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Katie Woolf spoke with Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: If you want to know what's happening on the local
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  Speaker 1: political landscape, Katie Wolf has it covered on three sixty.
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  Speaker 1: Every one is listening, Mixed one oh four point nine.
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  Speaker 2: We know that more than three hundred and twenty million
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  Speaker 2: dollars is going to be allocated to upgrade Northern Territory
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  Speaker 2: highways in tomorrow's federal budget. Joining me on the line
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  Speaker 2: to talk more about the funding announcement, it's the Deputy
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  Speaker 2: Prime Minister, Michael McCormack. Good morning, Good morning Katie, Deputy PM.
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  Speaker 2: We know the twenty twenty one to twenty two federal
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  Speaker 2: budgets going to include one hundred and fifty million dollars
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  Speaker 2: for the Northern Territory's national network highway upgrades, with major
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  Speaker 2: territory highways set to be upgraded. It's also going to
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  Speaker 2: include a development study for a proposed Tenant Creek multi
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  Speaker 2: modal facility and rail terminal. Firstly, which highways are we
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  Speaker 2: are set for these upgrades?
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  Speaker 1: Stuart Victoria Berkley, And it's money that is needed, its
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  Speaker 1: money that is expected, demanded and all deserved. And not
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  Speaker 1: only that, he's going to support nine hundred direct and
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  Speaker 1: indirect jobs. And as you know, Katie. It's not just
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  Speaker 1: those people with the stop goes signs. It's not just
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  Speaker 1: the people in the seat with the wheel in front
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  Speaker 1: of them on an excavator or laying bitchmen or whatever.
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  Speaker 1: It's actually also the little cafe just down the road
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  Speaker 1: providing the egg and bacon rolls early of the morning,
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  Speaker 1: the coffee whatever. It's also the accommodation place providing the
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  Speaker 1: motel beds for these people if they come in from
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  Speaker 1: another region. It all flows on throughout the economy. And
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  Speaker 1: indeed our budget is about securing Australia's recovery to the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territories recovery.
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  Speaker 2: Well, that's right and no doubt we need it just
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  Speaker 2: as much as plenty of other locations around Australia. When
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  Speaker 2: is this work going to get underway?
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  Speaker 1: Well, I'd like it to get under way on Wednesday.
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  Speaker 1: The Treasurer is getting to his feet tomorrow night, Tuesday
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  Speaker 1: seven point thirty, and watch out for that. But I'd
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  Speaker 1: really like to see that work starting very soon. And
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  Speaker 1: having spoken and messaged Evilaula, having gone through the process
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  Speaker 1: of looking at what the Gunner government has put forward
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  Speaker 1: to us, and I speak to Leaf and oki Ao
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  Speaker 1: all the time about the Northern territories priority. It's about
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  Speaker 1: the infrastructure that's required, and as you pointed out, it
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  Speaker 1: is one hundred and fifty million dollars for that those
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  Speaker 1: National Network Highway upgrades throughout the end. It's also about
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  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory gas industry, roads upgrade, the Bootloo basement
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  Speaker 1: we announced recently, It's about the Tenant Creek multimodal facility.
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  Speaker 1: And I know how much Steve Edgington will appreciate that
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  Speaker 1: this is actually getting work done. Sam McMahon constantly in
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  Speaker 1: my year about what the Northern Territory needs and we're
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  Speaker 1: certainly delivering.
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  Speaker 2: Gee, where's you sound like? You know everybody in the territory,
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  Speaker 2: their deputy PM.
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  Speaker 1: I come there off and I love the top end.
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  Speaker 1: I love the Northern Territory and why shouldn't the Northern
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  Speaker 1: Territory have as good a road, have, as good as services, have,
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  Speaker 1: as good of infrastructure as anywhere else in the nation.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, this has the potential to be one of
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  Speaker 1: the powerhouse economic jurisdictions of our nation. That's why Keith
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  Speaker 1: Pitt's always there talking about the Beeloo Basin. He was
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  Speaker 1: in the North Coinsland the other day talking about that
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  Speaker 1: very project. That's why Sam McMahon's constantly in my ear.
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  Speaker 1: That's why I talked to Lefki Sam Burke as well. Now,
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  Speaker 1: you know, there are lots of people who get in
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  Speaker 1: my year about the Northern Territory and I love visiting
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  Speaker 1: there and I know absolutely well, I know how much Australia,
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  Speaker 1: of course, has suffered during the coronavirus pandemic. We've done
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  Speaker 1: a hell of a lot better than anywhere else you'd
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  Speaker 1: like to pinpoint on the map, the global map. But
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  Speaker 1: we can recover from this, we can build back better,
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  Speaker 1: we can provide those jobs that potentially have been lost,
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  Speaker 1: and we can pay down some of his debt. Last
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  Speaker 1: time I looked at the two hundred and fifty three
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  Speaker 1: billion of assistance that we've provided as a Commonwealth, and
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  Speaker 1: we need to and we will.
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  Speaker 2: Now I do want to ask you, obviously, you said
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  Speaker 2: that you want this work to get underway well on Wednesday,
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  Speaker 2: so as soon as possible, But when do you anticipate
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  Speaker 2: that all of this work and these road upgrades are
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  Speaker 2: going to be complete.
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  Speaker 1: Well, of course, you know you have to put in
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  Speaker 1: factors like weather, You have to put in factors like
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  Speaker 1: staff availability, the technological know how, throwing a few cultural
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  Speaker 1: and eis obviously things that need to be ticked off
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  Speaker 1: on and that's always important, but we'll get through that.
