The Hon Peter Dutton MP
Leader of the Opposition
Federal Member for Dickson
TRANSCRIPT
Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price
Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians
Mr Howard Ong
Liberal Candidate for Tangney
PRESS CONFERENCE, MOUNT PLEASANT, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
12 April 2025
Subjects: Visit to Tangney; the Prime Minister’s misguided priorities and broken promises; Labor’s anti-WA policies; Labor’s car and ute tax; the Coalition’s plan for a strong resources industry to turbocharge jobs and investment and strengthen national security; Labor’s cost of living, energy, health and housing crisis; government efficiency; getting Australia Back on Track.
E&OE…………………………………………………………………………………………
HOWARD ONG:
Hi everyone, thank you for coming. Thank you for coming to Tangney. We welcome Peter Dutton here today. It is great to have him here today for the second time in two days to explain to Australia how we’re going to get Australia back on track.
MICHAELIA CASH:
It is fantastic to have two great Australians in Peter Dutton and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price with us yet again here in the great state of WA. They understand that the decision that Western Australians make on May the 3rd is integral to the future prosperity of our state. There is another man here in Western Australia today and he treats the Western Australian people like mugs. That is of course Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. There is no two ways about it. He is the most anti-mining and resources and anti-Western Australian Prime Minister our great country has ever seen. Whilst he’s here in WA pretending to the Western Australian people that he is pro the mining and resources sector, guess what Tanya Plibersek’s now doing in the inner city of Sydney and Melbourne? She is committing to reintroducing their nature positive mining negative legislation, which we know because the industries here tell us, will have a devastating effect on projects in Western Australia. But more than that, it will put up the price of housing and put up the price of energy. Mr Albanese is duplicitous, saying one thing here on the west coast and saying the exact opposite when he’s there on the east coast.
Peter Dutton, he gets Western Australia and he stands with Western Australia. He will stand with our farmers. He will stand with our sheep farmers and protect their lives and their livelihoods. What a complete contrast with Mr Albanese, who has destroyed our sheep farmer’s lives and livelihoods. Mr Albanese kicks the can down the road on making a decision on the North West Shelf, the project there. Forty years it’s been in operation giving us a reliable source of energy. It has paid into the Western Australian economy tens of billions of dollars, and Mr Albanese doesn’t have the guts before this election to tell Western Australians what he’s going to do. As Peter has said, if it was good news for Western Australians he would have already made the decision, because he’s saying another thing in the east coast. Peter Dutton has committed a decision on that project will be made within 30 days of us being elected. Of course, nature positive, mining negative, as I said. One thing in the east coast, another thing in the west coast. Peter Dutton on the other hand, he wants to see projects here in Western Australia get off the ground. We will cut approval times. We will ensure that we cut the red tape and the green tape and we back in the projects in Western Australia.
But I have to say, I think the biggest con job that Mr Albanese is trying to pull over the eyes of Western Australians is every time he stands up and he pulls out that Medicare card and he says he’s committed to strengthening Medicare. What a hypocrite. Mr Albanese, at least pull out your Medicare card, but also pull out you credit card because under you, Western Australians are finding it harder to get to a doctor, because 270 GP clinics are closed around Australia under Mr Albanese but worse than that, Medicare bulk billing rates in Western Australia have dropped 15 per cent under Anthony Albanese. So, my message is clear to Mr Albanese, stop conning Western Australians, stop treating us like mugs and back in Western Australian. Peter Dutton, he believes in our state, he will make the decisions that are in the best interests of our state but more than that he will protect the prosperity of our great state.
Jacinta.
JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
Thank you very much Michaelia and look it is absolutely wonderful to be here standing alongside Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton. I’m very proud because unlike Albanese we as a future Coalition government are going to ensure that we are supporting industry far and wide. Now, Western Australia is an incredible state, one that I love to visit to meet and greet people, but one that I recognise that is at the absolute forefront of the mining and resources industry. In fact, coming from the Northern Territory, I would see Western Australia as a fine example of how we could do things better within the mining and resources industry in the Northern Territory. But Anthony Albanese has demonstrated with Tanya Plibersek that they’re not interested in supporting Western Australia in this industry. So, what does that tell places like the Northern Territory, that in fact the Labor Government under Anthony Albanese is not interested in ensuring prosperity through this industry in other places in this country.
