JIM CHALMERS:
Well, thanks for coming out to join us today. I’m here with Shayne Neumann, the Federal Member for Blair, and Linus Power, the State Member for Logan, and you’ll hear from both of them shortly but I’ll just kick things off.
Stronger local communities like this one is how we build a strong national economy. In order to have a strong national economy we’ve got to invest in strong local communities like this one in the outer suburbs of our major cities and towns. This is all about making sure today that we are investing in the kinds of local roads that local communities need and deserve, to stay safe and to prosper and to make that contribution to the national economy.
So, today we’re talking about millions of dollars in new investments in Black Spot funding to make these local roads safer so that people can get to and from school or work or running errands safely in our local communities. The Albanese Labor government is a very big supporter of our outer suburbs and our cities and towns, making sure that people get the infrastructure that they need and deserve. A really important feature of the Budget we handed down only a few weeks ago is to make these kinds of investments in local infrastructure and local communities because we understand that investing in local communities like this one is an investment in strengthening our national economy as well.
Now we’ve got Shayne Neumann here because he’s the Chair of the Consultative Panel for Black Spot funding and we’ve also got Linus Power, the State Member. Now we work really closely with Linus Power and the Miles Labor government to make sure we’re delivering for communities like Linus’. I really want to thank Linus for his commitment and his assistance and the way that he represents this community so well. And I want to thank Shayne too for the way that he chairs the consultative panel to make sure that the millions of dollars that the Albanese Government is providing to projects like this one go to the right places, to keep people safe and to invest in communities as part of strengthening the national economy.
I’ll throw to Shayne and then we’ll hear from Linus, then we’ll take your questions.
SHAYNE NEUMANN:
Thanks, Jim, it’s great to be here. Not only am I the Federal Member for Blair, but Chair of the Queensland Black Spot Funding Panel. It’s a panel made up of representatives from state and federal government. The RACQ is represented there, local government association, and it gets input from community organisations, from road users, from individuals, from businesses, a thorough selection process. We want to not just protect people’s livelihoods and lifestyles, we want to protect their lives. And 290 people sadly lost their lives in the 12 months before March this year on our roads.
So, there’s a commitment here by the Albanese Labor government. We’ve increased the Black Spot funding from over $24 million to over $26 million this year and going forward, over the forward estimates, from $110 million to $150 million. That’s a demonstration of our commitment as a government to investing in local areas like Logan. So, from the Lockyer Valley to Logan, from Moreton Bay, of course, to Brisbane, from the Cassowary Coast to Townsville to Toowoomba, funding’s being undertaken here. From local projects that people have nominated and gone through that selection process, highest risk interchanges, making sure that we put roundabouts and traffic lights and right hand turns and a whole bunch of other improvements that will make a difference to people, protecting lives on our local roads.
And this one here on Hein Road here in Logan, is critical. There’s been 22 crashes in the last 5 years, so this funding is really important for the people of Logan. So, I’m very proud to be with a couple of blokes from Logan here, to be here today and I want to thank the Treasurer for the funding. We work closely with the Miles Labor government and all levels of government and I want to thank those people who nominate. And if you want to look at getting your local interchange fixed, if you want your local road fixed, contact your local council. You can nominate yourself, but I urge you all to think about that. We need to protect the lives of Queenslanders on their roads.
LINUS POWER:
Thanks, I’m Linus Power. I’m the local State Member for Logan and I represent this area, one of the quickest, fastest growing areas in Queensland and the nation. And this particular road, Hein Road, comes between Waterford Tamborine and it’s being used more and more for people moving between east and west. So, that’s what I just wanted to say about this federal government, is that they get it. They get it at a macro level, investing in local projects like that. They get it with a member who represents an area similar to this on the west of Brisbane, who knows how important these smaller but vitally important safety projects are for growing areas.
So, I just wanted to say thanks that these particular investments on Hein Road are really helping the people of Logan Village and Yarrabilba get where they want to go in a safer way. And we’ve got a federal government that really gets those priorities of a growing area. So, happy to, if there’s any further questions about the area. But in such a growing fast area, we want to see the right investments and we’re seeing them both at the big picture level from the Budget and then from the detail of someone who really gets what a difference this makes from communities.
CHALMERS:
Any difficult questions for Linus?
JOURNALIST:
Yep, just on the household spending figures that are out today, what are you expecting from the data? And what are you expecting from the data?
CHALMERS:
Well, it’s very clear from the National Accounts and from other data that families and pensioners and people right around the country are doing it tough. We understand that people are under the pump, but more than acknowledge and understand that people are under pressure, we’re doing something about it. The defining feature of the Budget was cost‑of‑living help for people who are under the pump. We know from the consumption figures, we know from the retail figures that people have been forced to focus on essential items. Discretionary spending barely grew over the course of the last year. And that’s because whether it’s higher interest rates moderating but persistent inflation or global economic uncertainty, our economy is weaker and people are under pressure. We know that. And that’s why the Budget is carefully calibrated to deal with the pressures that people are facing. At the same time as we recognise that we can repair the budget and provide that cost‑of‑living help and make sure that we’re not smashing an economy which is already weak.
JOURNALIST:
You acknowledge there the economy is weaker. Is the economy teetering on the edge of a recession?