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  Speaker 1: I'm going to work in good faith within Northern Territory government,
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  Speaker 1: as I've done the whole way through. I have to
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  Speaker 1: say the INTE government was good, just like the other
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  Speaker 1: states and the Act. When we were developing that National
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  Speaker 1: Freight Code, we got that through in ours, not days,
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  Speaker 1: all weeks or months like some of the other things
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  Speaker 1: that did prove an obstacle, But we did it because
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  Speaker 1: of the good relationship that I have with the INTI government.
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  Speaker 1: With other governments, and let me tell you, most of
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  Speaker 1: them aren't my political persuasion, and so they are either
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  Speaker 1: labor or liberal ministers. Of course, the Libs are on
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  Speaker 1: side with the things that I espouse, but certainly I
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  Speaker 1: have a good relationship, a good working relationship with my
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  Speaker 1: labor ministers at a state and territory level, and I
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  Speaker 1: want to continue to do that because you know, at
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  Speaker 1: the end of the day, if you want that bitchman
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  Speaker 1: on the road which passes your place, you want to
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  Speaker 1: get that safety upgrade that's so needed. You don't care
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  Speaker 1: whether it's local, state or territory or federal government. You
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  Speaker 1: just want it done, and you don't care about their
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  Speaker 1: political stripe. You just want the work to be completed.
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  Speaker 2: So really, you're hoping that this work will be complete
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  Speaker 2: as quickly.
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  Speaker 1: As possible, as soon as possible.
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  Speaker 2: Of course, now I do want to ask, can Territorians
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  Speaker 2: expect much more in the federal budget tomorrow? Night's specific
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  Speaker 2: for us? I know you're probably not going to give
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  Speaker 2: us a huge heads up, but is this it? Or
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  Speaker 2: are we expecting more? No?
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  Speaker 1: No, no, no, There are going to be so many things,
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  Speaker 1: and I know the Treasure results already dropped out some
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  Speaker 1: of the things that are going to be in there,
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  Speaker 1: some of the provisions for women for mental health that's important.
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  Speaker 1: And I know, having spoken to already a number of
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  Speaker 1: women who've contacted me in regards to the breast cancer screening,
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  Speaker 1: the cervical cancer tests, the endometriosis spending that we're doing,
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  Speaker 1: that is good health money being spent wisely, and you
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  Speaker 1: know it's going to provide such good health outcomes for women,
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  Speaker 1: but overall health in general, And of course then we've
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  Speaker 1: got age care and look, let's face it, none of
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  Speaker 1: us are getting any younger, and there's a lot of
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  Speaker 1: people who are needing that in the NT those age
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  Speaker 1: care provisions, those additional bids, that additional care and support
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  Speaker 1: and service, and i'd even say love, and we'll be
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  Speaker 1: providing that through the investments that we make in that
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  Speaker 1: particular sector. But right across the board, it is a
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  Speaker 1: good budget. It is a responsible budget, but it's a
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  Speaker 1: necessary spend on the provisions that are going to make
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  Speaker 1: people feel better and get a better lifestyle and protect
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  Speaker 1: their livelihoods because jobs are everything, of course in this budget,
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  Speaker 1: jobs and services.
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  Speaker 2: Can I just ask, I know, one of the other
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  Speaker 2: issues that we've spoken about a lot on this show,
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  Speaker 2: and I believe you and I have potentially spoken about
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  Speaker 2: it previously as well, is the worker shortage being experienced
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  Speaker 2: in a number of industries, particularly well we know in farming,
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  Speaker 2: but also in tourism and hospitality. We know over the
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  Speaker 2: weekend the big announcement allowing foreign students to work unlimited hours.
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  Speaker 2: Will this be the only announcement in this space, or
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  Speaker 2: can we expect some other changes with those with those
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  Speaker 2: workers and with those visas so that a home we
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  Speaker 2: can get people working.
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  Speaker 1: Obviously, the Treasurer has to announce the budget, but right
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  Speaker 1: the way through, we have tweaked the investments that we've made,
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  Speaker 1: the programs we've put in place to ensure that we
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  Speaker 1: do as much as we can, as best we can,
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  Speaker 1: in the right places at the right time. And that's
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  Speaker 1: what we've done. And so I appreciate that we're ninety
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  Speaker 1: thousand a backpacker show where we would normally be at
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  Speaker 1: this point in time, and that is difficult to get
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  Speaker 1: those people to be working not only in the orchards,
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  Speaker 1: but and the meat processing plates, but indeed in hospitality
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  Speaker 1: in all areas of endeavors that they do. But we
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  Speaker 1: will certainly continuing to review the situation, continue to work
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  Speaker 1: with organizations such as the Regional Australia Institute, which identify
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  Speaker 1: sixty six thousand jobs going in regional Australia right now.
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  Speaker 1: And I'd almost put the entire Northern Territory in that
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  Speaker 1: Regional Australia provision because Darwin Walsted is a capital city.
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  Speaker 1: To me, it is a very much a regional city
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  Speaker 1: so close to the north, such an economic potential powerhouse,
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  Speaker 1: and we want it to be its best self. So
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  Speaker 1: that's why all of these provisions. All of these tweaks
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  Speaker 1: that we've made always have in mind the end.
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  Speaker 2: Too well, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, We always appreciate
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  Speaker 2: your time. Thank you very much for coming on the
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  Speaker 2: show this morning, and no doubt we'll speak again in
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  Speaker 2: the very near future.
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  Speaker 1: Very much look forward to it. Thanks Kay, Thank you,