: Welcome to Grayndler, everyone, and can I thank Keith very much for showing us around his home here in Ashfield. Can I also welcome Jess from the Inner West Council, Penny, representing the NSW Government, and of course, Minister Chris Bowen. We're always looking for ways to help Australians with cost of living and this project here has resulted in just that. In 2021, four years ago, Keith, because he's a good citizen, obviously a good neighbour to have here, made sure that we had solar panels installed in the roof here that have helped the nine residences that are in this building. One of the issues that we've had is that although we have the largest per capita number of solar panels on roofs in the world, only 3.5 per cent of apartments have solar panels - that are connected up to solar. And that of course, is a way in which they can reduce their power bills. Today we're announcing, in partnership with the NSW Government, something that's fully funded by the Commonwealth but will be rolled out with the NSW Government. It is a $25 million program, the Solar for Residents Initiative. This will provide co-funding to owners corporations and strata managers to install shared rooftop solar systems such as the one that's operating here right now. There are estimates that this could save residents up to $600 a year on their power bills. So, good for residents' cost of living, good for reducing our emissions, good for the environment. A win, win situation rolled out by the Commonwealth and the state. It's just one of the many measures that we're doing, including in partnership with the Minns Government here, to encourage the use of solar panels and to help slash people's power bills. It's one of the things that we need to do going forward. This is a fantastic program. It adds to the suite of measures that we have introduced as a government since 2022. A suite of measures, of which the biggest highlight, at the big picture, is we have approved enough renewable energy projects to power 8 million homes in Australia. A stark difference to what we inherited, which was a government that was going backwards that saw more energy leave the grid than came onto it. A government in denial and delay about action on climate change. And we've seen just this week, a former colleague of Penny's and now someone seeking to be a colleague of of ours down there in Gilmore, Andrew Constance, belling the cat that the Coalition do not have a plan to continue to support the Paris Climate Accord. Now he's backed off that and flipped and back flipped about four times on various positions that he's held over the years. The truth is that Australians know that the Coalition aren't fair dinkum. They know that they are a political movement that have a plan for nuclear energy sometime in the 2040s that will cost $600 billion, that somehow will overcome the state and territory as well as the Commonwealth legislation barring nuclear energy. Even though people like David Crisafulli in Queensland, Lia Finocchiaro in the Northern Territory, and indeed there is no Leader or Opposition Leader anywhere in the country that is backing Peter Dutton's nuclear plan. What Australians know though, is that $600 billion has to come from somewhere and that will just add to the cuts that Peter Dutton is planning. Meanwhile, no plan whatsoever for energy security. You can't just keep these old coal-fired power stations going until the 2040s and that means an energy shortage. So, Peter Dutton's so-called plan is not one that's good for energy, it's not one that's good for households, it's not one that's good for the environment. Meanwhile, we're getting on with it. A plan of 43% reduction in emissions by 2030 and most importantly, a pathway to get there through the Safeguard Mechanism, through the Capacity Investment Scheme, through the Solar Sunshot program, through the programs that we have in place that have the support of the business community because they provide them with with that certainty. Now, the same logic that applies to the macroeconomy is the logic that Keith here has operated on here in Ashfield as a mini-economy - if you view this block of flats as. It makes economic sense while helping the environment. So, I pay tribute to Keith and those people who've got on with things over the years. Australians have acted because they know that it makes sense for them as well as making sense for the environment. What we're doing today is rolling this out. It's open as of today - it'll close on the 1st of December this year, or when funding is exhausted. So, this is an opportunity to get ahead of the curve and it's an exciting project and I thank Chris for his leadership, but thank Penny Sharpe as well for her leadership as the NSW Minister. Chris, and then Penny.
