Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry
Greg Campbell:
Good afternoon and welcome to Cloncurry. I’d like introduce and welcome the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to Cloncurry, as well as Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for everything Local government and Regional Australia, Kristy McBain. And to all of you. This is a fairly huge, significant event that’s been impacting the Cloncurry Shire and the Greater North West region at the moment. A weather event that has dropped over a year’s worth of rainfall in 2 or 3 days, and in places [INDISTINCT]. Some of them got 500 to 800 millimetres of rain from Christmas Day onwards.
This is one example of how severe rainfall damage has been, and we’re still seeing the damage on cattle stations and farms as the floodwaters recede north of Cloncurry, north of Julia Creek, and then all that water drains into our northern neighbours of Carpentaria, Doomadgee and Burke Shires. Our communities are still isolated by road from the east and to the south east, so, from Townsville and Brisbane. And those northern communities will probably remain isolated for weeks to come, if not a month or more.
Some of that is wet season in North West Queensland, but the amount of rain that we’ve had has actually made this an event that’s nationally significant. [INDISTINCT] from the Prime Minister and his team. What we’ve seen over the last few days is the State and the federal government working really quickly to activate flood damage efforts and support efforts, more broadly known as the Disaster Relief Funding Arrangements, have been amazing.
There can normally be a little bit of time between the 2. It was all agreed and signed a number of days ago, which gives our councils great confidence in being able to get on with the job of looking after our communities and getting our assets put back as quickly as possible. The impact here at the airport has major ramifications to our local community and to industry, predominantly mining, in the North West.
So we’re looking to get this reinstated, at least to let the Royal Flying Doctor Service and smaller aircraft access it again as quickly as possible, but then to have a really rigorous plan put together to be able to allow those more commercial aircraft in as quickly as possible as well. But again, thank you to the Prime Minister and your team.
Anthony Albanese:
Good to be here with the Treasurer and the Regional Development Minister, but we wish we weren’t here under these circumstances. I do want to pay tribute, not just to Greg and his council team that we were able to meet with here in Curry just earlier, but also the emergency service workers, the police, the people who have made a difference during what has been a very difficult period, particularly for people coming over the Christmas break, has meant real pressure on local communities.
But what we always see at the worst of times, we see the best of the Australian character. And we’ve seen that with this local community again here. We also are here to very much give the local community a clear message that we have your back, that the 3 levels of government are working together with the local community to make sure that they can get back on their feet, to make sure that they can continue to operate.
This airport will need a big fix, as well as roads, as well as local industry as well. The North West has a great future. If you look at the resources that are available here, the expansion of mining in this region. We are very confident about the North West, which is why at the end of last year we combined with the Queensland government to give further support for the copper industry there in Mount Isa. But this area of Curry is absolutely central to employment, to the national economy, as well as of course, to the local economy here.
We are working closely with the Queensland government. We instituted very quickly support to be put in place, that emergency support, $2 million for emergency fodder, freight subsidies for primary producers, low–interest disaster assistance loans, and also support for local councils.
And today, together with the Queensland government, we have a $38 million package that includes $11.5 million for the airport here, an additional $5 million for emergency fodder drops to occur, and grants to help primary producers with recovery so they can return to business as quickly as possible. We want to make sure that we work with this community. When the going gets tough, Australians work together and we have the backs of this local community. I pay tribute to all those here who are doing it really tough at the moment.
And the Minister has been engaged together with NEMA. I thank Brendan Moon for being on the ground with us here as well. I’ve spoken with the Queensland Premier. We will, as always, make sure that we work – there’s no politics in any of this. This is just about different levels of government working together in the national interest, and that is what we’re seeing here.
I’ll hand to Kristy McBain and then to Jim Chalmers, and then we’ll take some questions.
Kristy McBain:
Thank you, Prime Minister. It’s a real pleasure to be here with Greg in Curry today, as well as the Prime Minister and the Treasurer. Incredibly important announcements that the Prime Minister has just made, which includes obviously additional fodder emergency drops, $5 million on top of the original $2 million, now available in 6 local government areas across Queensland.
