Press conference in Townsville, Queensland with Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek

SUBJECTS: Reef HQ, Papua New Guinea NRL Team, CFMEU, Aged Care Negotiations, Beef Exports; Middle-East Conflict, RBA Legislation.

EDWINA ANDREW, FEDERAL LABOR CANDIDATE FOR HERBERT: It's an amazing day. I'm very excited myself and the announcements that we're about to hear, but to hand out to the people here who are going to be doing this, I'd like to introduce Senator Green, Senator Chisholm, Minister Plibersek, and of course our Prime Minister.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thanks so much, Edwina, and this is a great day to be here in Townsville for what is an exciting announcement. In a little while, I'll go and open the Bush Summit. And it is a reminder that when we speak about the bush, we speak about our agriculture here, of course, we're speaking as well about our defence industries and the important role that they play. Regional Australia has an important role to play in manufacturing as we move towards net zero, where clean, cheap energy will drive manufacturing. There is nowhere that will benefit more than that, than regional Queensland. But in addition to that, it's a great place to live and a great place to visit. And here at Reef HQ this facility has, since Bob Hawke opened it way back in in the 1980s, this facility has played an important role in being a central point to where locals can come and see the reef in a convenient way. But importantly, as well, the science and research that has been conducted here has been absolutely critical. In addition to that, this has been a great tourist facility. I've been here as a visitor to the region as well, and since 2019 this facility has been closed. It's been very clear that what we needed to do to fix that isn't another media release, it is real dollars for real refurbishment and to make sure that Reef HQ can be built in a way in which it is sustainable for the decades ahead. This facility is so important, it contains the largest coral reef aquarium in the world, a facility that's a magnet for tourism. And tourism, of course, brings jobs and opportunities to the region. But in addition to that, the science is important that has been conducted here. In addition to this announcement of an additional $100 million from the Federal Government, making our total contribution $180 million, to make sure that this Reef HQ, the new Reef HQ 2.0 will be even better than what has been here in the past, and that the GBRMPA and the community can have confidence that when this facility is open in its new and improved form, it will be even better for locals, but better for the nation as well, and indeed, because of the nature of our reefs, particularly because of the impact of climate change, this is an important facility for the world. The Great Barrier Reef is a great national asset, but also an international asset as well, listed, of course, with World Heritage listing, which is why, in addition to the $180 million contribution, we will contribute $192 million for clean water in the Great Barrier Reef. A range of programs to avoid runoff, to work with the local community, with industry, to make sure that the waters around Townsville and right throughout the Great Barrier Reef region here in Queensland are as pristine as they could be. And so Nita Green is going to make some more comments, particularly about the Clean Water Initiative, as is Tanya Plibersek, the Minister. This is a great day. Good for jobs, good for the local economy, good for conservation, good for science and good for our national economy as well.

NITA GREEN, SENATOR FOR QUEENSLAND: Thanks PM. Well, what an incredibly exciting day to be here in Townsville. And we know that the Great Barrier Reef is a global icon. It is bigger than Italy, and it is the best managed reef in the entire world. It's an economic and an environmental asset. It supports 64,000 jobs, and that's why our Labor Government has been committed to protecting it. Our Minister and our PM have been committed to protecting the Great Barrier Reef. That's why we have been delivering $1.2 billion to protect the Great Barrier Reef, but also the catchments that flow into the waters. And this is an exciting announcement, because being the custodians of the Great Barrier Reef means that we also have a job to educate the next generation about why it's so important that we need to protect it, and how we can protect the Great Barrier Reef. And that's what Reef HQ does. It's not just a tourism icon for Townsville, it is an opportunity to teach kids particularly about how the reef works, why it's so important, and what steps we need to take as a community to protect it for generations to come. It's my job today, really to say thank you. I want to thank the community of Townsville who have advocated very strongly for this project. I of course, want to thank the Townsville City Council who worked with us on how we can deliver this project together. I want to thank Kel and Claudia, who are here today on her amazing advocacy and the community campaign around how important this facility really is. And of course, I want to thank the two people behind me, the Minister, who did an amazing job of understanding how important this was, not just for the reef, but for the local community as well. And I want to thank the Prime Minister for his leadership today. We know that the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was an idea of Gough Whitlam, a Labor Prime Minister, he announced in Cairns that he would protect the Great Barrier Reef in part from oil drilling, and that's why we have the reef authority here today. And we know that a Labor Prime Minister opened this facility back in 1987 and today, a Labor Prime Minister is protecting Reef HQ, saving it, and making sure that the next generation of kids can not only experience the Great Barrier Reef, but also experience Reef HQ and what that means. It's an honour to be here today. I want to hand over to our amazing Minister to talk a little bit more about the clear water initiative that we are also announcing today, incredibly important for our catchments and the health of the Great Barrier Reef. Thanks.

