SUBJECTS: Visit to Townsville; Lansdown Industrial Precinct project; Labor’s policy agenda; A Future Made in Australia; Federal election; floods affecting the East Coast; climate change; fuel excise; cost of living; manufacturing; secure work; pensions; Newspoll.
 
JOHN RING, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR HERBERT: Good morning everyone. My name is John Ring. I am the Labor candidate for Herbert at the next Federal election. And I'd like to introduce the Leader of the Australian Labor Party, Anthony Albanese.
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Well, thanks very much, John. It's great to be back in Townsville. And it's good to be here as well with Shane Hamilton, our candidate for Dawson, with Edwina Andrew, our candidate for the Senate who's based right here in Townsville, and Jason Brandon, our candidate for Kennedy. And today, we're joined by an old mate of mine, the Mayor, Jenny Hill, and my Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Catherine King, as well as Townsville Enterprise who campaigned so strongly for today's announcement.
 
Today's announcement is good news for Townsville. It's good news for North Queensland. But it's also good news for our national economy. What this commitment will do is make sure that this project can be what it should be a fully funded, ready-to-go project that will make an enormous difference to jobs here in Townsville and in North Queensland. The Lansdown Industrial Precinct has enormous potential. It's made possible as well by previous investments, when I was the Infrastructure Minister, to upgrade the Port Access Road here in Townsville, as well as to begin the whole process of the Townsville Ring Road process. What that means is that there's proper access to this Port here at Townsville. And we need to make sure that as well as manufactured goods coming in, which is what we've seen in recent years, we want manufactured goods going out. We want jobs created here. We want to export our natural resources. But we also want to value add. And the way that you can value add is by investing in clean energy, and having green manufacturing right here in Townsville. What this project will do is see some 5,000 jobs created during construction alone, and 6,000 permanent, ongoing secure jobs for Townsville, with more than 9,000 indirect jobs created as a result of this project. This project is visionary. It's about saying Townsville is a great city. It's placed such an important role in the region for the whole of North Queensland. But how do we plan for the future? How do we make sure that those secure jobs are there for generations to come? That's precisely what this project is about. Making sure that we analyse how we can go forward as an economy with good paying jobs, secure jobs, in order to benefit regional Australia. It's perfectly consistent with two of the big themes that I've been running on during this election campaign. One is we need a Future Made in Australia. We need to learn the lessons from the pandemic. We can't continue to be at the end of supply chains, which leaves us vulnerable to international events, be they pandemics, international conflict, be they cyber issues as well. We need to make sure we make more things here. That we are more resilient as a national economy. And this project will do just that. It's an exciting project. And I'm very pleased that we're making this announcement here this morning. I will ask Catherine to make some comments before the Mayor's going to add some comments from a local perspective as well.
 
CATHERINE KING, SHADOW MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT & REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Thanks, Anthony. It's terrific to be here at Townsville at one of the really important ports in our country. Can I acknowledge John Ring, our fantastic candidate here, the Labor team who's behind me. But there are two groups I particularly want to acknowledge. The Mayor, Jenny Hill, who will say a few words in a minute, and Townsville Enterprise. It has been these two groups that have brought this project to Federal Labor, have been in the corridors of Parliament via Zoom, I think most recently, letting us know that this is one of the number one priority for this region. And the reason it's the number one priority is it will unlock jobs. Unlock jobs up here in the North. But also, it does so in a way that is actually promoting renewable energy. It'll be the first advanced manufacturing precinct in the country that will be showcasing what you can do when you are using clean energy as well as renewables. It is a fantastic announcement for Townsville. And I do want to thank very much the community for getting behind this project. Thousands of jobs in construction. Thousands of jobs in the actual precinct itself. And thousands of indirect jobs. It's a real vote of confidence in the economy of the North, and very much so one that I'm looking forward to us being able to deliver, hopefully, from government in the not too distant future. Jenny?
 
JENNY HILL, MAYOR OF TOWNSVILLE: Firstly, I want to thank Anthony Albanese in bringing himself up here for this announcement and his team. This is really important to us. What we have is a commitment from the alternate government. I don't have a commitment from the current Government on this precinct, this further funding. Can I say, this funding is very important. This funding is about creating what we call a landing pad for the industries that are going out into Lansdown. I have Edify Energy here, and I encourage the journalists to have a chat to them after our announcements. What this will do is it will help us be able to deliver the key trunk infrastructure into the precinct without us having to put those costs on to the proponents. It gives these first movers a big advantage. Lansdown isn't a dream, it's a reality that is going to happen. We've got the coordinator general now working with Queensland Pacific Metals for the nickel refinery. We've given approval to Edify to open their hydrogen plant there as part of Lansdown. This will allow us to develop that landing pad for the rest of the industries that want to move out there. Whether it's solar courts, whether it's RTE and solar panel manufacturing, they will be able to go there and take advantage of using the green energy, the renewable energy that is now really out there in our networks. We want these jobs. These are the jobs of the future. This advanced manufacturing is the first of its kind anywhere in Australia using renewable energies. We want the community to understand that we shouldn't be scared of converting from fossil fuels into renewable. That technology is here. And we're taking advantage of it in our community. This can't happen without the support of all levels of government. And I want to thank the Labor Government, I shouldn't say that, the Labor Opposition for committing to this. We want all of government support. With that support, we can make this precinct happen.
 
