Trump Administration. What I did was after a contribution by President Trump that finished at 8 o'clock, I was on my feet within minutes, literally the first leader in the world to respond. And we responded with a comprehensive plan.
 
What we didn't do was come up with different things. When the aluminium and steel decision was made, Peter Dutton said that he could have got that excluded in spite of the fact that no country in the world had that. Peter Dutton, after last week's response, said that defence issues should be on the table as well. And John Howard had to intervene to tell him that it was not in Australia's interest to tie defence and tariff decisions. And I agree with John Howard.
 
JOURNALIST: But, PM, there’s no better deal for Australia anymore, we're all the same.
 
PRIME MINISTER: That changed overnight. You're right, which is why we need to have a considered, calibrated, organised –
 
JOURNALIST: But doesn’t it show that your approach didn’t actually materially change anything?
 
PRIME MINISTER: No, what it shows is that the US Administration changes its position on a regular basis. And on that, on that fact, we need to make sure that Australia is considered in the way that we go forward. We'll continue to argue the case. I note, as well, that part of the decision isn't just 10 per cent, it is a 90-day period. So, the US Administration have given time, and as I said, if you go back and have a look at my comments, I said that there were two options and we prepared for both, because the feedback we had from the US Administration was that they were engaging, including with us, about exemptions. Their second option was to do a blanket position across the board and then try to pull some of them back.
 
Now, what we did was prepare for both scenarios because it wasn't clear to people, including people we were negotiating with, precisely what would occur. And in the end, I've got to say, as I've said before, some of the decisions, such as the Heard and McDonald Island decisions, or Norfolk Island, but not just them as well, some of the decisions in our region confounded people who were involved in the negotiations. On that basis, that is why you have to be an adult, not dial it up to 11 at every opportunity, which is what Peter Dutton's plan is on everything. And just to say first thing that comes into your head and then pretend that you haven't said it and wind it back and never talk about it again. What you need to do in dealing with the United States or dealing with other diplomatic relations as well, is to be consistent and considered. That's what we're being.
 
JOURNALIST: China's offering to work with Australia to boost trade in response to these latest tariffs. Have you had any preliminary discussions, is any of that on the table?
 
PRIME MINISTER: We'll be trying to increase our trade with every country. That's what we do. That's part of our plan. Part of our plan is buying Australian and part of our plan, as well, is providing $50 million to affected sectors, particularly through peak bodies to grow new markets. That's not a plan in response to last Thursday, that's something we've been doing because we do live in an uncertain world. That's something we've been preparing for. That's why I led a trade mission to China, but to India, to Indonesia and to Laos, for example, over my Prime Ministership. So, we'll continue to do that. We'll continue to look for opportunities that are there to grow. As I said yesterday, these trade issues affect 20 per cent of the global market, 80 per cent of trade does not involve the United States. There are opportunities for Australia, we intend to seize them.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, will Australia join hands with China, as the Ambassador has suggested, against tariffs?
 
PRIME MINISTER: We will speak for ourselves, and we speak for ourselves. And Australia's position is that free and fair trade is a good thing.
 
JOURNALIST: Have you put in a request to speak directly to Donald Trump, leader to leader, since you called the election? And how often are you speaking to Ambassador Kevin Rudd at the moment?
 
PRIME MINISTER:  I speak to Ambassador Rudd regularly and we engage with the United States Administration in a diplomatic way. Not with a loud hailer, but in a diplomatic way.
 
JOURNALIST: Last night, your Treasurer accused Peter Dutton of being a DOGE-sycophant who has hitched his wagon to Donald Trump's policies. You've accused Peter Dutton of borrowing policies from elsewhere before. Do you agree with your Treasurer that he is a DOGE-sycophant who has adopted Donald Trump's policies?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what's interesting is that the Shadow Assistant Treasurer online has made a statement. Luke Howarth, very close confidant of Peter Dutton. When Jacinta Price was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Government Efficiency, referred very directly to DOGE and said that that was the model that they would have. Peter Dutton has said on education, ‘I don't know why we have so many people in education if we don't run schools.’ He said the same about health and hospitals. Peter Dutton, if you look at policies, people will be able to draw their own conclusions, I think, on where some of the public service cuts, some of the rhetoric that comes through, some of the culture wars that have attempted to be stopped, people will look at similar policies around the world and they will make their own decisions.
 
