The Morrison and Berejiklian Governments will deliver a $1 billion water infrastructure package for rural and regional communities impacted by the devastating drought in NSW.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and Deputy Premier John Barilaro said both Liberal and Nationals governments had been working together to fund critical water infrastructure projects, including new and expanded dam projects.

“Our response to the ongoing drought impacting rural and regional communities is comprehensive and committed. It deals with immediate needs for financial assistance in and longer term investments to build drought resilience for the future,” the Prime Minister said.

“And it’s not set and forget. We are continually adding to our drought response, saying loud and clear that we’re backing Australians who are battling the drought.

“Together we’ll deliver a $650 million upgrade of Wyangala Dam in the state’s Central West and a $480 million new Dungowan Dam near Tamworth.

“Our 50/50 investment with the state government in these priority large-scale water infrastructure projects will free up NSW funding to allow them to progress critical town water projects across NSW. We want to get these projects underway because this is about water supply and security.

“These projects don’t happen overnight but we’re working as quickly as possible to get all the necessary work done so we can start digging.

“We’re also investing an initial $24 million on a 50/50 basis with NSW for the 100,000-megalitre proposed Border Rivers project on the Mole River, near the Queensland border. This will ensure the project is shovel ready and help to identify the potential benefits that could flow on to irrigators and local communities in NSW and potentially Queensland.

“This funding brings our water infrastructure commitments to $1.5 billion across 21 projects that are committed or underway. This is part of more than $7 billion in drought support funding that we are already providing and have committed.”

Ms Berejiklian said the NSW Government has already committed close to $3 billion to drought relief and water security since 2017.

“In partnership with the Commonwealth, we will build the first new dam in NSW for more than 30 years. The last was Split Rock Dam on the Manilla River in 1987. That’s why today’s announcement is historic,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“The NSW Government is working in lockstep with the Commonwealth to make absolutely certain all obstacles are cleared and these dams get built.

“Our regional and rural communities are doing it incredibly tough and that’s why we’re making this massive additional investment in partnership with the Commonwealth Government.

“This builds on the NSW Government’s record $3 billion in drought support and water security announced since 2017, including funding for 60 bores across 23 communities and 14 pipelines, such as that from Wentworth to Broken Hill.

“Dams and other water infrastructure are an important part of the mix when it comes to increasing supply and reliability so that NSW’s water supply is more resilient to the terrible drought being experienced across the eastern states.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the funding would prioritise all necessary business case development and design works.

“We are already making significant investments in water infrastructure capital projects nationwide and today’s announcement signals a major acceleration of that commitment,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

“No one should doubt our commitment to getting these sorts of projects done in partnership with all states and territories – our $1.3 billion National Water Infrastructure Development Fund and $2 billion National Water Infrastructure Loan Facility are in place to deliver the planning, assessment and construction work needed to build the water infrastructure of the 21st century.

“These projects will fit into our strategic plan for improving regional water security through water infrastructure led by the National Water Grid Authority.”

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional New South Wales John Barilaro said the NSW Government has been getting on with building critical water infrastructure projects but this was a significant turning point to future-proof the state.

“Only last week I was pleased to officially switch on the $12.85 million Malpas Dam to Guyra pipeline in the Northern Tablelands region, a project completed on time and under budget by the NSW Government,” the Deputy Premier said.

“This partnership with the Federal Liberal and Nationals Government will mean more projects, in faster time frames.

“Our priority is to get these major projects off the ground as quickly as possible, to combat ‘day zero’ and help regional and rural communities in NSW get through this devastating drought.”

Formalised agreements between the Federal and NSW Governments outlining the timeframes will be finalised shortly.

Scott Cam will inspire the next generation of tradespeople in his new role as Australia’s first National Careers Ambassador, helping young Australians take advantage of surging demand for skilled workers.

Mr Cam will highlight how practical and technical training can lead to high paying and fulfilling jobs, while also working with the National Careers Institute, alongside government, industry, education providers, career advisors, parents and employers to improve career options.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said as our economy changes we need people to have a mix of skills and experience and this includes having more Australians with technical, trade and practical skills.

“For many years going to university has been the default expectation imposed on our young Australians, but it’s not the only path to rewarding and successful employment.”

“It’s time we broadened our view and recognised the many other successful avenues available to young Australians and talked about the opportunities in fast growing industries like health and construction through technical and skills education.

“I want to see more Australians become plumbers, electricians and bakers than lawyers and consultants. I would like to see more of them going on to become their own boss.

“Scott Cam is proof that undertaking a trade can be a very valuable, rewarding and successful career choice, and there are plenty more who can tell a similar story to Scott.

“In my own electorate in southern Sydney, there are numerous stories of Australians who have been able to look after themselves, their families and make a real contribution, often starting their own businesses and creating jobs and livelihoods for others.

“By learning a trade you’ll earn more, your skills will be in demand and you’ll help build our country and keep our economy strong.”

Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator Michaelia Cash, said vocational education and training was key to building our future workforce.

“The Morrison Government is committed to creating more than 1.25 million jobs over the next five years and alongside that goal we are rolling out a $100 billion infrastructure investment.

“To take advantage of this, we will need to make sure people and businesses have access to the right skills at the right time, and understand how their skills relate to current and emerging career pathways,” Minister Cash said.

“As National Careers Ambassador, Scott will help Australians at all ages and stages to make informed decisions about learning, training and work pathways. Working with the National Careers Institute, Scott will make sure individuals and businesses can take advantage of the pathways on offer.”

The Morrison Government is currently undertaking a major modernisation of the vocational education and training sector.

The Government’s first instalment of our modernisation plan, a $585 million skills package, is now rolling out.

This package includes increased incentives for up to 80,000 new apprentices and expanded apprentice wage subsidy trials in rural and regional areas and 10 new Industry Training Hubs in areas of high youth unemployment to better connect schools with local employers, industries and training providers.

The National Careers Institute is holding co-design workshops around the country from 4 October 2019.

For more information on the National Careers Institute and to engage in the careers conversation go to www.nci.employment.gov.au

Cheaper medicine is on the way for more than 500,000 patients from October 1, with price reductions for common scripts and new medicines added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), in some cases saving over $100,000 per patient.

Medicines to treat lung cancer, lymphoblastic and acute leukaemia, and nausea associated with chemotherapy will now be available to patients on the PBS from tomorrow for just $40.30 per script, or $6.50 with a concession card.

A further $390 million in mandated price reductions across 175 medicine brands will also flow through to patients from tomorrow, making medicines more affordable.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Coalition would continue to list medicine on the PBS as quickly as possible.

“Our strong budget management means we can give Australian patients with access to life-saving and life-changing medicines quicker than ever before, without raising taxes,” the Prime Minister said.

“This stands in stark contrast to Labor whose failed budget management drove the budget into deep deficit, forcing them to stop listing lifesaving and life changing medicines.”

“From tomorrow, some of our most unwell Australians, many battling cancer, will receive a significant boost in the fight for their health.”

The new or extending PBS listings from tomorrow include:

• Tecentriq® and Avastin®,will be extended on the PBS to include first line treatment of patients with stage IV metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. Without PBS subsidy it would cost patients more than $11,400 per script (around 16 scripts per course of treatment); or more than $189,100 per course of treatment. An average of 755 patients per year (for six years) could benefit from this listing.
• Besponsa®,will be extended on the PBS to include patients with relapsed or refractory Philadelphia chromosome positive (B-CELL precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia). Without PBS subsidy, patients would pay more than $44,500 per script (around 3 scripts per course of treatment); or more than $122,900 per course of treatment without subsidised access through the PBS. An average of 16 patients per year (for six years) could benefit from this listing.
• Blincyto®,will be extended on the PBS to include patients with relapsed or refractory Philadelphia chromosome positive (B-CELL precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia). Without PBS subsidy, patients would pay more than more than $74,900 per script (around 2 scripts per course of treatment); or more than $122,900 per course of treatment. An average of 16 patients per year (for six years) could benefit from this listing.
• Apotex®, will be made available through the PBS for the treatment of patients with Nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy. Without PBS subsidy, patients would pay more than $80 per script (around 1 script per course of treatment). In 2018, 7,269 patients accessed a comparable treatment for this condition.

