Doorstop Interview
Palmerston, Northern Territory
22 May 2009
SUBJECTS: School Pride Program; Infrastructure Investment; Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme
TREASURER:
Well, it's good to be here with Damian Hale this morning to announce Round Two of the funding of the School Pride Program, which is $1.675 million for schools like this. And you can see in the assembly this morning how important that is, that we provide good modern facilities. Because this Round Two of the School Pride Program builds on Round One obviously, but builds on a massive investment in schools right around Australia – the biggest modernisation of schools that we've seen in our history. We've done that for a very good reason. We've done it because education is so important to the start that the kids here get in life, and they are after all our future. And we've done it because we've put in place economic stimulus – economic stimulus to create jobs now to leave a lasting legacy in the schools of Australia. And of course, really that is the thinking behind the Budget overall. The Budget that we brought down a week or so ago is a nation building Budget, invests in infrastructure to create the jobs of today and the jobs of tomorrow.
I just wanted to run through some of the infrastructure investment that's going on in the Northern Territory. I think it's very important to see the size and the scale of that investment that's contained in the Budget. Not only is there the $50 million for the Port of Darwin, there is $38.5 million in terms of education infrastructure projects in the Northern Territory. Health projects another $94 million, including I think the great move forward in terms of doctor training in the Northern Territory. And of course, there are the funds in addition to all of that, that are flowing through our Nation Building and Jobs Program, including funds in schools such as this right across the Northern Territory, leaving a legacy of better facilities for our students for the future.
Of course in all of that, Damian Hale has been extraordinarily active and a great advocate for this local area, which is one of the reasons that we're out here this morning – not just to talk about how we make the facilities better, but to get a briefing in particular from the principal about the issues that he sees in these schools, and what we must do as a country to continue to improve our educational facilities and the quality of our education. Damian, did you want to say anything at all?
HALE:
Thanks Treasurer. Just it's great to be out here at Moulden. I'm a Palmerston resident. I hear these very good reports about Moulden Park Primary and the job that Gary Fry does as principal. And as you can see, the enthusiasm and that in the assembly today was just great, and I really enjoyed being here. And this sort of money that we're putting into primary schools is vital as we move forward. And during the time of economic hardship, a lot around the world, we've focused on infrastructure and about protecting jobs as well as building vital infrastructure for young people in the future. So, it's a great spend and it's something that needed to happen.
JOURNALIST:
What will the money be spent on here at Moulden?
HALE:
They've got a raft of programs. There's different buckets of money that they've got. I know that they have had meetings about a community centre across the road, but this money is about refurbishing as well as possibly building libraries, undercover areas, multi-purpose areas. So, there's a raft of different ways in which they can spend the money to improve the school.
JOURNALIST:
(Inaudible)
HALE:
It's up to the schools. That's one of the things that, the flexibility in the program was vital. It's about letting schools decide what their needs are and working with the Northern Territory Government and the schools to deliver on their needs.
JOURNALIST:
Just on another issue, reports this morning that the Federal Government's relaxing the intervention policy. What's your response to those?
TREASURER:
Well, as I understand it, there's a discussion paper out. And the discussion paper does deal with compulsory income management and it canvasses a number of options, but compulsory income management is here to stay. What the consultation is about is the terms and conditions under which it happens. So, Jenny Macklin, the Minister, has been out talking about this this morning, and I spoke to her about it this morning as well. So, what we're doing is having a timely look at how all that is working. But the issue of compulsory income management is at the very core of what is being done here. It is bringing great benefits and we can see those already. We can see it in terms of what's going on in terms of diet and nutrition for example – more families buying fruit and vegies. So, we think compulsory income management does bring great benefits, but we're having a discussion about how it moves forward into the future. If you want some more detail on that I think you should talk directly to Jenny Macklin.
JOURNALIST:
What's the news about the Government's Emissions Trading Scheme? Claims it will cost 23,000 jobs across the mining sector.
TREASURER:
I don't accept the premise of that report or the assertions that it makes. We as a nation have to deal with climate change. We have to reduce, over time, levels of carbon pollution, which is why we've put forward a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. And it's why, just a few weeks ago, the Prime Minister announced that given what was going on in terms of global recession, that we had reached agreement substantially with the business community on the one hand, and environmental action groups on the other, as to how we move forward. And that agreement involved the delay by a year, the introduction of a fixed price for a year, and additional assistance to energy-intensive export-exposed industries. So, that package will go forward, and it will go forward because industry in particular needs the certainty of putting in place this framework so they can get on with making their investments for the future.
JOURNALIST:
The Minerals Council predicts about 23,000 people will lose jobs. Does the Federal Government have any figure to combat that?
TREASURER:
Well, I don't accept that assertion from the Minerals Council at all. What we do know is that we need certainty, we need investment, and we need to act.
JOURNALIST:
Do you expect some jobs will be lost in the minerals sector?
TREASURER:
Well, the Minerals Council can make those assertions. I don't accept them. What I do know, and industry generally says to the Government, is we must move forward. And we have reached agreement across a broad range of interests to proceed in the way in which we indicated a couple of weeks ago. We've indicated that because of the global recession, that we would delay the start of the scheme for a year, that it would have a slower start via a fixed price for carbon for a year, and we think that's the entirely responsible thing to do given the circumstances at the moment. We're entirely mindful of the employment impact, but I don't accept that report this morning.
JOURNALIST:
But you accept that perhaps some (inaudible)…
TREASURER:
No, I'm not accepting the premise of the Minerals Council's report. What the Government has done is work really closely with industry, and the consequence of that has been the framework that we outlined some weeks ago. And that is the framework which does its best to enhance employment prospects in this country right through the implementation of this scheme. Thanks very much.