We’ve obviously instituted Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements for 13 local government areas across Queensland that are impacted by these monsoon rains and floods. And we will assist primary producers with that $75,000 grants available to them, an initial $10,000 upfront payment, and then we’ll work with primary producers through the Queensland Department of Primary Industries to make sure that we can get the rest of those grant dollars out to them on production of receipts for various things.
This is a huge impact right across North Queensland and North West Queensland. We know DPI have already done a range of surveys and 83 per cent of primary producers have indicated that they will have catastrophic or major losses. At the moment, we’re anticipating around 16,000 head of cattle that are either deceased or lost. We’ve got impacts to private roads, over 1,400 kilometres of private roads, and we know that we’ve got a range of impacts on fences for primary producers. So, these are major impacts right across Queensland.
And I think what the Prime Minister said there, which is really important, is that the Albanese government knows that this is going to be a long‑haul recovery. We know that there is still rain falling across parts of Queensland, and we know it’s really important to continue to listen to local communities on what they may need in the short term, but also in the long term as recovery progresses.
So, I want to reiterate that the Albanese government is here for that support and we’ll work really closely with the Queensland government and local councils on what recovery looks like going forward. I will move on today from here to Julia Creek and also to Richmond to speak with primary producers and local councils there. But I just wanted to give a brief shoutout to our emergency services who have done a fantastic job across this region.
As the Prime Minister said, the SES, Fire and Rescue, but I also want to give a shout out to local council, who sometimes go under the radar. Local council are the ones on the ground who are doing roadblocks and putting those markers in place. They are the ones that are making sure that water pumps are still going, they’re checking the airports, they’re working with local communities to make sure that communities are kept safe.
So, to local council workers, to the mayor and the elected officials here, thank you so much for the work you’re doing and keeping the community safe and for advocating for what you’re going to need in the short and long term as we move forward in this recovery.
Jim Chalmers:
Well, thanks very much, Mayor Campbell, and for welcoming the PM and Kristy and I back here again. I was here with you at this airport a little over a year ago with Assistant Minister Chisholm. We know how important this airport is to the North West of Queensland, to this really important community. And so it’s really a central part of the tens of millions of dollars that we’re announcing today is to make sure that we can fix up this tarmac so we can get planes landing here as soon as possible.
But I wanted to acknowledge you and your leadership and the work that you do here along with your colleagues, as Kristy said, I acknowledge Brendan and his team, and I also wanted to shout out as Kristy and the PM both did the absolutely unbelievable work of the police, the firies, the SES, the other volunteers. And I also wanted to shoutout all of those employers who understand that in this part of the world, at often very short notice, they need to let their staff go and work and be volunteers and be part of the SES and all the rest of it.
A lot of people who have other jobs today and to do in the daytime have been going without sleep to make sure that they can help manage this response. And so I wanted to shout out all of the workers who were part of that effort as well. We know it’s been a really difficult Christmas and New Year’s for people in the North West. We know that it’s been especially devastating for farming families.
Tens of thousands of head of livestock lost, thousands of kilometres of fencing and private road lost as well. And so we know it’s been tough for all of the hundreds of thousands of people who live across these 13 shires, but I think especially tough for farming families right now as they count the cost of another natural disaster so soon after the flooding that we saw in 2019, a lot of people still getting back on their feet, restocking after the devastation of 2019. And so our hearts go out to everyone in this local community.
Now, as a Queenslander and as Treasurer, I know how important the North West of Queensland is to Australia. I know how important the people and communities and industries, whether it be farming or mining or other industries of the North West, we know how important that is to our country and also to our national economy. Now, this might be the North West of Queensland, but it’s absolutely central to our national economy. And the economic costs here will be substantial, but our primary focus is on the human toll that a natural disaster like this takes on local families and local communities.
And so, that’s what guides us. So, we come here today with tens of millions of dollars in funding, but we also come here with a very simple message. We are here with you, but we’re also here for you. We are here with you today, but we will be here for you in the coming days and weeks and months as these local communities recover from yet another natural disaster, in this case, this catastrophic flooding.
