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It’s wonderful to be back in Western Australia with another positive announcement of the cooperation that we see between my Government and the Cook Labor Government here in WA. We’re building Australia’s future, and Western Australia is a key to that future, because it’s driving the present growth. But if you look at where the future economy is going, Western Australia will continue to be such a key role in driving national economic growth as one of the engine rooms of our national economy. And part of that, of course, is the port project here. This port project has been spoken about since a long time ago, at least since the last time when Labor was in government. And over a period of time there was a fair bit of waste. The former Government locked up more than a billion dollars of funding for WA in Roe 8 and projects that never had support and weren’t appropriate because they didn’t allow for where will the future growth be. Where will those future exports be able to go in the most efficient way possible in order to deliver revenue, create jobs here in WA and drive our national economy. And that’s why getting the infrastructure right here in WA is something that the Western Australian Labor Government deserve full credit for. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was up in the far northern suburbs here, where you have the rail line already in place. We were turning the first sod on the aquatic centre there, and that’s a great example of what should happen. You build infrastructure in anticipation of what will occur. You don’t wait for problems to arise. Now, this widening of the Kwinana Freeway will be great for the port, but it’ll also be good for people getting to and from work, commuting throughout this great growing city of Perth. And that’s why the partnering between us and the WA Government of $350 million each for this $700 million project will create jobs in the short term, will make it easier to commute around Perth in the medium term and in the long term, will make such an enormous difference to the WA and the national economy. We’ve already funded through $33.5 million for the planning work and other work to be done to identify the infrastructure needs associated with the port, but this is a great announcement. My Government is backing WA, as we always do, and this announcement today is about building Australia’s future, and Western Australia is a key part of that.

ROGER COOK, PREMIER OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Thank you, Prime Minister. It’s great to have you here in Western Australia, but of course, it’s even better to have you here in Kwinana. And it’s great day today to welcome new funding for WA Labor’s vision for building our road and transport infrastructure in Western Australia. As you know, we have such a strong partnership with the Commonwealth in relation to the development of infrastructure. Infrastructure which means more jobs, it means Western Australia can consolidate its role as the engine room of the nation’s economy. And today’s announcement is a very important one. Last week, we announced that a re-elected WA Labor Government will expand the Kwinana Freeway from Mortimer Road through to the city as an important part of de-constraining a real choke point for commuters. 100,000 commuters use that line, that road, every day, including yours truly. And so without the hint on conflict of interest, we announced that we would be funding that to the tune of 350 million. Today’s announcement by the Feds means that we are now in a position to step forward with that project immediately and as soon as possible. But we know that strong transport corridors, built for purpose highways, are not just an important part of making sure commuters can get in and around the city. They’re an important part of making sure that we have the transport corridors to our key pieces of trade and export infrastructure. Now WA is an export state, we are a trade exposed state, and making sure that we have transport corridors to our ports is an important part of ensuring that we can continue to be competitive as we trade with our South East Asian trading partners. But also we’d want to see those transport corridors developed for our future ports. Westport is an important part of our vision for the state, which is about making sure that come the 2030s we will see Westport come to life, which will set the state up for the future, making sure that we have a state of the art container and bulk terminal facility which can serve the state for generations to come. Now, I’m not going to be the Premier that opens Westport, but I certainly want to be the Premier that starts it. And getting these transport corridors in place is an important precursor, an important element of making sure that we get Westport right, making sure that when we do open Westport, that it has all the transport corridors that it needs to be an efficient port, and one that sets the state up for the future. The Liberals had a plan for the port in Fremantle, and that was to sell it, to privatise it, and make sure that it continued to operate while the roads and the port itself choked with inefficiency and capacity problems. Only my Government and only WA Labor has a vision for making sure that we continue to be a strong trading state, continuing to make sure that we have ports to serve our economy into the future, creating Western Australian jobs and making sure that we can continue to be the engine room of the nation’s economy. And we are immensely proud and thankful with all this funding from the Federal Government. The Albanese Labor Government and the Cook Labor Government work so well together, work so well together, making sure that we are planning for the future of the state, making sure that we can continue to create great jobs in Western Australia, making sure that Western Australia can continue to be the engine room of the nation’s economy. And I look very much look forward to continuing to work with the Albanese Labor Government on our great vision and plans for the future. Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER: Thanks Roger. Happy to take questions.