You only have to look as far as the sheep industry and the way in which Anthony Albanese has destroyed this industry. We know that farmers are doing it absolutely tough here in Western Australia. They feel utterly betrayed that Anthony Albanese has destroyed their livelihood and that we know under Peter Dutton we will restore the live sheep exports. That is an absolute promise that we will fulfil after the election when we come to government. So, I’m very proud to be able to stand alongside Peter Dutton. Now again, this is a clear message that in the Northern Territory we are still reeling after the shutdown of the cattle industry exporting trade. The Albanese Government has fumbled compensation for those who have been destroyed in the Northern Territory and they’re still reeling from this. So, if he’s prepared to shut down sheep exports, then of course, we have to be very concerned that he will go after cattle once more, because he’s not about supporting Australians. He’s about ensuring that he is winning those seats in the east coast inner cities. There is another element to this. There is a whole Australia out there, Prime Minister Albanese, that you are utterly, utterly neglecting, that you are deliberately neglecting, and we have seen that here in Western Australia. But we will ensure that we get Australia back on track when we come to power after May 3.
I’d now like to hand it to our wonderful Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton.
PETER DUTTON:
Jacinta, thank you very much. Look, it’s wonderful to be here in your electorate, Howard, and to all of our elected members and all of our wonderful party members here today, supporters of our great cause. There are so many people who are passionate about changing the government, not just for the sake of WA, but for the sake of our country. I want to say thank you very to Tait and to Claire and, as I say, the wonderful work that Howard is doing. Mick Fells and others we will catch up with shortly. But for Michaelia and Matt to be here alongside Jacinta and I, I’m really very grateful for it.
Look, I think as we go each day closer to the election, Australians realise that this really is a very significant decision that has to be made. There are a lot of soft voters right across marginal seats that ultimately will decide the outcome of this election. They’re looking at the two parties and they’re trying to weigh up not only what is in their best interests, which is people’s instinct, but what is in our country’s best interests? It’s not too far from here in Optus Stadium that only three years ago, the Prime Minister promised that the cost of living would be cheaper under him. He promised that mortgages would be cheaper under him. He promised that bulk billing rates would be higher under him and he promised that energy costs, that electricity costs would be down by $275 every year. The Prime Minister hasn’t kept one of those promises and I want to be a prime minister of integrity and somebody who stands up and says what I believe in and argue every day for it, because we live in the best country in the world.
I have an incredible team, really proud to have Jacinta here with me as well. All of us together, fought against Anthony Albanese’s Voice, which was going to divide our country. Australians haven’t forgotten that it’s only 12, 18 months ago, when the Prime Minister was obsessed about the Voice, spent $425 million of taxpayers’ money. It was going to divide our country and ultimately we were able to stand up against what would have been a very bad outcome. In doing that the Prime Minister forgot about average Australians and if you have a look at the ute and car tax at the moment, I have no idea where Australian families are going to find a lazy $14,000 to buy a new Ford Ranger. If you’re talking about a RAV4 hybrid, one of the most popular cars in our country at the moment, it goes up by over $9,000 under Mr Albanese. Where is a family that’s struggling to pay their bills at the moment going to find an extra $9,000 if they have to borrow an extra $9,000? It just means that the monthly repayment, their lease repayment is that bit higher, which just means you haven’t got the extra money that you need for childcare, or you haven’t got it for the electricity bill.
The Liberal National Party Coalition government will always manage the economy more effectively. We’ve shown that in the past. Over the course of COVID, many of us were senior ministers sitting around the table when we decided how could we help West Australians with JobSeeker and JobKeeper. How could we keep the economy going, keep businesses alive, keep family with incomes. We made those decisions and we put them in place and it helped WA get through COVID, and it helped the rest of the country deal with that shock. This Prime Minister I think is out of his depth and the Treasurer too, doesn’t know how to respond to the world circumstances at the moment. He doesn’t know whether there’s a recession coming or not. They chop and change their position. But what Australians know is that we stand up for what we believe in, that we will fight for what believe in. We’ll help with Labor’s cost of living crisis. We’ll restore the dream of home ownership. We’ll manage our economy more successfully so that we can bring inflation down, and we can make sure that we help deliver a first-class health care system. As Michaelia rightly pointed out, I just wish the Prime Minister could be honest with the people here in WA. The bulk billing rate is down by 15 per cent. If the Prime Minister is prepared to lie to you on that basis, how do you believe anything else that he says? This election will be an important one for WA because as Michaelia pointed out, you’ve got Tanya Plibersek and Anthony Albanese saying different things in different parts of the country. The Prime Minister here in WA wants to don on the hi vis vest and tell people he’s the best friend that WA has ever had. Tanya Plibersek is talking to the Greens in Sydney saying mining will stop. We’ll do everything we can to stop live sheep trades here in WA. They’re talking out of both sides of their mouths.
So, I think a government of integrity and a government that’s prepared to stand up for our country is what is the best option for Australians at the next election. That’s the message we’ll prosecute between now and then. We’ll start over here and then work our way around. Andrew.
