Doorstop Interview
Lismore
9 July 2009
SUBJECTS: Charity Lunch for Westpac Helicopter Rescue and Our Kids; Economic stimulus; Labour force figures; IMF report; Small business
TREASURER:
It's terrific to be here with Janelle Saffin, our hardworking local member, and to meet with a range of locals, particularly the business community, but also those that are involved in some of our great charitable organisations. And it's good to be here today for lunch with the Westpac helicopter service here, and all of those that are working for Our Kids, particularly our sick children in hospital. So that's the importance of the lunch today – to raise some money for local charitable organisations, but also to talk with the local community about what we need to do to put in place our economic stimulus, to support jobs and to support employment.
And certainly our economic stimulus is working in this local community to support demand, to make sure that customers are walking through the doors of many small businesses, and also working in terms of our investment in local schools. Almost 100 schools throughout the electorate of Page will be the beneficiaries of infrastructure put in place to support jobs and employment in our economy, but also investments in social housing and energy efficiency. All of these things are being put in place to support employment and to support business.
Now, I note that the unemployment figures are out today, and these matters will be dealt with by the Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, later in the day. But we see yet again the impact of the global recession on the Australian economy, and this underscores the need for our economic stimulus to be in place to support employment and to support business given the impact of the global recession on our economy.
That has also been underscored again today by a report from the IMF that shows that growth will contract across major advanced economies by 3.8 per cent in the rest of calendar year 09. That shows the challenge we face, and I think Australians are up to that challenge, working with the Government and the economic stimulus to support businesses and to support employment. And that's something that really I think is important in local communities around here.
JOURNALIST:
The stimulus package – how has it been received on the whole from people on the Far North Coast do you think?
TREASURER:
The small business people I've been talking to say to me that because of the economic stimulus, they've got customers walking through their door. What the economic stimulus is about, particularly the cash payments that have been made to people on low and modest incomes, is that they support employment and they support small business. And that's been very important given the collapse in global demand caused by the global recession.
JOURNALIST:
I understand that in creating the stimulus package, you really need to find a balance. I think I heard you talking on the radio about it this morning. Do you want to just touch on that?
TREASURER:
What we've done is we've put in place a very big program of direct investment in infrastructure, and that's going to flow through local areas like this and the Australian economy over the next couple of years. Our school modernisation program is part of that. Building the Education Revolution – building new facilities in every primary school across this electorate and across the country. Investing in energy efficiency in households – the insulation program. The social housing program. That's all creating jobs for tradies. It's creating jobs along the supply chain right down to the farm gate. That's what the investment in infrastructure is all about. And over 70 per cent of the economic stimulus is direct investment in infrastructure. But the cash payments have played that vital role of supporting demand in local communities in recent months.
JOURNALIST:
Job figures – any reaction to them?
TREASURER:
It's always a tragedy when somebody loses their job, and the unemployment rate today is a little higher. It just underscores the need for the Australian Government to put in place our economic stimulus measures to support domestic employment and business in the face of this savage global recession.
JOURNALIST:
Do you have any advice to small business owners on the Far North Coast that might be struggling with coping with the economic downturn?
TREASURER:
Well, the Australian Government wants to work with you, and we have indeed been working with the business community right around the country to put in place our economic stimulus measures which particularly support small business. And the investment allowances we've put out there are supporting small business. The stimulus that we've put into the housing market is supporting small business.
JOURNALIST:
A question from Prime News now: Rudd says the buck stops with him and there's no more blame shifting between State and Federal Governments. So will there be any federal funding for the Grafton Bridge and Summerland Way upgrades? If not, why not?
TREASURER:
Well, we've put a massive investment directly into infrastructure in this region. That has to be done in a planned way. Massive investments into the road network in this region, and massive investments at a broader level into schools. We'll do that in a planned way. Thanks.