Minister for Health Greg Hunt said every six months, prices on a range of PBS medicines are also reduced as a result of the Government’s Price Disclosure Policy.

“With these price reductions, a trip to the pharmacist will be cheaper for thousands of Australians, and more life-saving drugs can be listed on the PBS,” Minister Hunt said.

Fifteen common medicines - sold as 175 medicine brands will be cheaper for general (non-concessional) patients, and these include:

• Pregabalin: around 208,000 patients per year who have seizures or nerve pain will now pay $28.27 per script for 75 mg capsules, a saving of up to $5.11 per script
• Ezetimibe: around 60,000 patients per year with high cholesterol levels will now pay $33.86 per script for 10 mg tablets, a saving of up to $6.44 per script
• Ezetimibe with Simvastatin: about 245,000 patients with high cholesterol levels will now pay $37.77 per script for 10 mg tablets, a saving of up to $2.53 per script.

Every medicine was recommended to the PBS by the independent expert Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. By law the Federal Government cannot list a new medicine without a positive recommendation from the PBAC.

The Government’s commitment to ensuring that Australians can access affordable medicines, when they need them, is rock solid. This includes continuing to cut the cost of medicines for patients through the PBS safety net.

From 1 January 2020 the threshold to receive free or further discounted medicines through the PBS will be lowered by 12 scripts for pensioners and concession card holders and the equivalent of 2 scripts for non-concession card holders.

Since 2013, the Morrison Government has listed over 2,100 new or amended items on the PBS.

This represents an average of around 31 listings per month – or one each day – at an overall cost of around $10.6 billion.

Our plan for a strong economy continues to deliver record funding for essential health services that saves lives.

Farmers and their communities will have access to more support with the Coalition Government announcing it will provide more funding, cut red tape and increase services.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a new support package will deliver nearly $100 million to drought-hit communities, which is on top of more than $7 billion in drought support funding already provided by the Government.

“Supporting drought affected communities remains our Government’s most urgent priority,” the Prime Minister said.

“I know that things are only getting harder for many farmers and rural communities, and that’s why we are taking further action and providing even more support.

“We’ve been in constant contact with farmers and businesses, and we’re using their feedback to keep improving our response.

“As I’ve said before, this isn’t set and forget. We need to keep listening and keep taking action.

“We know we can’t make it rain, but we must keep finding ways to do everything we can to make life just a bit easier and remove some of the burden. That’s why our Government is providing more money to help people with bills, more money for counselling and more money to local councils.

“We’ve got to get more cash into these communities and cut more red tape, making it easier to access support.

“I will do everything in my power to ease the burden on farmers and their communities. That’s our Government’s promise.”

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said the package of measures would provide an immediate economic stimulus at the local level as well as employment for people whose work has been affected by drought.

“We are delivering $33.42 million to resume the Drought Community Support Initiative, which will deliver up to $3000 to eligible farming households experiencing hardship due to drought,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

“And we are providing a $13 million extension to the Drought Community Programme to deliver support at the local government level where it counts.

“Thirteen Local Government Areas will be provided up to $1 million for local infrastructure and drought relief products.”

Minister for Agriculture, Senator Bridget McKenzie, said targeted relief followed careful assessment of the current challenges farmers were facing.

“We know that FHA is a vital hand-up for farmers in times of need—but the Independent Review of Farm Household Allowance told us it could be improved,” Minister McKenzie said.

“Farming families have told me that the FHA program does not currently treat them as business owners and places a real burden on farmers already doing it tough. This was reflected in the review.

“Today we are announcing a radical simplification of the FHA application process and key settings.

“We will remove the requirement for business income reconciliation, change the time limit on payment from four years in total to four out of every ten years, simplify the assets test, recognise agistment as being part of primary production income, and redesign the application process. For the first time, couples will be able to apply for the payment using just one application.

“These changes will make FHA quicker and easier to access, better reflect the nature of farm businesses, and to acknowledge that farmers may experience more than one period of hardship in their lifetime.

“Some of these changes will require amendments to legislation, but through Centrelink we will implement as many of the changes to the application process immediately.”

Minister McKenzie also announced today an injection of $740,000 of contingency funding to five Rural Financial Counselling Service providers who are experiencing pressure from increased demand for their services.

Minister for Drought David Littleproud said the Coalition Government was delivering a comprehensive suite of support measures to farmers in hardship.

“This shows our commitment to stay flexible and respond as needed,” Minister Littleproud said.

“Today’s announcement further strengthens our drought response which includes concessional loans, farm management deposits, tax breaks, and mental health support.

“The government is already providing more than $7 billion in assistance and concessional loans to support those affected by drought.”

“This shows the Coalition Government’s commitment and belief in hard working farming families.”

The Australian Government will deliver new income assistance to people affected by the bushfires in Queensland and New South Wales.

We have activated the Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA) to ensure assistance is directed to those who need it most.

The devastation we have seen on the ground in South East Queensland today was heartbreaking and we want to be there to help the communities rebuild. There are hundreds of these stories of survival across NSW and Queensland in the face of tough odds, and hope for the future.

Multiple bushfires continue to burn across large parts of southern Queensland and northern NSW.

These fires have had significant impacts on many communities and businesses, both direct and indirect, and are impacting people’s livelihoods and incomes.

Our assistance is designed to help those who have lost their income and need additional support to get back on their feet.

The DRA provides a short-term support payment to assist those whose income has been affected as a direct result of the bushfires.

People eligible for DRA can access income assistance for up to 13 weeks, equivalent to the maximum rate of Newstart Allowance or Youth Allowance.

In Queensland, the DRA has been activated in the local government areas of Noosa, Scenic Rim, Southern Downs and Sunshine Coast.

In New South Wales, the DRA has been activated in the local government areas of Armidale, Bellingen, Clarence Valley, Glen Innes, Inverell, Tenterfield, Uralla and Walcha.

Claims for DRA can be made through the Australian Government Department of Human Services (DHS) from Monday 16 September 2019.

Customers can call DHS on 180 22 66, visit www.humanservices.gov.au or visit a DHS Service Centre.

Equivalent financial assistance will also be available to eligible New Zealand citizens (‘non-protected’ Special Category Visa, subclass 444 holders) affected by the bushfires.

The Australian Government assistance being announced today is over and above the support already being provided for under the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

We stand ready to provide further support if it is requested.

We are monitoring the impacts of the bushfires closely and will ensure bushfire affected communities receive the support they need, including:

• personal hardship and distress assistance for individuals and families;
  • Includes immediate emergency assistance, grants for essential household contents and grants for essential structural repairs to homes.
  • The amounts granted depend on the assessed needs of the affected individuals/households.
• support for affected local councils and state agencies to help with operational response costs and restoring damaged essential public assets;
  • Includes funding for counter disaster operations (e.g. firefighting operations) and to repair damaged assets.
  • The amount available is uncapped.
• concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers and non-profit organisations;
  • Includes loans of up to $130,000 at a fixed concessional interest rate for small businesses and primary producers and up to $25,000 for non-profit organisations.
• freight subsidies for primary producers, and
  • Includes subsidies up to $15,000 per annum.
• grants to eligible non-profit organisations.
  • Includes grants of up to $2,000.

This assistance is administered by the NSW Government.