QUESTION:
Peter Dutton, tomorrow is a very important day for your campaign, and you say there’s a lot of soft voters. How do you crystallise your message tomorrow that gets those soft voters across the board in your favour?
PETER DUTTON:
Well Andrew, tomorrow we’re going to be talking about how we can respond to the concerns we’ve heard from Australians as we’ve moved around the country. People who are in tears about the cost of living crisis in their own families, young Australians who have lost the dream of home ownership under this Government, people who feel less safe in our community, people who are worried that they’ve got a Prime Minister who just can’t tell the truth. We’ll be talking about lots of those things. How can we help families get through this really tough period that Labor’s created? How can we provide support in the medium term by fixing the gas system and fixing the energy system because energy is the economy, and if we don’t fix that up we’re just going to have the band aid on the bullet wound that the Prime Minister continues to do when he hands out $150, but at some stage with the debt they’re running up they’re going to run out of money.
So, we’ve got a lot of work to do between now and election day to show people how we can best help them and how we can get our country back on track. I think people are starting to see through the lies of the Labor campaign and realise that it started with the Voice and then it went to bad economic decisions and that has really hurt many parts of our country and we’ll be responding in part to that tomorrow.
QUESTION:
Mr Dutton, we’re in Andrew Hastie’s home state for a second straight day but he’s nowhere to be seen. Is that because of his views on women in the ADF? And one for Senator Price, in your address to the rally, you said you wanted to make Australia great again. Is that an ode to Donald Trump?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, a couple of points. I mean, Andrew Hastie obviously, I saw a TikTok video of him just yesterday actually, an integral part of the face of our party here in WA. I think Andrew’s done an incredible job. He’s served his country in uniform and he’s been a soldier in the SAS which I know you’d want to acknowledge as part of his contribution, not just to his country but to his community as well. He is a proud friend, he’ll be a great minister of my government and he is out there working hard as we are on different campaigns.
JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
We were with Andrew Hastie yesterday, in fact, at his campaign launch, which was a really wonderful campaign launch and there were many who turned out for that campaign launch last night and absolutely, we stand by Andrew Hastie. We know he will make a remarkable Defence Minister should we win government at the next election.
As to your last question, no, if I said that I didn’t even realise I said that, but no, I’m an Australian and I want to ensure that we get Australia back on track, absolutely.
QUESTION:
Mr Dutton, Mr Hastie has recently said that the Coalition government will insist on having the highest physical standards for people who serve in the Defence Force. Does that leave the door open for a Coalition government to increase those standards which would [inaudible]?
PETER DUTTON:
No, we’ve said, and Andrew’s not proposing any changes to the current arrangements. Andrew, as you know is the Assistant Defence Minister and during that period never proposed any changes and I’m proud of the SAS. I’ve been to the barracks, I’ve spoken with many of those diggers and they share the same traits and skills and love of country that Andrew Hastie does and that we all do. I think what disturbs Andrew most is that Labor’s ripped about $80 billion out of Defence. The Prime Minister never spoke about that before the election. The Prime Minister never spoke about his big Australia policy before the election which has resulted in the housing crisis. I want to fix the housing crisis up, I want keep our country safe and that’s what we’re all dedicated to as well.
QUESTION:
Mr Dutton, new polling shows Labor is pulling away and it shows your ultra-marginal seat of Dickson may be in a bit of jeopardy, are you concerned today?
PETER DUTTON:
I put it out yesterday that this is the same playbook of GetUp. Why is that? Because many of the people have moved from GetUp into the teal movement. Many people you see in Tom White’s electorate or in mine going around in a teal shirt are Greens and members of the Labor Party. That’s the formula. It’s a giant con job. What they’re trying to do is look for other opportunities to fundraise. So, I call it out for what it is. It is a joke. The polling which you’ve seen published in my seat has us up five points on the previous election and I’m very proud to have worked hard, I never take my seat for granted, but I think you’d want to look through the spin of the Labor Party at the moment and look at this as being a distraction. I think what’s important to people is who do they trust to manage the economy and to deal with Labor’s cost of living crisis. I’m a person of integrity, I’m a person of honour and I keep my word, and I would challenge the Prime Minister any day to come here and to repeat the claims that bulk billing is higher under his Government than it was when I was Health Minister because it’s not.
The Prime Minister looks the people of WA in the eye and says that he’s the greatest friend that WA’s ever had when it comes to mining and agriculture. He ducks across to Sydney and Melbourne and starts giving a nod and a wink to the Greens that he’ll stop mining and stop agriculture here in WA. I just think people see that the Prime Minister is somebody different than perhaps I thought he was before the 2022 election. So we’ve got a huge fight in a number of marginal seats across the country. I can tell you there are many seats that are 50-50 at the moment in the track polling and they won’t be decided probably even on election night, but what I do know is that a lot of Australians can’t afford three more years of Anthony Albanese and that’s the reality.
