It’s great to be back in Queensland, and to be here to announce that Rebecca Hack will be our candidate for the electorate of Ryan, which we’re in, which will be a three way contest at the next election. This week, many workers in this electorate, like workers right across the country, will be getting their pay packets. And what they’ll notice is that the pay packets are bigger, there’s more money in their pockets, because we’ve delivered tax cuts for all 13.6 million taxpayers. In addition to that, those people who are on award wages have received a pay increase. So people are earning more, and they’re getting to keep more of what they earn. In addition to that, we have a plan for a future made in Australia, making sure that Queensland is at the centre of the shift that’s happening in the global economy with creating jobs here, which are more secure, which are well paid, which secure Queensland’s future. That’s why it’s fantastic, as well, that Rebecca has agreed to be the candidate. Rebecca has a background in education, in teaching and in the education sector. And the key to Australia’s future, as well, is taking the Queensland principle of being the Smart State and making it a national principle. That’s why we’ve invested in Fee Free TAFE that’s made an enormous difference. That’s why our Universities Accord is making an enormous difference as well. Our early education initiatives, making child care cheaper, so that from the youngest Australian right through the education process, from early education, child care, through to school education, universities and TAFE, we make sure that Australians are trained for the jobs of the future. I think in this electorate as well, many Queenslanders who voted for the Greens Political Party at the last election are telling me that they’re disappointed. They’re disappointed that the Greens have used the influence that they have to stall Labor’s progressive agenda. They’ve stalled agendas such as the creation of new and more affordable housing. They held up the Housing Australia Future Fund. Just last week, they combined with the Coalition to block the reforms that are needed for the NDIS and delay them. They combined with the Coalition to vote against the the Build to Rent scheme, providing tax incentives for more rental housing. They have deferred again, a vote on the Help to Buy scheme, a shared equity scheme, which the Queensland LNP announced at the conference that they held just last weekend, announced that they would have a similar shared equity scheme and yet, they go to Canberra, just as the Greens Political Party have it as part of their platform, they don’t actually vote for it. People want real solutions and the Labor Government that I’m proud to lead is providing those real solutions. They also want stable government. And at the next election, I’ll be bidding to be the first Prime Minister since John Howard in 2004 to be re-elected having served a full term as Prime Minister. That’s why we want electorates like Ryan and Brisbane and Griffith to really think hard about the need to return Labor members who will be part of a Labor Government, will be a voice in Government not waiting for decisions to be made, and deciding whether they’ll protest against it. And we know that the LNP have nothing to offer, except for negativity and opposition and this nuclear plan that they have, which is essentially about deferring action on renewables until the 2040s, which we simply can’t afford to do. So I’m really proud and pleased that Rebecca is going to be the candidate, and do you want to say a few words?
REBECCA HACK, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR RYAN: Hi everyone. I live just down the hill locally in Toowong and I was a victim of the 2022 floods. I know full well what the devastation of climate change can bring to a community and I really am proud to be part of the campaign to re-elect the Albanese Government, because I really believe that it is only Labor that will deliver renewable energy, and a net zero future, by 2030 and all of our futures depend on that, our children’s futures depend on that. I spent a lifetime giving back to the community. I’ve been a foster career, I’ve run an animal rescue, I’ve volunteered in dozens of community organisations, and I’ve educated 15,000 teachers on the devastating impact of childhood trauma. I passionately believes in making a difference. It’s what I’ve tried to do my whole life. And this is just a natural progression to me. And I’m so excited and so proud to be part of this team.
JOURNALIST: The Greens won the seat by a swing of 11 per cent though (inaudible).
