





06 June 2009   Doorstop Interview - Brisbane

Subject(s):   Changes to the Ministry, Rio Tinto and Chinalco, Queensland ALP State  Conference, UK High Court Decision

PM: Today I announce a minor reshaping of the Executive of the  Australian Government, underlining the Government’s continued  commitment to its core priorities which is nation building for recovery and  secondly, strengthening Australia’s national security.

Yesterday I announced the appointment of Senator John Faulkner as  Minister for Defence and I welcome his appointment. Today I announce  further changes to the Ministry.

Senator Ludwig will become Cabinet Secretary and Special Minister of  State and continue in his role as Manager of Government Business in the  Senate. Senator Ludwig is a former barrister who has served in the  Senate for more than a decade, including as Manager of Opposition  Business in the Senate from 2001 to 2007 and as Manager of Government  Business since December of 2007.

Chris Bowen will enter Cabinet and be appointed as Minister for Financial  Services, Superannuation and Corporate Law and Minister for Human  Services. Minister Bowen has served with distinction as Assistant  Treasurer since December 2007 and has overseen significant reform in  improving fairness and integrity in the Australian tax system and  important areas of consumer rights.

Craig Emerson, Minister for Small Business, will have added to his  responsibilities becoming Minister for Competition Policy and Consumer  Affairs. Minister Emerson’s significant achievements in working with the  small business constituency in reducing red tape will prove valuable  experience in what will now be his expanded role, an expanded role which

is important in terms of overall national economic reform.

Senator Nick Sherry will be appointed as Assistant Treasurer. Senator  Sherry is a former Shadow Assistant Treasurer and was Parliamentary  Secretary for Primary Industry, Energy and Resources during the Keating  Government.

Brendan O’Connor will become Minister for Home Affairs, taking on the  critical portfolio with responsibility for policing and law enforcement and  the administration of Australian territories. Minister O’Connor’s wealth of  experience from his strong handling of employment participation during  the global recession positions him well to take on this critical national  security role and I welcome his promotion to this position.

Warren Snowdon will be appointed Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural  and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery. As a proud resident  of Alice Springs, Minister Snowdon is a tireless advocate for Australians  living in rural and remote areas.

Kate Ellis MP will be appointed Minister for Early Childhood Education,  Childcare and Youth and will continue as Minister for Sport. Establishing a  Ministry for Early Childhood Education and Childcare for the first time  reflects the importance that the Australian Government attaches to these  key policy challenges.

Greg Combet will enter the Ministry as Minister for Defence Personnel,  Materiel and Science and the Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate  Change. That continued role on the part of Minister Combet will continue  until such time as the Government completes passage of its Carbon  Pollution Reduction Scheme through the Australian parliament and  continues his present role. Minister Combet is well prepared for this  important position having previously served as Parliamentary Secretary  for Defence Procurement. He will also continue in his important role  concerning climate change as I have just indicated.

Senator Mark Arbib will enter the Ministry as Minister for Employment and  the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Government Service Delivery.  This will build on the work of Senator Arbib, which he’s carried out in his  role as Parliamentary Secretary for Government Service Delivery, in  assisting with the rollout of the Government’s historic nation building  infrastructure investment.

Maxine McKew will become Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure,  Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, to further assist  in this infrastructure rollout and with a particular focus on community  infrastructure and local government.

Gary Gray has been appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Western and  Northern Australia. Mr Gray’s extensive knowledge of the West and the  Northern Territory and particular challenges based in rural and regional  areas is heightened by his expertise in the resource, land and  infrastructure sectors.

Jason Clare MP will be appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for  Employment. This will build on his current role as Special Adviser to the  Prime Minister on Local Employment. As a Member from Western Sydney  Mr Clare has firsthand experience of the impact of the global recession in

areas of high unemployment around our country.

Mark Butler MP will be appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for Health.  Mr Butler will bring to this new role his broad experience working with  Government providing also in the provision of health services across a  number of critical areas and therefore we welcome his participation in his  new role as Parliamentary Secretary and particularly in his home state of  South Australia.

Richard Marles MP will be appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for  Industry and Innovation. Mr Marles has a comprehensive understanding  of the challenges faced by industry through more than 10 years in the  labour movement, as well as being well positioned to work across  industry, developing strong foundations for our emergence from the  global recession.

After nearly 28 years of service in the New South Wales and  Commonwealth Parliaments, the Honourable Bob Debus MP has indicated  to me that he will not recontest the seat of Macquarie in New South Wales

at the next election.

In the context of the current reshuffle and the challenges of the global  recession, Mr Debus has made the decision to retire from the Ministry in  order to facilitate a strong team for the future to continue the  Government’s response during these challenging times.

