ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's wonderful to be here at Frankston Bowling Club on such an absolutely wonderful glorious day here in Frankston. And it is good to be here for what is a very significant announcement. But first, I do want to acknowledge the contribution that my dear friend Peta Murphy made to this community, and to acknowledge Rod Glover, her husband of more than two decades, and this community for what has been a very significant loss. And I know that they are still grieving for the loss of a wonderful human being, but also an extraordinary advocate for this community. There will be a by-election held this year at a time to be determined by the Speaker. We’re obviously in early January isn't a time when we would normally have elections. The people of Dunkley knew that Peta Murphy was a fighter. She was someone who was determined to make a difference to this local community and I visited this community so many times with Peta, who of course stood in 2016, re-stood and won the seat in 2019, and someone who would have made a very much an ongoing contribution and a significant contribution as a local member, but also as someone who is respected right across the parliament. Which is why more than half the parliament spoke in the condolence motion that we had in the parliament on the second last sitting day of 2023. Peta was a strong advocate of the local community. She was patron of this bowling club here, along with so many other organisations. And that's why it's appropriate that we're here in the very place where Peta Murphy launched her campaign. Every February, this club holds a pink pennant day to raise money for breast cancer and in a mark of respect, this year there'll be a tribute to Peta Murphy. Jodie Belyea met Peta through her work for a not for profit organisation here in this community that supports local women doing it tough and since then has worked for not for profits like Anglicare. Jodie Belyea is someone who I have asked, along with others, to stand as the Labor Candidate for Dunkley. And I've asked that she be given support through the process, something that has come up from the local community. Jodie was recruited to the Labor Party by Peta Murphy. Peta was always on the lookout for other local champions, and in Jodie, she has found one. Jodie is someone who will be an outstanding representative for this community here in Dunkley. She lives here, her and her family are based right here, has a son at the local high school, at Frankston High School, doing his year twelve this year. And Jodie will be someone who will be a champion and work hard for her community. And there's much more to be done. We know that this community is benefiting from the cheaper childcare that we have put in place. Jodie has connections going back to TAFE, indeed, taught at TAFE for a short period of time a few years ago, and the Fee Free TAFE is making a difference here at Chisholm TAFE. In addition to that, strengthening Medicare will be a major theme. We know that when Peter Dutton was the Health Minister, he was regarded as Australia's worst Health Minister ever by the AMA. He's someone who wanted to abolish bulk billing by introducing a compulsory payment for every visit to the doctor. He's someone who ripped billions of dollars out of the health system. And that contrasts with what we've done, working with the Victorian Government to strengthen Medicare and to strengthen the health system, through measures such as urgent care clinics, 58 of them rolled out around the country, including one right here in Frankston. We want to make sure as well that we continue to look after people. Yesterday's figures on inflation were positive in that inflation was reduced on a yearly basis down to 4.3 per cent, the lowest amount that inflation has been since January of 2022, before we came to office. We know that inflation peaked over decades. The highest figure is the quarter before we came to office of 2.1 per cent in the March 2022 quarter. And that's why our plan to put downward pressure on inflation whilst providing support for families and for people doing it tough through cost of living measures is so important. Jodie will be a voice in government for this community. And this community, which is a growing one, needs a voice in government. And Jodie, I am very pleased, has accepted the challenge of being the Candidate for Dunkley. I believe she'll do an outstanding job taking the skills that she has learned as an advocate for the community sector, for not for profit organisations, for people who need that assistance, who need government to provide them support, onto the floor of the House of Representatives to continue and to build on the extraordinary legacy that Peta Murphy built in such a all too short of time. So, can I introduce Jodie to say a few words here.
JODIE BELYEA, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR DUNKLEY: Thank you, Prime Minister. Good morning everyone and welcome to Dunkley. I'm Jodie Belyea and I'm here to tell you a little bit about me and why I am standing for the seat of Dunkley. Firstly, I'm a Frankston mum. I'm married to Dave, he's over the back, and I have a son, Flynn, he's attending Frankston Secondary School. We have two dogs and unfortunately a mortgage. And I was very fortunate to meet the late and great Peta Murphy through my work supporting women experiencing disadvantage through the Women's Spirit Project. Peta Murphy was an incredibly talented and passionate Member that advocated hard for this community. I am not going to necessarily be Peta, but I am going to lean into her legacy, committed to making a difference. I have big shoes to fill and over the next few weeks, you are going to see me campaigning on the cost of living, health and Medicare and affordable housing. I will be out and about in this community, meeting with people from Carrum Downs, Langwarrin, Frankston and Mount Eliza to understand what is important for you. I am not a career politician. I am not interested in playing politics. What I am interested in is creating a community that works together through working with governments at all levels, with local businesses and community organisations, bringing the voice of the people from the ground to parliament in Canberra. I am very excited about this opportunity. Frankston is a great place to live, to work, to study and a great place to look after and bring up families. I am going to be a strong local voice for Frankston, for Dunkley, committed to making a difference.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Jodie. Well, you can see why we have reached out and why Peta Murphy reached out to recruit Jodie to the Labor Party. Happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: Jodie said herself that Peta leaves very big shoes to fill. Frankston’s historically been quite a marginal seat, you yourself mentioned the cost of living crisis. How much of a challenge have you got in your hands?
