PRIME MINISTER: Well, good morning, everyone. It’s a beautiful morning here in Melbourne. We’re coming to the end of the first week of the campaign. Last Sunday, I said this election was a choice, and the campaign would provide the opportunity for people to get a very clear view about that choice. A choice between a government that has demonstrated its ability to manage our economy in some of the most difficult times we’ve seen since the Great Depression. A government that’s been able to get unemployment down to 4 per cent. A government that’s been able to ensure we have been able to keep our AAA credit rating, which is ensured we’re keeping downward pressure on those rising prices that we’re seeing all around the world. A government that in the last 12 months, in particular, because of how we’ve invested in the Australian economy, we’ve been able to turn around the Budget by over $100 billion in the space of just 12 months. So we can be delivering real cost of living relief right now, and we’ve all seen that as we’ve moved around the country. As we’ve seen those petrol prices coming down, by halving that petrol tax, that $250 which is going to those pensioners and many others who received those types of payments, and of course, the tax relief, additionally, that people will see when they put their tax return in on the 1st of July. And of course, we’ve seen a Labor Party that Australians know can’t manage money. A Labor Party that doesn’t understand the economy. And a Labor Party who people just don’t know. And a Labor leader that people just don’t know. You know, campaigns they can be tough, they can be very tough and people will make stumbles. But I can assure you that running a campaign is one thing, running a country, governing, it’s a lot, lot harder. It’s a hard job, and the consequences of not being able to do that will outstrip anything you see in a campaign. And you know, as a government, we have had to deal with some of the toughest circumstances any government has had to face, certainly since, in an international scene with international security issues, going back to the Second World War. Going back to the Great Depression in terms of the impact we’ve seen of this pandemic. 30 times worse and harder than the Global Financial Crisis, but yet, as a government, we’ve been able to take Australia to a place where we’ve got almost 400,000 additional jobs after the pandemic, as we come out of it, than we had coming in. And I note also that the employment figures released this week, 77 per cent of Australians of working age today are in a job. That is the highest level of Australians of working age in a job ever. And of course, you’ve seen us manage a pandemic, the likes of which we’ve seen not for 100 years. So my team, and me as Prime Minister, we’ve been tested, not in one week of an election campaign, but at some of the toughest circumstances any government has had to face in generations. Running a campaign is one thing, running a country is a hard job.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you’ve talked about the economy in this campaign, but we haven’t heard about your plans for industrial relations. Do you think enterprise bargaining and the Awards system, are they working well? And will you revive the legislation that you had planned reforms that had failed in the Parliament. Will you treat this election as a mandate to revive changes to the system?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you’re right, Greg. Ensuring that we can go forward and pursue those legislative changes that we wanted to pursue. Remember, they were the product of getting unions together, employers together, over countless numbers of hours to ensure that we can come up with practical things that would make the industrial relations system work better. And the Labor Party rejected it.
JOURNALIST: So that’s still your policy?
PRIME MINISTER: Absolutely they’re our policy.
JOURNALIST: And will you put that legislation to Parliament if you’re re-elected and, and expect the Labor Party to support it?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I would expect us to be able to put our legislation forward because our policies are what we’re putting to the Australian people. And I would very much look forward to taking those forward in that way.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the New South Wales Treasurer Matt Kean has said Katherine Deves has got to go. There’s no place for that vile bigotry. Does she have to go and if not, why?
PRIME MINISTER: Let me make a couple of points on this. You all heard me last night when I was at the Synagogue. And I talked about how important it was for there to be fundamental respect for human dignity, of each and every human being. And that’s something I believe passionately. And I think as we look at these issues and the debates, which can be sensitive debates, they can be controversial debates. It’s always important to show respect for the person sitting across the table from you. We may not always agree, but when we disagree, it’s important that we disagree better. And so I think the comments that Katherine has made, obviously were insensitive, and she’s admitted that. Just as we’ve got Labor candidates who similarly have said things in the past which are insensitive and even the Labor leader himself said if that’s the case, then no one would be running for Parliament. They’re not my words. But what my point is this, is as you’re going forward as a candidate, you need to know the things that perhaps in your past you shouldn’t be doing the same way. And I think that’s what Katherine’s saying. There are ways –
JOURNALIST: Has she given you assurance that she won’t say or –
PRIME MINISTER: I’m still answering the question. I’m, I’m still answering the question. What Katherine has been saying is there’s been ways that she’s prosecuted her case, of which she’s very passionate about. This is a woman standing up for women and girls in sport. That’s her primary issue that she’s raised. There are ways that she’s expressed this in the past that she no longer feels comfortable with.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, this is not just about women in sport.