HACK: What we know about Ryan is that we have no idea what is going to happen in Ryan. It is absolutely a three-way contest. It is absolutely a winnable seat. I wouldn’t have put my hand up for it. People are frustrated, people are looking for who is going to actually deliver on the promises they make. It’s all very well to stand up and say you believe in something, but if you can’t deliver it, there’s no point. I believe a Labor Government will deliver on the things that the people of Ryan want.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Labor’s in trouble in the state election. Are you concerned about Labor losing seats federally in Queensland?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I’m about us winning seats here in Queensland, including here. I’ll be at Forde after this, and I’ll be in Dickson, a little electorate not far from here, as well, which has a very slim margin, tomorrow. We’ve got good candidates, what we have done is spent the time to make sure that we have the best candidates possible to put forward Labor’s agenda. And at last election we saw, of course, the Greens win some seats both off the LNP and off the Labor Party. What we’re about saying is we want to voice in Government, if you’re a progressive person, then you’d be pretty disappointed that the Greens have essentially used the power that they have not to promote positive policies, but to undermine the progressive agenda of the Labor Government over areas like housing affordability, over making sure we have a realistic plan for renewables going forward, to address climate change as well. In addition to that, of course, we’ve reset Australia’s place in the world. So whether it is cost of living support, we’re combining with the Labor Government here, $300 of energy bill relief from the Federal Government, $1,000 from the Queensland Labor Government, combining to make a difference together with our tax cuts for every single taxpayer, our support for cheaper child care, our Fee Free TAFE, by making an immediate difference. But in addition to that, that plan for action on climate change, the people of this electorate know the very real impact of climate change from the increased disasters, including the floods that occurred here.
JOURNALIST: And the election will be when?
PRIME MINISTER: The election will be when I call it, when I go to the Governor-General. So if you follow me around, one day, between Monday and Sunday of one week, between now and next May, you’ll see me go off to Yarralumla, and we will call the election and away we go. There are worse places, you follow the car with the flag and you’ll see.
JOURNALIST: You seem pretty confident Prime Minister, are you not worried about the polling?
PRIME MINISTER: Which ones?
JOURNALIST: All of them are saying that you possibly won’t win the next election.
PRIME MINISTER: No, which one? Which Newspoll?
JOURNALIST: Well, News Limited, News.com.au.
PRIME MINISTER: None of them, not one of them, not a single Newspoll has had us behind.
JOURNALIST: But the LNP is gaining ground, allegedly.
PRIME MINISTER: They’re behind. If you have a look back at the history of polls and the truth is that the one that matters, is on polling day, that’s something that politicians say, but that is the one that matters. But the other fact is that as much as people try and talk up a contest, and News Limited of course are very keen to do that from time to time, the truth is that all governments since I’ve been in Parliament at this stage in the cycle, more than two years in, none of them could say that they were ahead in every single Newspoll.
JOURNALIST: You’ve come up to Brisbane quite suddenly introducing candidates in what will be hotly contested seats, is this a sign that there might be an early election?
PRIME MINISTER: This is a sign that the we’re prepared. I’ve already announced candidates. We’ve got all our candidates in South Australia. We’ll be continuing to announce candidates right around Australia. There’s been redistribution. We want to make sure that we have our candidates in the field in seats campaigning. Queensland of course has a state election in October. So we want to make sure that our candidate are in the field. I’ll be here for, this is a three day visit to Queensland. I’m a regular visitor to Queensland. I get out and about, and I talk with people and I engage. That’s my job. That’s how you get that feedback on the ground. And what I get back on the ground is that people want a government that deals with those immediate cost of living pressures, but they’re also looking for a government that has a plan for the future. And I don’t see people walking through the streets of Brisbane saying, “what do we want? A nuclear reactor. When did we want it? Now.” And that’s the alternative – uncosted, no timeline, can’t say what will happen on the sites, there’s other activities, there’s a ban here. The Queensland LNP can’t even agree with themselves. David Crisafulli gave a statement, a big speech at a conference where “nuclear” is the word that didn’t pass its name. That’s because he knows that it’s a crock. He knows that it’s going nowhere and he knows it’s a distraction.
JOURNALIST: Will you be joining Premier Miles on the campaign trail for Queensland?
PRIME MINISTER: I certainly will. I’ll be seeing Premier Miles, I think, tomorrow night, and I’m a regular visitor to Queensland and I expect that that’s the case.
