E&OE…
Topics: Asset Recycling, Andrews Government, Refugees, Backpacker Tax
NICK MCCALLUM:
We'll now throw it over to Greg Hunt, the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, and a Victorian. Mr Hunt, thank you very much for joining us.
GREG HUNT:
And good afternoon, Nick.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Okay, so. I don't know whether you heard Jacinta Allan earlier, but she says you guys are short changing Victoria on this. You should pay the $1.4 or $1.5 billion.
GREG HUNT:
Well look, it's actually the opposite, and of course Victoria will do very well out of this, despite the fact that we had the only incompetent Government in the country. All other seven Governments were able to reach agreements to do what needed to be done well in advance. Everybody who was seeking funds was able to do that. There's $1.5 billion which is coming from Victoria for roads and rail, including the half a billion for the Monash upgrade. There's $1.5 billion which has been set aside for East-West Link, despite the fact that the best part of a billion dollars was blown by the Andrews Government, and we set $877 million aside. They never actually turned up to claim it.
NICK MCCALLUM:
That's because the deal that's because the deal wasn't done by 30 June, wasn't it?
GREG HUNT:
Well, no. With respect, the Northern Territory, the ACT, New South Wales all concluded agreements based on provisional outcomes long before their final deals were agreed in their own states or territories. So similar circumstances. Easily done with other states and territories. So they're weird cats, these Victorians. The rest, they are weird cats, let me tell you.
NICK MCCALLUM:
You're one of them! You're a Victorian!
GREG HUNT:
This Victorian Labor Government, they're weird cats. No, as a Victorian, I love our state, and of course we're going to protect them, and I know that myself and Josh Frydenberg and Kelly O'Dwyer and people such as Alan Tudge and Michael Sukkar and Jason Wood, our job is to make sure that we get a fair deal. I get the feeling that these guys were too busy worrying about the CFA and trying to do over the volunteers, and they forgot to mail in the paperwork, and they obviously hadn't heard of the internet, the telephone, even the fax. They're a little behind the times. But we'll negotiate in good faith.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Let's cut through it all.
GREG HUNT:
That's the point.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Let's cut through it. Let's cut through all the political argy bargy, and you're going to be fighting with each other, you're going to be calling each other names. You're going to be calling each other weird cats and everything like that, but the bottom line is under the pre-existing deal forget about the 30 June deadline, but under the pre-existing deal, Victoria should get $1.4, $1.5 billion. And remember, that money doesn't go to the Government.
GREG HUNT:
No, no. No, that's not correct.
NICK MCCALLUM:
That goes to the Victorian ability to be able to get infrastructure which we really need.
GREG HUNT:
No, no. That's not correct, with respect, in terms of that funding. It was, because I read through the original agreement today, just to refresh, and it was an agreement signed by all states and territories. There was a set sum of money. All the states and territories sought to participate in their own way, and what happened is that it was expressly set out as first come, first served. Victoria was kicking up a fuss. Others were getting on board. Despite that, we quarantined $877 million.
NICK MCCALLUM:
So this figure of 15 per cent, everyone else got it but Victoria didn't.
GREG HUNT:
No, no. It was a first come, first served basis. So if you said that you have $100 that's on the table for the first people to carry out certain activities, well, Victoria was late, slow, incompetent, and hopeless. Despite that, we still quarantined $877 million. Despite the fact that they didn't reach an agreement, we still quarantined $877million and despite the fact that they didn't even bother to get the paperwork in, whereas every other state and territory did, we're still going to negotiate over the $877 million and protect Victoria's interests.
NICK MCCALLUM:
But if the deal was still being negotiated, how would you expect them to be able to say by 30 June, this is exactly how much we're going to get?