QUESTION:
Mr Dutton, just back to that very rousing speech that Senator Price gave before. Were those remarks that you pledge to make Australia great again, is that a message that you think is helpful for the Coalition at this point in the campaign?
PETER DUTTON:
You’ve got families out there at the moment, and we’ve spoken to them here in WA who can’t afford to pay their power bill, who cannot afford to their insurance bill, who can’t afford to, I mean they’re making decisions at the time about whether they insure their house or not. So, let’s just deal with the reality for people. I really think that if we want to make their lives better and we want to get our country back on track, we have to change the government. I just don’t believe that those Australians can afford three more years of Mr Albanese. I think that’s the point that any objective person would make at the moment.
QUESTION:
But do you think there’s a risk for a benefit of being linked to a commentary that’s linked to Donald Trump?
PETER DUTTON:
I think I’ve explained what our position is and that is that we want to help families, and we want make sure that we can help those families and small businesses. Don’t forget, WA is an entrepreneurial state, there are 30,000 small businesses which have closed over the course of the last couple of years under this Government. The highest number of small businesses have closed over the last 12 months in our country’s history, and as Jacinta pointed out in her speech, 272 of those businesses have been general practices, who just haven’t been able to keep their doors open. That’s why people need their credit card and their Medicare card when they go to the doctors at the moment. That’s the reality of life under Mr Albanese.
QUESTION:
Mr Dutton, on health, research published in the Australian today paints quite a frightening picture of the state of care in the public maternity units across the country. It shows there’s been an excess of 200 neonatal deaths in the public system compared to the private. Does this concern you and what is your plan to fix the problems we’re seeing with the maternity units across the country?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, it deeply concerns me because women should have a reasonable expectation that we live in a country where we can provide first class health services and particularly in the space of maternity. As Health Minister I’ve had a significant contribution and concentration on how we can improve life expectancy, how we can improve all of those indicators and particularly regional areas around the services that just hadn’t been invested in for a long period of time under Labor. So, we put more money into the health system. When I was Health Minister, we increased health funding for hospitals by 16 per cent. That is a really difficult issue for a lot of families, and I don’t think the Prime Minister has turned his mind to it because he’s been distracted by the Voice and other issues. I think it really should be a priority. It should be bipartisan position to be honest, because we want to make sure that we’ve got first world maternal health services. We want to be sure that perinatal services are as best as anyone could hope for in the world.
One of the things that concerns me as we’ve moved around the country, particularly for people in outer metro areas and in regional and remote areas, is that they feel like they’re being treated like second class citizens and I want to make sure that we can provide support to them, which is part of what we’ve done in announcing our fund and that is a really significant way in which we can invest in the health services and to improve them.
QUESTION:
Just quickly, sorry, this has reignited calls to rescue these private maternity hospitals who are struggling under the current system. What would a Coalition government do differently?
PETER DUTTON:
Well again, we have been the Government that’s invested into private health care. This Government’s created another mess. So, it’s not just the housing crisis, it’s not just energy crisis, there’s not the cost of living crisis, but there is a health crisis in this country on Mr Albanese’s watch. The bulk billing rates when I was the Health Minister were at 84 per cent, they’re now at 77 per cent. We improved funding in our time. This Government wants to pretend, and they’ve lied to the Australian people about what’s happening in the health space and your question goes exactly to it. So, we will invest into private health to make sure it’s sustainable because the public system will collapse under the weight if private health care doesn’t work. That has been the long term arrangement as we’ve known for many, many years. This Government has deliberately under invested, which has been a real pressure on public and private systems as well.
QUESTION:
Mr Dutton, do you back your Senator’s comment this morning? Do you want to make Australia great again?
PETER DUTTON:
I want to get rid of a bad government, that’s what I want to do. The biggest influence in my political life has been John Howard. I’m incredibly proud of what Jacinta has done in saving our country from the Voice because that would have destroyed the social fabric of our country. At this election we have the opportunity to get a rid of bad government. If we do that we can get our country back on track, we can make sure that families can afford to live again and that’s the priority of where we are.
QUESTION:
Labor’s vowed to put IVF regulation on the agenda if reelected after a baby mix up at Monash Health. Would the Coalition look at tightening IVF regulations if you get in? And also, a Muslim leader in Victoria has quote called you a filthy human being and a racist for supporting Israel and he’s also called for the eradication of Israel. What do you make of those comments [inaudible]?