TANYA PLIBERSEK, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER: Well, thank you so much, Nita. When we came to government, the LNP had promised that they would rebuild Reef HQ, they just hadn't funded that promise. And when we came to government, the Australian Institute of Marine Science was considering closing some of its laboratories because their science had been so underfunded by the previous government. There's been a change in the last two years since we came to government. It's a change because our Prime Minister understands the importance of the Great Barrier Reef for the environment, for science, but very particularly for jobs and growth in Queensland as well. Since coming to government, we have now committed to rebuilding Reef HQ. That's so exciting. We've doubled funding for the Australian Institute of Marine Science. We've committed to net zero, which, of course, is critical to protecting our reef in the future. And we've funded projects like crown of thorns starfish eradication. We've already done landscape repair to prevent sediment and pollutants flowing onto the reef. And today, as well as announcing the rebuilding of Reef HQ, we're also announcing another $192 million for a cleaner water for the reef initiative. This will mean that we can revegetate mangroves, wetlands, grasslands, and stop sediment running onto the reef. It means that we can work with local government, with industry, with farmers, to prevent pollutants going onto the reef. It means that they'll deal with feral species and weeds. My friend Bob Katter tells me often that it's the pigs going along the river valleys that are chopping up the landscape and sending that sediment into rivers and streams and onto the reef. All of these projects can be funded with our $192 million project, which will make sure that we protect and clear up the water on the land before it gets into the reef. Protects the reef water quality, protects the seagrass, protects the environment and all of the animals and plants that rely on it.

PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much. We're happy to take questions.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, for this project, the Authority said in Senate Estimates this year, was redesigned under your government. Why only two years later have you allocated the funds necessary and why is that come at the expense of the Townsville project?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, this hasn't come at the expense of anything. What this is, is delivering, delivering for a project that's real. The problem, as Tanya has said, is that there was some funding allocated for this project, but not enough to get it done. And the Townsville City Council, of course, also made a decision that alternative projects that were there also weren't funded, weren't financially viable into the future. What you need if you want to make a difference, in reality, rather than just have a media release and a 24-hour cycle that then doesn't deliver anything, is you need to have a real project with real funding that can be delivered. We've made sure that this project can now be delivered. Previously, neither were going to happen. This will make an enormous difference.

JOURNALIST: You've said you don't want to just issue a media release. But the Authority issued a media release in November 2022 saying that it would do this grand design. Why are you in the community doing it now?

PRIME MINISTER: We have proper budget processes. This was stopped. This facility was closed in 2019. I was elected as Prime Minister three years after that. We had to go through and work with the council, work with the authority as well, to make sure that what was a sustainable plan to make sure something actually happened. What we have now is a clear plan to make sure something will happen, $180 million of funding in accordance with what the community has told me on my many visits here to Townsville, where this is my 34th visit to Queensland as Prime Minister, my 14th visit to Central and Northern Queensland. When I've been here, I've consulted, I've talked, as has Edwina Andrew, our candidate for Herbert, this has been a priority for her. It's something that Nita Green has been working with as well. And today, importantly, we have the announcement, not just so people can come to a facility here in Townsville and look at the reef, but also, how do we make the reef as good as it could be, out there in its natural environment? And that's what the $192 million for clean water for the reef program is all about as well. In addition to that, importantly, as Tanya and Nita have indicated, when you have a program that's about stopping sediments, working with agriculture, working with feral pests, doing all those programs that will make a difference for clean water in the reef, what you're also doing is encouraging and supporting jobs on the land, in agriculture, in other areas as well, to make sure that you minimize the impact on the Great Barrier Reef, which is a not just a national asset, but an international asset, which we should all cherish.

