HARRY CLARKE, HOST: Thanks very much for that address, Minister. Now, over recent months you and I have had a few, what I’d call willing exchanges that have broadcast live on the streets and more, so it’s nice for you to do perhaps more a relaxed setting, albeit in front of a 200-odd people live audience.

MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND SPORT ANIKA WELLS: I’m sure you’re very willing, Harry.

CLARKE: So it really was interesting to hear your updates on behalf of the Albanese Government about the preparations that are in place at the grassroots level ahead of this big event in a few years' time. And I know for a fact that there are a bunch of journalists at the back of the room with a lot of questions on that topic. But I wouldn't be an annoying political reporter without asking a few questions about the other hat you wear, being the Minister for Communications. And this being the Queensland Media Club, I want to ask firstly about Australian news journalism and your government's newly introduced legislation and News Bargaining Incentive and News Journalism Payments Bill designed to force digital platforms to contribute financially to Australian journalism. How confident are you that it will actually deliver more money to Australian newsrooms? And would you consider further government interventions if major technology platforms simply decided that paying the charge but not negotiating with these companies would be preferable to those negotiations?

WELLS: Thanks, Harry. Good to be with you. I would say that we have legislated the news bargaining incentive through the Australian Parliament. We did that a few months ago now. We had to do that in response to the fact that the initial set of news bargaining laws, as set by the previous government, hadn't delivered what media outlets in particular were hoping, which was, platforms paying for their fair share of news that they were using. So the news bargaining incentive is a significant government intervention to require tech platforms to pay either deals with individual media outlets or a levy for government to distribute to media outlets. So we are hopeful that the fact that we have legislated the news media incentive through the Parliament incentivises deals as both sides of that equation told us it would. And I guess we're still only a few months into that, and I keenly meet with your bosses, tech platforms, and I guess we're all hoping that the intent of the policy is what it delivers.

CLARKE: Australian newsrooms, as we all know, are continuing to contract, particularly outside the metropolitan markets. Does the government believe that the current funding and regulatory framework is sufficient to sustain a viable Australian journalism industry into the future – say, over the next 10 years?

WELLS: Well, obviously as you've experienced, Harry, I love Australian journalists. I love them. I love- every day, I do. No one has done more than me for Australian journalists in this moment.

CLARKE: It's a love-hate relationship.

WELLS: What I would say is this - we have legislated a setting that we were told by all stakeholders would be the best way to incentivise deals. We did that, and now we're waiting for that to come to fruition. But even this week, we have put tens of millions of dollars of direct investment into news and Australian news outlets, newsrooms across the country. And we do both - we directly invest to help keep these outlets alive, because they are so important to Australian democracy. And then hopefully we create the legislative incentives for tech platforms to do the right thing and pay their fair share.

CLARKE: Still within your Communications portfolio - and again, it's not sport-related, obviously, but it's highly topical because it's all sort of afoot this week - and that is the under-16 social media ban and the High Court challenge that's currently underway just in the past couple of days. I understand you spent some time inside the courtroom. You said outside the courtroom the other day that you're confident that the ban will withstand the constitutional challenge. What gives you that confidence?

WELLS: Well, that's not how I would characterise what I said out the front of the High Court. As a graduate of Griffith University law I would never cast aspersions about the deliberations at the High Court. But I would say, as the second defendant in the case, I have to work with the Commonwealth lawyers on our submissions and on the case. We spent a lot of effort putting forward our best case, because I genuinely believe that this is a question of Australian democracy. A tenet of Australian democracy is your right as an Australian to be free from harm and, in particular, Australian children to be free from harm, and that is under attack. It is under sustained attack, not just by the advocates who are putting this to test at a high court case, but against those who seek to prevent us from legislating a digital duty of care. Last week, we got that through the House of Representatives. I'll seek to negotiate that through the Senate in the last week of sitting before we rise for the year. And the kind of arguments that are being made about why this shouldn't happen, no parent would accept. The harms that Australian children are suffering online are very real, and the tech companies that offer these platforms should own the risk and mitigate against those risks. So I'll keep pushing. I'll do everything I can because I truly believe this is the most compelling policy question that I will face. 

CLARKE: In the event that the constitutional challenge is successful and the legislation is deemed unconstitutional, will you seek to make amendments and bring forward a revised version? 

WELLS: Let me try and word my answer carefully, because it is before the High Court. If you look at the submissions of Digital Freedom Project and Reddit, they say that a digital duty of care is a targeted way to address the harms that are occurring to under-16s online. I am trying to legislate the digital duty of care through the Australian Parliament. Anyone who agrees that what is happening to our kids online is of real concern, that lawmakers should take every opportunity to act, I hope will support our efforts to make this law in Australia and have us continue to be world leaders in this space and to get it done before Parliament rises for the year so that we can get it in effect as quickly as possible.

CLARKE: All righty. Now, I'll ask you to, again as you do all day and every day, jump from the communications back to your sports portfolio - ask about the Olympics. And generally, what's your sort of gut feeling? Is Brisbane and Queensland going to be ready? They've settled on an infrastructure program, the sods have been turned. There are shovels in the dirt. Looks like there's construction sites going and Olympic infrastructure stadiums are being built. Do you have confidence that things are okay?

WELLS: Yeah, I do. And when I became the Sport Minister in 2022, I think we celebrated 10 years to go. We're well under that now. And I hope that putting together all of the contributions the Federal Government is making towards the more holistic ways that you will find important across the four weeks of competition in 2032 helps give you confidence that we are really trying to give proper, diligent, holistic thought to all of our preparations beyond what you might perhaps see in the daily argey-bargey of venues,  construction in Brisbane.