PETER DUTTON:
I don’t have any comments to make in relation to it – and sorry, the first part of your question was?
QUESTION:
Just about IVF regulation.
PETER DUTTON:
Oh on IVF, very important topic. Again, for many families, we should be doing everything we can to support them through the IVF journey. For many families it’s just a heartbreaking, many years long battle and we should be doing everything we can do to provide support.
Now, in relation to the current case, it’s obviously a very complex matter and it’s not something that we can redesign or fix from opposition, but I give you this commitment that we will do everything that we can support families on an IVF journey. Many of us have had people in the our own families or our own friendship groups who have had mixed experiences. Ultimately we want to do everything we can to support couples having children through IVF or through whatever programmes the question referenced before. We want to make sure that we’ve got the best health system to provide support to all Australians.
QUESTION:
Allegra Spender has been paying social media influencers to promote her cause, has she crossed a line?
PETER DUTTON:
I just think when it comes to the whole Teal movement, the whole thing’s a con job. That’s why people are now seeing through the Teals. They’re Greens in disguise, and if you vote for a Teal, you’re voting for a Green, which means you’re voting for Anthony Albanese. The Teals will only support Anthony Albanese in government. That’s the reality. So, a Labor-Greens, Teal government is a disaster for WA. It’s a disaster for the economy. It’ll mean interest rates go back up, and I just don’t think Australians can afford that.
QUESTION:
Mr Dutton, the Prime Minister did his first event in this campaign in your seat of Dickson. [inaudible] Do you think the Prime Minister is a little cocky in this campaign and that you’re playing it a little too safe?
PETER DUTTON:
I think what you’re seeing with the Prime Minister is this tricky move, which is how the Prime Minister’s led the country. He hasn’t been honest for his entire Prime Ministership in relation to the quotes here three years ago, the promises to reduce power bills, to provide $275. It’s all been a hoax. The whole Voice thing, $425 million divided the country. So, I think that what he’s trying to do is trick people into believing that he can form a majority government, which he can’t. Any polling shows that. So, he wants you to believe that somehow he can form a government without the Greens, he can’t, and that is a disaster for our country. If they form government with the Greens, I promise you interest rates will go up because they’ll spend like crazy. Mining will falter here in WA which is a disaster for our economy, not just here in WA, but for our country, and you’ve got Tanya Plibersek who is refusing to rule out a leadership challenge to Anthony Albanese after the election.
Not only that, we’ve now got Josh Burns who has taken a principled stance in relation to the Greens, because he can see them as anti-Semitic, he can them as reckless when it comes to the economy, and yet Anthony Albanese is happy to sign up to deal with Adam Bandt. Why can’t we see an honest Prime Minister do what Josh Burns has done and call the Greens out and say that he won’t go into Coalition with the Greens? Of course, he can’t do that.
QUESTION:
Mr Dutton, you say that you’re the man for WA, and that Anthony Albanese is anti-WA. Yet he’s holding his launch here tomorrow, and you’re not. You’re in Sydney on the east coast. So how does that wash for WA voters, and are you the man for WA?
PETER DUTTON:
I think WA is more astute when it comes to the mining sector than any other part of the country. We know that our economy doesn’t work without a really strong economy here in Western Australia. Anthony Albanese is a risk. People know that delaying the north west shelf decision is all about getting through the other side of the election. Why would Tanya Plibersek delay an announcement to beyond the election when it was due to be made before the election if it was good news for WA? The Prime Minister here, more than any other part of the country, should be clear to say that if he is to form government after the election it will be with the support of the Greens. The Greens hate mining and the left of the Labor Party hate mining. They would be a disaster for this state and we will be a supporter of the sector, of this state and we do that because it helps not just this economy to thrive but our national economy.
Labor can’t manage money. This is the worst government since the Whitlam Government in the 1970s. I believe very strongly that WA understands that and when you’ve got Tanya Plibersek telling the Greens that she’s going to close mining down when she’s in Sydney, on the same day that the Prime Minister’s here in WA, that’s a disaster. It’ll be interesting to see whether Tanya Plibersek is here tomorrow in WA with Anthony Albanese, because will they have arms around each other? Will they be talking about their – I mean, will it be some sort of comedy act where the Prime Minister says one thing and then Tanya Plibersek says the other thing to try and speak to two audiences because that in effect is what they’re doing when Tanya Plibersek is in Sydney and Anthony Albanese is in Perth.
So, I think Australians can see through this Prime Minister the lies that have been told and they know that they can’t afford three more years of a really bad government.