And so the announcements that we are making today, the announcements the PM has made today, is about tens of millions of dollars in new funding for local communities. It’s about making sure we get this airport up and running as soon as we can. It’s about supporting primary producers, and it’s about making sure that at every step of the way, we are there for you and this community in the way that you provide so much to our country and our national economy more broadly as well.
Journalist:
Are you preparing to change tack on your decision to not hold a Royal Commission into the attack at Bondi?
Albanese:
What we’re prioritising is the immediate needs of the Richardson Review, making sure that we get those security mechanisms and intelligence and actions properly examined so that if there are any weaknesses or any failings in the system, that will occur. That’s been priority one. Priority 2 is recalling Parliament.
Once we have the legislation required, once again, to take strong action against hate speech, to strengthen the laws that we have put in place, and we’re continuing to examine everything else that is required, working with the community. We’ll continue to do that, and I continue to be engaged with leaders in the Jewish community.
I’m talking and meeting on a daily basis with people to make sure that we do everything that is possible to, as I have said, what we need to do is to promote unity at this time, and that is my focus.
Journalist:
So, you’re still open to the idea of a Royal Commission or are you ruling that out?
Albanese:
The New South Wales government have said that they will have a Royal Commission. But we’re talking to New South Wales about how that would operate. And we’re talking with the community. We are engaged with the community as well as with the New South Wales government to make sure that we get done everything that is required, to make sure we build social cohesion back in this country.
That is what people want to see. I want to see an Australia that’s united. I want to see an Australia where someone because of their faith is not targeted. That they’re able to practise their faith with pride. And we shouldn’t have a circumstance whereby people are attacked in the most extreme way, of course, this terrorist event on December 14. But in addition to that as well, the fact that some people have been targeted on their way to school and vilified.
We need to be a country where the Australian covenant is respected. Which is that if people come to Australia, if there are any prejudices or hatreds there, they’re left in the customs hall. And we’re a country that respect each other, that engages with each other respectfully, and where people can go about their daily lives in safety and without fear.
Journalist:
The Cloncurry Shire Council applied for nearly $15 million in federal funding in 2024 to upgrade this airport and have been waiting 18 months for a response. Now it has suffered catastrophic damage. Why is the government only committing $18.5 million after more damage has been done?
Albanese:
We’re committing immediate funding because it is what we need to do to make sure that this airport is up and running. But my government is one, which, the community centre, which we were just at, was funded and opened when I was the Minister. There was previous funding as well when I was as Aviation Minister in here, the Cloncurry Bypass.
If you look at the commitments of my record as a minister, and then combine that now with what we are doing as a government, with myself as Prime Minister, with this Minister here, the doubling of Roads to Recovery funding, there will of course be more to do. What today is about is providing that immediate support so that this community can get back on its feet as soon as possible as a matter of urgency.
Journalist:
Queensland is now also facing a potential tropical cyclone. The soils are already saturated. How worried is the government about a potential double‑barrel disaster?
Albanese:
We’re very worried, the fact is that we are seeing more frequent natural disasters and more intensity in them. We continue to monitor these issues. We continue to engage and we continue to provide support for communities. And I know that the Mayor might want to comment on this. The Mayor has been doing work on, being commissioned, on what the flood issues potentially are going forward as well, and we continue to engage with local communities to provide that support. I don’t know if Kristy wants to add.
McBain:
Just to add to that. We are a country of great extremes. We expect we’re going to have natural disasters. It’s one of the reasons that in 2022, we came into government with a flagship program called the Disaster Ready Fund, because we need to prepare and make our communities more resilient for natural disasters going into the future.
We’ve just announced round 3, that’s over $600 million that have gone into over 400 projects across the country, which is all about local communities telling us what infrastructure they need to make themselves more resilient for the next disaster and how they need to prepare and be more resilient come the next natural disaster.
We created the National Emergency Management Agency and we’ve got Coordinator‑General Brendan Moon here with us today because we know from a federal perspective, there needs to be a more coordinated approach that comes out of our federal government and works collaboratively with state and territory governments and with local councils. We’ve established the National Emergency Stockpile so that we can supplement jurisdictions, supplies for a whole range of products from sandbags to emergency accommodation and emergency electricity generation.