Anyone in need of assistance should contact the NSW Government Disaster Welfare Assistance Line on 1800 018 444.

Southern Queensland Bushfires

Disaster recovery assistance is being provided under the jointly funded Commonwealth-state DRFA.

DRFA assistance is available in the local government areas of Noosa, Scenic Rim, Southern Downs and Sunshine Coast.

A range of assistance is available, including:

• Personal hardship and distress assistance for individuals and families; and
• Emergency Hardship Assistance Grant – provides assistance as a contribution to support people directly impacted by an eligible disaster to meet their immediate essential needs for food, clothing, medical supplies or temporary accommodation. $180 per individual and up to $900 for families of five or more.
• Essential Services Hardship Assistance – provides assistance for people directly impacted by an eligible disaster to meet their immediate needs where they have experienced the loss of one or more essential services for more than five days. $150 for individuals and up to $750 for families of five or more.
• Essential Household Contents Grant – provides a contribution towards replacing or repairing essential household contents, such as beds, linen and whitegoods that have been lost or damaged by an eligible disaster. $1,765 per individual or $5,300 for couples or families. Assistance is subject to means testing.
• Structural Assistance Grant – provides a contribution towards repairs or replacement of a dwelling damaged by an eligible disaster, to return it to a safe, habitable and secure condition. $10,995 for single adults or $14,685 for couples or families. Assistance is subject to means testing.
• Essential Services Safety and Reconnection Scheme – To assist residents with the inspection and reconnection of essential services that have been damaged by an eligible disaster. The scheme provides financial assistance to individuals and families as a contribution towards safety inspections of and repairs to residential essential services (i.e. electricity, gas, water and sewerage) damaged by an eligible disaster. Up to $5,000 per household. Assistance is subject to means testing.
• Support for affected local councils and state agencies to help with operational response costs (CATEGORY B).
• Counter Disaster Operations – To assist local governments and state agencies to undertake activities that alleviate personal hardship and distress, address the immediate needs of individuals and protect the general public, immediately prior to, during or immediately after an eligible disaster. The amount available is not capped.

In addition, assistance for the restoration of damaged essential public assets has been made available in Scenic Rim (CATEGORY B).

This assistance is administered by the Queensland Government.

Anyone in need of assistance should contact the Queensland Government Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349.

Other Australian Government assistance:

• Firebombing aircraft have been in action against these fires. We are proud that our national aerial firefighting arrangements are ensuring the best possible aerial firefighting equipment is available to protect Australians.
• The Australian Government annually invests around $14.8 million in aerial firefighting.

With the early start to this bushfire season, it is important that all members of the community are well prepared and have a plan.

More information on Australian Government disaster assistance is available at www.disasterassist.gov.au

We have lost an Australian original with the passing of Tim Fischer.

Tim Fischer was a dear friend. Jenny and I are deeply saddened by Tim’s passing. Together, with our entire nation, our thoughts are with Tim’s wife Judy, their sons Harrison and Dominic and his extended family and many friends.

Tim Fischer was a big Australian in every sense of the word. Big in stature, big in his belief, big in his passion, big in his vision for what Australians could achieve and big in his view of Australia’s place in the world. As a result, Tim Fischer will forever cast a big shadow on our nation.

Tim Fischer walked his own path with honesty and humility and that is what Australians loved about him.

Tim Fischer served as Deputy Prime Minister from March 1996 to July 1999 and led the federal parliamentary National Party for more than nine years. A former NSW state MP, he was elected to the southern central NSW federal seat of Farrer in 1984 and re-elected five times before retiring in 2001.

Mr Fischer, who served as Trade Minister in the Howard Government, was esteemed by his Coalition colleagues, respected by his opponents and loved by Australians everywhere as he travelled the country in his trademark Akubra hat.

He was an all in conviction politician. This integrity and resolve were underlined when he stood firm with Prime Minister Howard on tough new gun laws following the Port Arthur massacre in 1996. They are Tim Fischer’s gun laws too.

Gun laws were not popular in regional Australia in 1996 and Tim Fischer took to the highways and byways to persuade and convince regional Australians about the need for change.

I believe this was his finest moment. Australia will always be in his debt.

Before entering parliament, Tim Fischer served as an Australian Army Officer in Vietnam. As a parliamentarian, he always demonstrated a deep loyalty and affection to service personnel and veterans.

Later in life, he was chairman of Tourism Australia where I had the privilege to serve with him. Tim also served as national chair of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. From 2009-12, he served as Australia’s first resident Ambassador to the Holy See. Tim Fischer also wrote several books, including a number of books about trains – one of his great passions.

My Government will be offering Tim's family a state funeral to celebrate his life and extraordinary contribution to Australia.

Farmers and rural and regional communities which have been suffering years of unrelenting drought will now have access to the tools they need to prepare for, manage and sustain their businesses with the passage of the Future Drought Fund legislation through the Senate today.

The Future Drought Fund will grow from $3.9 billion to $5 billion over the next decade, while facilitating a $100 million a year additional investment into drought resilience and preparedness, even in the good years, every year from 1 July 2020.

The Government is backing in our farmers, and we will always stand up and support our drought-affected communities. The Future Drought Fund is about more than just money - it is about giving our farmers the best possible tools to face drought, now and in the future.

Despite Labor’s attempts to stop the Government from establishing the Future Drought Fund, the Government has delivered on its election commitment to guarantee a sustainable source of funding for vital drought resilience projects in rural and regional communities.

A consultative committee will soon begin engaging with farmers and rural and regional communities to ensure the money is well spent when the additional funding becomes available from next year.

The Government will work swiftly to establish the Future Drought Fund Consultative Committee and put in place rigorous governance arrangements for the appropriate selection and prioritisation of projects.

Drought is a fact of life in this country. Our Future Drought Fund will ensure our farmers, who are among the best in the world and regional communities are better equipped to deal with its effects when it happens again.

The Future Drought Fund comes on top of the Government’s $2 billion in additional drought initiatives we have already previously announced.

Today is once again about bringing Australians together.

It would be a great mistake to think from the relative economic shelter of the suburbs of Sydney, Melbourne or South East Queensland, that we are immune from the challenges faced in rural and regional Australia. This is a dangerous and false sense of security.

The fact that the Daily Telegraph, Sydney’s leading daily newspaper, is bringing a Summit together in Dubbo, says that they understand that the future of regional and rural Australia is also about the future of all Australians, regardless of where they live.

Australia’s economic and environmental future has always been and will always be dependent on the success of rural and regional Australia.

Our Government’s plan for Australia’s future is based on and is invested in this important principle.

The bush has a wonderful place in the soul of every Australian, whether we have a direct personal connection or not.

For many in our cities, you only have to go back a few generations in your family history to find someone who picked up from the bush and moved to the city.

While many urban Australians have little direct contact with rural communities, it is important that we work to maintain contact between our cities and the bush and understand that our future is shared.

I want us to grow together and not grow apart.

I want Australians in regional areas to know that their efforts, struggles and values are respected by all Australians.

More recently I have become very concerned about the disconnection between the city and the bush.

The recent spate of highly organised farm invasions is disgraceful. As a Government we are taking strong legislative action as promised.

We have introduced the new laws to criminalise the actions of these cowardly keyboard warriors inciting these crimes next week. I want the Parliament to pass them within the fortnight. These Australians should not have to worry about whether the Parliament is on their side.

But these extreme actions betray a much more concerning trend.

In recent research conducted by the Australian Council for educational research, 40% of Grade 10 students believed farming damaged the environment, up from 17% for Grade 6 students.

Any wonder that we’ve now got activists storming farms.

Meanwhile, 75% of Grade 6 students believed cotton socks came from an animal and 45% believed bananas, bread and cheese didn’t come from farming.