JOURNALIST: So what does new scope include and when we can we expect the aquarium to open again?

PRIME MINISTER: We expect the aquarium will be open in just a few years. We want to make sure that we get it right. We're looking at 2025-26 for it to be opened again. This is major works. As we toured this facility here today, it was very clear that it's not fit for purpose. You can see the impact that rust and corrosion have had. And anyone who refurbishes a home or does a home renovation knows that sometimes it's got to go big rather than go small, because if you try to get out with some tools and just fix the corrosion, it's back pretty soon, and what we want to make sure is that a facility is built here that is sustainable, not for months ahead, not for years ahead, but for decades ahead. Because this is about our future, we want to make sure that this is a jewel in the crown here in Townsville and in North Queensland.

JOURNALIST: The North Queensland Cowboys are investigating moving their women's team to Cairns, how might that affect a potential PNG team?

PRIME MINISTER: Oh, look, I think that that, of course, is a matter for the Cowboys I was speaking with Kyle Feldt this morning, and I wish the Cowboys all the very best, because my Rabbitohs are going to be hopping away in three weeks' time, and will be putting their feet up over September. Bit of a warning, we don't need any mad Mondays, we've had enough issues there. But the Cowboys, of course, it's great that they will, of course, participate in not just men's but women's rugby league. I was at the awards the other night where Johnathan Thurston, the great JT, got inducted into the Hall of Fame. But it was also really significant that half a dozen, for the first time, women rugby league players and officials were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Rugby league is changing, so no doubt the Cowboys here in North Queensland will continue to have a successful team in the men's league, but I certainly wish them well, as well in the NRLW competition. PNG, have put in a submission. We'll have more to say about that in coming weeks. Papua New Guinea is a country which has rugby league, as it's not just national sport, but I think national obsession is the right way to put it. The only time that there's no one on the street in Port Moresby is when State of Origin is happening on those three nights, or the NRL Grand Final. And of course, many people in PNG, as I've travelled around, including on the Kokoda Track, you emerge from the most dense bush that exists, probably as dense as anywhere in the world. And you would reach a plane, and you have little boys and little girls wearing Cowboys jumpers, wearing Queensland State of Origin jumpers, few wearing Bunnies jumpers as well. It will be a big success.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just on the CFMEU. We just got news from the newsroom that the Federal Attorney-General has placed the construction division of the CFMEU into administration, that's all branches effective immediately. Why is that a necessary move?

PRIME MINISTER: We're going to clean up the industry, and we know that trade unionists do a great job when they're looking after the wages and conditions of their members, but there's no place for corruption or intimidation in the building industry from unions. There's no place for corruption and to have a corrupt union official, you need a corrupt employer to be paying their money, and there's no place for it. We want to make sure that the administrator is able to do his job. Legislation was passed this week in the Parliament, along with the other nine pieces of legislation that we passed in the Parliament just this week, including the Net Zero Economy Authority, yesterday went through the Senate, including the Future Made in Australia legislation went through the House of Representatives, including other measures that we had through the Parliament relating to the public service and other measures. We are getting things done at the same time as our opponents, I think, have lost their way. One of the ways that we're getting things done is cleaning up the building industry.