Bob Debus has made an extraordinary contribution over this time,  including in his dedicated service as Minister for Home Affairs. His  discipline, his integrity are legendary and his application to the complex  and challenging task of our national security has been simply outstanding.  On a personal note, I would like to thank Bob very much for his work over  such a long period of time and underscore the significance of his  contribution to the Government of New South Wales and the Government  of Australia.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator  Jan McLucas, has informed me of her decision to step down from her  portfolio responsibilities. She does so in order to focus on her role as  Senator for Queensland, given the particular challenges faced in regional,  rural and provincial Queensland during the global recession. Senator  McLucas has made a significant contribution through her role as  Parliamentary Secretary and has provided valuable support to the Health

Minister in a major area of policy reform and policy priority for the  Government.

As I said before, this represents a reshuffle of responsibilities within the  Government’s executive. This reshuffle underlines the Government’s  continued commitment to its core priorities - nation-building for recovery  in response to the global recession. Getting on with the task of  strengthening Australia’s national security. Over to you folks.

JOURNALIST: How much of a part did Labor’s factions play in your  decision-making?

PM: One of the things that happened after the last election is for the first  time in 100 years I have changed the rules. These decisions are now  made by me exclusively and not subject to any deliberation on the part of  the caucus. These decisions are mine, they are final. And they are

reflective of the talents of the individuals concerned.

JOURNALIST: Why now, Prime Minister? Why are you making these  changes now?

PM: Well it follows logically that the changes which have occurred in the  Cabinet as a result of a resignation and now in the Ministry as a result of  a further resignation because of Bob Debus’ decision not to stand at the  next election, a number of consequential changes flow from that. That’s  why these various changes have been made together.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, did Jan McLucas (inaudible) step down or  did you approach her (inaudible)?

PM: I’m advised that Senator McLucas has expressed a desire to focus on  her senatorial responsibilities for Queensland and wants to do that in the  future, hence why she tendered to me her decision to step down from the

executive.

JOURNALIST: (inaudible) privatisation?

PM: Well, I’m Prime Minister of Australia, I am not the Premier of  Queensland. Can I just say tough decisions have to be taken everywhere.  Anna Bligh has to take tough decisions as well.

As I said at the conference this morning, Queenslanders at the last  election voted for her and she has shown great strength of leadership in  the past, great strength of leadership today and she’ll show great  strength of leadership in the future as well.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister just on Chinalco. Are you aware of Chinese  interest in any other Australian mining companies?

PM: Not that I am aware of but if, this would not surprise me because  Chinalco in the past has expressed interest I think in various mining  interests in Australia. We run, maintain an open investment environment  in terms of foreign investment, something I reiterated yesterday in my  comments on the Rio-Chinalco matter in a press conference in Canberra.

What we do with each of these expressions of interest by any foreign  company is that we make our judgment based on the application of  national interest criteria. So we’ll do so again in relation to any further  interest by Chinalco in any other matter.

And on a rolling basis you have companies from around the world  expressing interest in various aspects of the Australian economy including  in the minerals and resources sector.

JORUNALIST: Can we just go back to the-

PM: Sorry, I’ll just take this one and then come to you.

JOURNALIST: There’s been some criticism that the FIRB process, the  length of that process caused the deal to fall over. Do you think that’s fair  criticism?

PM: As I indicated in my press conference yesterday, this was a  commercial matter between Rio and Chinalco and separately between Rio  and BHP. These were matters resolved between those companies.

The Government as far as its Foreign Investment Review Board processes  are concerned, will also be undertaken professionally with a proper  consideration of all the information that needed to be assessed and  necessarily that takes time.  We would also always take time on such questions, particularly when they  involve large questions of the national interest. Sorry, over here.

JOURNALIST: Just going back to the State Conference. Have you spoken  to -

PM: Yes I was there this morning. Were you there this morning?

JOURNALIST: I was indeed.

PM: Oh good.

JOURNALIST: Union leaders tomorrow are likely to come out against the  privatisation, have you given them any advice to back the Premier?

PM: I’ve not spoken to any of those delegates about any matter which is  before State Conference tomorrow. I am sure they will sort these things  through and I am sure will be the usual argy bargy, after all it is a State  Conference and argy bargy tends to happen at those.

JOURNALIST: The UK High Court has ruled, I’m not sure if you are aware,  that the atomic blasts in South Australia (inaudible) can seek  compensation (inaudible).

PM: I haven’t seen the outcome of the decision. I’d like to examine its full  implications first. I’ve always believed it’s important to deliver justice to  those who have been affected by atomic testing in Australia but I’d like to  review first the text of the decision.

JOURNALIST: Would you support it (inaudible)?

PM: Can I just say I’d like to review the text of the decision and I’ve said  my position of general principle is to have justice delivered to those who  have been adversely affected by atomic blasts in Australia. It’s the right  thing to do but let’s look at the text of the decision. These things,

especially when they are legal decisions, decisions of the court have to be  examined with a high degree of forensic detail.











