ANDREW LEIGH, MEMBER FOR FENNER: Thanks very much for coming along this morning. My name is Andrew Leigh, the Federal Member for Fenner, and I'm delighted to be joined here by Dave Smith, the Member for Bean and Catherine King, the Minister for Infrastructure, and Andrew Barr, the ACT Chief Minister. We're here, of course, at Canberra's number one railway station, a location where we're about to be looking at masterplanning for a set of new homes for new residents in Canberra. The ACT is the fastest growing state or territory in the recent census period, and the importance of home building is central to our government's agenda. Let me hand over now to Catherine King to tell you more about this exciting announcement today. Thanks.

CATHERINE KING, MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT: Well, it's terrific to be here with my friends and colleagues, Andy Leigh and Dave Smith, and, of course, Andrew Barr, the Chief Minister. Well, this is a great partnership between the ACT Government and the Albanese Labor Government to really look at urban planning and the next stages to bring more housing here into the ACT. The urban Precincts and Partnerships Program is very much about urban redesign, reuse of areas, trying to make sure those areas often sort of in inner city or inner suburbs that really need unlocking both for housing, for new community facilities, for new sporting facilities and more commercial activities. So we're contributing $2.8 million and the ACT Government is committing $3 million to this project to really masterplan what is a significant precinct for the ACT. My voice is about to go, so I'm just going to hand over to Andrew.

ANDREW BARR, ACT CHIEF MINISTER: Good morning everyone. This announcement today builds on a considerable amount of ACT Government work in this precinct. A very young planning minister in 2007 stood outside this building to commence the planning work for what we see over the other side of the railway precinct in relation to future stages of the Kingston foreshore project and the causeway and what we have been progressing in that intervening two decades is a number of housing projects in this region. But this site, the railway precinct, more broadly, has been identified as part of the ACT Government's East Lake planning work for increased residential commercial and industrial activity. We made a commitment at the 2024 ACT election to redevelop the Canberra railway station. This station is, in fact, owned by the New South Wales Government in a somewhat of a quirk. And whilst it is a lovely facility, it definitely was one of the best railway stations in 1974 it is time now for renewal of Canberra's number one railway station and for it to be better integrated into this precinct. And so the partnership with the Commonwealth Government under this fantastic program, will see the next stages of work completed and enable construction to commence on a number of the residential, commercial and industrial projects in this precinct. Now over on the other side of the station is the Hume Circle, and that is an area the National Capital Authority have been working on for some time, and is slated for a significant further redevelopment as well. And the private land holders there have been working closely with the ACT Government and the NCA on that element. So this announcement today brings together four distinct precincts that will, once fully masterplanned, better integrate the existing Kingston foreshore, the Fyshwick markets, Dairy Road Precinct to the east and then either side of Canberra railway station. And the ACT Government's objective, in partnership with the New South Wales Government, is to see a new Canberra railway station as part of a multi modal transport hub for Canberra. This all fits into a bigger picture about improving the Canberra Sydney rail service, and I've talked at length about that over the years, and we're working very closely with the New South Wales Government and the Commonwealth on the very fine detail of a number of small upgrades that will be necessary to take, we think, at least half an hour off the rail journey time between Canberra and Sydney. And with the New South Wales Government procuring new trains already in service between Sydney and Newcastle, we can, in the coming years, look forward to a better train service between Canberra and Sydney, a better railway precinct and more housing, a big contribution towards both our housing target and the National Housing target. So this is a really fantastic alignment of policy direction between the Commonwealth and the Territory. It makes it really, really much easier for us to be able to deliver on our housing targets, to have this sort of support from the Commonwealth. So to my federal colleagues, we're very grateful thank you for this support, and we look forward to completing the masterplanning work and then getting on with constructing a great new precinct for Canberra. So we're happy to take any questions, take questions.

KING: On this and others.

JOURNALIST: We've spoken about the upgrade to the station itself, but the train line between Sydney and Canberra is an interesting one in that the ACT is kind of the biggest beneficiary. Most of it sits in New South Wales. Does there need to be more federal support and federal backing?

KING: Yeah, so I'm really pleased that the ACT and the New South Wales Governments are working really closely together on what is needed. Obviously, what happens then is both governments will come when they're ready to the Commonwealth to ask for a co-investment in in the rail, and I'm sure that that will occur when they're ready to do so. And the Commonwealth then will make an investment decision at budget, as we always do in the usual way.

JOURNALIST: And is there a conversation coming up?

KING: The conversation so far is happening, really, between the ACT and the New South Wales Government about what is needed, and then when that they're ready to say, “this is what's needed”, they'll come forward, I'm sure, to the Commonwealth to ask for some assistance in the infrastructure. And that's normally how we make decisions.