CHALMERS:
I don’t describe it in those terms. The Treasury forecast, the Reserve Bank and others expect our economy to continue to grow, but quite slowly. And we’ve been upfront about the softness in the economy before, during and after the Budget. We have anticipated these weaker conditions and we’ve responded to them in the Budget. And, you know, you get a lot of free advice around Budget time. A lot of people were saying we should slash and burn in the Budget, that we shouldn’t be providing this cost‑of‑living help. That advice has proven to be diabolically wrong and we’ve struck exactly the right balance in our Budget. Responding to these weaker economic conditions and helping people under pressure, those are the defining features of the Budget. And our plan is all about recognising the economy is not as strong as we would like it to be and people are under pressure. And that’s why we’re responding with a substantial cost‑of‑living package in the Budget.
JOURNALIST:
How do you expect people to spend their Stage 3 tax cuts? Will they immediately spend it? And is that a problem in suppressing inflation?
CHALMERS:
Well, a couple of things about that. I mean, first of all people will make different decisions about how they spend their tax cuts depending on their own circumstances. We think a tax cut for every Australian taxpayer is a very important way to respond to these cost‑of‑living pressures. The biggest part of the substantial cost‑of‑living relief in the Budget was a tax cut for every taxpayer, in addition to energy bill relief for every household, help with the cost of medicines and rent and student debt. But a tax cut for every taxpayer is a really important way that we help people with their cost‑of‑living pressures and support the economy at the same time. Different people will make different decisions about how they spend that. The average tax cut is $36 a week. And we expect for a lot of people that will help them meet the cost of essentials.
JOURNALIST:
Should Peter Costello reconsider his position with Nine, given the incident at Canberra Airport yesterday?
CHALMERS:
First of all, obviously I’ve seen the footage of that incident and it’s for the people involved in it to explain, what has happened there. It’s a matter for the journalist whether or not that’s taken any further. I think it’s really important that we treat journalists with respect, that journalists are safe in their workplace, and if anyone should know that, it should be the chairman of a major media organisation.
JOURNALIST:
Do you support increasing the age for social media access in Australia to 16?
CHALMERS:
We have taken some important steps to fund a trial to see whether we can get more appropriate age restrictions for social media. Obviously, we’re aware of the contributions that have been made in recent weeks by state premiers, by media organisations and others. We know that this is a really substantial concern, particularly for parents, but I think for the broader Australian community as well. We want everyone to be safe online, but especially our kids. You know, I know this, we’re all parents here. We all know from our own situations how anxious a lot of people are about kids online. And so, we want to get the most appropriate settings. And that’s why my colleague Michelle Rowland is funding in the Budget a trial for this kind of age verification technology which would be necessary for us to make these regulations more appropriate.
JOURNALIST:
Is that a change that you support?
CHALMERS:
I’m certainly very interested in seeing if we can get the best possible age restrictions. We want people to be safe online. We especially want kids to be safe online. I think for a lot of parents, frankly, it’s terrifying thinking about kids and social media. I think, like a lot of parents, it’s something that keeps you up at night, wondering about and worrying about how kids are faring online. You want your kids to have the best experiences, you want them to have access to technology where that’s appropriate, but you need them to be safe. And so as a government, and I’m sure as governments plural, there is a lot of interest in making sure that we get these arrangements as good as they can be so we can protect kids online.
JOURNALIST:
Treasurer sorry if I missed this. Andrew Giles, is his position tenable?
CHALMERS:
Oh, of course it is. And Andrew is up, I think, as we speak, or he might have just concluded his press conference in Melbourne, but he’s talking about some important changes to the migration regime that I support. But of course he is. I mean, it is a difficult job and I support him completely.
JOURNALIST:
Is every day, sorry, is every day he remains in the job, sucking energy from your attempts to sell your economic message?
CHALMERS:
I don’t see it that way. Every government at every level has issues to deal with from time to time. Sometimes those issues are difficult and they’re complex and you work through them in a methodical and a considered and a responsible way. I know that the Budget’s not the only show in town, and I’ve been encouraged, frankly, by the level of engagement with the Budget.
JOURNALIST:
Are you confident that those changes you mentioned to the ministerial direction and the new direction, sorry, will actually resolve the problem?
CHALMERS:
Yes.
JOURNALIST:
While families and victims have welcomed those changes to Direction 99, they say it’s too little, too late. Why has it taken so long?
CHALMERS:
I think the Minister has brought in these changes in a considered way in response to the legitimate concerns that people have about community safety. And in doing that today, he’s made it very clear that our highest priority is community safety, and that’s appropriate. And beyond that, given he’s provided a lot of detail in Melbourne today, I don’t propose to add to it any further.
JOURNALIST:
The RBA Governor was quizzed on whether she agreed with some economist comments that Australia is a heartbeat away from recession, what do you think about that characterisation?
CHALMERS:
Well, we don’t see it that way. The Reserve Bank and the Treasury both expect in their forecast, the economy to continue to grow, but quite slowly. And we’ve been upfront about the weakness in our economy, which is a function of higher interest rates, moderating but persistent inflation and global economic uncertainty. But more than acknowledge and more than understand the weakness in the economy or the pressures that people are under, we are responding to them, we’re acting on them. The Budget is carefully calibrated to deal with the fact that we’ve got weaker economic growth at the same time as we are fighting inflation and providing cost‑of‑living relief for people. And in these conditions, a soft economy and people under pressure, the best possible approach is to fight inflation, to get the budget in better nick, to provide a responsible cost‑of‑living help and invest in the future. And that’s exactly what the Budget does. Great. Thanks very much.