Transcript - Chiltern Doorstop Interview
19th January, 2016
Topics: Indi electorate, Bridges Renewal Programme, National Stronger Regions Fund, Mobile black spots, bushfires, Infrastructure investment, Nationals leadership.WARREN TRUSS: It's a pleasure to be here with my colleague Senator Bridget McKenzie, and our candidates for the electorate of Indi, Sophie and Marty. I'm here today to talk to the local community about issues of particular local importance. We've had the opportunity over the last hour or so to drive through the fire-affected areas around Chiltern and Indigo Creek area, Barnawartha, and it's obvious that there has been significant devastation in some of those farming areas. The loss of pastures, the loss of fencing, the loss of houses, stock, is a clear blow to the local community. At a time when cattle prices are high, when the opportunities are great for the industry, it's particularly distressing to have these losses. We're thankful that there was no loss of life and that, in fact, the damage here was perhaps contained by comparison to some of the other horrific fires there's been in Victoria subsequently.
May I take the opportunity to compliment and to recognise the efforts of the firefighters and all of the emergency services, who acted quickly and comprehensively to limit the damage and to ensure that there was in fact no loss of life in this area. Governments, state and federal, have moved I think quickly to ensure that there is assistance available to the local communities, I'm looking forward to receiving reports on what's happened in that regard. Sophie, and Marty, and Bridget have all helped keep me informed of what's been happening in the local areas, and we certainly want to work with the Victorian Government to make sure that every possible assistance is provided at the local level.
Over the last couple of days I've been travelling around Australia in relation to the announcement of more than 160 bridge projects across Australia under the Bridges Renewal Programme. This is a program that we put in place, we promised it at two elections, and now that we've been elected we are putting it into practice. And this second round will provide $100 million to rebuild, renew, replace around 160 bridges across Australia. And it includes seven in this particular area. These are bridges that connect particularly small communities, they're bridges that have got load limits on them, that are limiting productivity, they are bridges that are not safe for one reason or another. I've seen over the last couple of days bridges where the fire brigade was not able to get to the school because the bridge couldn't carry the weight of the fire engine. I've seen places where school children have to walk across a bridge that they're sharing with fast-moving traffic. And these are the sorts of issues that we need to address. I've been to places where there are load limits that prevent produce from being taken out of communities, and we've got examples like that obviously in Victoria as well. And so these projects are really making a difference.
This round of the bridges program has been restricted to local government bridges. And it's local government that's struggled particularly to find the funding that's necessary to replace bridges once they reach the stage that they can no longer be effectively used. So this has been I think a great program. There are tens of thousands of these bridges across the country, and so clearly we're only just touching the tip of the iceberg. But it is making a difference, it's a hugely popular program, and it's one that we're very proud to be implementing. I know that Sophie was very much a part of the enthusiasm to put this project together. She hasn't been able to be the member to actually see it being delivered, but we all take jointly credit for what has actually happened in this area. So I'm pleased that there are seven projects in this region that will be funded in that regard.
Now we've also recently announced another round of National Stronger Regions funding, and there are a number of projects again in this area that- which I think will help make a difference, and later I'm going to Rutherglen, and we'll see one of those projects and talk a little bit about how that can actually make a difference to local communities.
The Coalition Government is very committed to regional Australia. We know that so much of our country's wealth and prosperity is produced in the regions, and yet our population is concentrating more and more in the capital cities. It's so important that we're there and able to stand up for people who live in regional communities. We care about those communities, and we actually want to see people who live in country areas share in our nation's growth and prosperity. Now I think that we are delivering in that regard, we've got specific programs to help regional communities. In my own portfolio of infrastructure we've got a massive program that builds not just spectacular projects in the capital cities, but also building multi-billion dollar projects in regional communities. The biggest regional road projects our country has ever seen are happening now under this Government, and we are committed to bringing those sorts of projects to fruition.
Now I know in this area you've had an independent member for the last term of Parliament, and independents can talk and they can make a lot of criticism. But when it comes to it, the decisions are made in government party rooms, and independents are not there, they're not around when the key decisions are made. So I think it's very important that Indi return a Coalition member at the next election. We are putting a maximum effort into this area. We'll have two candidates, two very talented people - one with vast experience, one younger and enthusiastic - and as a combination I think that they will put together a very strong team, and a very, very strong campaign during the election to come, and help to return Indi to the decision-making benches of the Government.
QUESTION: Are your allegiances a little bit torn?
WARREN TRUSS: Well obviously I have the pleasure of being a colleague with Sophie for a long period of time and she made a contribution. And the Nationals is obviously my heart and soul, or the party that I come from, and I'm delighted that we've got someone like Marty Corboy to be our candidate, and somebody who I'm sure can also make a very substantial contribution to this campaign, and if he was elected would be a very, very good member.