JOURNALIST: This money's for planning, yeah, planning work. Can the ACT look forward to Commonwealth money for actually constructing?

KING: Well, we've got to do the planning first. So I think that's really one of the things. And the big lessons, I think, out of the way in which all levels of government invest in infrastructure is that often, as politicians, we're really keen to get there and make the announcement. But what happens then is that often there's not the planning work being done to actually really get a good handle on what the costs are and what it is that you actually need. And that's really what this program is about. It is about urban renewal, so providing that opportunity for the first time, often for state and territory governments and local governments to actually take that big picture look about what do we want this precinct to look like, rather than just sort of trying to do piecemeal approaches or letting private developers just go and do what they're going to do, this is really about, how do you actually get decent precincts, decent suburbs, for people to live and to work, and that connectivity. So that planning money's there. Obviously, I'm sure if there are infrastructure asks, whether it's of the housing minister or of me as infrastructure minister, again, they'll come forward as part of budget process.

JOURNALIST: Does the planning work include assessment of remediation of the land?

KING: Certainly that would have to be part of it. Obviously, you've got the Jerrabomberra Wetlands here as well, which are a really sensitive and beautiful area that will need protection. But that's what masterplanning allows you to do, is really try and make sure that you understand what are you dealing with in terms of the ground that you're dealing with, the infrastructure that's already there, and then what do you want it to look like into the future? So being able to actually take that step back, it's not often governments get a chance to do that. That's really what we're trying to do with the urban Precincts and Partnerships Program. It's about urban renewal and about trying to help to get new infrastructure in place, and new housing, particularly in place, but also other amenities.

JOURNALIST: A bit further north in Darwin.

KING: Darwin? Oh, okay, it's a territory. So, okay, yes,

JOURNALIST: It sounds like the negotiations with Landbridge over the Port of Darwin have hit a bit of a stalemate. We're seeing in Landbridges latest ASIC filing that they've started, however, to bolster the balance sheet. Can you give us an update? Are you confident that you'll be able to come to an agreement with Landbridge and they'll be able to find a buyer, or are we going to end up in a messy, compulsory acquisition situation?

KING: I'm constrained about what I can say about this. We're having constructive discussions with Landbridge, and really, I'm not going to comment further on the Port of Darwin acquisition at this time.

JOURNALIST: It was an election commitment…

KING: Again…

JOURNALIST: Will it be sold by the time of the next election?

KING: Again, we're in sensitive discussions at the moment, and I'm not going to comment further. They're important discussions. The Commonwealth's made it clear what it wants to do and we won’t comment further at this time.

JOURNALIST: Are you concerned you're the Minister responsible for the hoarding of the tens of thoudsands of electric vehicles effectively being bought, I'm bouncing around,

CATHERINE KING: I just have to change gears…

JOURNALIST: You’ve put yourself up this morning…

CATHERINE KING: That’s ok, of course…

JOURNALIST: You’re minister responsible for that, the BYDs, 12,000 of them just sitting, being stockpiled. There's suggestions that that's largely to do with the NVES carbon credits. Are you comfortable that that scheme is working as intended, and there's not being, I guess loopholes aren't being…

KING: So three things there, I mean, the intention of the vehicle efficiency scheme, remember, Australia and Russia were the only two countries, developed countries, that did not have an efficiency standard, so we were well and truly behind. What that scheme is designed to do is ensure that more electric, so that manufacturers bring more of their electric fleet into Australia. And that is what's happening. We're seeing more choice now for people purchasing electric vehicles than has happened previously, and we're seeing those electric vehicles purchased. So that's the first point. So that's what is actually happening under the efficiency scheme. So it is doing what it's intended to do. We also, under the legislation, undertook to do a review in 2026 to make sure that the legislation is doing, or the scheme is doing what is intended to do and we will do that review in 2026. What we also promised was that we would look at, as part of that review and work beyond, the look at point of sale measurement, rather than point of import and so we're also starting that work as well. But I am confident that the scheme is doing exactly what the government intended it to do, and that is get more electric vehicles into Australia, more choice for people to purchase electric vehicles. And you're seeing that. I'm seeing that in my own home community, where there are more and more electric vehicles actually now on the roads in Ballarat than there was prior to this scheme.

JOURNALIST: Chief Minister, when the New South Wales Government came to power, memory serves, the back of my mind, one of the projects, the infrastructure projects that they axed was work on the Canberra to Sydney rail line, there was some work that they had money put aside for that was removed from the budget. How is your engagement going with them? Are they playing ball?