We have to bridge this divide and connect Australians once again with what’s happening in our rural and regional communities and ensure there is an appropriate balance in what our kids are being taught about the environment.

Our farmers are Australia’s best environmentalists. They have to be. Their livelihood depends on it. We need to teach this to our kids in our schools.

This is why we have committed $10 million to reconnect urban kids with our farms and rural Australia, through a programme of supporting farm visits by students and to bring the ifarm initiative that teaches school children about what happens on farms and how things grow. This will begin next year in 2020.

These are practical initiatives that are simply to ensure that in future we can bring our rural, regional and city communities closer together.

Because what happens to rural and regional Australia is vital to all Australians.

It is inescapable that the here and now for so many in rural Australia is drought.

Unrelenting drought.

A drought measured in years, taking its toll and wearing away even the strongest souls and communities.

A drought that in just the past twelve months has seen farm GDP decline by almost seven per cent.

My first act as Prime Minister was to visit Quilpie in western Queensland to see for myself what was happening on the ground.

This was followed up by our National Drought Summit and a coordinated national drought action plan.

That plan was not just about relief. Because that is what you told us. Importantly, it was about longer term recovery and resilience to realise the opportunities ahead.

This has been one of the most impressive features of the response by Australians in rural and regional areas to the drought. You are looking to the future, because you see a future, and so do we.

We are looking up and out - not down.

Our drought response has not made it rain. But our efforts, in addition to those provided by State Governments, like here in NSW, have been practical and substantial – with $7 billion in measures for drought relief and recovery announced and being implanted to date.

When talking about the future of rural and regional Australia we must be careful to not let the devastating drought mask the many achievements that are occurring in agriculture.

Our farmers are amongst the best in the world.

75 per cent of what our farmers produce is exported. Our farmers feed more than 40 million people.

According to ABARE the value of farm production is about $60 billion. That’s up by a half in a decade.

I know we can do better.

Like the National Farmers’ Federation, I believe we can hit $100 billion by 2030. And I am determined to see that we do.

That’s why Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie will draw together a national plan to enable Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to become a $100 billion industry by 2030.

One key aspect of economic resilience in regional areas is the presence of a diversified economy.

That means the encouragement and support of industries such as higher education, mining and tourism. Industries that will even out the cyclical aspects of agriculture.

And I will never allow those in our cities to tell those in our regions and in rural areas what industries they can work in, how they should live or how they should seek to protect their way of life into the future.

What is in the interests of rural and regional Australians is in the national interest.

That is why, leading up to the Deputy Prime Minister making a formal Government policy statement on regional policy, I will be moving to establish a House of Representatives Select Committee to examine the future needs of rural and regional economies.

This will bring together the stories and experience of how regional economies are diversifying, how regional industries are finding their way, how regional communities are boosting their resilience and working together to secure their future.

Let me celebrate once again that so many of our regions are succeeding despite the challenges. This gives me great confidence about the future. It’s my job, and our Government’s job – to back them in.

Originally published in The Daily Telegraph

Major social media companies will take further steps to stop the publication of violent terror content in response to the Morrison Government’s social media taskforce to keep Australians safe online.

The commitments from the Australian Taskforce to Combat Terrorist and Extreme Violent Material Online the Government set up following the Christchurch terrorist attacks will see tighter monitoring and controls on live streaming and a simulation exercise to further test social media companies’ capabilities.

The action comes following the G20 Summit and world leaders’ strong message to technology companies to take action to prevent the exploitation of the internet for terrorism and violent extremism.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his priority was to keep Australians safe.

“Social media companies need to step up and recognise their responsibilities to ensure their platforms are not being weaponised by violent terrorists and extremists,” the Prime Minister said.

“We’re doing everything we can with new laws and tighter controls at home and with our international partners to stop social media platforms being abused.

“Social media companies are on notice. If they don’t deliver on their commitments, we will move to legislate and do so quickly.

“To keep all Australians safe we must prevent the use of online platforms by extremists, like what was filmed and shared in Christchurch.”

The Taskforce was formed following a Summit on March 26 convened by the Prime Minister, with members from Facebook, YouTube, Amazon, Microsoft and Twitter, along with Telstra, Vodafone, TPG and Optus.

The report identifies nine areas of agreement, including prevention; detection and removal; transparency; deterrence; and capacity building.

These areas build on and extend the commitments already made by industry and Government following the attacks, including to;

• Develop and report to Government on technical measures to proactively stop terrorist and extreme violent material from being disseminated on their platforms;
• Identify, fast-track and report to Government on appropriate checks on live-streaming to reduce the risk of users spreading terrorist and extreme violent material online;
• Implement visible and intuitive user reporting mechanisms and introduce accelerated review for live-streamed content flagged as terrorist or extreme violent material;
• Improve transparency of the platforms’ ongoing efforts to combat terrorist and extreme violent material on their platforms through regular public reporting at least twice yearly;
• Ensure that account management practices and policies can be enforced against those who exploit platforms to disseminate terrorist and extreme violent content;
• In consultation with other members, work to strengthen the work of the industry-led Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), including the creation of an online toolbox for smaller online services to access support to effectively prevent, detect and respond to online terrorist and extreme violent and actively make these solutions accessible to smaller online services;
• Run a ‘testing event’ in 2019-20 managed by the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee that simulates a scenario to gauge the capability of the industry and government.

This action also advances the principles and actions stipulated in the Christchurch Call to Action, which was developed by the New Zealand Government and has the support of some 18 countries, including Australia, as well as the major digital platforms.

Australian internet service providers (ISPs) have also committed to continue to work with Government on effective content blocking arrangements on terrorist content

Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher said the members of the Taskforce worked collaboratively over the last three months to deliver this report to Government.

“We are grateful for the spirit of cooperation and goodwill displayed by industry and commend them for reaching a consensus on actions,” Minister Fletcher said.

“This work is only part of the Government’s broader online safety agenda.

“This Government has placed Australia at the forefront of international efforts to keep our citizens safe online.

“In 2015, we established the world’s first Children’s eSafety Commissioner and legislated a take-down regime for cyber-bullying material targeted at Australian children. In 2017, the Government expanded the eSafety Commissioner’s remit to include all Australians, and introduced a civil penalty regime for image-based abuse.

“Since then, the Government has provided additional funding for programs to support online safety for vulnerable Australians, teachers and carers of children under five, and for non-government operators providing online safety and training projects, bringing our investment in eSafety to over $100 million over the next four years.

“We have committed to introducing a new fit-for-purpose Online Safety Act, and will strengthen the penalties for online harassment and abuse,” Minister Fletcher said.

“We will also work with states and territories to develop a nationally consistent approach to combatting criminal cyber-bullying and online harassment.”

I value my engagement with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA.

In the big debates – particularly on the GST, but others as well – the Chamber always comes to the table with well researched views and a case worth hearing.

On election night I said the result was a victory not for the Liberal Party, but for the quiet Australians. Australians who quietly go about their lives, working hard each day, running their businesses, caring for their families, volunteering in their local communities.

There is a champion in every Australian. It is our job to support them to realise that champion within.

The election was a message that Australians wanted their Government to respect their aspirations and back them in as they did everything they could to get ahead and make a better life.

Australians rightly see themselves as being in charge of their own lives and their own destinies.

That is why I have now exhorted my team to respect the outcome of the election by governing humbly, understanding that the election result was not about us, but it was about those quiet Australians and their honest and decent aspirations.

Our job is to ensure that our decisions can simply make the lives of Australians that little bit easier.

Australians also said they were are no longer prepared to accept any claim that Governments can solve all your problems just by giving them more of your money or saddling future generations with a mountain of debt.

Australians live within their means and simply expect Governments to do the same and get the job done. The election also confirmed our view that Australians appreciate that the services they rely on depend fundamentally on ensuring we have a strong economy, not higher taxes.

