E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TV INTERVIEW
AFTERNOON BRIEFING
THURSDAY, 9 MARCH 2023

SUBJECTS: AUKUS announcement, National Reconstruction Fund, Mobile black spots.

GREG JENNETT: Why don't we bring in now our political panel and we're very pleased to see, scrambling from all over the building from one house to our studio, we have Labor MP, Susan Templeman, welcome Susan. And Liberal frontbencher David Coleman back in the studio, welcome to you David. Quite a hectic afternoon, few things starting to emerge Susan. I might go to you first because it was referenced pretty much off the top by Richard Marles in the PM's chair. We are so close now, to the AUKUS submarine arrangements being outlined and we're trying to match up leaks coming out of Washington and out of London. What's your understanding as you reconcile some of these accounts, with just how much Australian-built might go on in these submarines particularly in South Australia?

SUSAN TEMPLEMAN MP: I know there's going to be lots of speculation about this over the next few days. But I'm probably going to stick to what the Prime Minister said in India not that long ago. And he was unwilling to be drawn on any of the details of it and I think that's pretty wise position for us to be taking. But I think what's significant is, it'll certainly be confirmed that in San Diego on Monday US time. The Prime Minister will be there with the US President and the British Prime Minister, and we will get a significant announcement. And I think for all of us, that should be something welcomed across the Parliament, and I would expect to see Bipartisanship on this given the support that has from the very start. This has been recognized that something of this magnitude that is just designed to bring peace and stability to the Indo-Pacific region and beyond is something that will be supported across our Parliament. 

JENNETT: Yeah, we're constantly told David, that this is the biggest peacetime military endeavour that the nation has undertaken. And yet we mere mortals who aren't privy to the information can't really grasp how big that is. It's going to be enormously costly, isn't it? Both in brainpower, human resource, and sheer dollars. Do you for one, have an appreciation of just what it is that we're about to embark on?

DAVID COLEMAN MP: This is huge, and this is one of the signature achievements of the Coalition Government and to the previous Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Under this agreement, we have access to one of the most closely guarded technologies in the world being nuclear submarines, and also a much broader and deeper defence engagement with the UK and the US with whom, we share our history, we share values, and this is hugely important. And certainly, we welcome the news that the government's moving ahead on the announcements in relation to the specific vessels and you know, look forward to hearing more in due course.

JENNETT: And you I acknowledge that neither Susan nor you David understands the full breakdown. We're trying to match up the media reports out of London and Washington. But if there was an expectation, as there had been around the French submarines that the vast bulk of the build would happen in Australia. Is there anything about those leaks talking about up to five Virginia class submarines that would suggest to you it won't quite be as high in Australian build content in this fleet?

COLEMAN: I look like I wouldn't really be commenting on leaks and so on, you know, the government said that they'll be formal announcements very soon and I think clearly, there will be a lot of Australian jobs flowing from this these projects generally but let's wait and see what the government announces. But this is a very positive thing for Australia.

JENNETT: And speaking of jobs, Susan, the Prime Minister has got to clear an India trip before he gets to San Diego. Everyone's talking about the upside from India trade eventually, although not initially perhaps, for farmers. for universities. What's in a for medium-sized enterprises in your electorate?

TEMPLEMAN: I think there's a huge number of things, you know, the India trip is about really deepening relationships that will play out in a whole lot of ways. And we won't hear media about all of that. But one of the things the Prime Minister's done is taken a number of businesses, strong in renewables. And looking at the partnerships we can make. Now that's the sort of manufacturing that we know things that translate from India to Australia and that's been talked about, bringing manufacturing back here and the capacity for it. And peri-urban communities, like mine, particularly the Hawkesbury, part of my electorate, where we have a really strong manufacturing, small to medium-sized manufacturing sector, they will be looking for opportunities. So, I think the fact that the conversation the doors are open, there's a two-way flow is really key. And the other thing that's important is the university student side of it. One of the committee inquiries we've got at the moment is into that export industry, because it is our biggest export after tourism. And we're looking at, how do we make it more attractive and how do we ensure we get back a lot of those international students. Now that affects universities like Western Sydney University in my in my part of the world. And I think the relationship, you know, we're really looking for two-way relationship that lifts the economy. It's going to have benefits across the board. 

JENNETT: And Susan's talking here David about manufacturing including in Western Sydney to that end we were just referencing the government's apparent success in negotiating its National Reconstruction Fund. Why won't that make a difference, in spite of your own political hesitation or I should say opposition?

COLEMAN: Look it's a very bad idea this manufacturing fund and it's just become even worse with the involvement of the Greens. You know, let's just take a step back. So, Labor party manufacturing, if you wanted to really hurt manufacturing one of the things you do is bring back the industrial relations system of the 1970s, which the Labor party is doing. Another thing you do is break promises in relation to getting electricity prices down, which again has occurred. But to come to the specifics of this fund Greg, one of the huge problems with this fund is it's going to create an enormous interest burden on taxpayers about $45 billion of budget funds at the moment and that's about $4 billion of interest just in the next four years. That's a burden on taxpayers that you know, Susan doesn't pay, but taxpayers do. And I think it's also important to note that you know, we in government had the modern manufacturing initiative which provided direct grants to manufacturers, this is a much more complicated equity scheme. Where basically, you've got Labor sitting around the boardroom table with those manufacturers and no manufacturer wants that.

JENNETT: Either way it’s still taxpayers money going into giving a leg up to Australian producers- 

TEMPLEMAN: Look I just have to pick up, for start, let's be clear, electricity prices are significantly below what they were projected to be. Thanks to the intervention. So that's really key in helping manufacturers, but this is $15 billion. Now no one, pretty much no one who's alive right now has seen that sort of magnitude of investment in trusting Australians to be able to make things. So, you know, this is why we're feeling like we've got a Noalition sitting opposite us at the moment. 

JENNET: Ok I didn't want to challenge each and every one of the points because we might have been here till midnight. But let's finish off on something that I know you've been very hot to trot on lately, David Coleman. Mobile phone black spots. We've in fact discussed with you on this program but weren't you the guys in government who argued that Ministers make decisions, Ministers are empowered, and Ministers are accountable to make decisions? Advice is just advice. Now you seem to be advocating that advice on mobile phone tower, black spots should follow strictly the prioritization of bureaucrats.

COLEMAN: Well, well, not quite Greg. The very unusual situation here is that 100% of the locations have been handpicked by the Minister and surprise surprise, 74 % of them are in Labor seats and as we know the black spot programs are about regional Australia the substantial majority of electorates in regional Australia held by the Coalition but guess what only 20% of the mobile black spots under Minister Roland's list are in Coalition electorates. So, you know, this is an open and shut case it is clearly political misuse of taxpayer funds.

JENNETT: All right, Susan. Right of reply to you, and then we'll wrap it up.

TEMPLEMAN: Now, I get four of these black spots being fixed. These were things that were recommended by the Royal Commission and yet the previous government did nothing to fill these black spots in an area that is so fire prone. And we know, you know, we've had floods yes, but when we know what's coming next and so this is really trying to even up some of the things that were missed out. Let's remember that the Coalition's priority round had 125 mobile b