INTERVIEW WITH JOHN MACKENZIE, 4CA

Prime Minister: G'day, John. It's great to be back up here in far north Queensland.

Mackenzie: Well, it's a pity about the weather you brought with you, but you know, it's interesting news. I've got to say it once again, jobs up here. You would be fully aware of the crisis we've got in accommodation, the tour boats going out. In fact, I've just had a call when I said you were coming on from one of the operators who said, please tell the prime minister, go down to the Reef fleet terminal and just see all the boats tied up. Nobody's out on the reef because there's fundamentally nobody to take up there. So we've got those crises. Look, can I just ask you firstly, what was the motivation for this commitment over nine years of 1000 million dollars to the Reef?

Prime Minister: To protect the Reef so we can protect the jobs and we can protect what is a national treasure. And that's always been our motivation. This billion dollars comes on top of the $2 billion we've already invested in all the programmes you were talking about in your introduction. Water quality is a huge part of this and you've run through those issues, as well as reef management and conservation funding to research reef sites, which demonstrates that our Reef is well cared for. It's well looked after, it's well looked after by those who work on it, who visit it, whose livelihoods depend on it, and it is one of the world's leading environmental attractions. And so important for this part of Queensland. But also, John, there's important funding there for partnerships with traditional owners and community led projects, for species protection, habitat restoration, citizen science programmes, all of this. So it's really about enlisting the whole Far North Queensland community, the science community, the tourism community, the agricultural community, working with the cane farmers who do a fantastic job providing jobs and exports and everything we need in this country. So it's about maintaining and supporting the way of life in Far North Queensland. At the end of the day, that's what it is.

Mackenzie: Now here's a big whack of this, $580 million for water quality. I've got to say we've been focusing on this for years now, and the cane farmers were certainly under the pump here. They seem to, seemingly have done very well in adapting. Now it does say here, yes, it's going to be reducing nutrient. Yes, it's going to be reducing pesticide runoff. There's been a lot of work done there already and more to come, but this is interesting too, remediating erosion. Every time we get these huge floods out here, people are horrified, they look at them filthy water, look at all the mud running down the rivers and out onto the Barrier Reef. There is going to be a focus, though, on remediating erosion in this money.

Prime Minister: Yeah, that's right. And that's incredibly important. And you do that by working with those who are working the land. That's how you do it and you do it in partnership and you achieve both objectives. For those who are farming on that land and caring for it and ensuring that, you know, we've got the right sort of programmes in place to put in place their strategies, which means that the soil erosion, that doesn't help farmers either. And so we have a shared objective in keeping that good soil on the land and not running out into the Reef. So I mean, that's a shared project.

Mackenzie: There was, of course, this business, it's come around again. We've got to get our all, our information and everything in line for UNESCO because they're going to be requiring another progress report. Apparently, that's got to go in next month ahead of the next review. When this was happening, not that long ago, people in North Queensland were holding their breath. Why? Because as soon as UNESCO says, oh well, there's real doubts about the health of the Great Barrier Reef, their jobs are very much under question, under a cloud. So how are you feeling about this report that's about to be submitted? That's a preliminary report. Are we looking good enough to hang on to our status? Because I've got to tell you, there's a lot of people up here desperate to get their jobs back.

Prime Minister: Well, we believe so, and we've had a lot of success on that, as you know, to date, John. Not just on this most recent occasion that you referred to, but previously as well, Sussan Ley has done a great job, she's up here with me today making these announcements, when Greg Hunt was the Environment Minister he achieved the same outcome. So it's a, you know, it's a constant battle. But what we keep demonstrating, you know, when we get to the science, when we get to the facts, when we get people seeing what we're actually doing, then they can see the great job that our reef managers are doing. They're the best in the world and we are leading the world in reef management around the world. And you know, we're showing the world how it's done. And so the Great Barrier Reef is a great story about how you deal with the challenges of what's happening in climate and how you adapt to that and you protect this incredible natural asset.

