Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
Senator Jonathon Duniam
Shadow Minister for the Environment
Shadow Minister for Fisheries and Forestry
Senator for Tasmania
TRANSCRIPT
Press Conference – Perth
TOPICS: North West Shelf gas project, Nature positive, nuclear and gas
8 April 2025
E&OE
Senator Cash
Well, it’s fantastic to have my shadow cabinet colleague and good friend, Senator Jono Duniam, the Shadow Minister for Environment, join me here today in Western Australia, because the choice that Western Australians make on May the third will be integral to preserving the prosperity of our great state, and the choice is clear. There is a choice with Peter Dutton and Jonathan Duniam, who will back our great state and back Western Australians and make policy decisions that will preserve our prosperity. Or the choice is Mr Albanese and Tanya Plibersek. In the last three years, Mr Albanese and Tanya Plibersek have proven themselves to be the most anti-mining and resources and the most anti–Western Australian Labor government that this state has ever seen. Two decisions in particular, in relation to Senator Duniam’s portfolio, speak volumes to how much they would destroy our great state. The first is, of course, Labor’s failure to make a decision on the extension of the North West Shelf project. This is a project that for over 40 years has provided a reliable source of gas to Western Australians. This is a project that during its 40 years has provided tens of billions of dollars in both royalties and taxes to the Western Australian and Australian economies. In other words, we have been able to build our roads, our hospitals, our schools because of projects like the North West Shelf. Mr Albanese and Tanya Plibersek, playing to, of course, the inner-city electorates, the Greens and the Teals in Victoria and New South Wales, have kicked the can down the road on making a decision. And let’s be very clear, if it was going to be a good decision in Western Australia’s best interests, they would have already announced it. We know that the decision will be affected by the Greens and the Teals governing in a minority government with Mr Albanese. Senator Duniam will speak more about this, but he has made it clear that if we’re elected to govern, he will be the environment minister, and he will make a decision on this important project within 30 days. That’s the type of leadership that Western Australia needs. And of course, the disastrous announcement by Mr Albanese that a re-elected Albanese-Greens-Teals Government will legislate their disastrous nature positive anti-mining laws. Industry in Western Australia has been clear: this will have a detrimental impact on our projects, wrapping them in more green and red tape, but more than that, will push up the costs of housing and push up the costs of energy. So, as I said, the decision that Western Australians make on May the third, the decision is in relation to preserving the prosperity of our great state. And the choice is clear: Peter Dutton and Jonathan Duniam, who will make policy decisions that back in Western Australia and back in our prosperity, or Anthony Albanese and Tanya Plibersek, who, over the last three years, by their actions, have shown Western Australians that they are anti-WA and probably the most anti–mining and resources Labor government this great country has ever seen.
Jono Duniam
Thanks, Michaelia. Well, it is absolutely right to say that the Labor Party have shown nothing but disdain for Western Australia. And the fact that, of course, we’ve already, as Michaelia has outlined, seen this Prime Minister bring forward laws that would kill off mining investment in this country. Western Australia and what it does for our nation, its economic prosperity, is huge. I come from the East Coast. We depend on Western Australia and its mining industry to keep our economy ticking over, and that is why we have, from the get-go, opposed Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party’s Green agenda. The North West Shelf is a prime example of exactly how destructive this agenda could be. But the Prime Minister wanted to con Western Australians into believing that he had their back, that he supported the mining industry. He brought his entire cabinet over from Sydney and Melbourne and Canberra to be here, to tell the mining industry: don’t worry. We’ve got your back, and we will do everything we can to keep this industry strong. He flew back over to the East Coast, and his environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, struck up secret deals with the Greens, deals we still don’t know the detail of, and deals that you can be guaranteed, under a Labor-Green minority government, will spell the end of the mining sector in this country and will kill off economic investment in Western Australia. The Australian Greens Political Party have already said that a key price for their support in a minority government situation would be the killing off of the North West Shelf gas project. That will rip billions of dollars of royalty revenue out of the state of WA and, of course, out of the Commonwealth coffers. How do we pay for schools, the hospitals, the roads? You don’t. And this is what the Greens will do to the mining, gas and other sectors that depend on strong leadership and strong policies. Again, despite the promises by the Prime Minister that he wouldn’t bring forward this nature positive, jobs-negative, economy-destroying legislation, it will be back on the cards. They’ve committed, in order to get the support of the Greens in a minority government situation, that they will reintroduce the laws for an Environment Protection Authority. That will kill jobs, it will kill the mining sector, and we will never support such legislation as was introduced in the last Parliament. The only way they can get that up is, of course, with the support of the Greens. So, you can be assured, if you’re going to vote Labor, if you’re going to vote Green, if you’re going to vote Teal, you will kill the mining sector. You will kill the forestry industry. You will kill fisheries. You will kill off farming in some respects as well. And so the only way you can support a growing and thriving economy, the only way you can bring down the cost of living by bringing on more gas, is to support the Liberals, to vote for Liberal candidates in this election, and not allow the Labor-Greens, the Teals, to have their way and shut down our job-creating industries that keep the economy here in Western Australia, and indeed right across the country, afloat. Thank you.