CHRIS BOWEN, MINISTER FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY: Thanks, PM. Well, what's good for the planet is good for your pocket. And Keith knows that, His fellow apartment dwellers here in Ashfield know it. It's true for countries, it's true for households. And we know, as the Prime Minister said, that Australia leads the world in rooftop solar - a third of Australian households have made the switch to solar, the highest rate in the world. Four million Australian households. But we know for apartments it's harder and so only 3 per cent of apartments have made that switch. So, the Albanese and the Minns governments want to help people like Keith make that transition quicker and easier in the future. From today onwards, the program is open for business for applications for apartments where the Albanese Government will pay half the cost of installing those programs that are successful, successfully apply through the NSW Government to be supported, so they can reduce their bills and their emissions. Keith's spoken to us about the energy bill savings that he and his neighbours have achieved over the last little while. Very big savings. And I know also that they care about the emissions reduction as well. Now, we now have 46 per cent of our electricity across the country being produced by renewables. It was 33 when we came to office, thereabouts, now 46. That's good progress over the last three years - we're more than halfway to 82 per cent. But all this is on the ballot paper in the not too distant future when the Prime Minister decides - all this is up for decision because the Coalition, by their own admission, the part that they admit to is that they want to cap. You call this the Marrickville pause, don't you? The Ashfield pause?
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By their own admission, their own policy documents, their own modelling shows that they will cap renewables at 54%. That is putting up the stop sign for cheaper, more reliable energy. Angus Taylor yesterday on Brisbane radio admitted that they wanted to keep coal-fired power running longer and harder. As Penny knows as a fellow Energy Minister, that is the biggest threat to reliability in our energy system. Coal-fired power stations breaking down more and more. Not a day in the last 18 months have we not had a coal-fired power station break down unexpectedly at some point. And that is the biggest threat to reliability, the biggest threat to causing more blackouts. So, the Opposition wants nuclear, we want more renewables. That's the choice. While I'm here in the Prime Minister's electorate and with Jess, let me just give a shout out to the Leichhardt Aquatic Centre where the Albanese Government just in the last week awarded a million dollars to Inner West Council to decarbonise the pool, to replace the gas hot water heaters for the indoor pool with electric heat pumps. This also solved - reduced hundreds of thousands of dollars of electricity bill for the ratepayers of the Inner West and reduce emissions by hundreds of thousands of kilograms of carbon as well. Yesterday, at the Moss Vale War Memorial Swimming Pool with Carol Berry, the Labor candidate for Whitlam, I opened Round Two. Round One now been awarded to councils across Australia. And now Round Two open for councils who want to take advantage of that emissions reduction and bill reduction as well. So, it's a good day for apartments. It's hard work. Again, like the Prime Minister, I want to congratulate Keith for navigating the decarbonisation of this apartment block. I know - I speak to apartment dwellers every day, including two days ago in Brisbane. Apartment dwellers who want to do this but need more support. So, I'm glad that here in NSW we've been able to do this. So, thanks Penny for your assistance in rolling this out and we encourage all interested stratas to apply from today.
PENNY SHARPE, NEW SOUTH WALES MINISTER FOR CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND HERITAGE: Thanks. Today is a really great day that talks about partnership and what can be done. This really unlocks solar for apartment dwellers across Australia, but particularly here in NSW, as Keith has done. This is about lower bills, this is about lower emissions. But importantly, what Keith has done in this building, as, to his own words, a reasonably ordinary building can show how much money people can save and how easy it is to do. This program means that strata owners and people who live in strata will actually be able to get the support they need to put in place solar so that - you know, we've had 30 or 40, between 30 and 40 per cent of individual houses have solar in Australia. We love solar in Australia. We want to make sure that those that live in apartments can absolutely reap all of the benefits. And that's what this program does.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks Penny. Happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, there's new details in the Australian Financial Review today about the extent of Jim Chalmers' pressure on successive RBA Governors on interest rate setting. Was it appropriate in June 2024 for the Treasurer to phone up Michelle Bullock and express displeasure that the RBA had linked inflation to government spending?
PRIME MINISTER: Jim Chalmers has a terrific relationship with the RBA Governor.
