Mix 104.9 with Katie Woolf

KATIE WOOLF: And we are going to be catching up with the Minister for Northern Australia. I believe that I have got her on the line hopefully right now, the Minister for Northern Australia, Madeleine King. Good morning to you.

MADELEINE KING: Oh, good morning, Katie. How are you going?

KATIE WOOLF: Lovely to have you on the show. I'm really good. Thank you so much for joining us with a late call up this morning. It is very much appreciated. Now, Minister, talk us through what is in the budget from overnight for the Northern Territory.

MADELEINE KING: Well, thanks, Katie. It's a real pleasure to be calling back in to Darwin again. So, you know, overall the Federal Government will be providing over $7 billion in funding to the NT, which is a huge boost for the Northern Territory and that's part of a great relationship we have with the Chief Minister, Lia Finocchiaro and of course their deputy, Gerard Maley. Now, I speak to the Member for Solomon, Luke Gosling all the time about how important the territory is to Australia because without a strong north, we don't have a strong Australia. So, we're going to keep on investing in the NT backing in one of our first commitments on coming into government, the $1.2 billion in Middle Arm investment precinct - industrial precincts with hundreds of millions of dollars on roads into the NT. But for every single NT taxpayer though, it is really, I want to be really clear about the magnitude of the tax cuts the Albanese Labor Government has delivered.

KATIE WOOLF: I might get to those in just a moment and you know, I don't want to sound ungrateful, but it does seem as though the only new money announced for the Northern Territory is a conditional $200 million out of a total budget of $786 billion. That is what the Northern Territory’s Treasurer Bill Yan is saying. I mean, is that correct when it comes to new money, it is just that, conditional $200 million?

MADELEINE KING: Well, there are many things that will benefit the Territorians. Every single Territorian in this budget, one, of course, is the accumulated tax cuts. There are some already came in in July of last year. There is more now coming as the Treasurer spoke about last night. But there's also savings on medicines that will save Northern Territory residents more than $1.3 million. Student debt will be slashed for Territorians and particularly important for young Territorians. We've made a commitment to a further Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in the Territory, bringing the total number in the NT up to nine. So, they're really important commitments that will affect so many Territorians and of course the tax cuts will affect and be good for every single Territorian.

KATIE WOOLF: So, just in relation to any sort of specific projects at this point in time, it is that $200 million for the Stuart Highway, that conditional $200 million. Is there any money going towards, you spoke before about Middle Arm and that development, but any new money or anything new in that space and certainly in the gas development space?

MADELEINE KING: Well, no, excuse me. The focus is on Middle Arm and that $1.2 billion is, you know, one of the biggest commitments this Government has made to any single project in the country. So, it is of untold significance and it reflects the importance of Darwin's position in relation to our neighbours in the north. And of course, the whole of the NT's opportunity to be a renewable superpower. But there will be other industries involved in that like hydrogen and critical minerals processing and as you know, it'll be Middle Arm is very close of course to the existing Inpex plant. So, there's a lot of work going on on the planning for Middle Arm. It is a game changer for Darwin and our commitment to it remains solid.

KATIE WOOLF: And Minister, in terms of, because there has been some discussion again as well about the Darwin Port, nothing in last night's budget around the Darwin Port. Where does the Albanese Government stand on this? I mean, is there going to be some further announcements on the Darwin Port?

MADELEINE KING: Well, as we know, the Darwin Port was permitted to be sold off under the former Coalition Government and that's not something we agreed with at the time. But, you know, that's a contract that was signed by that government and we have to work within those contractual laws. So, at the moment, you know, we will keep a watching brief, of course, on the solvency of the Port owner, Landbridge, I think it is. And make sure we're well aware of what's going on there, as we always are. I mean, Darwin remains and will always remain an integral part of Australia's national defence. In the defence review we identified how important Darwin and other northern ports are. So, you know, obviously, we'll keep a very close eye on everything that goes around with the Darwin Port. But the infrastructure spend on the Northern defence positions, including in Katherine as well, of course, are going to be vitally important to the country.