BARR: Yes, they are. Obviously every state and territory infrastructure budget is somewhat stretched at the moment, so we're realistic in the work that we're doing to present, really, a laundry list of small improvements, each individually, could shave a minute or two off the journey time, but collectively, towards that half hour. But this is, this is a project that will be measured in the tens of millions of dollars worth of improvements. We're not going to be putting forward something that is in the billions of dollars. Got the message very clear from Minister King that our ask from the Commonwealth needs to be very practical, deliverable and to make a meaningful difference to to the journey time. It's a complicated set of circumstances, I think, with multiple different owners of the track between Canberra and Sydney. Another element clearly also is the scheduling of the services, and I'm told, for example, that if the Canberra Sydney train reaches Campbelltown four minutes earlier on a particular schedule, then it will get through ahead of the suburban trains. And so there is quite a significant engagement with Sydney rail required as well to give the train priority through the Sydney suburban network. So we are down at that level of detail around how we can improve the journey times. The new trains will help, and the fact that they're almost always sold out I think is a good indication there is demand for these services, and so we would hope, and I am encouraging the New South Wales Government at every opportunity I get to maybe buy a carriage or two extra so that they've got room to carry more passengers between Canberra and Sydney.

JOURNALIST: Do you think that, though small changes will actually make a difference to the ability for Canberrans to work in Sydney, for Sydney siders to come here?

BARR: Yeah, look, I think it will. What we need to get to, ultimately is around three hours. Three hours from here to Central Station would be very competitive with anyone seeking to drive that particularly at peak time, and would be very competitive with anyone wanting to fly, once you take into account the time you need to spend at the airport and the like. And if the train has, I guess, a sufficient amenity that would allow people to work on that journey, then it would be used more for business travel. But it's not just about business travel, it's it's about leisure travel as well. And for peak tourism periods in Canberra, particularly around Floriade, that train is full all of the time. And so we want to make it cheaper and easier for people to get to Canberra, and that means all forms of transport being improved. But I'm being realistic about this. We've been talking about, you know, this country has been talking about, you know, $10 billion investments in various things. That's just not on the table at the moment. So I'd like to see a service that I currently consider to be 19th century brought at least into the 20th century, and it's been done Sydney, Newcastle, new train improvements there. So Canberra, Sydney is the next logical route, and that's why we want to pursue this project.

JOURNALIST: Do you have any updated indication of the timeframe on those improvements?

BARR: So we're finalising the list with the New South Wales Government. I think there's another meeting next week. So we would hope early in 2026 to have something that we can submit into, I guess everyone's budget processes on the train procurement. I think that's taken longer than the New South Wales Government would have hoped. They inherited a little bit of a mess on their trains from the previous state government, but they're working through that minister, Jenny Aitchison is from Canberra originally, so her heart is in the right place on this one, and she's very, very supportive of regional transport initiatives, so we're working very closely with her and her office on this. And I don't miss the opportunity every time I catch up with Chris Minns or Daniel Mookhey to press the point.

JOURNALIST: What is the timeline for this Kingston residential…

BARR: Well, look, we would like to see the masterplanning work completed in the next sort of 18 to 24 months, and then be able to get underway pretty quickly with some land releases we have through the East Lake planning work already undertaken a significant amount of work, so a major plan amendment would then follow. Obviously, a little bit of that timeframe depends on what happens in the Legislative Assembly. And as you know, it is a slightly more unpredictable place. It behaves a little bit like the Commonwealth Senate these days. On any given day, anything can happen. But I think there is, across the territory Parliament, an understanding that we need to be bringing forward more land for housing supply, and that the Commonwealth's involvement and support makes a big difference. And whether it's on this side or CSIRO Ginninderra side, there's great examples of the Commonwealth working with us to increase housing supply. We would then also want to engage with the Housing Australia Future Fund on a community housing component of housing development here, and the private sector would be very keen. So I have no doubt that there's going to be a lot of interest in this, but we do need to complete the planning stages, get the major plan amendment through, and then we're underway.

JOURNALIST: And how much of a priority is it to have a new station?

BARR: I look I think it's significant, as quaint and lovely as this one is It's not befitting of the national capital of Australia.

JOURNALIST: But the housing will come first?

BARR: Well, I think they need to come hand in hand. We want to see a multi modal transport hub here. It's on a major rapid bus route where the train from Sydney comes in. I think we can do better. The New South Wales Government acknowledges we can do better. They have a significant program in their state around redevelopment and railway process, railway stations, so they've got a lot of experience in doing this. So we want to work with them and the private sector and the community housing sector to get a really great mixed use precinct.

JOURNALIST: And quickly, did you have a word to Chris Steele about My Way Plus, and I think you better say you're sorry.

BARR: Well, look, we've we've spoken as a Cabinet about what went right and what went wrong with that public transport system rollout. We acknowledge, in making a change that large, with hundreds of thousands of users, we should have done better, taken more time, and with the benefit of hindsight, clearly it was not ready to go on launch day, to the extent that we were advised it was. And so I indicated yesterday, yes, we got some bad advice.