JOURNALIST: So it's always appropriate -
JOURNALIST: What do you make of Donald Trump seemingly forgetting AUKUS? What do you make of those -
PRIME MINISTER: There's a lot of acronyms in this business and, you know, we all get thrown at them from time to time. Look, Donald Trump went on to - I've seen President Trump's comments together with Keir Starmer - he went on to speak about the really important and positive relationship with Australia. That's consistent with the discussions that I've had with President Trump. That included, of course, talking about AUKUS, which we spoke about during both of our discussions.
JOURNALIST: Do you have any concerns, Prime Minister, about a western Sydney school support officer returning to his - or Minister Sharpe - yeah do you think it's appropriate that this western Sydney school support officer has returned to work following his comments about the Bankstown video?
SHARPE: Look, we're obviously concerned about this and the Government has been working very closely with the Jewish community to stamp out antisemitism wherever we see it. I know that the Minister has talked about her displeasure in relation to these matters and is working with the Education Department to deal with the issue.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, are you truly satisfied that the ADF's response to the Chinese naval task force has been as timely and effective as it could have been, and is there no room for improvement?
PRIME MINISTER: I support our ADF, first point. Second point is I support our ADF. Third point, I support our ADF and the work that they do. I can inform you that - I've been advised by the ADF - that the Chinese vessels are currently, as of a very short while ago, 593 kilometres southwest of Adelaide. They are just outside or near the border of our exclusive economic zone. They are being shadowed by the Anzac frigate HMAS Stuart. These Chinese vessels have been monitored and shadowed by either Australia or New Zealand the entire time they've been off the coast.
JOURNALIST: The Foreign Minister has accused the Coalition, sorry, just on the warships again, the Foreign Minister has accused the Coalition of trying to inject the China bilateral relationship into the election campaign as a major issue. Do you agree with that and are you concerned that the actions of the Chinese Navy undermine your argument that Labor has successfully stabilised ties?
PRIME MINISTER: Let's be very clear. I have said, about the relationship with China - we will cooperate where we can, we'll disagree where we must and we'll engage in our economic interest. Here, we have disagreed with China re: the notice that was given. We believe it was appropriate to have being given more notice and we made that clear last Friday, including, of course, making it clear after these events, face to face with our Foreign Minister to the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the G20 meeting, where they had a meeting on the sidelines in South Africa. So, we acknowledge as well that it is within international law. You can't selectively support international law. The Chinese actions are within that. But we have made it very clear that we expect more notice to have been given and we have protested and made our position clear that more notice should have been given.
JOURNALIST: Can we put a couple of points to you? The Secretary of Defence, Greg Moriarty, told Senate Estimates that the Chinese warships are signalling, quote, 'They are practising rehearsing and they are collecting'. And then former Home Affairs Secretary, Mike Pezzullo, says they are rehearsing for land strike missions against Australian infrastructure and bases. These two very concerning quotes, can I get your response to that?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I stand by the Australian Defence Force personnel, including our Defence Secretary, make comments on behalf of Australia.
JOURNALIST: Peter Dutton is accusing you of misleading the Australian public over the Chinese live fire drills off the coast. Is that something you'd like to clear up?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Peter Dutton, you know, Peter Dutton led - was part of - an operation that had no communication. There wouldn't have been a face-to-face meeting between a Foreign Minister and the Chinese Foreign Minister in the previous term because there wasn't even a phone call. There was nothing, no communication, no engagement whatsoever. Peter Dutton will always be out there talking Australia's national interest down. That's just what he does.
JOURNALIST: Why did Defence initially refuse to provide the Chinese warship coordinates to airlines? And did that decision to only provide them after the live fire drills had started, endanger the flying public?
PRIME MINISTER: No, look, Defence have answered those questions in Senate Estimates.
JOURNALIST: Would you like to rule out that you didn't mislead the Australian public over the Chinese?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we've made it very clear that there were Chinese vessels that were travelling down the Australian coast. We made it clear as well that we were monitoring, between Australia and New Zealand by both sea and by air. We also made it clear that we think that the information wasn't given in a timely or an appropriate way. And we made those protests not just publicly, but direct to China.