QUESTION:
Mr Dutton, an observation, John Howard, Kevin Rudd and even more recent Prime Ministers I think campaigned a lot more openly than you or Anthony Albanese. That is they got into shopping centres, into schools, into markets, into people. Is your shying away from that a reflection of your security telling you, you can’t or is it a reflection of your political minders preferring you don’t cop a rotten egg? And I noticed you went for a street walk this morning. Are we going to see more?
PETER DUTTON:
Tim, you’ll see more and I think you saw this morning, we got a good reception at the coffee shop, a good reception wherever we’ve gone, so more than happy to be out and about. I dealt with the security issue yesterday.
QUESTION:
You’ve got, obviously, issues you’ve had with candidates’ past comments coming back to bite them. You’re here in WA where at the recent state election they went from a mixed doubles team to a netball team in terms of the size of their party room. You had to step into the New South Wales branch because they couldn’t even get their nominations in for the local government elections. Victoria has obviously been a factional mess politely for years. Irrespective of the election result, will you use your authority as Liberal leader to drive through reform of the Liberal party and is poor candidate selection going to cost you your shot at the Lodge?
PETER DUTTON:
Andrew, when you look at the candidates we’ve chosen here in WA – look behind me. Look at in Victoria. There are many seats in play in Victoria, in New South Wales, here in WA. I think we’ve selected some fantastic candidates. Anthony Albanese won’t be photographed now with Jacinta Allan in Victoria. They used to be joined at the hip, and behind the scenes they are joined at the hip. So, they’re joined at hip because they are fellow travellers. Jacinta Allen is so far to the left, Anthony Albanese is so far to left. The Prime Minister has been the leader of the left of the Labor Party for his entire adult life. So, when people see the real Albanese, the real Anthony Albanese, which I think they’re starting to see, they see somebody who is anti-WA, they see somebody who has not lived up to the promises that he’s made. This election is about how can we help families? How can we stop those small businesses from going broke under a bad government? I’m incredibly proud of the team that we’ve been able to pull together.
At the federal election, Mark McGowan isn’t running here in the federal election. Roger Cook isn’t running in the federal election, Anthony Albanese is, and the contest here is between Anthony Albanese and myself. That is a contest that I think Western Australians are weighing up and I think they know in me, somebody who is honest with integrity will stand up for WA, will fight for the mining and agricultural sectors to make sure that this great state can grow. Anthony Albanese is here talking about gas and then goes to deliver a speech only a couple of days later in Sydney saying there’s no cash for gas. I just think WA can see through what has been a bad government getting worse. We can’t allow a Labor-Greens government to trash the economy. They’ve already done enough damage in three years. Our job will be to clean it up to get our country back on track and to do everything we can to help families.
As I say, as I’ve moved around the country talking to families in all different scenarios, they are struggling to pay their bills and that is going to get worse under Mr Albanese. That’s why we’ve got to work every day between now and the election to demonstrate that we are the best party to manage the economy, to keep our country safe, to realise the dream of home ownership again and make sure that we can keep inflation going.
QUESTION:
Is the organisation going to let you do that though? Is it in a good shape to do it?
PETER DUTTON:
I’ve dealt with that question.
QUESTION:
Mr Dutton, will Australians know your full plan on cost of living after tomorrow’s launch? And have you considered bringing back the low and middle income tax offset?
A question for Senator Cash, if I may. Murray Watt has claimed Mr Dutton is after your weekend in relation to repealing right to disconnect laws. What is your response?
PETER DUTTON:
Look, people will see from us an offering which is addressed to help them with the cost of living crisis, with the energy crisis, with the housing crisis. They’ll see a policy which will make us safer as a country. I want to do everything I can to help families. I want them to lead a better life than they’ve been able to lead over the last three years. It breaks my heart to see 30,000 small businesses go broke under this Government, because behind every business is a family that’s lost their home, somebody who has lost their savings, somebody who has lost their job, their dream, and that’s the reality of life under Mr Albanese. We’re going to get our country back on track, we’re going to manage the economy well and we’ll have more to say about our plan to implement that tomorrow and from then on.
QUESTION:
The tax offset?
PETER DUTTON:
I’ll deal with our policy tomorrow. Senator Cash?
MICHAELIA CASH:
Murray Watt – the only thing that ever comes out of Murray Watt’s mouth is a scare campaign. Murray Watt promised Australians prior to the last election that real wages would go forward under the Albanese Government. It is a fact that they have gone backwards over the term of their government. It is a fact, despite what Murray Watt says, real wages went forward over the term of the former Coalition government.