QUESTION: Will Nationals ministers coming for this campaign, will they be advocating for Marty Corboy or for Marty Corboy and Sophie Mirabella?
WARREN TRUSS: Well you can be sure that the Coalition will work together. And there will be Liberal Minsters here and there will be National Ministers here, and we want to coordinate our campaign - as we do as a Government. We work as parties together, in Canberra we may bring somewhat different approaches to issues from time to time, but we work constructively as a team. And I think our country knows that the best governments that our nation has had over the last century have been Coalition governments where we work closely together as a team. And I know that's going to happen in Indi and the campaign as well. So you'll have Nationals ministers here, and they'll be seeking to engage Sophie in their itineraries, and there'll be Liberal ministers here and they'll be seeking to engage Marty in their programs.
QUESTION: What do you say to National Party supporters who may have deserted the Coalition at the last election and led to the independent being elected?
WARREN TRUSS: Well I'd encourage them to realise that they are being left out of the decision-making processes by not having a person sitting on the government benches, and that they should seriously consider the candidates that are on offer and return Indi to the government benches. And they will have a choice in this instance, and we'd encourage them to give us another opportunity. We know we can't take their votes for granted. We know we've got to work hard to justify their support and both Marty and Sophie are committed to working for this area to earn their respect and their support.
QUESTION: What are the Indi issues in that [indistinct] have flagged?
WARREN TRUSS: Well as a Coalition we are talking very much about dividing infrastructure in regions such as this. We are very, very conscious of the need to have a road and rail network that adequately serves the needs of the community. We're committed to the Melbourne to Brisbane railway line which has enormous potential for areas like this one and for that matter the whole of inland Australia. We are committed to water infrastructure and projects of that nature. We want to make sure that local communities benefit from our nation's growth and prosperity as well, that we don't just talk about the big projects in the capital cities. They're important, we want to have liveable cities but we also want to have strong regional communities.
Places like this, the home of Jack McEwen, were obviously very, very important to the growth and development of our country and that historic contribution is very important. But what also we can do in the future matters and we want to make sure that that effort is maximised.
QUESTION: Are you disappointed to see so many Indi residents had issues with mobile black spots during the recent bush fires?
WARREN TRUSS: Well I think that's going to be one of the issues we're going to be talking about today, the previous Labor Government abolished the mobile black spots program, so there was no government assistance during the whole time of the Labor Government to fill in these black spots. So unless it was commercially viable for the telecommunications companies, they didn't provide the transmitters and the base stations to serve as mobile phone coverage in these remote areas.
Now we have reinstituted that program, we've spent 100 million already and provided or announced $100 million worth of projects that's going to provide close to 500 new base stations across the country. We are just beginning now the process for round two, 15 January was the closing date for areas to nominate their black spots and I know that's happened in this area and I'm sure that our two local candidates will be strongly advocating for some additional mobile phone coverage in this area.
Now when you're in mountainous country, with heavy forestation et cetera, there will be challenges in delivering comprehensive mobile phone coverage and we know that and these people can just be behind a mountain, even though they're quite close to a tower and not have satisfactory coverage so it won't be possible to rely exclusively on mobile phone coverage fighting fires and addressing disasters but we do know that the network can be of great assistance and we've got to take that into account choosing the locations for this next round of black spot funding.
QUESTION: So would you say Barnawartha has a good chance of being upgraded given that it's just been through the fires and the problems that the residents have?
WARREN TRUSS: Well that will have to go through an assessment process but the fact that there have been fires through here I'm sure will be a very strong part of the case that will be put forward, it will be a matter of whether this is a partnership program - the Government doesn't provide the whole of the funding. We rely on Telstra or Optus or one or the other, Vodafone were major partners in the last program, to help fund it so they will want to also see that there's some commercial benefit and broader benefits to the local community and there's undoubtedly going to again be hundreds of applications around the country but I think the fact that there had been disasters in the area strengthens the case for additional mobile phone base stations in this area.
QUESTION: You've also got local councils putting up money to help secure those bids or to help demonstrate to government that they're prepared to help support their local communities. Isn't that actually a Telstra responsibility? The funding for those towers in this situation because we've got a situation here in the northeast for example where some councils put up money, don't get towers- some councils don't put up money to get towers, I realise it's all rated and it goes to an assessment process, but it's a little inconsistent?
