SUBJECTS: Visit to Uluru; support for the tourism sector; challenges facing tourism operators; JobKeeper; JobSeeker; suspension of passenger flights to India; Australians stranded overseas; vaccine rollout; the Federal Government’s Defence funding reannouncement; compensation for Stolen Generations survivors; the importance of tourism to communities.
 
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Thanks for joining us here at this incredibly sacred place of Uluru this morning. During this visit, we’ve had discussions with the Central Land Council and also we visited Maruku arts centre and had discussions as well with Voyages, all about Indigenous tourism and in particular Indigenous employment and training. What’s very clear is that the tourism sector here is doing it very, very tough indeed. The arts centre is now down to just three employees because people can’t visit, which is having a real impact on the economy, particularly with the reduction that’s occurred in JobSeeker as well as the abolition of JobKeeper payments. It’s having a real impact on the local community and the local economy. What we need to do is to take advantage of the opportunity that’s here to grow jobs, to train First Nations people for those jobs, and to grow the economy here, which is the key to lifting living standards here around the region, including at Mutitjulu where we visited yesterday.
 
The key, of course, as well, is to roll out the vaccine effectively. And the fact is that that hasn’t occurred. We were told four million people would be vaccinated by the end of March and we know that that figure hasn’t yet reached two million. We know as well that the commitments that were made, that this would be completed by October, have not been successful. So whilst it is the case that people are able to fly on Jetstar to Yulara, they’re not able to engage in terms of other tourism activity, the hotels aren’t all open, and it’s having a real impact here. The Australian Government needs to get the rollout of the vaccine right because that’s the key to opening up the economy and to a return to normality in terms of activity. And that’s the key to Indigenous jobs here. But one of the things that we’ve heard is that there’s a need for immediate support for the tourism sector here, because whilst it is continuing to be under pressure as a result of COVID, with the failure to roll out the vaccine in accordance with the commitments that were made by the Government, the support’s been withdrawn but the vaccine rollout that was supposed to happen at the same time has not eventuated. And that’s placing real pressure on business and on the local community here. Happy to take questions.
 
JOURNALIST: Are you hearing from tourism operators that it is actually picking up here? There’s heaps more people than we’ve seen in the last few months.
 
ALBANESE: Well, we heard from Voyages, we had really constructive discussions last night. They, of course, employ, 46 per cent of their employees are Indigenous. That’s a great thing. But they haven’t yet reopened all of the hotels. They’re looking for other airlines to fly here and they’re still very much constrained. When you’re talking to the CEO of the company, who this morning is cleaning rooms because of the constraints which are there, then you know that the tourism sector here continues to suffer. And one of the things that has occurred is that the sector has lost some of their employees who left when the hotel was closed. And that's placed constraint as well in terms of getting qualified staff here. And in order to get those qualified staff, you need to have the certainty of being open. Not open and then closed and open and closed, that has come with border closures. And those border closures have put real pressure on because if people don't have the confidence to book trips to Central Australia in the knowledge that they'll be able to come here, that they'll be able to get home, then that will continue to hinder the bounce-back of the tourism sector, which is why the vaccine rollout is key. Because that's the key to making sure that we don't have ongoing closures of borders as we had from Western Australia over the last week. It's also the key that the Federal Government has to get quarantine right. We know that Howard Springs has been very effective as a facility. We know that the Government took too long to ramp up the expansion of Howard Springs. But there are a range of other facilities that have been on offer that the Federal Government is ignoring. And whilst issues like ventilation in our hotels continue to mean that there are outbreaks, then they'll continue to be real constraints on the bounce-back of the tourism sector here in Central Australia.
 
JOURNALIST: The issue of staff shortages. There's been some discussion not only in Central Australia but across the Territory that we could consider getting seasonal workers in, like the farmers got earlier in the year. Do you think that that could be part of a solution?
 
ALBANESE: Certainly it will be. But in order for that to happen, what you need to do is to have quarantine facilities that are appropriate and to make sure we get the rollout of the vaccine right. They're the two things that the Federal Government needs to get on top of if we're truly going to see the economic revival that Australia needs at this time.
 
JOURNALIST: What would you say to Australians who haven't been to Uluru and might be considering visiting?
 
ALBANESE: I'd say come. It's a wonderful experience. This is the heart of Australia and there is much to see here. And to see Uluru behind us or Kata Tjuta is to understand or comprehend, at least, the wonderment that it has for First Nations people. This is a very spiritual place. And to come here and to witness it is to have some understanding. And to talk to First Nations people, that we've had the great privilege of doing over the last couple of days, to speak to the traditional owners, to speak to the Central Land Council, to speak to some of the artists about their feelings, their beliefs, has been a great privilege.
 
JOURNALIST: And just moving on to the news of the day, is it reasonable to close the borders with thousands of Australians stuck in India?
 