In relation to the right to disconnect, that was a dirty deal done at the last minute with their coalition partners, the Australian Greens. It is costly, it is confusing, and it is complex. Yes, we have said to businesses in Australia, but in particular small businesses, who are no longer picking up the phone to talk to their employees because they are too scared that they will be fined $18,000 that we will repeal the right to disconnect, but also the confusing definition in relation to casuals. But as far as Murray Watt’s concerned, judge that man on what he said prior to the election because what he told Australians has now turned out to be a lie.
QUESTION:
Just a question for Senator Price please. You’ve been named as the head of the so-called ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ here, which is obviously a nod to Donald Trump’s razor gang in the US with Elon Musk heading it. What departments would you like to see slashed of thousands of public servants and would you consider changing the name given the sort of references to Donald Trump that we’ve seen over the months?
JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
Let me just clarify. The ‘Department of Government Efficiency’, it’s not a department, it has got nothing to do with a department in fact. It will sit in Prime Minister and Cabinet. Just to clarify, it is not an ode to Donald Trump. In fact, as the Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians, I have said from the outset that I would look at that portfolio to understand what the current spend is, because we know that the figures around $34 billion being spent annually in Indigenous Affairs comes from a report from 2017. So, we don’t know what the current figure is at the moment, but what we do know is that closing the gap measures are going backward and we do know that despite the fact that we spend billions of dollars in Indigenous Affairs, nothing is changing to improve the lives of marginalised Indigenous Australians. So, I have always said that I would want to conduct an audit, which is what we have promised, which is the first port of call should we win government.
Now, why wouldn’t we extend that way of delivering for Australians across all portfolios? Why wouldn’t we consider the waste that certainly the Albanese Government has made across portfolios going forward, so that we’re ensuring that we’re redirecting funds and investing to provide outcomes across portfolios for all Australians, to benefit all Australians instead of wasting money, pouring it down the drain, which is what Albanese has done for the last three years. So, let’s be very, very clear. The media, you’re all obsessed with Donald Trump, we’re not. We’re not obsessed with Donald Trump. We are actually obsessed with ensuring that we can improve the circumstances for Australians. We governing for Australians.
QUESTION:
Would it be Cabinet level?
JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
I love this country. Hang on a second, Andrew. I love this country. We all love this country. We hate the fact that Anthony Albanese has effectively destroyed Australia. So, we’re not concerned about what you’re concerned with. We are concerned with, and in the Government Efficiency portfolio, which will sit in Prime Minister and Cabinet, we’ll actually be able to cut red and green tape to ensure projects go ahead in this country, ensure that we’re not providing funds for ridiculous grants like colonising breastfeeding, like treating oral care as a form of colonisation in this country. I mean this is ridiculous and we want to sort this out and we want to reset the curriculum, which is what our wonderful colleague Sarah Henderson will do in the Education portfolio so that we are not coming up with silly ideas around ideological things like colonising breastfeeding and silly things like that. We want to get rid of the nonsense and start actually focusing on real outcomes.
QUESTION:
Would it be a Cabinet level portfolio, and on your comment, I think the entire world is obsessed with Trump at the moment.
JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
Well look as I said, it will sit in Prime Minister and Cabinet. I will have, as Peter has indicated, I will sit with the Economic Review Committee as well in terms of those responsibilities. We won’t be forming a department in this area, but we will be ensuring that we are putting funds where they are going to provide the best outcomes for all Australians, looking at where the waste exists and working across all portfolios with my colleagues.
QUESTION:
I was wondering about the education curriculum, because that was passed by the or it happened under the former Morrison Government. So, what do you think is not quite right about that curriculum, and what would you be seeking to change?
JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
Well the fact that our education institutions are teaching people that Indigenous Australians are victims and that white Australians are oppressors for starters. I mean this is an area that needs absolute tidying up, that we’re hearing from students that they are learning indoctrination as opposed to education. They’re being forced to have to provide a welcome to country within their essays for crying out loud and that if they don’t provide an appropriate form of welcome to country or acknowledgement of country, that they will be marked down. I mean, this is absolute nonsense.
QUESTION:
Is that happening in schools Senator Price?
JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
We’re looking at the fact that there’s anti-Semitism in universities. I mean this is all ideological driven nonsense.
QUESTION:
But you want to reset the school curriculum, so what do you want to change about the school curriculum? Do you want rewrite the history syllabus in the school curriculum?
JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
Again, this is obviously an area for our colleague Sarah Henderson but I would suggest that yes we need to learn our country’s history in its entirety. I’ve always said that, the good, the bad, the ugly, not for weaponisation, but for understanding who we are as a people, the fact that we have incredible shared Australian cultural values that we’ve created as a country, from the first people to those who have come on following fleets to those who have come in migrant waves. We have created a remarkable country that is under attack everywhere we look even through the Human Rights Commission, might I add. We need to be able to ensure that our children are proud to call themselves Australian, and that starts with education in this country. That is the focus that we want to make sure going forward, that children learn the basics, reading, writing and arithmetic but also have a sense of pride in who they are as individuals and Australian children in this county.