WARREN TRUSS: Well certainly if a tower and a base station is commercially viable, we would expect the telecommunications companies to provide that without any government support but there are areas where there isn't sufficient volume of business to attract Telstra or Vodafone's investment on their own. And the last program was so successful because not only did the Federal Government put up money but most states also made a contribution, some councils put up financial contributions, in fact that was very common and of course the telecommunications companies themselves contributed, so our 100 million turned into many hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of investment because it was a big partnership program and so certainly contributions by councils, state governments, commercial contributions, all those sort of things make a difference and help get projects across the line.
QUESTION: Mr Truss could I just ask you a question for our Canberra bureau, do you think your colleague Michael McCormack has any leadership potential?
WARREN TRUSS: Well Michael's obviously a very talented man who will undoubtedly make significant contributions to our party in the years ahead. He is currently working as my assistant minister. It's a pleasure to have him on our team, I recognise very much his capabilities. We're fortunate in the Nationals to have a great depth of talent and Michael is certainly among those talented people who will contribute a lot to our party in the future. But, of course, there are others as well and I'm sure that when the opportunities arise that they will put their names forward.
QUESTION: You know the voters are curious, will you be announcing your retirement before the next election?
WARREN TRUSS: Well I've said all I really intend to say on that issue. I'm busy at the present time trying to get our $50 billion infrastructure program up and running, some fantastic projects, it's been a pleasure to be a part of a government that's had such a huge infrastructure program and I'm concentrating my efforts on getting those sorts of things done, not just the big projects but, in particular, those smaller projects that benefit regional communities.
QUESTION: Barnaby Joyce has said that he is willing to step up or feels like he could step up, how do you rate Barnaby Joyce as your successor should he decide to apply?
WARREN TRUSS: Well Barnaby Joyce is the deputy leader and deputy leaders have a fairly strong record of moving on towards being leader and I'm sure that Barnaby will be a very capable contender when and if a vacancy occurs. And I think it's a matter for the party room to make that choice, I'm just so pleased that our party room is so much bigger than it was a few years ago and therefore we have so much choice.
QUESTION: Has Turnbull pushed this issue on to the National Party - your retirement?
WARREN TRUSS: No, no, not at all, obviously it's my decision and I choose to make that decision whether I'm going to go on forever or whether one day I'll retire and that's a decision for me to make. He has made that very publicly clear. We are working well together as a team, the Government is I think travelling well and that's great and I think that's resulted in a contribution that Malcolm has made a leader. It's no secret that I had a very good working relationship with Tony Abbott and I'm looking to that kind of relationship growing and strengthening also with Malcolm Turnbull.
QUESTION: Has the Macfarlane incident affected your relationship with Turnbull?
WARREN TRUSS: No, not to my knowledge, we've worked constructively through issues and deal with them. There have been occasions in the past when people have moved from one party to another, we vividly remember a Victorian incident where somebody who had been a National, elected as a National became a Liberal and so we had to live with that, it was painful for us at the time, we had to live with it and occasionally people will decide that they want to do other things and our priority is delivering good government for Australia and not to be side-tracked by those sorts of issues.
QUESTION: Minister, the Independent Federal Member here has pushed strongly and advocated strongly for a reliable train service, particularly a passenger train service. You're the Infrastructure Minister - are you engaged in that discussion?
WARREN TRUSS: Well she certainly writes to me from time to time about the quality of the line between Melbourne and Albury. So, I might add, do other local members and the local community, and the ARTC has some role in the maintenance of that track, although capital improvements still remain the responsibility obviously for the owners of the track, which is the Victorian Government - and the provision of passenger services is also absolutely a matter for the Victorian Government. We have no intention of running passenger services as a Federal Government, and I don't think even the Independent Member is suggesting that we would. But the reality is that there have been some issues with the line. Mainly legacy issues, some of them going back to the previous century - well, further, even the century before that. So there's been a conscientious and really quite a significant investment in trying to get the track to the stage where it can carry the sort of traffic that it needs to.
You know, it's still not obviously a high speed track, the specifications for it don't provide for that. And maybe one day in the future there'll be further investments in relation to passenger rail movements over long distances. And Victoria still has a tradition of regional passenger train travel that doesn't really exist in most of the other states. So that's something that is I think an asset that is deserving of preservation.
QUESTION: And will you be pushing for more ministerial positions for the Nats with the Feb reshuffle on the cards?
WARREN TRUSS: Well it's been recognised that as a result of the expansion in the Inner Cabinet that the Nationals are entitled to another position. That essentially happened at the time of the change of leadership, when the Inner Cabinet was expanded substantially, and that actually meant that there was an entitlement for an extra Nationals minister, and Malcolm Turnbull's made it clear that that issue will be addressed when there's a reshuffle in the future.