PRIME MINISTER: Every election is one where you have to advocate for every single vote and that's what we'll be doing. Peta Murphy does, it is very sad what happened with Peta, she leaves an extraordinary legacy, though. And this community, I know, are really proud of the work that Peta did as an advocate and in Jodie, to have someone who will continue to build on that legacy. No two people are the same, but they do remind me of each other in that they are both fighters, they're both strong advocates. They're not from, Jodie's certainly not a career politician. She's someone who I think is the right fit for this community to be a strong advocate.
JOURNALIST: Which of the government policies are you hoping to road test at this by-election. Is free TAFE for example is something that might resonate here?
PRIME MINISTER: Free TAFE absolutely. And Jodie, of course, has a connection with TAFE, very much a firsthand connection with TAFE in this broader community of the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne. Fee Free TAFE has made an enormous difference. It's an example of where we committed to 180,000 Fee Free TAFE places. It came out of the Jobs and Skills Summit that we held in 2022. It's something that is a way of putting downward pressure on cost of living by making something free, but by dealing with the longer term issue of supply chain issues. So, it fulfils both of the objectives which we have had. How do we put downward pressure on cost of living whilst at the same time putting downward pressure on inflation. And in yesterday's release by the ABS on the inflation figures, they singled out Government policy, whether it was the energy price relief plan, whether it be Fee Free TAFE or other measures which have made a difference, and which is why it is a contributing factor to that lower than expected figure that we saw in the inflation figures yesterday.
JOURNALIST: Just on cost of living. Coles has slashed some meat prices by 20 per cent because of that public scrutiny. Is that evidence that they've been overcharging customers?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we want to make sure that every single reduction in costs to the big supermarkets gets passed on to the customers. They have a responsibility to do so and we will act. We have had the review by Dr. Emerson announced. We've also having action can be undertaken by the ACCC, in addition to that there’s a Senate inquiry. We know that at a time when people are doing it tough, the big supermarket chains have been making record profits and we know that there's something out of sync there. And we say to all of the supermarkets and to big business, they have a responsibility to look after their customers. And my Government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary. We know at the moment the code of conduct is a voluntary one, it's industry led. But we're prepared to look at mandating if that is necessary. So, it's a good thing that we're seeing the pressure that the Government is placing on supermarkets, reducing costs at the supermarket checkout.
JOURNALIST: On the situation in Papua New Guinea, does Australia have a role to play in keeping the peace there? Have you had any requests for assistance? And do you know if any Australians have been caught up in the violence in Port Moresby?
PRIME MINISTER: The advice I have as of this morning, and of course it's not perfect advice because of the nature of some of the troubles that have occurred there over the last 24 hours, is that our High Commission in Port Moresby are keeping a very close eye on what is occurring there and making sure that Australians are looked after. We continue to urge calm at this difficult time. We haven't had any requests from the PNG Government at this time, but we of course, our friends in Papua New Guinea, we have a great relationship with them. Prime Minister Marape will be in Canberra addressing the parliament, the first leader of PNG to do so. And in December we signed a security agreement that is binding, that is a very significant agreement in the lead up to, of course, the celebrations that will occur for independence of PNG in a year's time.
JOURNALIST: Are all Australians accounted for in PNG at the moment with what’s going on over there?
PRIME MINISTER: The advice that I have, as I said, it's not perfect advice and not every Australian is on a register in PNG, so it is imperfect advice. But at this stage we have not been made aware of, as of early this morning, of any Australians being caught up in the conflict.
JOURNALIST: It's been reported that Noel Pearson told the audience at the Woodford Folks Festival that Indigenous affairs are in a worse state than they were prior to the Voice Referendum, and that he's accused you of running away from Indigenous affairs. Are you running away from the issue after the failure of the voice? And I guess, what's your plan B for closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians?
PRIME MINISTER: We're taking action to close the gap on Indigenous issues. We have, we responded to the request Indigenous Australians made through the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017 to have a referendum giving not just constitutional recognition, but giving substance to that through a Voice. I was disappointed by that outcome. I took responsibility for my role in accepting that request. But we continue to, as I said on the night in October, that we needed to look at new ways to achieve the result of advancing reconciliation and closing the gap. It is unacceptable that we have life expectancy gaps, that there's a greater chance of an Indigenous young male going to jail than going to university. So, that's why we'll continue to work through, and to give one example, in the National Skills Agreement, the first national skills agreement reached between the Commonwealth and state and territories in a decade. In a decade there was no agreement on skills. It's quite extraordinary at a time where we know there are skill shortages as a result in this country due to the negligence of the former government. We have specific programs in there to deal with giving Indigenous Australians the opportunity to gain those skills in their interests, but also in the interests of the nation. In addition to that, we just in the last week, have advanced our plan for remote housing as well to be delivered. We had, as part of our Housing Australia Future Fund, a specific program for remote housing, and we continue to engage right across the board. On Indigenous affairs we want to do what we can to close the gap in education, in health, in housing, in all of these issues, which is what the referendum was about. We accept the result though, so we have to go about it in different ways.