PETER DUTTON:
Let’s have a couple more for Jacinta. Andrew, did you have another one?
ANDREW PROBYN:
I think I jumped in already.
PETER DUTTON:
You jumped in already? Who hasn’t asked a question?
QUESTION:
When will see your policies for Indigenous Australians?
JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
In good time, in good time. We have announced policies around the fact that we will conduct an audit into the spending in Indigenous Affairs, the Indigenous Affairs portfolio. We will establish a royal commission into the sexual abuse in Indigenous communities because we know that Indigenous children experience the highest rates of exposure to domestic and family violence. We know that they experience the highest rates of sexual abuse and neglect in this country. We also know that we have the highest rates of youth incarceration when it comes to Indigenous children. And the academics, the inner city left, can’t seem to fathom the idea that it’s because of those rates that we see these high rates of out of home care, of high youth incarceration, of high Indigenous incarceration, full stop. They want to provide band-aid solutions, and they expect that downstream we’re supposed to fix the problem instead of addressing it at its very core. That is what I’ve always spoken about, and that of course, I’m so proud that Peter Dutton came out very early, has made several trips to central Australia to meet with people on the front line when it comes to dealing with the sexual abuse of Indigenous children, and that is why we’ve made those decisions.
In the Northern Territory, I want to make sure that we don’t have socialist enclaves in remote communities depended on welfare, but that we can allow an environment for traditional owners to become wealth creators, job creators in their own right, and if land councils don’t want to do the right thing by traditional owners well we’re actually going to hold an inquiry into their activities so we can hear from traditional owners themselves about how they are treated by these bureaucracies whose land they’re supposed to manage on their behalf, but unfortunately are missing out. As we can see in Lingiari for over 30 years the situation has not changed because there’s been pathetic Labor representation keeping those people downtrodden to maintain their votes so we’re going to change that.
QUESTION:
Senator, as Minister of Government Efficiency, will you be seeking to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion roles as a priority?
JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
What we’ll be focused on is ensuring that it’s the right person for the job, despite anything else that’s attached to an individual, whether it’s race, gender, sexuality. None of that is going to matter. What’s going to matter is the right person for a job. Now, I mean, I’m so proud that the right people for the job in the Senate that I sit in, the leader of the Senate, is right behind me here. I’m proud of this woman. You know, there is suggestion that we’ve got issues. We don’t have issues. We like to ensure that we’re promoting the best people for the job, and that is what our focus will be. So, if there’s nonsense involved with some of the funding that’s been provided, then we will absolutely have a close look at that.
QUESTION:
The Coalition has pledges to cut green and red tape when it comes to building. There’s been some criticism around culture heritage laws and holding up the process. Would you like to see an investigation into cultural heritage laws?
JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
Absolutely, cultural heritage laws are on the table. We’ve seen the devastating impact of Tanya Plibersek’s decision on the Blaney gold mine. The fact that she held up that project and stopped it effectively even when the Orange Aboriginal Land Council stood there and said, ‘no, we’re happy for this to go ahead because we want the jobs, we want the opportunity’. Tanya Plibersek has not heard that. She’s listened to a radical fringe group because that’s who they listen to, Labor. They listen to radical fringe groups. That’s whose vote they’re chasing. They’re not chasing to support Indigenous Australians in this country. I’m working very closely with our colleague Jono Duniam, to ensure that we’re going to ensure that there is access to our natural environment for all Australians going forward but protecting sacred places as well.
We need to get the balance right. We haven’t got the balance right. The Albanese Government has not got the balance right. We want to make sure, we’re going to defund the EDO because what they’ve done effectively up in the Tiwi Islands is trample over the wishes of a group of traditional owners who wanted the Barossa project to go ahead because they would benefit from that project going ahead. In fact, the Territory would benefit from that gas project up in the Northern Territory. So, we’re done with the activists with those who like to come in and make fraudulent crap claims and then have to pay back $9 million in order to do so. The Albanese Government was quite happy to support the EDO going forward and even in the face of the fact that they’ve done wrong by traditional owners on the Tiwi Islands, they’re still happy to back in the EDO. But like I said, Labor are about backing fringe groups and people that don’t have the best interests of Australians. The Coalition, we want to get Australia back on track.
PETER DUTTON:
No, no, sorry, Andrew and just to answer your question, that’s exactly why Jacinta Price will be in a Cabinet that I lead.
ENDS
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