ALBANESE: Thanks very much, Jenny. And we're happy to take questions.
 
JOURNALIST: The Federal Government has said there isn't enough information available to invest further into Lansdown. What makes you so confident about investing in this project?
 
ALBANESE: Well, this is a Federal Government that always say why they can't do things, and always blame someone else for everything. The truth is that this project, we've been talking about it for a considerable period of time. We have here Townsville Enterprise and we have the Townsville City Council. So, you have the peak private sector and civil organisation and the peak local government, as well as the Palaszczuk Government in Queensland all say that this is ready to go, all saying that this is a priority. You've got energy providers here ready to invest their money to make clean energy, which makes the manufacturing facilities that want to locate at Lansdown viable. And what is needed is for the Federal Government to step up and show a bit of leadership. This Government announced and then withdrew $65 million for commuter car parks in Josh Frydenberg's own seat as the Treasurer three years ago before the last campaign, before they withdrew it a couple of weeks ago. They can find $65 million for commuter car parks in the middle of Melbourne, where there's no train station, by the way, no train station for the commuters to get on. They found the money for that. What they can't find the money for is to back in jobs here in North Queensland. This is a project that stacks up. Unlike what the Government does, which is to get out its colour-coded spreadsheet, look at what the marginality of seats are, and make decisions based upon that colour code. This is based upon the evidence, which is there, the private sector saying, 'We want to invest, we want to get stuck in, we want to create jobs'. The role of government isn't to replace the private sector and markets. The role of government, and a government I lead, will be 'How do we facilitate private sector activity? How do we create jobs? How do we create growth in regional Australia?' And that's precisely what this project will do.
 
JOURNALIST: Just on the cost of fuel as well, would a Labor Government consider freezing or cutting the petrol excise? And if so, what cut would be appropriate?
 
ALBANESE: Well, we're not the Government, of course. The Government is the Government. And what we know is that, at the moment, families are under massive pressure. Everything is going up. Petrol was almost $2 a litre before the Ukraine conflict. So, it's been high for a considerable period of time. We have petrol that is very high. And people are really struggling. In regional communities particularly, where you have no choice but to get in your car to get around, to get to work, to get to activity. We have food, be it meat or vegetables, the essentials of life are going up as well. We know that rents are going up as well. We know the costs of childcare are going up as well. What we have from this Government is ridiculing proposals to deal with cost of living. They go out there and put up dodgy figures about child care based upon assumptions and promises that no one's made in order to say, 'No, you shouldn't do anything about the cost of living there'. They haven't done anything about petrol. We'll await to see what they do with regard to petrol. But what we know is that this Government had low wages as a deliberate design feature of their economic policy. So, everything's going up except people's wages, which is why people are really, really struggling. They talk about the big figure of what the unemployment rate is. What they ignore is the fact that so many people out there are working in insecure work, working multiple jobs, just trying to get by. They can't pay their rent. They can't afford to put petrol in their car. They can't afford the essentials of life. So, we will deal with a whole suite. We've got our own announcements coming up to deal with the cost of living. We've already made a number of announcements as well about the cost of living. This Government, Josh Frydenberg, keeps telling people how well off they are. And that flies in the face of how tough people are doing it.
 
JOURNALIST: With the local Member here as well, often the Member will start political fights between himself and the Mayor on Lansdown, but also on the City Deal. What would that relationship look like under a Labor Government?
 
ALBANESE: Well, it would be one of cooperative. It'd be looking to get things done, not have a fight. The problem with this Government is it's always looking for an argument and never looking for a solution. I was the Minister for Regional Development and Local Government. When I was in charge of that, we established Regional Development Australia to have regional economic plans. We had the Australian Council of Local Government to deal directly with local government. And we had Infrastructure Australia that looked at serious infrastructure projects, like the Port Access Road and projects that made a difference to productivity. So, I would have a cooperative relationship with the Mayor, and every mayor, as I did when I was the Minister. And Catherine would be working through on infrastructure projects. Jason Clare has been in charge of local government and has developed constructive relationships as well. This Government are obsessed with conflict, not with getting things done. What we need is a Government in this country that gets things done, that creates jobs, that makes a difference and accept responsibility for national leadership. That's one I hope to lead.
 