JOURNALIST: And on a related issue, Tom Keneally has accused you of running away from a republic. Will Australians ever vote on a republic while you’re Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that'll be a matter for Australians, but I know The Australian are running a campaign to have another referendum vote. Peter Dutton committed during the referendum to have another referendum vote if he is elected as Prime Minister. I committed to one referendum. We held it. It wasn't successful, and I think that was disappointing.
JOURNALIST: On Penny Wong’s trip to Israel, is there a role that she or Australia can play in influencing Iran to stop meddling with the Israel-Hamas conflict?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Iran should stop meddling and Iran is playing a very destructive role in the region. Australia will continue to, through Penny Wong, make our position very clear. We want to make sure that there is not a widening of the conflict. There have been too many innocent civilians in Israel and in Gaza affected by this conflict.
JOURNALIST: Are you concerned about Labor's relationship with Arab communities, some of which say they won't be voting Labor again because of the government's response to Israel's bombardment of Gaza?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we take a principled view, going back to our opposition, to what occurred with Hamas's actions in Israel. We condemn unequivocally. We make no apologies for that. We've also been very clear about speaking out for the need to protect innocent lives, whether they be in Israel or in Gaza.
JOURNALIST: There’s a significant report today into the effect of rising sea levels in Port Philip Bay. What role does the Federal Government have to get involved in the situation in terms of planning, relocation, all that sort of stuff?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the first thing that we have a role in is enacting on climate change. We have a government that is committed to action on climate change and an opposition that, in spite of the evidence that we see with the science and warnings that we were told about, of more extreme and more regular and more intense extreme weather events, nothing seems to have woken up the Liberal and National parties in Australia to this. And they are still dominated by those both within the Coalition and some of the commentariat who seem to give their instructions to the Coalition that climate change is not real, that we can just pretend that these issues aren't occurring. My government is taking serious action on it, of course, planning is the responsibility of state governments, but we work cooperatively with governments of all persuasions to work through these issues.
JOURNALIST: Just on climate change, Victoria's Energy Minister, Lily D’Ambrosio has today accused the Federal Government of assuming that the development of offshore wind farms would magically sort itself out. She said, ‘if we had a national plan of national targets and national funding and national coordination, then we wouldn't have had the problem with the Port of Hastings terminal project that the Victorian Government put forward’. And she said that Victoria proposed a joint taskforce well over a year ago. Is she right or should Victoria have done its homework and realised that you can't you can't build a terminal in the middle of a Ramsar wetland?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we'll work through those issues constructively with the Victorian Government. We need to make sure that the objectives are met to provide for Victoria's energy needs, whilst making sure that the environment is also subject to appropriate protections. And I'm sure that those issues can be worked through, as Minister Bowen has said, and in discussions that I've had with Minister Plibersek as well.
JOURNALIST: We've heard today the NDIS is scrapping funding for nurses to work at specialist group homes for young people who attend because of brain injuries. Some of those centres may close down and force those young people to go into aged care. Is this acceptable to remove registered nurses from homes from people who are there, who are extremely disabled young people who have critical needs?
PRIME MINISTER: Bill Shorten will respond on those issues.
JOURNALIST: With inflation figures yesterday being lower than expected there's growing beliefs we may not see another interest rate rise. How much would that help Australians?
PRIME MINISTER: What is helping Australians is the fact that you have a government that is conducting a responsible economic policy, a three part plan to tackle inflation. Having cost of living measures that put downward pressure at the same time on inflation, where the ABS identified the success of the energy price relief plan and other measures that have made a difference, our rental assistance that has made a difference as well - that's the first part of the plan. The second is dealing with supply chain issues such as, fee free TAFE making an enormous difference there as well. And the third element is we're a government that's produced the first budget surplus in fifteen years. We inherited a $78 billion deficit and we turned that into a $22 billion surplus. Now, the former government was elected in 2013 on a platform and a commitment from Joe Hockey, as the incoming Treasurer and Tony Abbott, the incoming Prime Minister, to produce a surplus in their first year and every year after. They did nothing of the sort. Nothing of the sort. They left a trillion dollars of debt with very little to show for it. My government is making a difference each and every day with responsible, measured, considered policy. And that's why we want Jodie to be someone who is making a contribution there as well, as a member of the government. A government that is responsible and one that is delivering for Victorians, but delivering for Australians. Thanks very much.