JOURNALIST: Has the Premier also asked you for $225 million for the Erindale Road and Reid Highway upgrades that’s proposed, and will you commit to that today?

PRIME MINISTER: We’re committing, one announcement a day, please. It’s a pretty big announcement today. The Premier will always advocate for more investment in Western Australia. What we do is we work these issues through. This announcement today is fully catered for in our Budget. You’ll see it in our Budget that will be handed down, and you’ll see it as well as part of the Mid-Year Economic Forecast. So we work these issues through. We make sure that the projects stack up, this one certainly does, which is why we’re backing it, just like the last time I was here in WA, I was up in Kununurra announcing three new ports would be able to have customs and be able to deliver both inward and outward from WA, including, of course, when we were up at Kununurra the port of Wyndham. That will be a game changer for that part of the Kimberley.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the rise of white supremacy groups, they’re going peer to peer, proliferation of them. They’re going online, they’re attracting a lot of attention. People are looking at them, asking where they can join. And we had those scenes in South Australia yesterday. Are you concerned about this?

PRIME MINISTER: They were horrific scenes yesterday to have people openly identifying as Neo Nazis and fascists, white supremacists marching through our streets. And I congratulate the South Australian police on the action that they took. Look, Mike Burgess, the head of ASIO has been warning for some time about the rise of far right groups in Australia. It’s a phenomenon, unfortunately, that we’ve seen in other parts of the industrialised world as well. And there is no place for this hateful ideology here in Australia, or indeed anywhere else. Today, of all days when we commemorate 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp from the Nazis, from the atrocities that occurred during the Holocaust, which cost 6 million lives. Today of all days, the fact that that footage that I saw this morning, I was travelling yesterday, I was in Canberra, then Sydney, then then travelled across to here I was, I was shocked by that –

JOURNALIST:(Inaudible)

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we need to call it out. That’s the first thing that occurs. There is, of course, some evil forces that seek to divide and seek to point towards people who don’t look like them or have the same faith as them, and say, ‘this is the reason for your lot in life,’ to try to promote hatred, tragically that is occurring. We know that the Director General, Mike Burgess has warned of this. We need to continue to educate Australians about the Holocaust, and that’s why, after this, I’ll be going with the Premier to JHub there at the Holocaust Institute for WA Education Centre. We’ll be committing $2 million for the upgrade of that centre and for the important work that they do. It’s something that Patrick Gorman, the Member for Perth, has been very strong in advocating. In addition to that, today we’re announcing $4.4 million for a ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Centre for Holocaust Education. This is important. It’s important that we have full knowledge of what occurred, where hate leads, where hate leads. And it’s important that antisemitism be opposed in all of its forms. And it’s important here in Australia, the day after Australia Day that we cherish what overwhelmingly, Australians have done, which is to come together, whether we can trace in First Nations people back some 60,000 years, or whether they’re the newest migrants who yesterday took their oath of allegiance to Australia and became Australian citizens, it’s a wonderful thing we have built in this country. We are overwhelmingly a harmonious country that live in peace and security, and we should not take that for granted. We need to nurture it each and every day.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you and the opposition leader get the same event today to mark the Holocaust Remembrance Day. Is this a sign of a more bipartisan approach to this issue?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I hope so. We were planning to be at the event for some time, and because we’ve had this in the schedule as well as well, was going to be in WA and wanted to make sure that I commemorate and participate in the activities. I hope so. What we need to do is to not look for political differences where there aren’t any. And people in the major political parties, and I would hope, overwhelmingly across society, are horrified by antisemitism. We need to work together wherever it is possible, and look for unity, not look for political differentiation.

JOURNALIST: Do you agree with the Attorney General that combating antisemitism has been politicised and what he has described as grotesque?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, you’re asking me a question at a press conference. And that means, that implies, unfortunately, I think there have been elements. We had a motion in the parliament after the October 7 terrorist attacks that was adopted almost unanimously, certainly the major political parties both voted for it. That was a good thing.