BUTLER: Can I just add to that, obviously one of the big concerns in the health sector in Australia is this creeping shift to try and Americanise Australia's healthcare system. It is no coincidence that Peter Dutton started particularly pointing at the health sector for cuts in the federal public service at pretty much the same week that the US Administration started making sweeping cuts to their Health Department as well. So, the evidence is quite clearly there. Peter Dutton has a desire to see an Americanisation of our health care system. That's why he introduced the idea of compulsory fee payments every time you went to the doctor, every time you went to a hospital emergency department. And you've seen it again in the last fortnight. At the time the US administration goes after their Health Department, within days, you see Peter Dutton do exactly the same thing.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, given we're at the Great Barrier Reef, how is the Climate Change Authority progressing on its work for the 2035 targets and its advice on that? And when can we expect you to commit to those 2035 targets?
 
PRIME MINISTER: The Climate Change Authority is independent of Government, so they're doing their work and they'll provide that advice to the Government. One of the issues, of course, was the change in the national circumstances with the election of the Trump Administration and its decision to pull out of the Paris Accord. Also, some of the decisions that they've made about aid will have an impact in the Pacific. Some of that aid is about climate change mitigation as well in the Pacific. That's something that my Government is assessing.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you talk about a need for a considered, calibrated, clear position when negotiating with the US. On the other hand, Mr Chalmers says the Opposition is full of DOGE-y sycophants who hitched their wagon to American-style slogans. Is Labor risking doing harm to its relationship with the US for domestic political gain?
 
PRIME MINISTER: No.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you've been to Queensland a few times so far this election.
 
PRIME MINISTER: I love Queensland, and I know my Yeppen from my Yeppoon as well.
 
JOURNALIST: How do you place Labor's chances? Obviously, there are a lot of seats at play. In particular, that's why you're obviously here in Leichhardt. How do you think Labor's going to perform?
 
PRIME MINISTER: I'm hopeful of a good result. I make this point. We've got five members of the House of Representatives from Queensland. We intend to improve that. I want to hold those five members, but I want this bloke to represent this community because it's so important. I think this electorate has, no pressure here, Matt, but it's pretty vital, not just for Queensland, not just for Australia, but for the world. This is one of the wonders of the world here. Just off the beach here, I'm looking forward to after this press conference, watching members of the media have a little swim. We can chill out for a while. You can go to the Reef it’s just there. You can see it off the beach. It is amazing and we should not take it for granted. It's so important. And I might ask Matt, after this answer, just make some comments about the CQU announcement that we've made today, as well.
 
But other seats as well – I think Kara Cook in Bonner is outstanding. I think Ali France in Dickson is outstanding. If she gets the same swing that she got in 2022, Ali France will be sworn in as the Member for Dickson. It is Queensland's most marginal seat. We are taking it seriously. Jason Clare was there yesterday. I was there as my first visit. And we have some local issues where the local member has said that he wants to live at Kirribilli, which is a long way from Queensland. And I think that that has not gone down particularly well here in Queensland.
 
But in addition to seats like Longman and others held by the LNP, there are of course, the three Green seats as well. I did my launch on Sunday in the electorate of Griffith, Renee Coffey is a star. She's been knocking on doors. She supports housing while the Greens were holding up new housing in that electorate. Madonna's running again in Brisbane for the second time, so, she's an experienced person, someone I've known for 40 years. And Rebecca Hack in Ryan as well is an outstanding candidate. So, we'll be campaigning very strongly. I'll return to Brisbane and to Queensland as well. I went to regional Queensland. I don't expect that we will win Hinkler, but that doesn't mean you don't go there.
 
One of the things about what I've done as Prime Minister is represent the whole country. We made a significant announcement a while ago, also, on the Central Queensland University campus, of a new school that will encourage, essentially, high school students on the CQU campus in Rockhampton to enable them to go into health professions.
 
So, we're looking at, across the board, how do we build the country up? How do we build Australia's future? How do we make more things here in Australia? I visited Gladstone recently as well, the Rio Tino site. Queensland has the most to gain from the transition, from the growth of new economy, from the growth of advanced manufacturing as well. Maryborough, the rail manufacturing, the difference it has made to that town is enormous. So, we hope to do very well in Queensland. And I'll give one of our heroes of Queensland behind me a chance to make some comments about the CQU.
 
