LETITIA DEL FABBRO:
I'm standing up to be a Labor representative in my community and I'm really proud of the work that the Anthony Albanese Labor government has been doing in the past year. Things that are important to me are childcare, Medicare, aged care – all the things that make our communities and families strong. I want to be that local candidate who's delivering for the community.
JIM CHALMERS:
Thanks so much, Leticia. Thanks for the opportunity to come and show our support for the campaign that you have run and are running here on the northern Gold Coast. Leticia Del Fabbro is an absolutely sensational local community champion. Three of the nicest things you can say about someone – nurse, educator, Griffith University – and Leticia ticks all of those boxes and is really dedicated to this wonderful local community here on the northern Gold Coast.
This election is about a lot of things but most of all, it's an opportunity to support an Albanese Labor government trying to provide some assistance with the cost‑of‑living pressures that people are under and trying to clean up the mess left behind by Peter Dutton and Scott Morrison and the LNP. Today is an opportunity for the people of the northern Gold Coast to support a wonderful local community champion in Leticia Del Fabbro at the same time as they show their support for our efforts to take some of the edge off these cost‑of‑living pressures and at the same time as we clean up the mess left behind by the LNP.
Now, this part of the world has not exactly been Labor heartland for federal Labor over the years but we thought it was important that we put forward a wonderful candidate and make the case. We've got realistic expectations about this part of the world – the average swing against the government in a federal by‑election is about four per cent but we’re putting forward someone of the character and calibre of Leticia Del Fabbro and making sure we are focused on the issues that really matter to people here – cost‑of‑living pressures, Medicare, early childhood education, cheaper medicine, taking the edge off electricity bills, rent assistance – all of the various ways that we're trying to make life easier for people at an otherwise difficult time. We understand that people are under the pump and we're doing what we can to help people through the difficult times in the economy right now. These pressures are coming at us from around the world but they're felt around the kitchen table – we understand that and supporting Leticia Del Fabbro and Labor here on the northern Gold Coast today is an opportunity to support the work that we have been doing over the first 14 months or so of this government.
JOURNALIST:
You said that you're realistic about Letitia's chances here today, so what would you classify as success – is it eating into some of the Liberals’ majority or, you know, growing your own vote? What would be success for you?
CHALMERS:
Well, the average swing against the government in a federal by‑election is about four per cent, so I think anything less than that for Peter Dutton would be embarrassing for him. And I say this to the people of the northern Gold Coast with respect – don't reward the pathological negativity that we see on a daily basis from Peter Dutton. Peter Dutton is pathologically negative, he is almost permanently angry, and he's frequently unhinged and we saw that with the ridiculous commentary during the week when it comes to the Reserve Bank Governor.
JOURNALIST:
Cost of living, as you said, is a big issue here in this election. If there's a swing away from the government does that show voters want you to do more?
CHALMERS:
We certainly understand as a government that people are under the pump and that's why in my first two Budgets that I've handed down, what we've done is we've provided substantial cost‑of‑living assistance in a way that doesn't make the inflation challenge even worse – whether it's rent, electricity, out‑of‑pocket health costs – all of the different ways ‑ early childhood education – we are providing billions of dollars of cost‑of‑living relief which is rolling out right now, we're doing that in a way that doesn't make the inflation challenge worse and that's because we understand whether you're on the northern Gold Coast here in the federal electorate of Fadden, or indeed, right around Australia, we know people are under the pump. We're doing what we can to help and today's an opportunity to support those efforts.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think Robodebt would play into the people's minds at all or was it all just local issues?
CHALMERS:
Well, the LNP are the guilty party of Robodebt and we've seen really quite shocking revelations out of the Royal Commission and that's why – we've heard Peter Dutton talking about the public service and talking about the economy – we don't take lectures on the public service or the economy from the Liberal guilty party of Robodebt. It remains to be seen whether that will be a big factor here. Certainly one of the reasons why this by‑election is happening is because they clung to people like Stuart Robert for too long and this is an opportunity not just to replace Stuart Robert with another similar LNP figure, but to replace Stuart Robert with a person of the character and calibre of Leticia Del Fabbro – a local nurse educator associated with Griffith University which is a big employer in the area – it's a big chance for this part of the world to show their support for Letitia, it hasn't been Labor heartland historically, typically there are big swings against governments in federal by‑elections, but we're putting our best foot forward.
JOURNALIST:
Is this a test of Peter Dutton's [INAUDIBLE] leadership?
CHALMERS:
I think Peter Dutton fails the test every day that he pursues this pathologically negative, relentlessly angry strategy. I think most days he proves himself unfit for the office that he aspires to and we saw that during the week – there was this kind of unhinged attack on two of the finest public servants that we've got in this country and only a few days after the LNP got sprung as the guilty party of Robodebt. I think people know who Peter Dutton is, I think what this is here is a very, very safe Liberal seat, it's been in Liberal hands for a really long time, there are typically swings against governments in by‑elections and so our expectations are tempered but we couldn't have put forward a better candidate and we're focused on the issues that matter to people here.