We’ve increased our funding to the National Aerial Firefighting Fleet because we know how important it is to make sure that as a federal government that we’re involved in fighting fires across the country, but moreso, we’ve taken decisions to make sure that the craft that we are funding are multipurpose so that they can come into communities after flood or after cyclone to do resupply or to help with evacuations as well.
So, we take really seriously the federal government’s responsibilities in emergency management. That’s why there’s been such an uplift in funding from our government in emergency management because it has to be a coordinated approach. And as the Prime Minister said, this isn’t an area or an avenue of politics that you want politicised.
We want to work really collaboratively with every state and territory government, with every local council, because at the end of the day, our aim is to make sure communities are kept safe, that they are better prepared and more resilient than they ever have been before. And I think what you’ve seen since 2022 is a coordinated approach.
And you’ve heard from the Mayor earlier that the turnaround in Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements for this event alone has been in less than 24 hours. We don’t want to play politics in emergency management. We want to get on with the job and help communities where they need it most. And that’s not only in response, it’s in recovery too, and we’ll continue to do that.
Journalist:
You’ve announced disaster recovery grants of up to $75,000 for primary producers. Is that category D funding, the highest?
McBain:
Yeah, that’s right. So, category C funding is an initial amount to primary producers of $25,000. We worked with the Queensland government to do an automatic uplifting category D, so those primary producer grants are $75,000.
Journalist:
The ABC has heard from businesses and towns that aren’t listed on the disaster recovery funding, such as Mount Isa, that haven’t been able to open because their staff are trapped after travelling for Christmas. Is there any support your government will consider for those types of businesses?
McBain:
We’ll continue to work with the Queensland state government. They make those support requests to us and we turn them around through our National Emergency Management Agency. So, if those requests are forthcoming, we’ll obviously consider them in the usual process that we do.
Journalist:
And is that the same for families and individuals who are trapped in communities because they can’t move back to where they’re from either?
McBain:
That’s right. So, we’ll work with the Queensland state government. They make requests for assistance and support to the federal government under our Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, but we stand ready to assist where is required and we’ll continue to work with them. Thank you.
Journalist:
I think you said the second priority after Bondi was recalling Parliament. Have you put a timeline on that yet or are you still drafting the legislation?
Albanese:
We’re working on the legislation and we also want to consult on the legislation as well. And so, some of those consultations will take place over coming days to make sure that we get this legislation right. I’ve seen some comments which suggest that we could have recalled Parliament and done this legislation – which is complex, which has constitutional issues, which needs to be got right – in a matter of days.
That’s not right. We are making sure that we get this legislation right. We’re consulting as you would expect and we’ll have a process where people will be able to examine the legislation in advance of the Parliament sitting. We also want to have an appropriately respectful condolence motion as well for the tragic loss of 15 innocent lives.
People who were targeted because they were Jewish in an act of antisemitism which has horrified and shocked the nation. What we need to do is to make sure that we come together. I met with Sussan Ley, the Leader of the Opposition yesterday, constructively consulting her about processes going forward as well.
Journalist:
There’s a report today that the federal police had a counter‑terror team that was wound back before Bondi happened. Is that right? Is that what happened?
Albanese:
There is record funding for the Australian Federal Police, record funding for them. And indeed one of the things that has been instituted by the Police Commissioner under her watch is increased funding for flying squads as well to deal with these issues in a really urgent way and in a way that has been very effective. I have full confidence.
Those reports are not correct. I have full confidence in the Australian Federal Police and I think it’s appropriate that we back them in the job that they do. And every single request from the Australian Federal Police that’s put forward has received the support of my government.
Can I just conclude, before we finish, by paying tribute to Ron Boswell. Ron Boswell was a great Queenslander. He’s someone who was very passionate about his support for the National Party here in Queensland, but he was also passionate about his support for our national interest. He took principled stances about people who would seek to divide the nation. He was someone who was firmly focused on the national interest.
And for Ron Boswell’s family, for his many friends, and particularly to people in what is now the LNP here in Queensland, my sincere condolences on behalf of the nation for all those who will be grieving this very sad loss. Thanks very much.