SMITH: Thank you, Prime Minister. I take the opportunity obviously to thank the Prime Minister and Minister Butler for the announcement concerning CQ University. More than just health, though it will deliver some fantastic health outcomes for our community, we have been struggling to keep, particularly people in radiology in the regions and what we have found, what the evidence suggests, is that the only radiology school in Queensland at the moment is in Mackay. They do not have a shortage of radiologists. Put two and two together, we're going to solve that problem for up here, both Cairns and our responsibilities up the Cape. But it's more than that. This is an investment in Cairns’ economic future. You think about universities, they last for a very, very long time. Oxford has been around for hundreds of years. It drives the economy in that town. Cairns is now lucky to have two world class universities in JCU and CQU. And this addition to the CQU University will add extra strings to our bow. So, I say this to everyone who's thinking about a career. Come to Cairns, study, get qualified and build your life up here. We are 45 minutes away from the Cairns CBD right now and I can walk to the Reef without getting above my waist.
 
PRIME MINISTER: He does have an advantage.
 
JOURNALIST: Minister Butler, just wondering if you could respond to the Family Court’s decision published yesterday. It criticised the Australian Standards of Care governing the treatment of gender dysphoric young people and questioned Australia's gender affirming care model. So, where is the Government up to in its review of the Australian Standards of Care? And do you agree with judge’s comments? And Mr Albanese, if I may, after that, you've guaranteed that Jim Chalmers will be Treasurer, as Treasurer after the election, that he'll go to the US immediately after the poll. Will Penny Wong and Richard Marles form part of that delegation?
 
BUTLER: Look, I've read media reports of the Family Court judgement. I haven't had a chance yet to read the Family Court judgement itself. But what I will say is that after thinking quite a lot about this issue over the summer, watching what was happening around the world, including particularly in the UK after the Cass review, I asked the National Health and Medical Research Council to start a formal review of the clinical guidelines around gender affirming care. This is a body that has been doing this work for decades. It has a statutory charter to do it. I think that's been very widely welcomed from a range of different perspectives in this debate and they're in the process now of starting that work and I think that will be for the good of the country.
 
PRIME MINISTER: What I said was that Jim Chalmers had been to the United States and I also said, had met with the key economic figures there. What I said was, and I've said this a number of times, I've been invited, President Trump invited me when we chatted, to go to the United States. I intend to go, but we're not getting ahead of ourselves. May 3, a lot can happen in three weeks. It is hard for Labor to win elections. We've won one in three. No Prime Minister has served out a full term, having been elected by the people and been re-elected, since John Howard in 2004. For 21 years, we've had a revolving door of Prime Ministers.
 
One of the things that I offer at this election is not just me, but a team, who are competent, who are orderly, who are engaged, who are on top of their briefs, on top of their portfolios. And we saw that last night with Jim Chalmers soundly defeating Angus Taylor, who confirmed that there'd be cuts to public service. I mean, they were all over the shop. If you can't stand up for your own policies for two weeks of an election campaign, how can you stand up for Australia? They are not ready for Government. We are ready. If we are re-elected, if we're fortunate enough, we will be in a position to hit the ground running. And that includes developing our international relations, not just with the United States, but also in our region.
 
JOURNALIST: PM, taking you back to China. The Ambassador has requested that Australia join hands with China in turbulent economic times. Wouldn't that make sense for exporters in Australia and even for tourism in places like Cairns? Any interest in taking up that offer?
 
PRIME MINISTER: We engage with all countries, but we stand up for Australia's national interest and we stand on our own two feet, that's what we do. But we enjoy the engagement with countries throughout the world, and I have said very clearly, we cooperate with China where we can, we disagree where we must, but we engage in our national interest.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you contrasted the climate ambitions of a first-term Labor Government with that of Peter Dutton's Opposition in its first term. Obviously there are some concerns now within electorates around the country about the cost of the green transition. Just wondering what your message to voters is for – you know, were a Labor Government to be re-elected, would you seek to increase climate ambition in a second-term Albanese Government?
 
PRIME MINISTER: We have a 43 per cent target and we have a plan to get there. The Safeguard Mechanism, together, developed with the Integrated System Plan, developed by the Australian Energy Market Operator, provides a pathway, it provides certainty for business investment. The problem is that the former Government had 23 different policies and didn't land one. It changed. I mean, to talk about gas, they stood up day after day in Parliament and said they were going to have a gas-led recovery and nothing happened. Nothing happened. You can't deal with economic policy just through media releases and a different announcement every day.
 