JOURNALIST: Mr Albanese, on cost of living, pensions will rise on March 20. Do you think the indexation levels need adjusting to give pensioners a bit more money in their pocket?
 
ALBANESE: Well, pensioners are really doing it tough. We know that. And we know the Government spin was out there saying how well pensioners will be from this rise. But do you notice in their spin when it was? The biggest rise since 2013. Remind me again what happened in 2013. We were in Government. The largest ever increase in pensions was when we were in Government. When we were in Government, we lifted up pensions during the Global Financial Crisis. This Government is so out of touch that they are prepared to spin out there saying how well pensioners are going to be off. Pensioners in this area have to get in their car. They have to put petrol in the car. When they get to the supermarket to buy products, they find that everything's gone up. And the rise in the pension will not keep up with the cost of living. And pensioners are doing it really tough at the moment.
 
JOURNALIST: Just with the most recent Newspoll, we see you are now level with Scott Morrison as preferred PM. Is that instilling some level of confidence in you before the election?
 
ALBANESE: Look, we know that it's a mountain to climb for Labor to win office from Opposition. We've only done it three times since the Second World War. Three times in my lifetime. And so, it's really tough. And if anyone takes a lesson from the last 2019 campaign, it's that you shouldn't worry about polls before the election because the one that counts is the one. If at some stage, this Prime Minister, who's been in campaign mode, self-declared since last October, ever calls the election. Whether it's on May 14, or May 21, we're putting forward a positive alternative. But the only poll that I'm concerned about is the one that is there on election day. But I'll say this as well. As I travel around the country, in Lismore last week, in Ballina, in Murwillumbah, in the smaller communities along the way that I visited, people are despairing about a Government that's abandoned them, about a Government that makes every decision based upon a 24-hour media timeframe. How you could have a circumstance whereby people who've lost their homes and lost everything that they own, told, 'No, you're in the wrong council boundary and you happen to live in a Labor Federal seat rather than a Liberal one or a National one, so, you don't get any extra assistance' is beyond me. How you have a circumstance whereby the Parliament passes legislation to give the Government power to declare a national emergency and they don't do it until Scott Morrison is there in person in Queensland at the end of last week, on the Thursday, and then on Friday says 'No, not really, we change our mind, Queensland is not in a national emergency. New South Wales is but Queensland isn't'. Even though that legislation very explicitly was about the need for action immediately. And in today's papers, you have the New South Wales Liberal Government declaring that they asked for assistance from the Federal Government on multiple occasions for defence, and were denied that assistance. Now, that's a political decision. The Australian Defence Force have been once again magnificent in stepping up, as they always do when asked to do so. But now, you have an argument between Dominic Perrottet and Scott Morrison about that. But when you get rid of all that as well, there is the Emergency Response Fund. Now, here in Townsville, you have experienced cyclones and floods. We know that fund is there. $4 billion dollars was there, for $200 million to be spent every year, some of it to be spent on mitigation, on preparing for cyclones and preparing for floods. That fund is now $4.8 billion. It is treated like a term deposit at the bank, as if it is there to earn interest, not to invest in mitigation, not to invest in flood levees, not to invest in infrastructure to make a difference when these natural events occurred. So, whether it's the short-term issues of responding, or whether it be the long-term action on climate change, it's real. At least this time around, we haven't had the nonsense we had during the bushfires whereby the Government members just said it was only 'woke people' who said that the bushfires had anything to do with climate change. We're getting more extreme events. They're more intense and more often. We need a Government that's prepared to respond. Only Labor will end the climate wars.
 
JOURNALIST: In 2019 populist candidates took a disproportionate amount of votes away from Labor candidates up here, candidates like One Nation and UAP. How will these parties disrupt the vote this time around? And has Labor's mining and environmental policies been resolved for this election.
 