GREG HUNT:
Well, I think this an offer was open for a certain amount of money for a certain period of time. Other states and territories were able to do it. So you've got $3 billion on the table at the moment through the Victorian Roads and Infrastructure Project. You've got $1.5 billion for East-West, and you've got the $877 million that was quarantined, because frankly others moved much more quickly and effectively. But we as Victorians fought to make sure that that money was available, and that's something that we hope the Victorian Government will take up. As I say, it's an unusual thing, dealing with Victoria. With the Labor Government in South Australia, even in Queensland, you work with them, you get an outcome. Here, everything is sort of some sort of tricky, overly clever game where they'd rather hurt their state and create a political fight than to create an outcome. And I've just watched this with the CFA dispute, and I think they were just completely preoccupied with the CFA dispute, and frankly, forgot their day job.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Well, Mr Hunt, will you go in then to battle for Victoria to try and get more than the $877 million?
GREG HUNT:
Well, we've already won the battle to have that funding quarantined.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Okay. Will you go in for more, though? When they ask for more, which they're going to do, will you go in and battle for Victoria?
GREG HUNT:
We have already been into battle, and there's $3.877 billion on the table. So not $1.5, there's $3.877 billion on the table, and with everybody else, you strike an agreement and you move on. And I don't think you want to have a situation where we're all saying gee, isn't it good that the State Government is failing to do any of the things they want to do, and they just keep arguing, and we should be saying gee, that's clever of them. It's not. The rest of the Governments around the country are getting on with it, and so it's not $1.4 that's available. It's over $3.8 billion that's available, and I would urge them to say there's an additional $1.5 billion right now which is there for East-West Link. They've got all of these proceeds from the sale of the Port of Melbourne. There really can't be any excuse now for not building East-West Link.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Okay then, Greg Hunt, if you hang on over the break, and we'll get callers.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Greg Hunt, the Minister for Industry, Innovation, and Science is in here for his usual slot. Rob, you've got a question.
CALLER ROB:
Yeah, good afternoon. This proves more than ever that Daniel Andrews needs to be replaced as the Premier of Victoria. If he's so preoccupied with all these little things, like a Western Distributor and ready to throw away $1.2 billion on the East West Link, which we desperately need, and then wants to balls it up with the CFA and then also with the taxi industry and loses his slot in trying to secure monies from this Port Melbourne deal, then clearly he's obviously not the man that we need to lead this state.
GREG HUNT:
Well, I couldn't agree more. I mean, I'm obviously a little bit biased.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Oh, really?
GREG HUNT:
I have to say that Jane Garrett has earned her stripes over the current premier.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Okay, thank you very much. Frederick, hi.
CALLER FREDERICK:
G'day, Nick. I think Mr Hunt is being a little bit dishonest in regards to the majority of Victorians wanted the East West Link. Well, they didn't because it went to a poll and the reason and everybody should be the reason why we're paying a billion dollar compensation is because the former government went to the polls, this being the major issue, and signed a side letter and he knows that and he should be saying that. That's why we're a billion dollars in the red, not because of any other reason, because they signed a side letter.
NICK MCCALLUM:
He's got a fair point, Mr Hunt, in that it wasn't a secret, the election was out there, it was a policy of the Andrews Government, we are not going to build the East West Link.
GREG HUNT:
So, look, I respect your views, Frederick. I respectfully disagree. One of the things which characterises governance in Australia is that contracts created under one government are honoured by another. Particularly in a case such as this where effectively a billion dollars was just tipped down the drain and instead of getting a road project which would have been driving construction and construction industry jobs in Melbourne over you know, that last 12 months, which would be contributing to productivity, reduced time instead of people being caught in a car park on the freeway, it could have all of those benefits and the money is there. The federal money is on the table.
NICK MCCALLUM:
But, Minister, was it appropriate then for the previous government to sign the agreement, or sign the contract, only a couple of weeks out from the election.
GREG HUNT:
Sure. It had been something they had been working on over a period of many years and, of course, it had for a long period it had bipartisan support. It was only once the inner-city Greens started to kick up a fuss, the ALP was worried about losing some inner-city seats that they flipped. Bill Shorten on multiple occasions, for example, advocated the importance of the East West project. So, the great news for Victoria is they now have funds, there's Commonwealth funding, with $1.5 billion of Commonwealth funding, we can actually finally fix this project which inevitably, inevitably has to be done.