What you need is certainty. And the business community asked for certainty. We've given it that. A 2030 target, a pathway to get there. And the transition, of course, is in the context of the former Coalition – 23 policies, none of them landed. There are 28 coal-fired power stations in Australia. 24 of the 28 announced their closure during the period of the former Government. 24 out of 28, and nothing happened. Nothing happened. No planning for energy security, and indeed, they just, south of here, at Collinsville, in North Queensland, they gave proponents of a new coal-fired power station millions of dollars to do, I'm not quite sure what, a ‘study’, for it going forward. Where is it? Nowhere. Because it didn't stack up. A bit like nuclear. If things don't stack up, I don't want to channel Tom Cruise here with, ‘follow the money’, but follow the market. The market will not have a bar of nuclear and they won't build new coal-fired power stations. What they will build is renewables backed by firming capacity of gas, hydro and batteries.
 
And what we are doing, including the announcement we made here in Queensland on Sunday with our batteries announcement. The great beauty of that isn't just helping individuals, it's that, if people have the capacity to store the energy that's created on their rooftop, it takes pressure off the entire grid. It provides energy security and therefore lowers cost for everyone. But this mob don't get it. Like they just have not understood energy policy. When they were in Government they had a revolving door, not just of Prime Ministers, six Defence Ministers, revolving doors of Energy Ministers rolling in and out. None of them landing a policy, not one of them. And that's why we have had such a repair job to do.
 
JOURNALIST: Big picture question. The way voters relate to political parties is changing. Party identification is falling. I wonder if, a, you have any theories on why that is and b, could it have something to do with the way we do campaigns now? Is the way that you run a campaign, the way that we cover a campaign still fit for purpose?
 
PRIME MINISTER: That's really a question that should have been, either at the beginning or the end, added ‘can we have a sit down for an hour and discuss these things?’ I'm always up for sit downs of course and I think if you compare my availability to the media with the other side. I think they had two press conferences in Canberra before the national Press Gallery in the same time I had 36. So, I'm available. I don't just talk to one radio station and one late night TV channel and I'll leave it to you to work out what one that is. But I talk to everyone. That is the way that I engage.
 
Look, you go to changes in society. We live in a much more fragmented society than we used to. And it used to be the case that people watched the ABC or Channel 7 or Channel 9 or Channel 10 News and in more recent times SBS as well. So, people had, there was a common set of facts and they picked up the paper in the morning. A common paper, there was some commonality there and that was how they got their information. So, therefore there was less diversity, and less noise, and genuine information. A mix of both but also less misinformation out there.
 
Society was also the case that, when I left school I did my last HSC exam I think from memory on a Thursday. I had done a whole series of exams because I needed to work full time. I already had a couple of part time jobs at Macca's and Grace Brothers at that time. I started work at the Commonwealth Bank on the Monday morning. Why? Because it was a public sector bank and it was a secure job, was the view that people would have one path in life. Nowadays society changes, it's much faster. There are really a lot of pluses in that. The truth is we shouldn't just romanticise the past. The truth is that over a period of time, living standards increased. Accessibility to, I hadn't been on a plane until I got a job as a ministerial adviser. That is not the case today. That was 1985. And so, the world's changed and of course that leads to more fragmentation. It's a phenomenon that we see around the world. It's not unique to Australia.
 
But here in Australia I do make this point. Here in Australia we have an opportunity to elect majority governments that doesn't happen in most parts of the world. Recently India and Japan even have elected minority governments in the last year. New Zealand, with the exception of the Ardern Government's re-election, has a system of shared governments as just the norm. But here we can have majority governments because of the two party system, the compulsory preferential system. We should cherish our democracy. And people might be critical of campaigns. But I'll make this point. When I meet with world leaders, there's no world leader who's more accountable, who has a question time every day. In some countries, Indonesia it's once a year. PM Modi, not at all. In the UK it's Wednesday for one hour. In the United States, the President doesn't go and answer questions in the Congress and the Senate. And I stand up most days. I'm accountable. We are accountable. Our democracy is strong. We have compulsory voting, which means people don't go to the fringes of, appealing to the fringes of either the far left or the far right also.
 
I make this point, I am asking for a majority Government. I am asking for people to vote number one Labor. In seats that are contested, our preferences very rarely get counted because the major parties will tend to finish one and two. But I'm asking for a majority Labor Government because I do think that it does provide the stability that in this uncertain time is a plus. And that's why we're campaigning in seats not just held by the LNP, but seats held by the Greens and seats like Fowler that are held by an independent. Because I tell you what, Tu Le in Fowler is also a gun candidate and she'll be in a position to make decisions in future years because she's a future Cabinet Minister, not someone who'll sit back, wait for decisions to be made and then decide whether they're going to support it or not. Thank you very much and enjoy your swim.
 
ENDS