Without a strong economy, all else is in vain. Jobs, funding for schools and hospitals, combatting youth suicide and the NDIS.

And so today, at the start of this new term, I want to speak to you about getting on with the job of building our economy to secure your future.

The Australian economy has shown remarkable resilience over a long period of time.

We are on track to achieve 28 years of uninterrupted economic growth and Australia’s real GDP has grown faster than any G7 economy over that period.

The median age of Australians is around 38 years. These Australians have not known a recession over their entire adult lives.

At 2.9 per cent, jobs growth has been stronger than any of the G7 countries over the past year. The vast majority of the nearly 1,000 jobs a day created over that time have been full-time positions.

Almost three quarters of Australians aged 15 to 64 have a job – a record high. Female workforce participation is also at a record high. So is the workforce participation of those aged 65 and over.

So the great Australian jobs machine continues to whir away. A great strength. But there’s more to do, which is why our pledge to create 1.25 million new jobs over the next five years is central to our economic plan.

The 2019-20 Budget, only days away, will be in surplus. It’s been a long road back, 12 long years, but we’re almost there. Another great foundational strength for our economy. And our AAA credit rating remains in place, one of only ten nations in the world to achieve this outcome from all key agencies.

That said, we do face some challenges and headwinds.

That’s not news. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and I have been talking about this for some time.

The Treasurer’s reports from his recent trip to the G20 Finance Ministers’ meeting in Japan as well as to London, Berlin and Washington, confirm that international risks have increased over the first half of the year.

Protectionist sentiment and trade conflict, especially between China and the US, is weighing heavily on global confidence and here in Australia as well. The uncertainty regarding Brexit is also not helping, although the impact of this on Australia is quite muted.

The unfolding of all of these events are own goals for the global economy given the broader consensus points that the fundamentals of the global economy are relatively sound.

As a trading nation, this week’s G20 Summit will be an important opportunity for the world’s leading economies to map out the way forward from here.

We are also close to the peak of the global cycle on interest rates ‑ with pressure on European Central Bank and the United States Federal Reserve to lower rates to support their economies.

In the domestic economy, there are challenges too.

We’ve seen the effects of prolonged drought and floods on regional communities – with farm GDP declining by 6.8 per cent over the past year.

A necessary moderation in the housing market has also contributed to softer consumer spending.

Removing Labor’s threat of massive changes to the housing taxation system has erased some of the gloominess from the sector, which combined with interest rate cuts, prudential changes and our forthcoming First Home Loan Deposit Scheme are providing some support to the market.

Credit tightening, post the Banking Royal Commission, has also dimmed economic activity, especially for small business and housing development.

The latest national accounts showed quarterly growth of 0.4 per cent and, while this was a modest increase in growth compared with the previous quarter, it also indicates subdued activity in some parts of the economy – the housing sector, business investment and household consumption.

It’s fair to say that politics has also played a role, with the election weighing on confidence. The bounce back in the business confidence as measured by the NAB Monthly Business Survey following the election, showed the largest monthly increase since the change of government at the 2013 election.

Our job post-election is now very clear – to get Australians off the economic sidelines and on the field again.

The Reserve Bank’s recent cut in the cash rate will put more money in the hands of Australians.

But as Governor Philip Lowe has stated, we must also drive economic growth in the longer term.

The key goal of these policies is job creation. For our Government, it’s always been about jobs.

Our economy has displayed an enormous capacity to absorb record levels of employment growth. The more jobs that are created, the more Australians keep entering the workforce, increasing participation rates also to record levels, forcing economists to now postulate that full employment is now an unemployment rate closer to 4.5% than 5%.

This means that to see larger increases in incomes from wages growth we need to see even more jobs created to reduce unemployment to these levels.

The only way to create more jobs is to increase the levels of investment in our economy. Job creating investments that unlock productivity gains and enable Australians to earn more.

This relies on businesses having the confidence, capability and incentives to back themselves.

Today I want to focus on three elements of our plan to achieve this.

First, how we will get things moving by lowering taxes, sharpening the incentives to work and invest and get infrastructure projects underway.

Secondly, provoking the ‘animal spirits’ in our economy by removing regulatory and bureaucratic barriers to businesses investing and creating more jobs.

And thirdly, boosting the economy’s long-term growth potential by unlocking greater economic dynamism and productivity by lifting our skills capabilities and driving uptake of new digital technologies to promote innovation and competition in our financial system.

Firstly, tax relief.

Australians must keep more of what they earn. In fact at the last election, they demanded it. Next week in parliament we will submit our tax plan to the parliament, just as we presented it to the people.

Labor’s high taxing agenda has now been rejected at two successive elections. Labor’s primary vote at the election last month was their lowest in a hundred years, even lower than when they lost Government in 2013, 1996 and 1975.

Labor’s internal conniptions about supporting the Government’s plan to simply let Australians keep more of what they earn exposes Labor’s deep mistrust of Australians to do what’s best for them with their own money. Labor always think they know best. Australians disagree.

The fact Labor are having to be dragged kicking and screaming, putting up one excuse and ruse after another, shows they simply don’t understand that when you find yourself in a hole, you should stop digging

Our proposed tax relief doesn’t just have a strong political mandate. It has a compelling policy rationale. The first stage of our tax changes will support economic growth by putting money in people’s pockets that they can use to boost consumption. Worth at least two 25 basis point rate cuts.

This will include immediate tax relief to low- and middle-income earners after they lodge their 2018‑19 tax returns.

For middle-income earners, this works out to be over $1,000 dollars for singles, and it’s double that for dual income families.

More than 10 million taxpayers will benefit. Right here in WA, around 1.25 million taxpayers will benefit from our plan.

This first stage is part of our longer-term plan to simplify our tax system and sharpen the incentives to work and invest for the future.

While stage 1 of our tax plan will fast-track and boost tax relief for low and middle income families and support the economy, stages 2 and 3 are more fundamental long term changes to our personal tax system.

We are simplifying the system, more closely aligning the middle tax bracket with corporate tax rates and improving work incentives by tackling the ‘silent thief’ of bracket creep.

As the PEFO statement confirmed prior to the election, the measures are fully incorporated into the medium term projections, which also maintain all spending projections on current profiles.

It still baffles me why Labor can readily sign up to spending schemes that run for decades but cannot do the same to let Australians keep more of their own money.

Under our changes, from 2024-25, 94 per cent of Australians will pay a maximum marginal tax rate of no more than 30 cents in the dollar, compared to only 16 per cent if stages 2 and 3 are not delivered.

Or to put it another way, almost 80 per cent of hard working Australians will keep more of what they earn following stages 2 and 3 of our tax plan.

They will receive greater reward for their efforts, providing an incentive to put in the effort to get a raise or secure a promotion.

Getting these incentives right in the workplace is vital to raising our productivity.

We are also backing small business by reducing their taxes so that they have more money to invest back into their business to support their growth aspirations.

In our April Budget, we increased the instant-asset write-off threshold to $30,000 until 30 June 2020 and expanded access to medium-sized businesses so that around 22,000 additional businesses employing around 1.7 million workers will now be eligible.

This is in addition to fast-tracking the company tax cut for small and medium-sized companies with an annual turnover of less than $50 million.

While lower tax is a centre-piece of our plan for a stronger economy, contrary to most commentary, it is by no means the whole story.

To get things moving, the Deputy PM, Michael McCormack will be ensuring the Government leads by example with a single minded focus on implementing our $100 billion infrastructure investment programme.

This programme increases Commonwealth support for transport infrastructure by about a third by funding nationally significant transport projects across all states and territories, unlocking productivity by decongesting our cities, creating jobs and supporting future population growth to make our cities more liveable.