At the same time we need to have a cross-city rail tunnel, so we're supportive of both road and rail as a means of reducing decongestion, improving transport, and giving people back their time so they're not just trapped in a car park when they're meant to be on the freeway getting in or out of work.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Okay, couple of other issues just quickly. First of all, Mr Turnbull was on the world stage overnight, United Nations telling the world they should look at Australia's refugee policy or turn back the boats policy. Yes, it's been successful but we've still got a major problem, haven't we? We've got 1300 people stranded on Manus and Nauru. And they've been there for three years. We're going to have to do something about that, aren't we?
GREG HUNT:
Well, the first thing is, of course, we took a situation where 50,000 people came to Australia and we've closed 17 camps in mainland Australia, all of which were inherited from the previous government. All children who were in detention in Australia have gone and the 1200 souls who were lost at sea, fortunately, that tragedy isn't being repeated. So, this was, perhaps, a fundamental of thing as we did during the course of the last term to save another 1200 lives.
NICK MCCALLUM:
I understand all of that, it's been a success, no one can deny that in terms of stopping the boats but we have this problem. We can't just keep our heads in the sand. We've got 1300 people here.
GREG HUNT:
No, we're working with the people and obviously seeking international options to give them choice. Of course, anyone at any time can choose to be resettled either at home and there are third countries that we're looking at whilst also making sure that the best possible care is put in place. So, these are profoundly important questions but the idea that 1200 souls went to their death and another 1200 and another 1200 could've been allowed to have perished was simply unacceptable.
NICK MCCALLUM:
But you would agree, though, three years on Nauru and Manus in limbo, particularly when they are found, many of them, to be found genuine refugees is just too long. We need to do something.
GREG HUNT:
Well, as I say there are two big things here. For those who choose to resettle at home, that option is available, for those who want third countries.
NICK MCCALLUM:
But if they're genuine refugees, that's not an option, is it?
GREG HUNT:
For those who want third country solutions, we are willing to work with them to that effect. And, of course, the last thing we want, the last thing is to take steps now which inadvertently put the people smugglers back in business and have more souls and beautiful lives lost at sea.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Nick has a question. Hi Nick.
CALLER NICK:
Hi. We get the Liberal Party at the federal level claiming they've got a mandate for a gay plebiscite vote. To the same extent, the Victorian Labor Party has got a mandate to build the East West Link. So, rather than blackmailing the Victorian people, why don't you abide by the mandate that the Victorian Government has and give us the money to spend on some other projects?
GREG HUNT:
Well, in fact we have made $1.5 billion available. That's exactly what we've done. So, there's $1.5 billion which has been made available for general road and rail projects in Victoria including the Monash Freeway, and I was very involved along with Alan Tudge and Dan Tehan and others in securing and working on that. Jason Wood played a critical role as did Michael Sukkar. Then there's the $1.5 billion for the East West Link, so Victoria gets two bites at the same cherry and I'm really proud of that, that we've been able to win, as Victorians representing this state in Canberra, win that battle and on top of that there's the $877 million which, although the Victorian Government failed every test and every step in terms of basic administrative competence, that's still there on the table to be discussed and negotiated. So, we'll really get not just one, not even two, but three bites at the cherry.
NICK MCCALLUM:
And very, very quickly Minister, because I know you've got to go and we've got to go news headlines, the backpacker tax; it's just got to go, hasn't it?
GREG HUNT:
Well, Scott Morrison is working on it right now. He's made that clear just on Sydney radio today and so I suspect that in the very near future there will be a resolution and it will be a very broadly acceptable resolution. Fair point.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Okay then, thank you very much. Always good to talk to you. Greg Hunt, the Minister for Industry, Innovation, and Science.
(ENDS)