JOURNALIST: You also apologised, which Chris Steele refused to do.

BARR: Well, everyone will use their own form of words. Chris acknowledged responsibility for the issue we have, collectively as a government, acknowledged that, apologised, and we're going to move forward. The system does give capability that didn't have before, and as I said yesterday, we couldn't have stuck with the old system. It was it was not fit for purpose, it running on the 3G network, which has been phased out. So it was obviously time. But I think these major transformative projects that involve hundreds of thousands of users can be complex, and it does take time for people to get used to new systems. But there's lessons learned. We acknowledge that, and we apologise for the inconvenience people have experienced.

JOURNALIST: Do you have particular hopes for the kind of housing, acknowledging its early days in planning that we see here? We've got particularly long time on market at the moment for one and two bedroom apartments, a lot of conversation about the missing middle.

BARR: Yes, well, I think we need to look at the prevailing market conditions. What sorts of housing types will be in demand in this area. You can understand why, given its proximity to the Federal Public Service to Capital Hill, why there would be particular housing types here, but yes, you'd want to see a mix, and we do have some good examples of missing middle housing just over there, so that will be a focus. But look, part of the reality here will be the government will not be determining every single housing type. It will be market decisions and developers making the right calls around what sort of housing will meet the emerging demand. But more diversity is always a good thing.

JOURNALIST: And more public housing as well?

BARR: Look, I anticipate that there will be public community build to rent housing models, probably key worker housing as well. We've been very successful with our applications into the Housing Australia Future Fund. We have our own equivalent fund as well. Our planning system and our leasehold land tenure allows us to to make some of those below market rental housing types viable in the territory, and we can use our tax system, as we do, to support large scale build to rent projects.

JOURNALIST: Minister King we talked about Sydney and Canberra and Darwin, I don't want to leave out Melbourne. $9.3 billion sitting there, demanded from the Victorian Government for Suburban Rail Loop. You've previously indicated your biggest issue there is the question of how they'll raise $11 billion from value capture. How are you feeling about the Victorian Government's progress on basically proving that that project is affordable?

KING: Yeah, so certainly, the work between my department at secretary level and the Victorian transport department at secretary level is ongoing, and that's been collaborative. We're receiving more information from the Victorian Government. We'll make decisions about that project in the Budget process in May next year.

JOURNALIST: So you think we'll know by May next year?

KING: Certainly it is my intention to make a decision by May next year.

JOURNALIST: And Minister just on the Barton Highway going a little north. But do you have any updates on the Barton highway upgrades? We've been calling for those for a while. How is that going?

KING: So obviously, the investments we have already had in the Barton Highway, that work is underway, in terms of any further investments for the Barton Highway, again, Budget process is really where we would decide where those new investments, we obviously co-invest with state and territory governments. We don't do the delivery ourselves. Some people would like us to, but we don't do the delivery ourselves. So timeframes are really, we're dependent on state and territory governments when theybring those forward.

JOURNALIST: Do you think that there is more infrastructure upgrades needed?

KING: There is always more infrastructure needed, the list is always long, and what I've tried to do is really make sure we do the planning work the Commonwealth is there at the table to invest in that planning so we've got a much better handle on what is needed and what the costs are. Each state and territory now, under the new federated funding agreement, is required to provide the Commonwealth with a 10 year infrastructure plan, so that we've got line of sight of the pipeline of what is coming, so that we actually can make better decisions about our infrastructure investment. And I know certainly Kristy McBain, as the local member, has been very vocal about the needs of the Barton highway.

JOURNALIST: And Minister King, I'll keep us in Canberra, the National Gallery roof is continuing to leak. No doubt it was leaking this morning. In their 2425 report, they suggested there was a pretty sizable amount of federal funding needed to fix a backlog of infrastructure issues there and building faults. Will the federal government commit to that money?

KING: So what a disgrace that these national assets, and they are national assets, were left in such a state with that lack of investment. Now, Minister Tony Burke, who's responsible for the arts and also responsible for those precincts, we have already invested substantially in trying to resolve what is, frankly, a decade of neglect of those national institutions, and they are incredibly important, not just to Canberrans, but they are important to the whole nation. So Minister Burke will work his way through requests as they come through. There's a number of those that come through, but frankly, this is again, just an example of absolute and utter neglect of the Liberal National Party of our nation's capital.

JOURNALIST: Is there potential for more money to be invested in that though?

KING: We will always get asked for more money, they are questions really for Minister Burke, he has portfolio responsibility for that. Obviously, he'll bring those forward to Budget processes if requested. I think that was the last question. Thank you.