The immediate focus is for Minister Tudge to work with the St. e congestion busting urban infrastructure projects that can be readily actioned to spur growth, support local jobs and get things moving.

The same will be done by the Deputy PM for regional communities through our building better regions and water infrastructure schemes..

Here in WA we’ve committed more than $13.6 billion since we came to office and we’re getting on with new projects – including further upgrades to the Tonkin Highway, and improvements for the Oats Street, Welshpool Road and Mint Street Level Crossing Removals as part of METRONET.

Since our re-election, I have already met with Premiers in NSW and Victoria to take stock, get a common view on project timetables, priorities and to do lists. While here in WA, I will be meeting with Premier McGowan to do the same.

The last thing we want is project delays leading to more congestion and greater costs.

That’s why infrastructure delivery will be an important item on the COAG agenda for August.

The same process is being followed for our historical investments in defence capability. With more than $200 billion being invested, with generational job creating projects here in WA, as well as South Australia and Queensland.

Ensuring these investments remain on schedule and that we realise the uplift in skills and technological capabilities for our defence industries, will be the strong focus of our new WA Defence Industry Minister, Melissa Price.

To provoke the much needed ‘animal spirits’ in our economy we must also remove regulatory and bureaucratic barriers to businesses investing and creating more jobs.

Congestion is not just on our roads and in our cities.

We also need to bust regulatory congestion, removing obstacles to business investment.

When we came to power in 2013, our Government launched its ‘Cutting Red Tape’ Initiative.

Working across every government department in Canberra, we set ourselves the goal of reducing the burden of regulation on the economy by $1 billion each and every year.

And we succeeded. Between September 2013 and December 2016, this initiative yielded red tape savings of $5.8 billion.

Removing what governments identify as excessive or outdated regulation is one thing. Whether we are really focusing on the barriers that matter to business in getting investments and projects off the ground is another.

Take the WA mining industry for example. In 1966, the late Sir Arvi Parbo took the Kambalda nickel mine near Kalgoorlie from discovery to operation in 18 months.

By contrast, the Roy Hill iron ore mine took around 10 years to complete around 4,000 approvals. Delays to the project meant delays to over 5,000 construction jobs and 2,000 ongoing jobs.

This in a region where iron ore mining has been taking place for decades and is relatively low risk.

There is a clear need to improve approvals timeframes and reduce regulatory costs, but in many cases regulators are making things worse.

Look at the WA Environment Protection Authority and the uncertainty it has created over new emissions requirements for the resources sector. Business will also make valid criticisms of many Commonwealth agencies and departments.

That’s why I’ve asked my colleague Ben Morton – as Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister – to work with me, the Treasurer and other Ministers, to tackle the full suite of barriers to investment in key industries and activities.

This will be a renewed focus on regulatory reform but from a different angle.

Rather than setting targets for departments or government agencies, we’ll be asking the wider question from the perspective of a business looking, say, to open a mine, commercialise a new biomedical innovation, or even start a home-based, family business.

By focusing on regulation from the viewpoint of business, we will identify the regulations and bureaucratic processes that impose the largest costs on key sectors of the economy and the biggest hurdles to letting those investments flow.

What are the barriers, blockages and bottlenecks? How do we get things moving?

I urge the business people in this room and around Australia to engage with this process.

Step one is to get a picture of the regulatory anatomies that apply to key sectoral investments. Step two is to identify the blockages. Step three is to remove them, like cholesterol in the arteries.

While reducing taxes has had a major impact in the United States, it was actually the Trump Administration’s commitment to cutting red tape and transforming the regulatory mind set of the bureaucracy that delivered their first wave of improvement in their economy. You can be assured I have begun this term by making it clear to our public service chiefs that I am expecting a new mindset when it comes to getting investments off the drawing board.

One particular area where it’s essential to get regulation right is to protect investment from the impact of militant unions, that would have been given free reign under a Labor Government if elected six weeks ago.

Events since then with the CFMMEU in full R18 rated technicolour have only underlined the wisdom of the Australian people in rejecting going down that path.

Labor does not run the unions in Australia, the unions - through their money from member’s indentured fees and union super funds, their numbers in their factions and their armies on the ground at elections, run modern Labor.

It is a very far cry from the balanced relationship of the Hawke-Crean-Kelty alliance of the past.

Our Government is committed to enforcing the rule of law on Australian work sites. All Australian businesses have the right to expect that they can go about their work without being subject to bullying and disruption.

When we’re back in Parliament next week, another of our priorities is to introduce laws to give greater powers to deal with registered organisations and officials who regularly break the law, prohibit officials who are not fit and proper persons from holding office, and stop the rorting of worker entitlement funds. All measures Labor resisted during our last parliamentary term.

Like you, our Government believes in cooperative workplaces.

In his new capacity as Minister for Industrial Relations, I am asking Christian Porter to take a fresh look at how the system is operating and where there may be impediments to shared gains for employers and employees.

Any changes in this area must be evidence-based, protect the rights and entitlements of workers and have clear gains for the economy and for working Australians.

We would expect business organisations such as yours to build the evidence for change and help bring the community along with you too.

Just as our economy is growing and changing, our skills system needs to grow and change with it.

Demand for skills is shifting from manufacturing to the services sector and emerging industries like advanced manufacturing, ICT and cyber-security.

Our vocational education system needs an upgrade to ensure it remains world-class, modern and flexible.

That’s what business has told us – you’re not getting enough people walking through your doors with the skills you need.

The Joyce Review we commissioned prior to the election confirms this and will now guide the changes we will seek to make during this term of parliament as a key component of our economic plan.

The Review acknowledges the good work undertaken in the sector so far, but says VET needs to adapt so it can support important and emerging industries and become a first choice for students who want to pursue technical careers.

We believe that learning through a vocational education is just as valuable as a university degree, so we want to transform the way we deliver skills, support employers and fund training

We’re addressing the findings of the Joyce Review by setting up a National Skills Commission and a new National Careers Institute to give people the information they need to decide their future careers and the best pathways to get them into a job.

We’re simplifying and targeting increases in apprenticeship incentives.

And we’re creating up to 80,000 additional apprentices over five years in priority skill shortage areas through a new apprenticeship incentive.

The Review’s recommendations are wide ranging and responsibilities for the sector are shared.

Vocational education sector is one of my key priorities and I intend to make it a primary focus of discussion with states and territories at COAG.

This work will also be led two Western Australians, Michaelia Cash in Cabinet and Steve Irons as Assistant Minister, a trade qualified electrician and small businessman.

Digital disruption, especially in financial services is changing the way people, businesses and governments interact.

Consultancy firm McKinsey argues that “digitisation could contribute between $140 billion and $250 billion to Australia’s GDP by 2025, based on currently available technology alone.”

I have appointed Senator Jane Hume as Assistant Minister to support the Treasurer to drive the changes we are making in this area.

Our upcoming legislation to introduce Open Banking, through a new Consumer Data Right, will give customers more control over their own data and empower them to compare and switch between products and services, and encourage competition between service providers.

The Consumer Data Right will enable customers to get assistance and tailored support by empowering them to own and share their information as they choose, driving further innovation and competition.

While we are starting with banks, we intend to expand this choice to multiple sectors, for things like phone and internet providers or your energy bill. It will lead to better prices and more innovative products and services.

The New Payments Platform (NPP) makes payments faster and simpler for consumers and businesses and will pave the way for further innovation in the payments system. The challenge is now to encourage economy wide uptake.

The potential gains that are available to businesses, particularly small and family businesses, through the NPP and its ability to reduce payment times are immense.

We will also continue with the establishment of a mandatory comprehensive credit reporting system that will increase competition.

With greater information, new entrants and small lenders, including innovative FinTech firms, will be encouraged to compete for small business and retail customers. The mutuals sector, including customer owned banks and cooperatives, will also be able to compete better with our legislation lifting restrictions on their ability to raise capital being passed just before parliament rose.