JOURNALIST:
On the RBA Governor, there's been some pretty strong comments from the unions yesterday not happy with Michelle Bullock's comments, particularly about the fact that unemployment will have to go up, they don't like that. What's your take on that?
CHALMERS:
Well, Michelle Bullock's appointment was welcomed by the head of the ACTU yesterday – and not just by the head of the ACTU but by the business community, by economists. There was bipartisan support for Michelle Bullock really right across the board, very encouraging support for what is, I think, an excellent appointment. Michelle Bullock's appointment represents the best possible combination of experience and expertise and a fresh leadership perspective at the Reserve Bank of Australia. It's a historic appointment as well – the ninth Governor of the Reserve Bank but the first woman to run the Reserve Bank – I think that's important as well and so we are really proud of the appointment. No appointment is ever unanimously supported but it has been welcomed really right across the board – unions, business, economists, academics, and even in a bipartisan way and I think that's a good thing.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think we should change the definition of full employment at 4.5 per cent?
CHALMERS:
The Reserve Bank has said in parliamentary committees and the like that they think full employment is somewhere closer to four and a quarter per cent, the Treasury has said something a little bit similar to that, but we've been maintaining unemployment in the middle threes for some time now and that puts us in good stead for the global economic uncertainty that we confront now.
Now, our job is to try and get people through a difficult period here – we know they're under the pump and we know that the global conditions are uncertain and challenging, we know that the economy is expected to slow relatively substantially in the months ahead and so what we're doing with our responsible economic management is building our buffers against that uncertainty and providing cost‑of‑living relief without adding inflation.
JOURNALIST:
With inflation easing and the suggestion there may not be the need for more rate hikes, is the hard work over for the new Governor?
CHALMERS:
Well, whether it's Governor Lowe or Governor designate Bullock, what I try and do is not pre‑empt decisions taken independently by the Reserve Bank and the board or to second guess those decisions – that will be a matter for the board under Governor Lowe's leadership for the next couple of months and after that, for Governor Bullock when she takes up the position on the 18th of September. The Reserve Bank is responsible for interest rates, I'm responsible for the Budget, the Reserve Bank's made it clear that my Budget is taking the pressure off inflation rather than adding to it
JOURNALIST:
Letitia, we're hearing from locals on the ground that not really national issues they're concerned about, it's local issues – crime, cost‑of‑living specifically to this area. Is that what you're hearing as well?
DEL FABBRO:
Yes, so we've knocked on thousands of doors and talked to thousands of people on the phones and cost‑of‑living is probably the main thing that people are talking about.
JOURNALIST:
You ran last time, you were pretty successful there – you increased Labor's vote. What are you hoping for this time around hearing and knowing full well that your chances are pretty slim?
DEL FABBRO:
The reason I'm standing up this time [INAUDIBLE] last time when we had a really great campaign, we generated some good energy and I was really proud to see an Anthony Albanese Labor government elected last year, so it was an easy decision for me to put up my hand again because it's an opportunity to talk about the great work that the government's doing and you know, the work is really relevant to this community and to those cost‑of‑living issues – we've got cheaper childcare, we've seen over $700,000 put back into people's pockets with the cheaper medicines policy and I'm a registered nurse and a mum so money back into Medicare is also really important and also the way that Anika Wells is addressing the Aged Care Royal Commission findings, including putting standalone standards for food back into nursing homes and increasing the wages of aged care workers.
JOURNALIST:
So you don't feel like a lamb to the slaughter a second time around, do you?
DEL FABBRO:
Oh, no, it's just been fun – like all this attention, I didn't know anyone that had run in a by‑election before this so we've had this great opportunity to get Labor members together and to really knock on doors and talk to the community about the things that are important to Labor and to us and to give people an alternative, knowing that it's a very safe LNP seat.
JOURNALIST:
Are people frustrated they have to come out and vote again? Do you think that's playing into it and doing you some favours as well?
DEL FABBRO:
I'm not sure if it's doing me any favours, but definitely the turnout is down, like 27 per cent down was the number that the AEC were talking about the other day and people are annoyed about having to go back to the polls this year – they elected an LNP member last year and he didn't show up and furthermore, he's been implicated in a deplorable scheme, the Robodebt scheme and people aren't happy that that was the representative that they elected and now they have to go back to the polls.
JOURNALIST:
Have you heard from people a lot about him. Are they angry with him?
DEL FABBRO:
You know, it is cost of living that people are talking about mostly, but certainly with the Robodebt report coming out last week and that name is recognisable to people because he was a member for a long time in this area.
JOURNALIST:
You talk about cost of living – has the Voice been much of an issue and the debate sort of I guess influencing people's votes?
DEL FABBRO:
People have definitely been talking to us about the Voice and they're interested in hearing about the Voice when we're knocking on doors and making phone calls, but it's really the cost‑of‑living issues that people are mostly interested in discussing and they want to hear about Labor's cheaper childcare policy, the way that Labor's addressing Medicare and [INAUDIBLE].
JOURNALIST:
Obviously a win here today would be monumental for you but what does success look like realistically for you, what would you classify as a successful campaign?
DEL FABBRO:
As Jim said, I think that any swing against the LNP would be a loss for them.
Thank you.