MARK OLSEN:
Good morning everybody and welcome. We gather here on the lands of the Djabugay people with some of the most important decision makers in the country. On behalf of the tourism industry here in tropical North Queensland we’re breathing a sigh of relief for many businesses have been cut off for as many as 28 days. Today we're announcing, the Prime Minister, the Premier, and this incredible raft of decision makers, including the Treasurer, are here to support the tourism industry in their time of need. Already $5 million has been announced and it's delivering immediate results with over 13,000 bookings coming through in our time of need, but many businesses are still cut off. So on behalf of the tourism industry – Prime Minister, Premier, Senator Green, Treasurer, and all of the assembled crew here today, the tourism industry is enormously grateful. We missed our peak season, we're heading into our quietest period. For many businesses cash is king. So for us, the support package announced today is a lifesaver. And it will see our businesses through until the peak season returns in Easter. So I'll thank and welcome Nita Green to start today's proceedings. Senator Green.
NITA GREEN:
Thanks Mark, and thank you, everyone for being here today. Can I thank Mark for your incredible work and advocacy of the last couple of weeks. The tourism industry has a very strong leadership here in Far North Queensland. But can I make a special thank you to the Prime Minister for joining us today, for returning back to our region so soon after the devastating floods. I certainly want to thank the Premier who's been providing us so much support here on the ground in Far North Queensland. And can I also say I'm always reminded in times like this, it's very good to have a Treasurer from Queensland, and we're very, very glad to have Jim on the ground as well. And thanks to Murray for all the work that he's been doing. We have a saying in Far North Queensland – 'when you see planes in the air, you see jobs on the ground' and the tourism industry is such an important part of the local economy here. As a Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef, I'm so proud that the reef and the rainforest here in Far North Queensland brings tourism to our shores. It's really important after the Far North Queensland floods that we don't suffer a secondary disaster, and that's what this support is about today. I know that this is a unique and special place that people want to visit. And our governments are working really hard to make sure that people want to come here and that they can. But we need to support some of the businesses that are doing it really tough. Some of our region is still recovering, but parts of Far North Queensland are in the best place they can be for you to come and visit. So my really strong message today is that the reef is ready, and the rainforest is open. And if you want to support our community, please do exactly what the Prime Minister and the Premier have done today and come and visit us here in Far North Queensland. I'm going to introduce the Prime Minister very proudly. Thank you.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Thanks very much, Senator. And thank you for the work that you do on the ground here in Far North Queensland in representing the interests of this local community, but importantly as well, representing the interests of small businesses and those people who we had a fantastic roundtable here just a couple of weeks ago. We announced an immediate $5 million support for the tourism sector that has already delivering results. But today's announcement of $24 million of support for the tourism sector here in Far North Queensland is about jobs, it's about this community, it's about making sure that the workforce can stay here linked in with the businesses who've been dramatically affected by this flood event. We were in Wujal Wujal yesterday, having a look firsthand at the devastating impact that this has had. We flew over Cape Tribulation, there's been an enormous amount of work done and I paid tribute once again, to the volunteers, to the SES, to fire and emergency services, to the people from the energy sector. It was a great decision by Queensland to keep its energy assets in public hands because that has been one of the factors that have seen energy reconnected there in Wujal Wujal yesterday, and making an enormous difference. We know there's more to be done and that's why yesterday, as well, we approved increased Australian Defence Force support here, in personnel, in assets and equipment, as well as in temporary accommodation. We'll continue to engage with this local community to make sure it can be provided with every support which is necessary. But this support today will be there to help businesses be re‑established, keep their staff on the books and retain stronger links. In addition to that we will have a tourism and events marketing campaign. In addition to that, we of course are supporting the clean‑up program, the reopening of roads and infrastructure, so that people can enjoy everything that this wonderful region has to offer. This total package that we've announced between South East Queensland, and Far North Queensland is worth over $50 million between the Commonwealth and Queensland government. That comes on top of the $64 million that we had already announced. It comes on top of the support that we've provided for individuals as well that we continue to provide those payments to make sure that people have some basic income in order to provide that support where it's needed. This is an example of the Commonwealth and State Governments working together in harmony. Together working with local government and local communities, making sure that people are looked after and people are not left behind. And it's been great to be here for the last two days. We know as well that in other parts of Australia, we're just at the Christmas‑New Year period, we're seeing a devastating impact in Western Australia, and of course, we're seeing at the moment flooding in central and northern Victoria. And later today, I will be on the ground in Victoria with the acting Premier as well, giving consideration of what support can be given there and getting a briefing. But our heart goes out to all those who've been impacted by this natural disaster. People are incredibly resilient. And once again we've seen at the worst of times, the best of the Australian character. Australians pitching in to help each other, to look after those in need, and here in Queensland you'll always see that great spirit. And I'll turn now to the Queensland Premier.