More broadly, our Government will continue to advocate strongly for a rules-based and open global trading environment that supports digital trade, builds trust and confidence in the online environment, and reduces barriers. Right now we are seeking to conclude a new benchmark agreement on digital trade with Singapore by the end of the year that I discussed with Prime Minister Lee just a few weeks ago.

We also kick-started negotiations on e-commerce rules in the WTO.

At the upcoming G20 Summit, I’ll continue to advocate for initiatives like these which clear the way for us to do business with the world, while ensuring trust in the online environment, including consumer privacy.

There are of course many other components to our plan to build our economy into the future that we don’t have time to delve into this morning.

Expanding our export markets and lifting the share of our two way trade covered by trade agreements to more than 90% by 2022.

Keeping Government spending and taxes under control, keeping the budget in surplus and eliminating net debt within the decade

Keep supporting greater investment in innovation and new technology.

Reducing energy costs through market reforms and in continuing to foster increased investment in both renewable and reliable energy infrastructure.

Supporting our drought and flood impacted agricultural sectors and deliver on the national water grid.

We will return to these on other occasions. For now, we will just keep getting on with the job that millions of Australians have entrusted us with to support them to realise their goals and aspirations.

Can I just start by thanking everyone for joining us here today. It’s great to be here with you, Melissa, so early on after the last election and congratulations to you on your election here in Lindsay. And it’s great to have Stuart Robert, a good mate over many, many years, who has taken on the job in Cabinet of the NDIS, as well as government service delivery more broadly.

And the opportunity today was really - once all these cameras go away - for us to get a lot of listening happening on our part, hearing firsthand about your experiences with the NDIS and where you see some of the good work being done, but also the challenges we’ve got.

The NDIS over the last few years, we’ve gone from 30,000 people involved to 270,000. We’ve got over 80,000 people who are now accessing the services and disability support for the first time ever. This has been quite a steep curve that the organisation has been on. I think it is one of the most important social reforms that our country has seen in at least a generation. It is an enormously big task, and obviously in implementing it, it’s going to have its challenges, and it’s going to have its frustrations. But I think it’s important to keep our eyes focused on the goal, and that is to see the full scheme implementation and full coverage extending to around half a million Australians, and for that to be done in a timely way, in a quality way and an effective way.

Because the NDIS, it’s not compensation, it’s not welfare. It’s not any of these things. It’s a support that enables people to realise their potential, in the same way any other Australian can. And that’s very much how I see it, and so I will try to understand what some of the frustrations and blockages are, particularly for Stuart and Melissa, so we can understand how to remove some of those and make sure it’s everything that we want it to be, and that we have a clear understanding what the expectations of the scheme are.

It isn’t the answer to every single problem, but it certainly is the answer to many, and we want to get a good understanding of how we can take it from where it is now, with 270,000 clients, to around about half a million clients over the next five years. And that’s a very worthy goal, I think it’s very achievable, but it’s got to be done in a way that’s actually hitting the mark. Because people rely on this scheme, as they should, and I think it can really transform people’s lives and lead to a higher quality of participation and involvement and engagement, which is what everyone is looking for.

So I want to thank you very much for coming together today. We’re going to run through a bit of a programme, a discussion, but there will be a lot less talking from me and Stuart and Melissa and a lot more listening and we’re looking forward to that. So thank you all very much.

It’s a great honour and a privilege to attend today’s commemoration here as a guest of the British Prime Minister and of course to join Her Majesty and other world leaders who are here today.

It was very moving and I think a very personal ceremony in telling the personal stories, and to be able to afterwards go and speak to veterans, who were there on the day; 19-year-olds, 21-year-olds, on ships and planes and landing craft. Those memories of that day are still very vivid in their minds.

Australians have re-elected our Government to get back to work and get on with the job of delivering for all Australians as they go about their own lives, pursuing their goals and aspirations for themselves, their families and their communities.

My Government’s new Ministry brings together the experience and stability of service in key portfolios, while bringing in new members that will add their own experience, skills and passion to the job ahead.

My new Ministry will be tasked with delivering our commitments to:

1. Create 1.25 million more jobs over the next five years
2. Maintain budget surpluses and pay down debt
3. Deliver tax relief for families and small businesses
4. Guarantee increased funding for schools, hospitals, medicines and roads
5. Keep Australians safe, including online, and keeping our borders secure

The Ministry maintains record representation of women in the Cabinet, including Australia’s first female Minister for Agriculture, Bridget McKenzie, while Marise Payne adds the role of Minister for Women to her responsibilities as Minister for Foreign Affairs. Australia will have its first Indigenous Cabinet Minister in Ken Wyatt as Minister for Indigenous Australians. Ken will be supported by a new National Indigenous Australians Agency, attached to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

A key focus for all of my Ministers and their Departments will be lifting performance on government service delivery. This will include congestion busting on regulatory and bureaucratic roadblocks, making better use of technology and better integrating service delivery across portfolios. The goal is to make it easier to deal with and access the Government services Australians rely on. Ben Morton be Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Stuart Robert joins the Cabinet as Minister for the National Disability and Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and Minister for Government Services. A new Services Australia agency will be established, along the lines of Services NSW, to drive greater efficiencies and integration of Government service delivery and making best use of technology and digital applications.

Top of the list for improving services will be ensuring we deliver on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, working to our goal of the NDIS supporting 500,000 Australians by 2024/25. The NDIS is a major social reform and there is much work to do to improve the delivery of these services on the ground.

Our economic team will be led by Josh Frydenberg as Treasurer and Mathias Cormann as Minister for Finance; delivering Australia’s first Budget surplus in 12 years and tax relief for hard-working Australians and their families.

They will be supported by Michaelia Cash as Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business in fulfilling our pledge to create 1.25 million more jobs over the next five years and will be supported by Steve Irons as Assistant Minister for Vocational Education, Training and Apprenticeships. Christian Porter will take on the role of Minister for Industrial Relations in addition to his duties as Attorney-General, to create fairer workplaces and enforce the rule of law through the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

The Deputy Prime Minister will continue in his role delivering our $100 billion National Infrastructure Programme, including the National Water Grid, supported by Alan Tudge, who has been promoted to Cabinet, to continue his work of congestion busting in our cities and implementing our plan for Australia’s future population.

The economic team will also be supported by Michael Sukkar as Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing to implement our First Home Loan Deposit Scheme, as well as more affordable housing and Jane Hume taking to the role of Assistant Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and Financial Technology.

Karen Andrews, as Minister for Industry, Science and Technology will work closely with industry stakeholders to create more and better paid jobs in traditional and emerging industries, and to continue championing science, technology, engineering and mathematics as key career paths for women.

As the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt will be focused on delivering our Closing the Gap refresh, in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and the states and territories.

As the National Broadband Network nears full roll out and social media becomes an even more prominent front in the fight to keep Australians safe, Paul Fletcher, as Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts brings extensive experience and insight to the task.

In social policy, Anne Ruston has been elevated to Cabinet as Minister for Family and Social Services and Luke Howarth as Assistant Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community Services.

As Minister for Health, Greg Hunt will lead the charge on mental health, in particular combating youth suicide. In coming months he will lead an implementation forum of the nation’s experts to deliver on the government’s youth and Indigenous mental health initiatives.

I will also appoint a Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians and a Minister for Youth and Sport in Richard Colbeck who will ensure there is a strong voice for the issues facing younger and older Australians, particularly as the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety continues.

Dan Tehan, as Minister for Education, will have a laserlike focus on boosting the outcomes of Australian students, working closely with early childhood educators, states, territories and tertiary education providers.

