SENATOR PENNY WONG: Hi everyone, I am here also with my senate colleague Helen Polley, back here in Launceston where I have been a few times as a Labor frontbencher. This is a very important region not only for Tasmanians, but also for the Labor Party. We understand the economic challenges that are facing North and North-West Tasmania and we understand the importance of a federal Government that is prepared to work with the local community in order to create jobs, in order to ensure weve got good schools and universities which are accessible for all.
Weve already made some very substantial announcements early in this campaign $150 million for the University of Tasmania, which is about local jobs and long term investment in Tasmanians where there are estimates that a thousand Tasmanians who could get into higher education if they had the opportunity. Well a Labor Government wants to give them that opportunity. We want to give them that opportunity because its not only good for them but its good for the local economy.
In addition, weve also said that we will invest in local schools. We will make the difficult decisions necessary to ensure we have proper investment in local schools. We all know, the best way we can help our kids is to make sure they get the best education possible, we know that. And we know that there are too many kids that are left behind in regional schools, in country schools and even in urban areas with disadvantaged schools. Every kid across Tasmania should have the opportunity to have the best education they can. Its good for them, its good for the family and its good for the Tasmanian economy.
I want to also talk about Andrew Nikolic. Mr Nikolic tells Liberal voters hes a conservative, he tells Liberal voters that the Greens are disconnected from Tasmanians, he tells Liberal voters are anti jobs, but hes prepared to be part of a party that did a deal with the Greens. Lets be clear that there is a deal on the cards between the Liberals and the Greens which would see, if successful, more Greens elected to the Parliament. So my question to Andrew Nikolic is this: why are you supporting a deal to get more Greens into the Parliament? Tell your Liberal supporters why youre doing that.
JOURNALIST: [inaudible] are you doing down here in Bass?
WONG: This is a national arrangement which involves the Liberals preferencing the Greens ahead of Labor in key seats in Victoria and involves the Greens stopping their preference and ending their practice of preferencing Labor in other seats. So no less of a person than Michael Kroger who is a well-known Liberal identity has made clear, that this is the arrangement he is pursuing.
JOURNALIST: Hows it any different to how Labor and the Greens work together in the past?
WONG: Well, lets be clear, Labor tries to get Labor people elected. We dont try to get Greens elected, we dont try to get Liberals elected. Were the alternative party of Government, were trying to take seats off the Liberals which is why Ross Hart is here with me working so hard. Were not trying to get more Greens into the Parliament, the only party that is doing that at the moment is the Liberal Party.
JOURNALIST: And the Liberals say that theyve never had any kind of alliance with the Greens. What do you say to that?
WONG: Well youve got an alliance that Michael Kroger has already talked about thats about getting more Greens into the Parliament. Simple as that.
JOURNALIST: Whats your evidence that this is happening in this seat?
WONG: This is a national deal and Id invite you to look at what Michael Kroger has said. But look, the issue isnt this seat, the issue is nationally what the Liberals do with the Greens and I think the Andrew Nikolic you see is I am anti-Green, thats what he says, well hes part of a party thats delivering preferences that could elect more Greens to the Federal Parliament. I think that is relevant to the Liberal voters here in this seat.
JOURNALIST: The Pontville Detention Centre in Tasmania has been sold to a local farmer for well under $15 million it cost to set up with valuable infrastructure still on site. Should the current Government [inaudible] to the taxpayers?
WONG: Look I cant comment on the detail of those commercial arrangements.
JOURNALIST: Well what should the centre have been used for?
WONG: Im not going to comment on the detail of those commercial arrangements. Obviously the Government would be across the detail of that.
JOURNALIST: well would Labor support being used to house Syrian refugees temporarily?
WONG: Im not aware of that proposition, but as I said these are matters that the Government would have been across at the time the decision was made.
JOURNALIST: On Saturday you made an announcement regarding the LGBTI. How would that affect Tasmania?
WONG: Labor has a view about the importance of the human rights commission, we have a view about the importance of a colony and our position has been consistent over decades. We have a number of commissioners under the federal commission who go out and advocate for colony and advocate for partnerships, they try and talk to people about how we can build a more inclusive Australia. Youve seen good examples of that with the Age Discrimination Commissioner who has been looking at how we get more elderly people into the workforce, we have seen the Race Discrimination Commissioner working with institutions like the AFL to reduce the incidences of racism in our society and we envisage that this Commissioner will work in the same way.
JOURNALIST: And so would they help Tasmanians?
WONG: I think this is about making sure a society which is more equal and inclusive. We know that there are some people who suffer discrimination because they are gay or lesbian and we know that homophobia still exists, so we need to all work together to combat this kind of prejudice which is what this Commissioner will do.
JOURNALIST: The NFF have put out a statement today and they seem a little confused about Labors position on the backpacker tax. Can you just restate what that is?
WONG: Well I havent seen the NFF statement, but I would say this on the backpacker tax: everyone should remember that this was a tax introduced by the Liberal National Party in their 2015 Budget. And I dont know and nor do the farmers know, I suspect, what Barnaby Joyce has been doing for the last year because everyone was told this would be resolved, and then in the 2016 Budget its appeared without any change. Richard Colbeck then said oh no were reviewing it, well the document, the pre-election economic and fiscal outlook which was released last week still maintains the full backpacker tax as the Governments policy. So its quite clear that the Government hasnt shifted from its position despite what Richard Colbeck and Barnaby Joyce have said.
When it first came out we said we were prepared to support it on the basis the Government had done its homework, well I dont think the Government has done its homework, so were certainly looking at that issue very carefully. Its already been raised with me here in Launceston and the affect it is having on the agricultural sector [inaudible].
JOURNALIST: Barnaby Joyce has written to Labor about the dairy prices and what can be done to the dairy industry. Do you know what Labors response to that would be?
WONG: Firstly, hes taken a while to get off the mark on that. This has been an issue for some time and some very concerning announcements made by the major companies including the retrospectivity of the drop in milk prices. A lot of farmers are obviously very deeply concerned of being financially affected. This has been on the cards for some time. Were willing to work with the Government and I think Joel Fitzgibbon has responded publically that we are willing to work with the Government but there is very little that has been proposed by Barnaby. On this issue we are up for a sensible bi-partisan approach to make sure that the dairy farmers get through this crisis.
JOURNALIST: What kind of assistance would you guys offer?
WONG: I would like us to work through this with the Government and Im sure Joel Fitzgibbon will have more to say about that. But its quite clear weve got an immediate problem that is affecting the viability of the dairy industry. The retrospectivity has been raised with all of us, I am sure its been raised with you in the media and it certainly has been raised with politicians. It has an immediate effect on our farmers and there are a range of things that can be looked at. Were up for a sensible approach but Barnaby has to put his cards on the table.