STEVEN MILES:
Thank you, Prime Minister. And thank you for travelling here again to demonstrate to Queenslanders that the Queensland and Australian Governments stand shoulder to shoulder with them to support them through this disaster recovery, whether they're here in the state's Far North, or indeed in the state's South East. We know that Cairns and Far North Queensland are global tourism icons. They are incredible places to visit and the first package of tourism support was really targeted at those businesses that were already back up and running and it's been incredibly successful. 70 per cent of those discounted airfares have been sold, and that's people coming here to Cairns in the states Far North to enjoy its fantastic attractions, including the Kuranda Skyrail, which we've just ridden on, one of my favourite attractions here in Queensland. Today's support is really targeted at those businesses who haven't been able to trade, either because they're isolated or because there has been that drop off in visitors. We heard in Cape Tribulation last week, businesses that hadn't been themselves affected by the damage itself, but didn't have any customers because Cape Tribulation remains isolated. And so these grants that will support those businesses to make sure that they can stay afloat, to make sure they still exist when the visitors start coming back and to make sure that they still have workers so that they can support those workers through until the visitors come back. It will also allow us to support isolated communities like Wujal Wujal and Dajarra. The announcement by the Prime Minister yesterday of additional defence force support is all about being able to get supplies and plan and equipment into places like Wujal Wujal, Dajarra and Cape Tribulation to support them through this period and to get them back up and running. So as you can see, these programs are very much targeted at the current experiences of tourism businesses and workers here in here in the state's Far North. It's a great example of how our disaster funding arrangements work. Jointly funded by the Queensland and Australian Governments but targeted to what the businesses here right now need. We wouldn't normally have grant packages targeted at businesses that weren't affected by the disaster, but in this case we have seen how that is the experience of businesses in places like Cape Tribulation. And so this program is very much targeted at the current real experience of tourism businesses here in the States Far North.
JIM CHALMERS:
Thanks Premier, and thanks to Ken and the great staff that you have here at Skyrail for hosting us once again. These are wonderful communities here in the Tropical North of Queensland, and this is an essential part of the national economy and tourism is a huge part of its appeal. And that's why we are such enthusiastic supporters of the tourism industry in the Tropical North. It's why we're working so closely together with the state government, with the local authorities and business groups to make sure that we can be there for people in their time of need. Australians in communities like this are there for each other when times are tough. The Albanese Government, the Miles government, they are there, we are there for you as well as you get through this difficult period. There's no shortage of challenges in the global economy or the domestic economy right now. Global uncertainty, cost of living pressure and now heavy weather as well. And that's why our plan is all about relieving cost of living pressure, investing in strengthening local economies like this one, and also making sure our budget is in good enough nick to withstand the pressures that are coming at us.
Now a key part of dealing with cost of living pressures is making sure that people are getting a fair deal at our supermarkets. Today we've announced Craig Emerson will head up our review of the Food and Grocery Code. This is all about making sure we can get a fair deal for farmers and families. This is all about making sure that we can get a better deal for people and for producers. We want to make sure that the food and grocery market is operating exactly as it should. We want to inject as much competition as we can into that. And Craig Emerson, who is a very well regarded former Competition Minister, a very well regarded economist as well, a servant of the Australian people over a long period of time, he is the perfect person to lead this review of the Food and Grocery Code. By strengthening the Food and Grocery Code, we give ourselves a much better chance of ensuring a fair go for farmers and families who are under substantial pressure. I'll be back before you a bit later this morning to talk about the inflation numbers which we are receiving in the next hour or so, remains to be seen what those numbers will say. It's already clear that inflation has moderated in our economy since it peaked back in 2022, but the fight against inflation is not over. And our efforts to boost competition, whether it's food and grocery or in other areas are an important part of our efforts to make sure that we can ease these cost of living pressures where we can. We've made some welcome and encouraging progress in the fight against inflation since those peaks in 2022, but we're under no illusions that there is more to do, and the Food and Grocery Code review led by Craig Emerson will be an important part of that.
ALBANESE:
Thanks very much. We're happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, the tourism industry is reliant on many several important industries up in Far North Queensland. How's the government ensuring that support is being rolled out to all of them?
ALBANESE:
Well, we have support of $75,000, up to, for primary producers as well as $50,000 for small businesses who have been impacted and not for profits who've been impacted. So we're helping individuals, we're helping families, we're helping small business, we're helping primary producers, and we're helping specifically the tourism sector who've been cut off. You can't sell your product if people can't get into a place like Cape Tribulation which is why it's appropriate that we have this very specific program aimed at this important group. It's one of the things that came when we had a roundtable just a couple of weeks ago. So we're provided that immediate support. We're worked through with the sector for this comprehensive plan.