JOURNALIST: Are you not concerned about Mike Pezzullo's suggestion though that China -
PRIME MINISTER: Well I haven't seen Mike Pezzullo's suggestion. If you want, if you want to run through, if you want to run through every former bureaucrat and their suggestions, then, you know - what I'm concerned about is the Australian Defence Force are the people that I deal with. Mr Pezzullo is not a bad fellow, I've known him for a long period of time. He's entitled to make comments but what I'm dealing with is the Australian Defence Force
JOURNALIST: So you don't think that he, he was -
PRIME MINISTER: I haven't seen his comments. So, I'm not going to comment on comments from someone who is not an Australian official, who has not been briefed as I have been consistently and has made comments. I'm not going to do that. What you need to do - I make this point. What our international relations require is clear, considered responses. What my government does in dealing with international relations is clear, is considered, is based upon information, not based upon what might happen or might not have happened, but based upon that. That is how you move forward. That is what is in our national interest to do so. And that is what I do.
JOURNALIST: Mr Albanese, are you hopeful of getting Bob Katter's support in a hung Parliament?
PRIME MINISTER: I don't know, Bob Katter's a good fellow. I'm hopeful of getting a majority government. But I'll still engage with Bob, whether in a majority government - as I do now. I visited Mount Isa recently - it was my second visit to Mount Isa. I was hosted by Bob Katter at the Mount Isa Rodeo. I think I was the first Prime Minister to attend as Prime Minister, although Bob Hawke attended at some stage, apparently. I've worked really closely with him on projects like the Einasleigh River Bridge. Bob Katter is someone who I have disagreements with on a range of issues. But I tell you what, we're talking here about renewables. I have visited with Bob Katter, someone who no one would accuse of being touchy-feely or being left-wing. I have visited Big Kennedy, Little Kennedy wind projects, the Kidston Dam. The CopperString Project is a visionary project to connect renewable energy along that grid around Julia Creek, Hughenden, those communities along between Mount Isa and Townsville area to make sure that renewables can go into the grid. Bob Katter understands that renewable energy is good for jobs and unlike the LNP who seem to be opposed to these things.
JOURNALIST: Murray Watt has challenged Michaelia Cash to a campaign debate. Ted O'Brien has also challenged you to a debate. Would you be up for that through the campaign?
MINISTER BOWEN: I am so up for it. I am so up for it. You won't have to ask me twice. But debate negotiations are handled by the National Secretary on behalf of the Labor Party and the National Director on behalf of the Liberal Party. So, they will negotiate who debates whom. But I would certainly be hopeful of a debate with Mr O'Brien at the National Press Club during the campaign because he has a lot of questions to answer about his fantasy nuclear policy.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the Star Entertainment Group has entered a trading halt today telling the stock exchange it anticipates it's going to receive one or more liquidity proposals. Is the NSW Government confident that any deal can be appropriately considered by close of business today?
SHARPE: Look, we've been watching closely what's been happening with the staff. We've put in place some very close work around jobs guarantees for the staff that are there. They haven't breached that yet. It's probably too early for me to be making any bold comments in relation to this, except to say, of course the Government's aware of it and of course we're watching closely what happens there.
JOURNALIST: Given the 9,500 employees and the impact on tourism sectors in two states, I imagine there's serious concern about Star's future?
SHARPE: Star has to maintain itself as a viable casino. That's something that they have to do. We've obviously been working with them over a period of time on a range of issues including the importance of the employment that's there and we'll continue to do so.
PRIME MINISTER: Can I just say, at a time where shares are in the media, can I say this. Get some popcorn shares because Chris Bowen versus Ted O'Brien in a debate is something I'll be sitting down having some popcorn on watching, because this fantasy that Ted O'Brien's on and the Coalition's policy will devastate our energy policy. It essentially is a handbrake on what is actually happening in the real world - and just wait until 2040s and we'll just put climate change on pause until then. It's a disaster for Australia and it will be one of the key issues in the next campaign. Thanks very much.
