VARUN GHOSH, SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Well, welcome to Hyde Park. My name is Varun Ghosh, I'm the newest Senator for Western Australia. We're very happy to give a warm welcome to the Prime Minister, to this lovely group of West Australian workers and members of the community to talk about Labor's tax cuts, Albo’s tax cuts here in Western Australia today.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Varun. And it's fantastic that you've been elected as Western Australia's newest Senator, and I congratulate you mate, you will make an enormous contribution and already your connections with the community are evident here today. Because today, I have been given a very warm welcome here in WA, I've got to say. Warm in heat, but warm also, because of the policies that we are putting forward in the interests of working people. Under our tax cuts, every single taxpayer will get a tax cut, all 13.6 million of them, not just some. And for retail workers, so many people who work at Woolworths or Coles or work in the retail industry, they earn $45,000 or less. They will now get a tax cut, they were not going to get a single dollar under Peter Dutton’s plan that goes back to Scott Morrison's tax cuts of five years ago, that would have left people behind. Average workers will get some double of the tax cuts they were going to get, so we think this is an important reform. We went around and we listened to people about the cost of living pressures, which are there. This is a direct way, by having the same amount of tax cuts worth $107 billion over the forward estimates, but making sure they're distributed in a much better way. This will ensure that retail workers don't get left behind, and certainly today, the families here in Hyde Park have appreciated the fact that Labor has been prepared to not make an easy decision, but make the right decision, for the right reasons, at the right time. Labor wants people to earn more and to keep more of what they earn. The Coalition want people to work longer for less, which is why, not only did they say they’d fight our tax cuts, they said they'd overturn them. And they, of course, have also opposed our industrial relations reforms, which just say sensibly, that people shouldn't be on the clock 24 hours a day without being compensated for it. Happy to take some questions.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, are you feeling the heat over the recent arrivals on the weekend of 39 boat people?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, these issues have been resolved. Operation Sovereign Borders is in place and has dealt with this issue, as we said that it would. I don't comment on operational matters, and I note that the head of Operation Sovereign Borders, Rear Admiral Sonter, has made his views very, very clear about the appropriateness or otherwise of some of the comments that have been made in recent days. I had discussions with the Rear Admiral yesterday and again this morning, or today, as well. And these issues have been resolved.
JOURNALIST: Have you been briefed on whether they've accounted for all the people off that boat or whether they, is there any operation going on to still find if there are any other people off that boat who haven't been found?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, I have been briefed. I got briefed today. We don't comment on operational matters, but it's been resolved in a consistent way, as we said it would. It's only Peter Dutton who, for reasons that he needs to explain, is trying to send a different message to people smugglers. What we're doing is saying Operation Sovereign Borders is in place. If you arrive here by boat, you will not be settled here.
JOURNALIST: Is the level of surveillance under your Government of our borders the same as when the Coalition was in government?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, people were wandering around beaches in Queensland under the former Government. That occurred for a period of time. We have indeed, cuts were made to operations under the former Government. What we've done is put in place appropriate measures, and they've been successful, and the operation has taken place, as we said it would.
JOURNALIST: Kimberley and the Pilbara are very important to Australia's economy. The Premier, Roger Cook, and the Shadow Minister, Andrew Hastie, both said today that it just highlights how porous those borders are and how lightly defended they are.
PRIME MINISTER: We have appropriate measures in place, and we have an appropriate response in place. And that's been demonstrated by the events this weekend.
JOURNALIST: Rita Saffioti said a government who changed WA’s GST deal or dropped WA’s GST share would lose every seat in WA. How do you feel about that comment? And do you agree that the political reality means our GST share is safe?
PRIME MINISTER: Well we've put in place security for your GST share, to make sure WA gets delivered what it's entitled to. We put those measures in place, we not only put those measures in place, we put in place all the measures for every State and Territory, and finalised that arrangement with the Premiers, including Premier Cook, last December. So it's very clear, our position and that security, which I must say was not left there by the former Government. We've made sure, through the National Cabinet process, that that security is there.
JOURNALIST: Is there a greater need for a bigger personnel presence – Army, Navy, Air Force - in that coastal region of Western Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: We have appropriate measures in place, we continue to monitor and continue to assess what is required at all times, at all times. We don't we don't comment on operational matters. We have, from time to time - under the former Government issues occurred. What we've done here is deal with it expeditiously, clearly, decisively, and in an appropriate manner.
JOURNALIST: But a little wooden boat beat our defences.
PRIME MINISTER: We have we have dealt with these issues appropriately, decisively, clearly, and in a way that leaves no doubt. The only person who's out there on a cheer squad is Peter Dutton, and he needs to explain how he thinks that the comments that he has made, talking Australia down, are appropriate.
JOURNALIST: Donald Trump recently said he would encourage Putin to invade NATO allies in Europe. What would be your message to him and to Republicans blocking aid to Ukraine in light of the murder of Alexei Navalny?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm not going to comment on internal US politics, that's a matter for the people in the United States. I will say about Alexei, and the treatment of him, that we hold Vladimir Putin responsible. This has been an appalling atrocity. This is a brave man who has stood up for democratic values and human rights in Russia, in his country. And his treatment is just beyond the pale, and we hold Vladimir Putin responsible for that.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, what reassurances can you provide that adequate resources are being put into Australia's borders?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, they're there. The arrangements are in place. We continue to provide support as appropriate. The only cuts that have been made were the ones made by the former Government.
JOURNALIST: Are you worried about the seeming falling interest or lack of support for Ukraine in the fallout of a major battle with the Russians, when they were about to be overrun, and blamed the lack of ammunition and lack of support. Are you concerned about the world losing interest in Ukraine?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I announced $50 million of additional support on Thursday for the people of Ukraine. This is a struggle not just for the people of Ukraine. This is a struggle on behalf of all those who support the international rule of law, all those who want to see national sovereignty be respected, all those who want to see borders respected. And the people of Ukraine have been courageous in their fight against a much larger army and military. They have shown extraordinary bravery and courage. And Australia stands with Ukraine, will continue to provide support, and just this week, we announced the additional $50 million of support.
JOURNALIST: How confident are you that the Federal Government can save WA’s nickel industry?
PRIME MINISTER: I am quite confident because I've seen how important this industry is. I visited with the Japanese Prime Minister, the facilities down there Kwinana, during his bilateral visit. What we know is that nickel will be a critical mineral going forward. It's critical for batteries and for other sources as the global economy shifts, as we are seeing, to clean energy. What we have done on Friday is to list it as a critical mineral - that will open up the industry for further support. And indeed, my Cabinet is also giving consideration - I've had two discussions with Premier Cook, Premier Cook will come and be invited to the Cabinet meeting we're having here in Perth, the third Cabinet meeting we have had in Western Australia since my Government was elected. And we are looking towards smart, targeted, time limited support. This is a short term issue for what is, in the long term, a very critical industry for Australia. Thank you.
JOURNALIST: Senator, do you agree that Labor would lose every seat in WA if it went back on our GST deal?
SENATOR GHOSH: I'm not going to comment on the prospects of the next federal election at this point in time, but what I can say definitively is that Labor is committed to keeping the current share of the GST to the next election and beyond.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much.