KATIE WOOLF: Minister, look, there's a lot of people messaging through to the show this morning. You know, they're not like they are not hearing that there is, there's a lot in it for the Northern Territory. I mean, is the Federal Government feeling as though at this point in time, you know, the Northern Territory seats are not winnable at the next election? Is that why there doesn't seem to be a big focus on us.

MADELEINE KING: Well, I mean, $7 billion to the Northern Territory –

KATIE WOOLF: It's not new money, though. Like, it's not. They're not new announcements, is the point that our listeners are making this morning.

MADELEINE KING: Well, $7.2 billion is an extraordinary contribution to the NT economy and we as a government have a solid commitment and an ongoing commitment to the Territory. But I've taken you through a number of commitments already around urgent care clinics, obviously around the scripts being reduced under Medicare and strengthening Medicare as well. And also the tax cuts to every single Northern Territorian and we –

KATIE WOOLF: Let's talk about those. Let's talk about those because we do know obviously the Federal Opposition, Angus Taylor, he's come out and said what was offered was a bribe. He reckons the election bribe of 70 cents a day starting in a year's time. He said, frankly, it's not even going to touch the sides of the economic pain that Australian households have felt over the last two and a half years. Is it a bit insulting when you look at the cost of living and the rises that we are experiencing, particularly in regional parts of Australia? I know you'd understand that more than most, you know, as the Minister for Northern Australia.

MADELEINE KING: Well, yeah, I do, and thanks for acknowledging that. But I would remind your listeners that Angus Taylor and Peter Dutton voted against tax cuts to Territorians worth over $2,700 per year. So, that's what they have voted against and that they stood against it this morning in the Parliament, and I witnessed that myself. So, whilst we have had larger tax cuts in the last two budgets, and they were really important, and then this latest tax cut, of course, it's smaller, but that's why we are a responsible government. But the point of them is the accumulation of up to over $2,500 per Territorian taxpayer is undeniably a very good thing for everyone that lives there. And if it's an extra $50 a week, as announced last night by the Treasurer, that's nothing to be sneezed at. I mean, who wouldn't want an extra 50 bucks in their pocket at the end of the week?

KATIE WOOLF: So, how are we getting the, how's the breakdown of the $50 happening? Is that in addition to the $5, what exactly is that breakdown for the $50?

MADELEINE KING: Well, that's the same thing, I think. I'm not sure what figures Angus Taylor has given you, but what it adds up to is, on average, for taxpayers, and of course, people pay different rates of tax. It's an extra $50 a week in the pockets of Territorians on top of the over $2,000 worth of tax cuts we've introduced over the term of our Government.

KATIE WOOLF: I just want to make it really clear for our listeners because I'm obviously reading off some other info that we have received, and it says that the Federal Treasurer obviously announcing the $17 billion tax cuts and that it will equate to most Australians to about $5 per week if you're on a wage of around $79,000 a year.

MADELEINE KING: Well, so what, doc - I don't know what document that is, Katie. I'm sorry, I don't know. But the figures I have is that for most Territorians it's about $50 a week.

KATIE WOOLF: All right. We'll make sure we can do that.

MADELEINE KING: Well, we can clear that up. I'm really happy to do that.

KATIE WOOLF: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Hey, now, do we know what date this election's going to be called? Madeleine King, when is it going to happen? We're all waiting to find out.

MADELEINE KING: Yeah. I mean, aren't we all? But I can assure you it will be in May.

KATIE WOOLF: We don't know what date though.

MADELEINE KING: Elections are an excellent opportunity for our democracy to demonstrate how great it is. And really important that there are so many more Territorians now on the electoral roll as well, which has been a great effort of the Special Minister of State, Don Farrell and his team to make sure more people across remote regions of the Territory are able to, you know, have their say in Australia's future. And I really look forward to being part of that.

KATIE WOOLF: Yeah, absolutely. Well, Minister for North Australia and Resources, Madeleine King, really appreciate your time this morning. Thanks very much for joining us on the show.

MADELEINE KING: Thanks, Katie. I'll see you up there soon.