PRIME MINISTER: I’m not, I haven’t finished this. And so it’s important, that she understands that and learns those lessons, which she has. We’ve seen female members of our Parliament who’ve had to apologise for the way they’ve spoken to other women in the Parliament about their ability not to have children. And those apologies have been given in good faith and they’ve been accepted. And people have learnt from those experiences. And I know Katherine has learnt from those experiences. But let me tell you about Katherine. Katherine’s raising three girls with her partner in Manly. Katherine went to university. She got herself a degree. She worked in the organic wine industry. Then she put herself through the Solicitors Administration Board course and got herself a Law Degree. And she wants to stand up, and for the causes she believes strongly in, and principally what she has been talking about is this very sensitive, for an issue that I know is spoken about right across the community, of ensuring fairness in sport and standing up for women and girls in sport. Now, I don’t share Matt’s view. I share Tony Abbott’s view. I’m not joining that pile on. And she has learnt from her experiences about how she’s sought to deal with this issue in the past. And I have no doubt that she’ll pursue these issues in a more sensitive way, a more respectful way in the future.
JOURNALIST: But Prime Minister, she’s the captain’s pick and you’re the captain. She’s the captain’s pick and you’re the captain. Would any other candidate be disendorsed by you for this? Or is it the reason she hasn’t been disendorsed is because she’s running for Warringah?
PRIME MINISTER: I think I’ve explained my position very clearly. My position is that there are things that Katherine has said in the past, just like the Labor member for Hunter, has said some pretty unfortunate and disrespectful things in the past. I haven’t called for him to be disendorsed. I haven’t called for others who have said insensitive things, who were even in the Parliament to be disendorsed. What I’m saying is, is where you’re going into public life, which Katherine is seeking to do – a woman, a strong woman, standing up for things that she believes in about women and girls in sport, which I know is a very sensitive issue in so many communities. But it has to be done respectfully, out of respect for the human dignity of every individual, and I’m sure they’re lessons that she has learnt. And so, yeah, no, I’m not joining that pile on. Others may wish to, who fundamentally are seeking for her not to be there. I suspect ‘cos they don’t like some of the things she’s talking about when it comes to women and girls in sport.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, is she the right candidate for a progressive electorate like Warringah? When you speak about a pile on, what about the trans community who feel offended by this? What about the pile on on them?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think it’s really important that she has withdrawn those comments, and she has acknowledged they’ve been insensitive. And she has done that. And I think that is the right way to, to respect the trans community, and I don’t share those sentiments either. But what I do know is that in life, people learn things along the way, and as they learn things along the way, they learn how to be a better member of Parliament, and what is a better, more respectful way to prosecute the cases that they seek to do in public life. And so, I think the way she’s seeking to deal with that, as she’s put herself forward for a candidate, I think is important and I think it’s quite honest. But a young woman who’s raising three girls with her partner, who’s had to put herself through and get herself a Law Degree, so she could be successful. A professional woman standing for the Liberal Party – that’s something I’ve been trying to encourage. And so, I’m very pleased to have women standing, and look, and those, the picks that I’ve made as you know, half of them were women, half of them were from ethnically diverse backgrounds. That’s where I’m trying to take the Liberal Party. And so when I had the opportunity to pick women candidates, I did.
JOURNALIST: Anthony Albanese says if he’s elected, he’ll have an ICAC by the end of the year. What do you think on that timeframe? But over the last few days, have you reflected on your comments on ICAC? Would you make this a priority if you’re re-elected?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, our policy on a Commonwealth Integrity Commission is very clear, and that’s our policy. And we’re taking that policy to the election. I’m not take –
JOURNALIST: Will you implement that into the next term?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, I would, I would seek to implement that and I’d need the support of the Parliament to do, it just like I needed it in this Parliament. But that is our policy and we have a detailed plan. It’s a detailed plan. It’s detailed legislation – over 300 pages in length. Labor’s plan for an Integrity Commission is a two page fluff sheet. So we have a very serious policy and we’re putting that to the election. At the last election, what I said we would seek to put one in place. We said we’d put one in. We developed a policy. We developed detailed legislation. Labor Party didn’t agree with it. And at this election, you have a very clear and detailed policy when it comes to how we want to progress with that issue. As I’ve said, you know, I’m very critical of some of the ICAC’s, particularly in New South Wales, which tended to focus on trying to run one of the best Premiers, we’ve seen in our state, who came through and led Australia in New South Wales through that pandemic. And she got run off the rails by a campaign against her focused on who her boyfriend was. I don’t think that’s what we need. I think what we need is a proper Integrity Commission that is driven by the processes of the rule of law, that doesn’t seek to judge people before they’re able to have their matters properly considered. And that is a sensible policy we’ve put forward. That is our policy going forward. And I think it sits in stark contrast. I mean, if Anthony Albanese says he’s going to introduce legislation. Well, what is it? I know what my legislation is. I have no idea what his legislation is because he’s had three years to develop it and he doesn’t even have a Private Member’s Bill. (inaudible) he doesn’t do the work. He just doesn’t do the work.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, do you say that the New South Wales ICAC was a Kangaroo Court when it investigated Eddie Obeid and Ian Macdonald?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the Courts ended up investigating Eddie Obeid and he went to prison. And they, and Ian Macodnald from the Labor Party went to prison. And Eddie Obeid went to prison. And these, these gentlemen were pursued through the Parliament and ICAC. But I have – I am, I am from New South Wales, and I’ve seen how they have operated over a very long time. And I’m just saying that the model in New South Wales is not a model that I would support Federally. The model I support Federally, I have set out in very detailed legislation, and that is in stark contrast to a Labor Party that hasn’t even come up with a Bill or a legislation and he’s had three years to do it. He hasn’t done his homework. He hasn’t got across his brief on this. It’s two page fluff versus over 300 detailed pages of legislation and that legislation is my policy. That’s what I’m putting to the election and that’s what I would hope to put to the Parliament.