Mackenzie: I've got to say, I saw your Minister, Environment Minister Sussan Ley on, I think it was ABC television just after five o'clock this morning. My God, is she a quality communicator or what?

Prime Minister: She's great. She passionate too, and she's been up here many times. And the great thing about Sussan is, like Warren, you know, everyone loves up in Far North Queensland is they listen, they understand and then they act. And that's what today is. I mean, Sussan has pulled this package together with great input from Warren in particular, who knows this place backwards. And that has led to this. I mean, I mean, last, time before last I was here, I think, when I was up here, you know, we announced the big reinsurance pool for insurance and reinsurance up here in Far North Queensland, I mean, that was, you know, that was Warren working away knowing what people need in this part of the world and us listening to him and getting these very big changes in place. So well done Warren and well done Sussan.

Mackenzie: I'm glad you touched on this because Warren Entsch not that long ago invited out to Australia these officials that were prepared to make decisions without having seen the Reef. He took them out to the Reef off Port Douglas. They went into the water, they snorkelled around or even dived on the Barrier Reef, came to the surface and said, Warren, we had no idea how beautiful it is, and the condition it's in. Let me finish this point too, because we've got the legendary Ben Cropp. I think he's 88, if I remember rightly, maybe 86. He's still active. He's still out there diving on the Reef. He was on the programme this week and he said, John, it's never looked better. At the moment, the Great Barrier Reef is in beautiful, pristine, recovered condition. So if we can get that word out to UNESCO etc, hopefully we're going to be safe for another year or two of our job security up here, attracting international visitors to North Queensland in big numbers again.

Prime Minister: Well, I believe that's right. And that's why getting the positive science I think out there, John, is very important. I mean, that is the truth of the matter. I mean, we found that, you know, when it comes to emissions reduction, we've reduced emissions in Australia by over 20 per cent on 2005 levels, and that's five times what they've done in Canada. It's more than 10 times what they've done in New Zealand. And when you actually get this information to people around the world, particularly in Europe, they're surprised to hear it. And many Australians might be surprised to hear it. Emissions aren't increasing. They're falling under the policies we've put in place to reduce emissions, which is good for the Reef as well. I mean, we're achieving those outcomes, and we're going to keep doing it because we're passionate about it.

Mackenzie: Now this is, this is the only one that really took me by surprise until I talked to Warren Entsch and he went to a lot of detail about water quality involving a much better sewerage, sewerage system, whereby at the moment we're putting in too much phosphorus out onto the Barrier Reef and nitrogen. So that's going to have to be eliminated. But that was fairly complex. But illegal fishing, why is that such a prominent part of this programme?

Prime Minister: Well, that's all about maintaining species diversity within the Reef. But that said, we've always had a keen ear to the practical suggestions from, you know, the commercial fishing industry in Far North Queensland and to understand that getting the balance right between supporting livelihoods and supporting the health of the Reef. Because the two go together and smart commercial operators have always understood that, you know, my connection with the tourism industry up here going back 20 years, they've always understood that too. They understand you look after the Reef, it looks after you. And that's our approach to this challenge. But you've got to do it together. The Government doesn't do it all. You know, we've had partnerships with the Reef Trust. I mean, they've pulled in. I mean, you remember we were getting bagged for giving money to the Reef Trust, the Reef Foundation. We gave them $443 million. They've leveraged another $217 million from outside of government into that investment. And they've got 425 partners with over 200 projects. The Labor Party wants to get rid of that. Well, they just want to throw that extra $200 million away, which goes into the reef help just because they've got a problem with working with people who aren't in government.