Journalist
Given the stock market has been crashing in the last couple of days, and that’s potentially impacting miners, do you think that the nature positive laws can have an even worse effect?
Senator Cash
Absolutely. I mean, they’re going to have a bad effect in any event. Industry has made it clear these laws will have a devastating impact on Western Australia, the Western Australian economy, and their ability to get off the ground new projects. Industry have done the modelling: housing goes up if these laws are introduced, energy costs go up. But I think what in particular the front page of The West Australian highlights today is, again, the choice is clear in terms of who is better to actually manage our economy through turbulent times. And Peter Dutton and the Coalition team, we have a track record of shepherding Australia and Australians through tough economic times. You only need to look at the record of former Prime Minister John Howard and former Treasurer Peter Costello, and in particular how they set up the Australian economy to get through the global financial crisis. Jonathan and I were both part of the government that navigated us through the COVID-19 pandemic. Contrast that with the last three years of Mr Albanese and Jim Chalmers, they have trashed the Australian economy. Just look at what the economic commentators are saying. We go into what is now happening in a weakened position. You have debt soaring to an excess of $1.2 trillion. If Labor is re-elected, you have four deficits totalling $178.5 billion. So again, the choice for Western Australians, but indeed all Australians, is clear in terms of who is better equipped to handle the current turbulent conditions, but also who has the strong track record of previously shepherding Australia and Australians through turbulent times. And I might ask Jonathan to make some more comments on these laws.
Jono Duniam
Yeah, absolutely. Nature positive has been proven to further the uncertainty that industry faces. Not one mining industry representative, no one from the farming sector. Indeed, as Michaelia says, when it comes to housing in South East Queensland alone, there are 36,000 housing lots held up under federal environmental approvals. What Labor are proposing to do in partnership with the Greens would make that far worse. You’d never be able to open up a new housing estate, which means the housing crisis would be 10 times worse than it is now. This is what we are faced with: a Labor Party in partnership with Greens, chasing votes in Sydney and Melbourne in the hopes that they can save their own seat. And the only people that lose out are Australian households and businesses and the people who work in the mining industry. This is the difference. We know what this country needs to keep its economy ticking over. We know what it takes to open up new housing estates, to be able to build homes during a housing shortage crisis. We know what it takes to bring on more gas, to bring down the cost of energy in places like Western Australia. And that is not a nature positive set of laws, which they think will save the planet. It won’t. But it will destroy our economy. It will kill off jobs, and all of these industries we want to bring to Australia to create these jobs, they’ll go offshore. We’ll be importing everything we need. That’s what nature positive will do. That’s what Anthony Albanese with Adam Bandt will do.
Journalist
This morning, a Greens Senator called for the RBA to bring forward its next interest rate meeting. Do you support that?
Senator Cash
Well, given everything Senator Duniam has just outlined, why would you trust the Australian Greens with our economy? The RBA is an independent board. They will make their own decisions. But I have to say, the Greens and the economy is almost laughable. They are the most reckless spenders this country has ever seen. But more than that, as Jonathan has said, they have made it clear that part of their demands in a Labor-Greens government will be at the expense of the North West Shelf, will be at the expense of the secure supply of gas that it provides to our great state, will be at the expense of the billions in royalties and taxes, at the expense of new roads, new hospitals and new schools. So, when the Greens mention the economy, quite frankly, all Australians should laugh.
Journalist
Is the Coalition still committing to build a nuclear reactor out in Collie and if so, how much will it cost?
Senator Cash
Well, again, this is all part of our plan for cheaper, cleaner, consistent energy. In the first instance, you will see that in terms of the East Coast, getting more gas into the supply chain is what we propose for the short term. In the long term, we’ve been very clear. Our energy plan is renewables, gas and nuclear, it is a balanced mix to ensure the cheaper, consistent, cleaner energy. And in terms of the costings, we’ve been very upfront with the Australian people. Frontier Economics modelled Labor’s plan, and they modelled our plan, and our plan comes in at around $263 billion cheaper. That is a fact. And Labor to date have been unable to deny that.
Journalist
Just for the East Coast though, wasn’t it?
Senator Cash
Because Western Australia is on a separate grid. But ultimately, it comes in cheaper. But this is part of our plan for cheaper, cleaner, consistent energy. But if you want to talk energy, the Albanese Government and the Greens, the Greens using the North West Shelf as a bargaining chip, that is going to have the greatest impact on energy in Western Australia. And that is why, as Jonathan said, and Peter Dutton has said, our government will make a decision on this project within 30 days. I mean, let’s face it, Roger Cook and his government spent six years working through the approval processes, crossing their T’s, dotting their I’s, and they have given the project the go-ahead.
Journalist
Senator, can I just ask your views on women in combat roles in the military?
Senator Cash
Absolutely, we support women in combat roles. But more than that, we support our military. They do a fantastic job on the ground, and our position could not be clearer. Thanks, guys.
ENDS
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