MARTIN CORBOY: Oh, it was fantastic to take the Acting Prime Minister around and see the fire-affected areas and him to get the first-hand experience or feel of the problems that the locals had just before Christmas, and we'll be meeting with him shortly and they'll have their concerns known to Warren.
QUESTION: How badly do you think the money is needed for the mobile phone black spots in this area?
MARTIN CORBOY: Oh, I think it's a - yeah, it's a critical issue, and especially in emergencies, but also not only in emergencies. Especially for children studying at home to have that sort of access available to them so they can continue their studies.
SOPHIE MIRABELLA: And the Acting Prime Minister's visit today shows a true commitment to Indi from the Coalition and we've seen that in past Coalition governments. Coalition governments are the only ones who invest in the real infrastructure, whether that's in telecommunications or roads. We actually in government turn words into action, and one journalist Jamie mentioned the Independent Member. Well there was a promise made by that member to fix the trains by December 2013. The Coalition is concerned not with empty promises but with actual delivery on the ground and saying what we mean and doing what we say, and it's terrific to have Warren Truss here, and Marty and Bridget to show that ongoing long-standing commitment the Coalition to real investment to ensure our regions grow and that jobs grow in our towns and our regions.
QUESTION: So would you say that's a real blow on Cathy McGowan's record sheet, if you like, that she hasn't managed to fix the train line so far?
SOPHIE MIRABELLA: I have locals constantly telling me that they're disappointed that the Independent made a commitment to fix the train by December 2013 and that hasn't happened, and in fact a lady just walked off the street yesterday into my campaign office to tell me that. So I think it's really important. Part of the disillusionment with politics is that politicians don't say what they mean and say what they can't do, and in this campaign going forward I think we have to be very honest and very upfront, and Warren's visit here being very honest about this is what the Coalition is doing, this is how we're going forward is an integral part of giving faith back to people in the political system.
QUESTION: Sophie didn't- the Indi, the Independent Member for Indi get the most- the second or the most amount of black spot funding in the past round?
SOPHIE MIRABELLA: Well, if you actually listened …
QUESTION: [Interrupts] Did she or didn't?
SOPHIE MIRABELLA: Ah well no she didn't. Because an Independent member, just like a Labor member, can't actually deliver anything in a Coalition government. And if you look at the assessment process for black spot funding, a significant factor was the huge investment from the Victorian Government, and the fact that the terrain and the predisposition for natural disasters in Indi, that was a huge contributing factor. And Malcolm Turnbull's on the record of saying that, Mitch Fifield's on the record for saying that. It would be quite nonsensical for a Labor member to claim delivering Coalition projects, and it is equally nonsensical for a Greens member or someone who votes with them, like Cathy McGowan, to claim credit for that because you just can't do it because you're not in the Government and you don't determine where funding goes and how it happens.
QUESTION: But she was an integral part of a team that is- that used community members and shire councils to lobby for that funding, so surely she had some role in …
SOPHIE MIRABELLA: Let's have a look at the facts. Let's not listen to what politicians say but let's look at the facts about how funding is determined. And there was a very rigid process of assessment for black spots, and that was determined on co-contribution and from the examination of the geography and the needs. Because this Coalition Government invests where there is need, and there are members from rural and regional Australian around the Cabinet table from the National Party, from the Liberal Party who have an extraordinary contribution to the development of that policy. And they are the ones - because they were elected and they are the Government - they're the ones who make the decisions. And I think that's a pretty open fact.
QUESTION: Is that a fair assessment Mr Truss?
WARREN TRUSS: Look certainly it's not really reasonable to compare Indi with every other electorate in Australia. The reality is that Indi is a particularly challenging area to deliver mobile phone coverage because of the mountainous terrain, and you would be better off comparing Indigo- Indi rather with electorates of similar topography. So you'll find that there's been a concentration in the funding of the black spots phone program into areas like that. If you look around the bridges program, clearly there's going to be more money spent in areas where there are a lot of bridges. And of course there are quite a lot of bridges in this area, but not as many as northern New South Wales for instance, where there's been significant funding as well.
So I think it's important to be clear- to compare like with like, and the challenges that have to be overcome in each area, the disadvantage is a key factor as well. In our Stronger Regions program we are looking at areas to support that have economic or other disadvantage. And so the funding is naturally going to be concentrated in areas that don't have high incomes, that are not blessed with all of the social and other services that might happen in other places. So when we're trying to address disadvantage, particularly in regional communities, you've really got to look amongst those kinds of electorates, and that's the area to make your comparison. Don't compare Indi with Kooyong or with Central Sydney, or one of the affluent suburbs in our community.
[ENDS]