JOURNALIST: Why should Labor vote for you when you’ve had a full term to implement this and you haven’t? They’re going into the election saying, we’re going to do in the first year. Why should voters trust (inaudible)?
PRIME MINISTER: We win this election, Labor should support my policy.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, what would your revived push to reform enterprise bargaining look like? Would it be identical to the dumped Bill? Or would you seek to propose a different Bill?
PRIME MINISTER: Our position is set out in the Bill we sought to take through Parliament.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, there are reports out this morning that your government has spent $55 billion on grants programs over the last four years. Much of that doesn’t have a lot of transparency in terms of decision-making processes, and a lot of it has gone towards Coalition seats or marginal seats. Do you think that that is a fair use of that magnitude of taxpayer money?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, first of all, I don’t agree with your analysis of the programs. So I reject that. The second point I’d make is that the way that governments support vulnerable communities is through grants. The way that governments invest in new technologies and manufacturing businesses, like many of the ones you visited with me, is through grants. The way we support local sporting communities, is through grants. Because, you know, I’ve been in Parliament for a while. And when people come to see their Member of Parliament, and they want to see them get some things fixed in their local communities, they expect them to get it fixed. And that’s the way our political process works. And so at the last election, we took these commitments to the Australian people, and we were elected. And that means we’ve been able to invest in important infrastructure, be it roads, be it bridges, be it ports, be it community facilities – the Building Better Regions program. I mean, we’re investing heavily in regions. And so, and they expect the Members of Parliament and the Government to be able to get on and do those things. I mean, the public does not elect public servants. They elect representatives, Members of Parliament, Senators, and we are accountable for what we invest in. And I am accountable for what we invest in. And I believe the investments we’ve made in community infrastructure, in transport infrastructure, in supporting manufacturing businesses to get new technologies to employ more Australians. The support we’ve put in the many grants programs is how we made the economy strong, how we made our community strong. The very communities I was with you last night. Communities that have actually come together in the middle of the pandemic to support their communities. Now we believe passionately in the role of community organisations as Liberals and ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾s. We don’t leave everything to the market or think the Government has to do everything. What we think is that communities and individuals in communities who take responsibility for their communities, through their not-for-profit organisations, through their local sporting clubs, we think they should be supported. We think they should be backed in. So I’m really pleased that my government has and we’re going to keep doing it.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Prime Minister, are you expecting more of your team to resign over dual citizenship issues after Ben Small was forced to quit? And are you expecting that there could be more section 44 dramas?
PRIME MINISTER: What, sorry, was the second part?
JOURNALIST: Are you expecting more section 44 dramas?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I’m not. But these are often technical issues in the matter regarding former Senator Small, I think was dealt with very efficiently. It was identified and we’ve addressed it. And that means as we go into this election, it can be fully remedied. And so the Western Australian Division has looked at those issues, and I think that they’ve handled it in the way it should be handled.
JOURNALIST: Is Anne Ruston up for the job of Health Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I haven’t announced who the next Health Minister is, if we’re re-elected.
JOURNALIST: Do you think she’s the best person for the job?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I’ll be making comment, I’ll be making announcements about that soon. Tomorrow.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, under your Prime Ministership, we’ve had the so-called carpark rorts, the so-called sports rorts, the Leppington Triangle issue has come up during your term of government as well. When it comes to integrity, you haven’t introduced the Bill to Parliament. You won’t say you’ve put it to a vote. Doesn’t this ultimately come down to your integrity as a person and as Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I, I don’t share your description of the Government. That’s the way the Labor Party describes these things, I don’t share that view, but what I do know is this, and I’ll finish where I started. This election is a choice. You’re right about that. This election is a choice about who Australians know can manage an economy, can look after their security, in one of the most uncertain and insecure times we’ve seen in the world today. An economy that’s facing all sorts of pressures and a government that has been able to demonstrate, with the runs on the board, of bringing Australia through one of the toughest times we’ve seen in many, many generations. We’ve got more people in work today – 77 per cent of the working age population than we have ever seen in Australia’s history. This shows that we know how to manage the economy, and we have a strong plan to ensure that we can keep managing that economy. My opponents do not have an economic plan, and when you don’t have an economic plan, and when you don’t understand the economy, and when you can’t run a campaign, that means you can’t run the country. And that’s what we’re seeing. And in, my government has demonstrated every day the integrity of the decisions we’ve had to take to keep Australia strong, to keep Australia safe and to keep Australians together, through one of the toughest circumstances we have ever seen as a government. So it is a choice between a government that knows what it’s doing, that understands the economy, has a clear economic plan, and has a demonstrated capacity to keep Australians safe in an uncertain world. And an opposition, who can’t manage money, that you don’t know, and frankly, they don’t know much either.