Mackenzie: Now, I'm glad you just brought up your background in tourism many years ago. I just had Perry Jones on the line. Perry runs Ocean Free and Ocean Freedom out to the Barrier Reef normally every day. At the moment, he said, if you're talking to Scott Morrison, ask him to drop by the reef fleet terminal because he'll see all the boats are in port. Why? Because there's nobody here at the moment. They've got to survive through till Easter these operators, not just the operators, to the reef people taking tours up to the Daintree, etc. all the accommodation. It's slim pickings. There's no doubt about it. He even said to me a few minutes ago, he said, "you know, I just borrowed $800,000 over the last two years and it is the last I'm allowed to to borrow and I've got to hang in there and I can't keep my staff, or I'm struggling to keep my staff because there's no money coming in, we've got to get through to Easter, then we've got to get through to the end of the second week in June, can you pass this on to the prime minister, please, we're struggling."

Prime Minister: Yeah, no, we're very conscious of that. I mean, the visitation to the entire Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is down 52 per cent and for many operators far worse than that. And we have put some programmes in which you'd be familiar with. As part of this package, we had that $3.2 million in the tourism industry activation reef protection initiative that's been now extended by $15 million. But the other thing we've done recently, John, is we've lifted and opened the borders to students. We've opened the borders to backpackers. And we've also now providing a rebate, if they come in the next three months, that is the backpackers, then they will get their visa application fee refunded when they get here. So we're encouraging them back. I mean, it's difficult getting people travelling at the moment. The operators up here would also know that even some of the domestic business has been hard to get because of the borders and all of the other COVID issues and people being cautious about moving around so they'd be aware of that. But we're, you know, we're opening those borders up now and particularly those backpackers, which is great as they travel up here and. they work up here too, which is very important for that. I mean, we will see it turn around and you know, we're looking forward to a stronger year this year. We've got challenges with with Omicron right now. But you know, that will peak. It's peaking further down south now. I was talking to Premier Palaszczuk yesterday and you know, Gold Coast has sort of come through their peak, Brisbane's probably going through it about now and in the north, they'll see it a little later. But, you know, we'll push through that. But getting those backpackers back and I look forward to international visitors more broadly, tourists coming back. And that's our next, that's our next hurdle. And we're working away to just get the timing of that right, and I don't think it's too far away.

Mackenzie: Just expand a little bit more, please, because I was told, you would have dealt with Mark Olsen and he's been wonderful at leading the tourism industry up here. But we were talking yesterday I think it was about the international borders, when the international borders will open up entirely, for example, the tourism visa holders, etcetera. He said well, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, we're already there. How much longer do you think Scott Morrison will be before we can get those international borders completely open for tourism visa holders?

Prime Minister: Well, I can't give you a specific date yet John, and that's because we're just watching how Omicron is is sort of washing over the eastern states at the moment, but with Omicron peaking, that then starts opening up opportunities, we've got kids going back to school now, now in New South Wales and in Queensland very soon and we want to make sure that goes off successfully. As I said, we've already got those backpackers and students coming back and we're seeing arrivals now back into the country, you know, going back up very, very quickly. And we're seeing it more in the southern ports. And the relaxation of the quarantine arrangements in Queensland will mean more people coming into Queensland directly. At the moment, they're all going into Sydney and Melbourne. And so as those arrangements relax for fully vaccinated arrivals, then you're going to see people coming back. And with that in place, then, you know, international visitors being able to return becomes very possible. So I don't think it's too far away, to be honest, John. But we've just got to get some medical advice further on that, bit more work to do with the states to make sure we're comfortable about it. And then I'd like to see us get there soon, certainly before Easter, well before Easter.

Mackenzie: Music to the ears, Prime Minister. Thank you, it has been a very worthwhile update.

Prime Minister: Well, it's been great. It's great to be back up here, John. I love being up here. Jenny's with me today too, so it's great to be here together and we've got some very exciting announcements and I'll be checking things out down at the Marina, mate.

Mackenzie: Excellent work. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, thank you for your time, in the studio, on the line today, not in studio, because we can't have people in studio at the moment, but hopefully in a few weeks time that'll be reversed as well.