JOURNALIST: Newspoll today suggests the Coalition begins the election year ahead of Labor has your summer of election campaigning fallen flat?

PRIME MINISTER: Look, we’re out there governing, and we’re governing in the interests of the Australian people building Australia’s future. It is, there’ll be polls, and the commentators will commentate on them. And certainly, what I understand is that I don’t take election wins for granted. Overwhelmingly, Labor has governed for around about a third of the time since Federation or less. So a Labor win is precious. We are working hard and fighting hard every day, not because it matters who drives the car with the flag on it, because what matters is what governments do for people and what they do for our country’s future. And I am passionate about making a difference each and every day.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, I have a question about in light of your position, which we’ve noted that you cannot formally recognise a Palestinian state if Hamas has a role in its governance. In light of that, are you concerned about Hamas’ very visual show of force in both receiving back prisoners and handing back hostages?

PRIME MINISTER: I’m opposed to Hamas, it’s a terrorist organisation.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, can Labor form government with a 31 per cent primary vote?

PRIME MINISTER: Labor can form government after the next election. And we are the only political party that is even trying to form government in our own right. You have in the Liberals and the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾s a formal coalition. We never know what the basis of that agreement is. And quite often them combining with the Greens to form the no-alition in the Senate to block our agenda. And you have a range of independents occupying seats that historically have been held by the Coalition. We hold 78 seats. We will be campaigning to form a majority Labor Government. And we, I believe that we will be in a position to do so. We’ll be fighting each and every day to make clear what this election is about. Australia build, under Labor, building Australia’s future, having cost of living relief, supporting people who are doing it tough. What we’ve delivered already, of tax cuts for everyone, rather than just some. Cheaper childcare, cheaper medicines, energy bill relief, all of these measures were opposed by the Coalition. So we know what they have in store. They’ve got a $600 billion nuclear fantasy plan, including here at Collie, that will require massive cuts, and we know what they have in store, because we know that they have talked about over $300 billion as being waste. The only cost of living measure that Peter Dutton has come up with is free lunch, free karaoke nights, free golf days, free movie nights, paid for by all taxpayers in order to help just a few. A policy that would be rorted coming and going by people, you would have the idea that you can order properly a lunch of $150 for you and a few mates to see what exactly was ordered in that lunch. The audit would cost more than that, so there’ll be no scrutiny of this. This is a free for all with taxpayers’ money. It is ill thought out policy, and it just shows that they are not ready to be taken seriously as an alternative government.

JOURNALIST:(Inaudible)

PRIME MINISTER: I think that the WA Labor Government stands on its own feet, of course, and they’re worthy of re-election. It should be no surprise that if I had a vote at WA, I’d be voting to return what is a fantastic Government that is not just dealing with immediate issues, but planning for the future, and it stands in stark contrast with the Coalition. The Coalition are a rabble here as well. You’ve got the situation in Moore where they’ve got a bloke who was the Member for Stirling, then wanted to be the Member for Cowan and then knocked off the Member for Moore to try to get back into the House of Representatives, and the sitting Member for Moore, who used to be a Liberal, who was endorsed by Peter Dutton, didn’t seem to count for much, is running as an independent. It is chaos here.

JOURNALIST: Do you think Roger Cook, here in WA can prove an asset for you in the Federal election?

PRIME MINISTER: I think that Labor, when working together is always stronger, and I work strongly with Roger Cook. We’ve been friends for a number of decades, without giving away our age here, since well before both of us were in parliament and we talk regularly. I appreciate Roger’s advice. I hope he appreciates mine from time to time as well.

JOURNALIST: Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has likened the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 to Elon Musk’s plan to colonise Mars. Is there any comparison in your view?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I’d struggle for you to find someone – here’s a challenge for you. Find someone who finds that as a good analogy. I thought, I thought when someone said that to me yesterday, they were making it up. And this is the second most senior person in the Coalition. The Deputy Leader of the Coalition has suggested that there is an analogy here. Well, there weren’t people – there aren’t people that we know of on Mars. Australia was not Terra Nullius when Captain Phillip and the First Fleet came through Sydney Cove. And I thought that was a very strange analogy to draw, and one that was disrespectful at the fact that there were people here, of course. First Nations people here for tens of thousands of years, and that we have a great privilege of sharing this continent with the oldest continuous culture on Earth.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, had you seen the message that was written on Grace Tame’s shirt before you posed for a photo with her? And was that message disrespectful to the other people attending that event?