JOURNALIST:
Is Labor covering up details about the release of immigration detainees who we have monthly before?
ALBANESE:
No, the system has not changed from the system that was established when Peter Dutton was the Home Affairs Minister.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, BOM is predicting another cyclone could be on cards for the Far North in the coming weeks, if not in the next couple of days. What could that mean for the region?
ALBANESE:
Well look, we certainly hope for the best, but plan for the worst. We know that there are more extreme weather events than there has been historically. The number of them is increasing and their intensity is increasing. We were told by the science of climate change, for many decades now we've been told that this was something that we had to give consideration to, which is why my government takes climate change seriously. We know today that it has been determined that 2023 is the hottest year on record, since we've been recording these measures. That's why my government takes climate change seriously. That's why we have legislated for net zero by 2050, and a reduction of 43 per cent by 2030. The Coalition still can't work out whether climate change is real or not. They have a debate on their side of politics, a debate that isn't taking place in the British Conservative Party, isn't taking place in the CDU in Germany, isn't taking place in most parts of the world. Regardless of where they sit on the ideological spectrum, governments since Margaret Thatcher, she was one of the first to declare climate change threat, have been taking action. Here the LNP refuse to accept that climate change is real. And over a decade of inaction and dithering, isolated Australia from that global response which is required.
JOURNALIST:
Insurance is a huge issue for a lot of businesses and homes up here, both with the cost which has been significantly high despite the reinsurance pool and some are now struggling to access their insurance at this point and are calling for more oversight. What’s your response to those?
MURRAY WATT:
Far North Queensland, probably more than anywhere else in the country, has been experiencing real issues around insurance affordability and availability For many years now. A lot of promises were made by the former government when they introduced their reinsurance pool. In some cases, some federal MPs not very far from here, were claiming that it would deliver premium reductions at around 50 cent and that has not happened. It has produced some results, but nowhere near what was being claimed. Our government is currently reviewing, planning to review the cycle reinsurance pool. If there are improvements that can be made to that, then we will do so. But in the meantime, the other thing that you're seeing from the Albanese government, that we've never seen in Australia before, is real ongoing investment by the Federal government in disaster mitigation. We overhauled a fund that the former government had created supposedly to invest in disaster mitigation that didn't spend a cent on it and just earned interest for the government. That is now investing over the next five years alone, $1 billion from the Federal government in disaster mitigation matched by state and territory governments. And what that will do is reduce the risk that people face and it should put downward pressure on insurance premiums. So there's a number of things that we're doing to try to tackle what is a very real issue for Australians, particularly here in Far North Queensland.
JOURNALIST:
Minister, just a reaction of this morning’s court decision to allow logging to continue in New South Wales? Do you feel comfortable that enough consideration was given to the environment?
WATT:
Yeah, we've only in the last half hour or so been advised that the Federal Court has handed down its decision in a case involving native forestry in the northeast of New South Wales. Obviously, we will work our way through that decision. But the application by an environmental group has been dismissed. We welcome that decision by the court . We opposed that legal action so of course, we welcome that decision. But our government, the Albanese Government, has always said that we support a sustainable forestry industry in our country. The reality is we do need a forestry industry to supply the timber products, the trusses for homes, the paper and pulp that we use to operate businesses and homes. We need a forestry industry. We need the jobs that come with it. But we also need to do it in a way that is environmentally sustainable. We have the policies to do so. We're investing about $300 million in the forestry industry, including the biggest federal investment in plantations that we've seen in a very long time. So we support the industry but we want to see it done sustainably. Sure.
JOURNALIST:
Back on climate change, you said that there's more things being done, but there's still being disasters. They are happening more frequently and more intensely, and there's been reports of substantial bleaching already on the Reef so far this year. There’s calls that more needs to be done and fast. What kind of capacity would we have to do more?
ALBANESE:
Well, it needs a global response. That is something, an area where people across this debate are right on. But Australia won't have credibility unless we're seen to be putting our shoulder to the wheel as well. My government’s doing that with the shift as well to a clean energy economy. The good news is that that creates jobs, it creates economic growth. We have an enormous opportunity to benefit from the global transition which is taking place. We have, just as we benefited from the fossil fuels that we had when they drove the economies with industrialisation, we have one of the world's best deposits, including right near here in Queensland, to our west, of copper, of lithium, of vanadium, of cobalt, of nickel, of all of these products that will be in demand. What we need to do is to make sure that we take the opportunity not just to dig up our resources and export them for somewhere else to value add, but to have a future made here in Australia, to create jobs here in Australia, to value add here in Australia. And that's very much my government's focus, taking climate change seriously, recognising that it's good for the environment and good for the economy.