ALBANESE: Well, we need to make sure that we prioritise getting Australians home. And it's understandable, these border closures, given what has occurred in India. The real question is, why weren't these Australians brought home when Scott Morrison said he would? He told these Australians that they'd be home before Christmas. Didn't put in place some measures that were available. I called, now some 10 months ago, for example, for the use of the VIP fleet. That would have been appropriate to bring people home from India who wanted to get home. But that wasn't done by the Federal Government. And I feel greatly for those people who are stranded in India as Australian citizens, and also for their families back here as well, many of whom are distressed. It's more than six months since I held a press conference in a backyard in Wentworthville in Sydney with a man who couldn't get his wife home at that time. And the fact is that the Federal Government's response in terms of its obligation to Australian citizens has not been good enough. And the fact that they promised, once again, to get Australians home before Christmas and didn't deliver is typical of this Government. Whether it is the issue of bringing Australians home, whether it be the rollout of the vaccine, whether it be the various timetables that they put in place, their actions never match what they promise.
 
JOURNALIST: The first of Australia's Tokyo-bound athletes could receive their COVID vaccines as early as next week. Does Labor support that?
 
ALBANESE: Look, we support our Olympians being able to go to the Olympics to represent Australia. But we argue, why is it that older Australians in nursing homes, for example, who were Category 1A, are yet to receive their vaccine, are yet to receive notification, many of them, when they will be vaccinated? Why is it that people with disabilities haven't received their vaccines? Why is it that communities, including here in the Territory, haven't received their vaccine? Across the board, the Government's performance with regard to the rollout of the vaccine has been all about announcement, not about delivery. And we need to make sure that those vulnerable people are looked after. Not just our Olympians, but vulnerable Australians are looked after as well.
 
JOURNALIST: The Prime Minister will announce a $747 million Defence package today after the Home Affairs Department Secretary warned the ‘drums of war’ are beating. Do you believe the funding boost will help Australia maintain its competitive advantage?
 
ALBANESE: Well, this is just another reannouncement from the Government, splashed across the front pages, that was announced two years ago. We support increased support for our Australian Defence Force. But the Government needs to just stop reannouncing the same things over and over again. This issues raised today were on the table prior to the Defence update of 2020. So once again we see a reannouncement but with an inflated price to hide the fact that this Government doesn't deliver. It’s always good at announcements. That's the one thing you can set your watch by is that there'll be announcements from this Government on a regular basis. What I want to see is some actual delivery. And no doubt when Scott Morrison visits Darwin today, for the first time, it must be said, in a couple of years. Last time he visited a Defence area we had the Top Gun soundtrack running, we had a whole lot of money spent on that photo opportunity. We'll wait and see what we have in store, what the soundtrack is, whether he's in a tank or in a fighter plane, or somewhere else. You know, our Defence services deserve support more than they deserve a Prime Minister who seems intent on using them for photo opportunities at each and every occasion.
 
JOURNALIST: Stolen Generation survivors from the Northern Territory are taking their fight for compensation to the courts (inaudible) against the Federal Government this morning. Does the Commonwealth owe them compensation?
 
LINDA BURNEY, SHADOW MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS: The Labor Party took to the last election, and it's not changed, a commitment to compensate members of the Stolen Generation from capital territories, including the Northern Territory. Shine Lawyers is launching a class action today and there is about 800 people attached to that class action. But the commitment of our party is to compensate those where there has been no compensation scheme in place and they are from the capital territories.
 
JOURNALIST: And do you have a response to that as well, Albo? Do you think that the Government has a role (inaudible)?
 
ALBANESE: Well, Linda has stated Labor's position on this issue. It's one we’ve been consistent on. I said, I think yesterday, that my proudest moment in the Parliament has been the day in which Kevin Rudd issued the apology to the Stolen Generations. It is the confidence of how that was received that gives me great confidence that when the Parliament addresses giving a Voice to Parliament, enshrined in our Constitution, that it will be as unifying a moment when that referendum takes place as the apology to the Stolen Generations was.
 
JOURNALIST: Just on tourism, Linda, if you’re happy to answer. How important do you think the returning of tourism is to the economic advancement of communities like Mutitjulu and across Australia?
 
BURNEY: Well, our discussions yesterday with Mutitjulu, which was about two hours at the community centre itself, clearly outlined to us just how important communities like Mutitjulu saw tourism as part of their way forward. As Anthony has said, in terms of employment and opportunity, particularly for young people, but importantly, having a stake in the tourism sector. Now, this is important here at Uluru and Mutitjulu. It's equally important in many communities across the country. And one of the really, really fantastic things that we've heard whilst we're here is the employment of young First Nations people by Voyages through the Accor group and their national arrangement. I've been, as Anthony has, right across this country. And tourism to Indigenous people is critically important. And one of the things is very noticeable when people visit places like Uluru, visit Australia from other countries, amongst what they want to have is an Indigenous experience. And that's something that I think this place is well placed to do.
 
ALBANESE: Thanks very much.
 
 
ENDS