PRIME MINISTER: No and yes.

JOURNALIST: So if that message was disrespectful to other people attending the event, do you regret posing for that photo with Grace?

PRIME MINISTER: I didn’t – people came through. There was a queue of more than – I don’t how many people were in the queue – around about, at least 60. There was all of the Australia Day nominees. There was all of the past Australians of the Year. There was the Australia Day Council. People were just there, one by one, rolling through being welcomed, and it was clearly designed to get attention. I don’t intend to add to that attention, because I do think that it takes away from what the day should be about, which is the amazing people who were nominated as Australians of the Year, including, of course, Neale Daniher selected as the as the Australian of the Year. And a great West Australian, Brother Olly, what a champion he is making wheelchairs through that volunteer organisation for tens of thousands of young people. He’s changed lives, that charity and in 81 separate countries.

JOURNALIST: Just to be clear, do you agree or disagree with what that language says?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I clearly disagree. I want debate to be respectful. I want debate to be respectful, you know, and that’s a choice that that she made. We do have in this country, people are allowed to express themselves. But I thought it was disrespectful of the event and of the people who that event was primarily for.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just on this project just announced, why not top up 80 per cent of the funding split like you did for the Bruce Highway?

PRIME MINISTER: Because 42 people died on the Bruce Highway last year. That is why the Bruce Highway has been given very significant, significant investment. It is the most dangerous road in Australia, and so other projects are funded 50/50, but WA certainly has got its share of investment and will continue to. I’ve been here in WA with METRONET as well as road projects right throughout the state the port projects we announced just a couple of weeks ago.

JOURNALIST: What signs are you getting here on the ground in WA that WA will deliver for you again in 2025?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I’ve got to say, it’s always been very positive. Kununurra was pretty positive. There were some people who were here in the pub that night and greeting people from across the spectrum. It wasn’t a controlled environment. I go out and talk to people wherever they are. Whether it’s a pub or a boardroom or a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic or an infrastructure project. This morning, went out and about, I had brekkie, I stayed in Freo, got a very warm welcome there, but – there it goes! I always get a very warm welcome here in Western Australia. We are working hard, whether it be infrastructure and transport, the roll out of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, the funding we’ve got on education. I spoke last week at the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Press Club about the fact that South Australia and Victoria have now signed up to full funding for public schools to bring in the Gonski standard that was talked about first 14 years ago. Well, WA was the first state in the country to sign up, to show that leadership, to make sure that every West Australian kid who’s going to a public school gets the education that they deserve. That’s about that individual, but it’s also about boosting the economy here.

JOURNALIST: (INAUDIBLE)

PRIME MINISTER: Oh, well, May 17 is when the election will be, or before. And what I’ve done consistently – good try there, give you a point for effort. You know what we are doing, I’ve been I’ve been coming here – the difference between me and past Prime Ministers and the previous three were all Liberals, before they had their rolling door, removing elected Prime Ministers, which became a habit, which we began way back – is that I have been to WA this term a lot more times, I think, probably double the times that the three previous Prime Ministers came. I know someone else can do that, figure it out. I don’t come because there’s an election on. I come because I’m committed to the people of this state. I come because I want to work with Roger’s Government in making a difference on schools, on health, on infrastructure and transport, on understanding the growing economy. Some of the best benefits that I have had anywhere in the country have been right here in WA. I’ll never forget walking into the Geraldton Co-Op, those lobster producers there, and the delight on their face where we have essentially made such a difference to that town of Geraldton, just one of the things that we have done by restoring trade with China that was particularly important. That’s worth over $20 billion to our national economy annually, and this state has benefited more than any other. That doesn’t just happen. It happens because of hard work. It happens because of strategic work as well. It happens because of putting the national interest first, rather than just looking for negativity and always looking for a political wedge which certainly undermines our national interest. The Australian Government, federally, is now back when it comes to relationships with ASEAN. The relationship we have with Indonesia and ASEAN countries are stronger than it has ever been. And in addition to that, we now have trade restored throughout our region. That’s about Australia’s national interests. It’s about jobs and the economy here.