JOURNALIST: Why are negotiations on the aged care reform taking so long?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's a very good question, and the industry is asking themselves that as well. As far as I'm concerned, these matters have reached a conclusion. We know that for aged care, in the aged care industry, and for people, we will all get older, more Australians are getting assistance in the home, rather than in aged care, as aged care residents. That's a good thing. We need to make sure that the system is viable and sustainable going forward. We have worked with industry, we've worked across the Parliament as well, and as far as I'm concerned, the legislation to fix aged care needs to get done as soon as possible. We await the final agreement from the Coalition, but discussions have been constructive, and as far as I'm concerned, I have reached a conclusion. There is a broad agreement about what is required in the interest of a sustainable aged care sector going forward, and that will be a good reform in the national interest, because if you don't fix it, you will have aged care providers not existing, not being able to operate, and no one wants to see that, which is why there's a broad agreement about what these reforms need to be.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the Western Australian Premier says you should apologise to farmers regarding your comment about the Aussie beef at the rural dinner. What do you make of this comment?

PRIME MINISTER: I support Aussie beef and at the dinner, and David Littleproud knows this full well, that I serve proudly Aussie beef to the Indonesia President-elect. We talked about with the Indonesian President-elect the importance of the live cattle industry as well as the fantastic products that we have. In the final product, which is eating the beef that we had that was magnificent, I must say. I'm a big supporter of the industry, and that was the point that I made. As a cheap point from David Littleproud trying to make an issue out of out of nothing. Frankly, I was the first Prime Minister to ever attend the AgriFutures dinner. Peter Dutton didn't bother to attend, and no Liberal Prime Minister has ever attended the annual event to pay tribute to the women in agriculture. Everyone there was very supportive of my contribution, and there was no issue until the next day, a confected outrage from David Littleproud, which is what he's good at. What I'll continue to do is to meet with the industry, and indeed, just last week, I met with a bunch of farmers from near Cloncurry who, organised through Bob Katter, who are involved in the live cattle trade. That is really important. That's an industry which Peter Dutton and David Littleproud were calling to be shut off temporarily from Indonesia due to Foot and Mouth Disease. What we did through Murray Watt, the then Minister, is make sure that the industry kept going. It wasn't paused or suspended, because we know how important the industry is.

JOURNALIST: Does supporting Hamas, rhetorically or otherwise, pass the character test for an Australian visa?

PRIME MINISTER: The security assessments are done by ASIO, done by the director general of ASIO. We are opposed to Hamas. That's not a controversial issue, I wouldn't have thought. They're listed as a terrorist organisation, and that is very clear. And the security assessment made by the Director-General of ASIO, Mike Burgess, has made his position very clear, and our position is to support our security agencies making assessments. That's what they do. We have confidence in our security agencies.

JOURNALIST: Was Mr. Burgess correct to say that rhetorical support wasn't a reason - 

PRIME MINISTER: Mr. Burgess is the Director-General of ASIO, and I have confidence in him. And if people don't have confidence in Mr. Burgess, they should say so.

JOURNALIST: Labor has had to make some concessions to the Coalition on its RBA reforms. Are you confident you'll get better decisions at the RBA if there are no personnel changes to its monetary policy law?

PRIME MINISTER: I'll leave those matters to the Treasurer. But the RBA and of course, in terms of monetary policy, make decisions at arm's length from the government. That's a good thing.

JOURNALIST: Just back on the beef sorry, this is coming from the WA Premier and farmers.

PRIME MINISTER: The WA Premier wasn't there, with respect.

JOURNALIST: What do you say to him? Not David Littleproud. The approach I'm getting is this is coming from farmers and now Roger Cook. Do you stand by your comments?

PRIME MINISTER: Everyone who was there. I stand by the comments that I support, both the beef trade in terms of packed meat and also live cattle. I support it, and I stand by the fact that I proudly served it to the President-elect of Indonesia, Prime Minister Prabowo, an important visitor to Australia, and the fact that I worked very closely with President Widodo to make sure, along with Murray Watt, the work that we did to make sure that the industry wasn't paused or shut down. That's what David Littleproud wanted to happen, and David Littleproud needs to explain why it is that he wanted that to happen. Thanks.