JOURNALIST:
A question for the Premier. Primary industry in the Tablelands are current hurting because the Palmerston Highway is so wrecked. What’s the State government doing to get these highways open?
MILES:
So, in addition to the loans and grants that are available to primary producers to support them at this time and through the disaster recovery, the Department of Transport and Main Roads is throwing everything they have at getting our roads and highways back open. We know that our roads, our highways are the arteries of our great state. They are what allow us to get our fantastic produce to stores as well as to ports for market. And so they are a real focus. I do have an update on the transport recovery. So, land slips occurred on all four range roads between Cairns and the Tablelands. The Captain Cook Highway between Ellis Beach and Port Douglas will again open on Saturday the 20th of January, weather and construction conditions permitting. We expect it to be fully open by the end of January. Again, weather and construction conditions depending. Ellis Beach to Wangetti will still require guided convoy access for essential travel. Approximately 30,000 tonnes of mud and debris have been removed from the Captain Cook Highway already. The damage to the rail line on the Kuranda Range is significant and Queensland Rail’s assessment and recovery works are underway. There is some hope that that might be open again mid‑February, but it could well be later than that.
JOURNALIST:
Premier are you concerned by the crime statistics released today?
MILES:
Well, first of all, it's not accurate to simply take the overall number and interpret it in the way that some have today. For example, there have been changes in the way those statistics are collected to include domestic violence offences that weren't included in the past. We've also created a range of new offences with our tough new laws and that has resulted in additional charges being laid. So, it's not a simple measure of going from that number and inferring from that there has been an increase in crime. We also have many, many more police on the beat, 1600 more police throughout the state and those police are doing their jobs. That is resulting in an increasing number of reports of crime and an increasing number of arrests. We want them to do that. That is a good thing because that is what we employ our police to do, to keep people safe, to take reports of crime, investigate them and arrest offenders with the maximum number of offences that have occurred,
JOURNALIST:
It’s clearly worsening. Are you confident your government is doing enough to combat the crisis?
MILES:
Well, it's not clearly worsening. In fact, here in Cairns we're seeing early signs of a turnaround in crime rates and that is very welcome. Our police are doing their job and we have 1600 more of them out there doing their job and that is in part reflected in those statistics as well as the fact that we have created new offences. They are now included in those statistics.
JOURNALIST:
Premier it's understood that contracts for repair on these major highways has gone to national contractors and local contractors are concerned they're not getting a look in to do some of these repair works. What's your response to that?
MILES:
That's the first I've heard of that concern. But we do have very strong local procurement policies, including for TMR, and so they should be through these tenders applying those policies, because wherever possible, we want to see local businesses get that work so that local contractors, local tradies, local workers can be employed. That's a key part of how these recovery funds are designed.
JOURNALIST:
So tenders are open for INAUDIBLE.
MILES:
Well, all of our tenders apply that by Queensland policy and it has weightings that support local contractors and I certainly expect that they will be strongly applying our policy because we want to see local trades working on those roads.
JOURNALIST:
What plans are being put in place to ensure that Far North doesn’t enter a housing crisis following the flooding?
MILES:
Well, that is a concern. Our immediate concern, of course, has been providing crisis accommodation for those people who are now homeless and then supporting them to get back into their homes as quickly as they can. But we know for a while now, thousands of people have been moving from other states to Queensland and that has put pressure on our housing market. We'll continue to work with local government to ensure that they are releasing land and approving developments at a rate that can ease that pressure on housing supply. And that will continue to be our main focus through tools like the regional plans that we're working on here in the state’s far north.
JOURNALIST:
Another question for the Prime Minister. Is the government renewing its calls for a ceasefire in Gaza at the moment?
ALBANESE:
The government hasn't changed our position. We issued a statement with the Canadian Prime Minister and the New Zealand Prime Minister. I note that Secretary of State from the United States Antony Blinken has visited the region. Antony Blinken is doing an extraordinary job in trying to provide solutions for what is a very difficult issue, dealing with, calling for the protection of innocent civilians wherever they are is certainly something that I would hope enjoys universal support, whether they be Israelis or people in Gaza.
Thanks very much, everyone. And can I just finish with a, can I just give a shout out to people in different parts of Australia. We met a whole lot of people from Victoria, South Australia who are visiting here, enjoying the wonderful things that this region has to offer. I know that for many people are doing it tough, but record figures visited Bali last year. It's a good thing people have a choice of options, but this is a time where if people are weighing up where they are going to go for a break, give consideration to coming right here because this region has a wonderful thing to offer and we have seen today with Skyrail just one of the tourism products that are most enjoyable and in my view the best in the world. Thanks very much.