ALBANESE: Well, our policies are clear. Our Powering the Nation Plan is out there for all to see. It's really interesting that the Government used to stand up in Parliament and carry on about, 'What are you doing in 2030?' Well, we have said what we're doing in 2030. 43 per cent target, the national energy market will be powered 82 per cent by renewables, it will create 604,000 new jobs, five out of every six of them will be in regional Australia. And I will tell you who the big beneficiary will be, of any state. It is Queensland. Because Queensland is the most regional of states. Today's announcement is about how Queensland, and North Queensland and Townsville in particular, will benefit from a Government that has clear signals, clear investment signals to the private sector. That's what we have with our Powering the Nation Plan. They don't talk about anymore. They don't talk about our targets. But it's all out there for all to see. And what people need to know is that there are only two potential Prime Ministers after the next election. I'm one. And Scott Morrison, more of the same, is the other one. So, if you want more inaction, they've had 22 energy policies and haven't landed one, if you want more abrogation of responsibility, more playing the blame game, if you think it's as good as it gets in Australia right now, then may be people will vote to re-elect Scott Morrison. But if you think we can actually build back better, if you want a better future, if you want to plan for the future, a plan that embraces high-value jobs, high-value manufacturing, a Future Made here in Australia, more secure work, Medicare at the centre of our health system, investing in cheaper child care, making sure that the aged care crisis is fixed. And people here should vote for John Ring to be the Member for Herbert. That's how you change government. Bot by voting for some independent or populist candidate, as you said it. That's just a protest vote. They won't to be a part of the Government. And I'm the only leader running for election at this country who can form government in their own right. I'm the only one. And if we get John Ring, and if we get Jason Brandon, of course, there in Kennedy. Shane Hamilton's having a real crack in Dawson. He is someone who understands the people of Mackay and that region just to the south of here. He will make an enormous difference. If we get the Member for Herbert and the Member for Dawson sitting on the Labor benches, then those benches will be to the right of the Speaker. They'll be Government benches. And what I'm asking for is to say we have a plan for a better future. Give us a go. We know this mob have given up. They have given up trying to have a better future. They don't even pretend anymore. They act like an opposition and exile on the government benches. They are all out there just spinning against us, obsessed by things that I said in 1982 or something, when I was at uni. Well, give us a crack. And we will give Australia a Government that it needs and a Government that it deserves.
 
JOURNALIST: Following the Federal Government's announcement to grow the number of Defence Force personnel in Australia, the Capricornia MP, Michelle Landry, and Senator Matt Canavan have called for a military base to be set up in Rockhampton. What is your response to that?
 
ALBANESE: Well, the Government, once again, showed what its priorities are. Scott Morrison gave a speech on national security to the Lowy Institute in the beginning of last week. So, either the announcement was held back to Thursday because it wasn't ready two days beforehand, or three days beforehand, or he decided to try and have something to say because I was speaking at the Lowy Institute on Thursday. I mean, this Government has its priorities all wrong. It is always about the politics. And when you look at the announcement, all it was, it was consistent with the 2020 Strategic Update. Something that we announced. And what the Government didn't have was anything new. If you look at my speech to the Lowy Institute, or my speech when we announced it, with the 70th anniversary of the ANZUS Treaty in Parliament, what I've announced is a Defence Force Posture Review. What that will do is look at where our assets should be in a coherent way going forward. The last time there was a Defence Force Posture Review was under the Labor Government when we were in office. The time before that, Kim Beasley was the Defence Minister. It's only Labor that has forward-looking plans. Quite clearly, given the changed circumstances, we need to do that. And frankly, I'm surprised that there hasn't been a similar announcement from the Government. But that's their choice. But we'll look at the Defence Force assets, where they should be, how we maximise their effectiveness. We'll do it from Government, in consultation, obviously, with the Defence Force, and in consultation as well with a process that allows for submissions from all the national security agencies as well. It's something that we do need to do. And quite clearly, there's a case for more support here in the north, if you look at common sense tells you that's the case. When I was last here, we didn't do a press conference there. But I visited the barracks here in Townsville. And can I say, what an honour that was for me. And, once again, thank the men and women who welcomed us.
 
JOURNALIST: Bob Katter has also said that across Mt Isa, that should be expanded. What do you make of his calls in particular?
 
ALBANESE: Well, he's entitled, of course, to do that. And I respect his right. And local members will do that. But what you need to do is to have a proper analysis of how it all fits together. This isn't something that you get out a colour-coded spreadsheet on and do things based upon electorates. What you need to do is to make sure that you maximise the effectiveness of every dollar and every level of support that goes to our Defence Force. And the way to do that is to have the Posture Review. And that is something that I've announced and something that we're committed to.
 
JOURNALIST: If you were the Member for Herbert, how quickly will you get that project underway and in construction?
 
RING: I'll be working with all levels of government, state and local governments, to make sure we get shovels ready, on the ground, as soon as possible. And that makes sense in a collaborative way with the community as well.
 
JOURNALIST: When do you think needs to be started by to get the project off the ground?
 
RING: Well, first things first, I've got to get elected, mate. So, I'll be putting 100 per cent effort into being elected and making the person behind me the Prime Minister of Australia. So, that's what I'll be focused on in the next couple of months. And then I'll be sitting down with all the proponents, Townsville Enterprise, local council, and the State Government to get things underway as soon as possible.
 
JOURNALIST: How will you make sure that Lansdown gets the funding it needs with the current Government if they win?
 
RING: Well, that's up to the current Federal Member to sort out. I've sorted out my side of things with the alternate Government. We are going ahead and pressing ahead with this. Because it fits into our policy framework.
Thanks very much.
 
ENDS