Australia’s regions have suffered through fire and flood in recent months and David Littleproud as Minister for Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disasters and Emergency Management will serve as an important voice for our regional communities at the Cabinet table. Matt Canavan as Minister for Resources and Northern Australia will continue our government’s work to support our mining and resources industries and help develop Northern Australia.

Our experienced foreign affairs and national security Ministers in Marise Payne as Minister for Foreign Affairs, former Army Reserves Brigadier Linda Reynolds as Minister for Defence, Peter Dutton as Minister for Home Affairs and Simon Birmingham as Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment will help guide our country through the uncertain times and global economic headwinds. They will be supported by Alex Hawke as Minister for International Development and the Pacific and Assistant Minister for Defence helping drive our Pacific ‘step up’ agenda.

Sussan Ley will return to Cabinet as Minister for the Environment with a focus on practical and local environmental outcomes as well as waste reduction and recycling, assisted by Trevor Evans. Angus Taylor will continue as Minister for Energy and his portfolio will take on Emissions Reduction to ensure we have a strong focus on lowering Australians’ power bills and meeting our 2030 emissions targets. Warren Entsch will also serve as Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef.

After consulting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, I intend to recommend to the Governor-General that Arthur Sinodinos be appointed Australia’s next Ambassador to the United States of America and I intend to recommend to the Governor-General that Mitch Fifield be appointed our next Ambassador to the United Nations. They would be exceptional representatives of Australia and our country’s interests abroad. Both Senators have made enormous contributions in their public service and were given the opportunity to continue their service in the Ministry and Cabinet.

My Government has a significant agenda to deliver and we are ready to get back to business. I have high expectations of my Ministry and clear goals for each of their roles.

It is important for the future of our country that we meet those goals and deliver for Australia.

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Australia mourns the passing of its 23rd and third longest-serving Prime Minister, the Honourable Robert James Lee Hawke AC, GCL.

Profoundly Australian, Bob Hawke was a conviction politician who became a political legend.

Bob Hawke was a great Australian who led and served our country with passion, courage, and an intellectual horsepower that made our country stronger.

He was true to his beliefs in the Labor tradition and defined the politics of his generation and beyond.

He was the most electorally-successful Federal Labor leader in history: the winner of four successive elections and the longest-serving Labor Prime Minister.

Before arriving in Parliament, as president of the ACTU, Bob Hawke’s ability to build consensus not only with unionists, but with his opponents, employers and government representatives, cemented his reputation as a man of great skill, courage and tenacity.

We remember him for his unique capacity to speak to all Australians as one – from everyday battlers to business leaders. His larrikinism was a big part of that.

His popularity, coupled with his strong intellect and discipline, achieved many important reforms in the national interest, strongly supported by the Liberal and Nationals Opposition at the time.

On behalf of all Australians, I extend to Mr Hawke’s widow Blanche and to his family, our deepest condolences, and acknowledge the support and contribution of the late Hazel Hawke.

The Milton-Ulladulla Bypass will be the first project funded as part of the Morrison Government’s $500 million commitment to the Princes Highway in New South Wales.

The Bypass will significantly reduce travel time, particularly in holiday periods, by removing the need for vehicles to pass through 20 separate intersections.

It will also dramatically increase road safety after nearly 100 crashes were recorded in the existing highway corridor through Milton and Ulladulla in a five-year period to 2017.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his Government would provide up to $400 million to the bypass project to help get local motorists and freight operators home sooner and safer.

“Our record and our plan is focused on backing upgrades which improve our major highways and local roads,” the Prime Minister said.

“Milton and Ulladulla residents, transport operators and tourists deserve a safe Princes Highway and they shouldn’t be stuck in traffic on clogged local streets.

“This upgrade will create a better and more reliable highway for all users and builds on our commitment further north to invest $155 million in a new bridge across the Shoalhaven River in Nowra.

“In New South Wales we are able to do deliver on these projects because we work in close partnership with the Berejiklian Government who have also been able to invest significantly in infrastructure as a result of their stewardship of the state’s economy.

“Only a Liberal and Nationals Government can be trusted to deliver for the South Coast, because we have a plan for a stronger economy and can manage the budget without forcing new taxes on hardworking families.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the Princes Highway is the main street through Milton and Ulladulla.

“Removing traffic from these growing south coast centres will improve amenity as well as safety for pedestrians and other road users,” said Minister McCormack.

“The Liberals and Nationals want to see people getting home sooner and safer.”

Liberal candidate for Gilmore Warren Mundine said the Morrison Government’s commitment to the bypass would boost the capacity of the region’s tourism industry and ensure product continues to be delivered to market at one of the busiest times of the year.

“It is estimated that vehicles travelling along the highway during the Christmas holiday period can average as little as 14 kilometres per hour,” Mr Mundine said.

“In addition, studies have shown that the local road network in this area has insufficient capacity to cater for traffic growth over the next 10 years.

“The only way we will improve travel times and safety, as well as releasing the handbrake on the local economy, is to construct this bypass.”

The Nationals Candidate for Gilmore Katrina Hodgkinson said during the peak holiday periods, traffic can queue back for kilometres on the approaches to these towns.

“When you look at an electorate like Gilmore, roads and infrastructure are absolutely integral to making sure that the area continues to thrive safely,” said Ms Hodgkinson.

“And improving the Princes Highway has got to be the number one issue.”

The Morrison Government will also invest in other priority projects identified through the Princes Highway Corridor Strategy which it initiated in 2017 ahead of its $1 billion commitment to the Highway from New South Wales through Victoria and into South Australia at the 2019-20 Budget.

In total, the Morrison Government has committed $1.85 billion to the Princes Highway across all three states since coming to government.

The Morrison Government will commit a further $40 million to improving road safety and traffic congestion on the Bass Highway between Cooee and Wynyard.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said people were sick of sitting in traffic and these local, practical measures would help people get home sooner and safer.

“By managing money and running a strong economy, we are able to invest record funding in road projects which improve the lives of so many Tasmanians in the North-West,” Mr Morrison said.

“We want to end the ‘Cooee Crawl’ by adding new overtaking lanes, upgrading key sections of the Bass Highway while ensuring the future safety of the Cam River Bridge.

“This funding will help North-West Tasmanians gets home sooner and safer.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure Minister Michael McCormack said the Coalition Government had previously funded a $500,000 planning study in response to community concerns about increased travel time and crashes during peak times.

“The Bass Highway between Cooee and Wynyard serves as an important freight route carrying heavy vehicles to and from the Circular Head Municipality, the West Coast, the Port of Burnie and beyond,” Mr McCormack said.

“We will provide $40 million to fund improvements identified in the Study which bust the congestion being experienced by commuters and to guarantee the future safety of the Cam River Bridge.

“In partnership with the Hodgman Government we will implement these improvements to fix the ‘Cooee Crawl’ and deliver relief to motorists who have experienced the growth in congestion on the Highway.”

Tasmanian Infrastructure Minister Jeremy Rockliff has welcomed the Morrison Government’s new funding commitment.

“The Study provides a corridor strategy to deliver these much-needed improvements including better traffic signalisation, new overtaking lanes and junction and bridge upgrades to make the Highway safer and to reduce travel times,” Mr Rockliff said.

“Thanks to the Liberals’ strong economic management, we have seen development in our region and the expansion in the dairy, beef and other agricultural industries.

“This has also brought with it more heavy vehicles on the Highway and the Study has recognised the need for changes and upgrades, so this funding is vital to keep traffic moving.

“Our next step will be to fully brief the two key local councils, Burnie City and Waratah-Wynyard on the Report’s findings and to develop a program to work collaboratively with them to implement the corridor improvements.”

The $40 million investment in the Bass Highway is in addition to the $60 million investment that the Morrison Government has made to the stretch of highway between Wynyard and Marrawah.