PREMIER COOK: Premier, there’s concern that white supremacist group are going online here in Western Australia, setting up, posting about themselves, promoting themselves and attracting interest. Is that of concern to you?

PREMIER COOK: It’s of huge concern, and we know that they are an insidious poison which is seeking to leach their way across the Western Australian community and society. I note, for instance, that the Liberally endorsed candidate for Central Wheatbelt himself, is a professed follower of white supremacist social media commentary. That’s a concern, because what it also means is that it’s not only just invading our society, spreading their poison, right across Western Australia, that poison has actually got into the Liberal Party now, and so it’s up to the Liberal Leader to make sure that she takes steps to root it out of the Liberal Party. Disendorse that candidate. Make it clear to others that that sort of language, that sort of poison, that sort of ideology, is not welcome in a mainstream political party in WA.

JOURNALIST: Many of them are so proud or seem to be proud of their affiliations, but they have their faces blurred, do you challenge them to unblur themselves and identify themselves?

PREMIER COOK: Come out of the shadows. Show us who you are, because at the moment, you’re cowards. You’re cowards that are simply trying to spread ignorance, division, fear and hatred in the community. You’re not welcome in WA, show yourselves and so we can all challenge you in the bright light of day.

JOURNALIST: Several of the people arrested in South Australia are apparently from WA. Are you aware whether authorities had prior knowledge of these individuals, whether they’re on the radar?

PREMIER COOK: I haven’t received a briefing with that specific circumstances in question, but I do know that the police intelligence units follow and monitor very carefully all kinds of activities, anti-social or potentially criminal activity, and make sure that we can understand where they’re occurring, how they’re occurring, and interfere if it’s of harm to the rest of the community.

JOURNALIST: Just on the Liberal candidate for Central Wheatbelt, I mean, just because he follows doesn’t mean he agrees with everything –

PREMIER COOK: It means he admires it. It means that he’s given tacit support by being one of the followers. And let’s just be really clear, when the Liberal candidate for Central Wheatbelt first put his name forward, it was suggested to him that he unfollow the white supremacist person that he so richly admired. He refused to do so and it was only then, when the Liberal Party still pre-selected him, after he’d already made that gesture, taken that stance, that he then decided to unfollow. So that’s the nature of the of the person here, and that’s the nature of the poison which is spreading in the WA Liberal Party.

JOURNALIST: Have you asked the Premier – asked the Prime Minister, sorry – for funding for the Erindale Road upgrade? And are you disappointed that hasn’t been announced today as well?

PREMIER COOK: Well, look, we know that the Prime Minister supports Western Australia. That is writ large in the travel itinerary that he’s come to Western Australia with over the last couple of years, and it’s writ large in the commitments that he’s made to WA. I know that he backs WA, this Prime Minister gets WA, and so I know he’ll stand with us and work with us on these important infrastructure projects.

JOURNALIST: Can I just ask you about Curtin. Kate Chaney made some comments last week, saying that she’ll use a potential hung government to put nature positive back on the agenda. So does that mean you’ll be barracking for Tom White in Curtin?

PREMIER COOK: Look, I’m barracking for WA. I’ll stand up for WA. I always do and on nature positive laws, I stood up for WA.

JOURNALIST: Is the Liberal Party better placed to stand up for WA in Curtin?

PREMIER COOK: Well, look, I think what people need to reflect upon is the important role that WA’s economy plays for the national economy. Not just now, but in the future, as we embrace a renewable energy future. And because of that, we need to make sure that we can be in a situation to take advantage of our rich deposits of critical minerals. Continue to make sure that we can mine iron ore as part of a green iron supply chain, and making sure, of course, that we can continue to secure our renewable energy future, through renewable energy and those projects that see that energy stored and potentially exported. We cannot have a situation where nature positive, that is established to be able to support the environment, is in fact undermining our efforts to stop global warming, reduce emissions and to make sure we get Western Australia on a clean energy future. Thanks very much everyone.