CLARKE: All right. Thanks very much, Minister. We might start to throw open the floor. And first up, as I might have suspected, is Hayden Johnson from the Courier Mail.

JOURNALIST: Minister, the Prime Minister, at the Courier-Mail's Future Brisbane lunch a few weeks ago, said that Penrith could host rowing and Melbourne could host tennis if we wanted to save money and save time. Is that something that you support?

WELLS: I've said that before - I think the Prime Minister and I've said that on a number of occasions across four and a half years that we've been stewarding Brisbane 2032. Now, I am Queensland-born, Queensland-bred. When I die, I will be Queensland dead. There is no stronger advocate for Brisbane than I. But I understand that in Sydney 2000 there were different events that happened in other states. I understand that there are budget constraints across both or all three levels of government. I understand that venues may not be ready, or federations may have particular views and we've got to settle all of that. So I don’t think it's a controversial thing to say that might be necessary. Of course, I want Queensland to have the lion's share. Of course, I want all parts of Queensland - regional Queensland, southeast Queensland - to feel the magic of the fairy dust of the games. But I think that's possible to do whilst also taking into account existing venues that offer what international federations or athletes - like let's not forget, at the heart of this is what athletes need - to perform at their best for us.

JOURNALIST: Just on that. Athletes, there’s about 500 of them that don't want to go to Rockhampton for rowing. Do you want to go to Rockhampton for rowing?

WELLS: Personally? Look, I think I'm on my third round of the venue plan, because I've been the Federal Sport Minister for four and a half years, so I've seen three rounds of venue plans come through at this point. So, I'm adaptable. I'm agile. You know, the Queensland Government has come through - that's their right. They are delivering these venues. They get to make these decisions. I can remember that when the latest iteration of any plan came out, it was federal budget day, so I was otherwise engaged for most of the day. But at some point, a member of staff had to explain to me the difference between freshwater and saltwater crocodiles. That is the magic of the Games. But, at this point, we are in a process, and we should all respect the process. It's a rigorous process. International federations have to sign off. Every single international federation that seeks to have an event, Brisbane 2032, has to look at it from the perspective of their athletes and whether it does what their athletes need. And we're still in that process. So whilst I know you have a personal interest in this, and I commend you for it. I cannot give you anything more until we have that process complete.

CLARKE: And what about the crocs in the Fitzroy River? You can certainly- well, I mean it is serious that [Indistinct]...

WELLS: I learned that freshwater crocs are much more friendly. 

[Laughter]

CLARKE: Until you get close and personal with one, I’m sure. Questions from the gallery? Yes, Jess from the ABC.

JOURNALIST: Minister Wells, obviously, there's been reports emerge overnight about netball's likely inclusion in the games. We know the sport program won't be announced until formally or confirmed until April. As a member of the Brisbane 2032 board, do you see a world where, feasibly and financially, both cricket and netball can exist in the 2032 games, given they're both team sports, and we need to keep that athlete quota down? Or at a reasonable level?

WELLS: I think the short answer is yes. I see a world where that's possible. May I again present my respect for the authority, the IOC, making the decisions about the sports program, because Kirsty Coventry is leading a necessary and righteous Fit for Future program, where she's reviewing the entire Olympic Sports program. She's come in as the new president. That's a good thing for her to do. For us, that means that we need to wait until April to have finality and certainty around what our sports program looks like. But we do know that Australia will be able to determine about a handful of sports to go in, in Brisbane 2032. I've believed this for a long time, but I chose the Queensland Media Club today to nail my colours to the mast and say that I believe netball should be one of them.

JOURNALIST: Minister, Andrew from the Guardian, have you seen a PVR report for Victoria Park yet? 

WELLS: I haven't, but I wouldn’t, because the Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Catherine King, oversees the PVRs. I know that we've got six in of the seventeen. But it wouldn't, by default, come to me as the name on the envelope from the Queensland Government. 

JOURNALIST: Nobody in the Federal Government has a PVR for the biggest stadium so far?

WELLS: I think that's right. I think the last update I had from Minister King is that we've got six of the seventeen, and that's, you know, Barlow Park, Moreton Bay, [Indistinct]…

JOURNALIST: The reason I ask is you said minimising uncertainty is crucial for athlete performance. There was a poll by a Resolve Political Monitor in October which said that about two-thirds of Queenslanders have little to no confidence that we'll be able to build all these venues within that $7.1 billion dollars. Given that it’s five and a bit years until we have to have it done, are they right to think that we're probably going to blow it out given the short time frame? 

WELLS: I don't think that media articles speculating about uncertainty helps athletes with their uncertainty in preparation for the game. I wanted to emphasise today that all governments are working really well together, and we are all shoulders to the wheel on getting this done, and the Brisbane Stadium will be an incredible venue for us all to enjoy when it happens. And everyone is doing their utmost around all of the variables that we all have to navigate, and the athletes are well aware of because they compete in major events each and every year. 

JOURNALIST: Thanks, Harry. Minister Wells, Andrew Stafford from AAP. You told us that you wanted to win and win well. How worried are you about the battle to keep the Games clean in 2032, and will there be further investments to keep pace with the tech behind doping? 

WELLS: So, as the Federal Sport Minister, I oversee Sport Integrity Australia, which is our national organisation that leads this work for us. We have continually funded, and we've had to ratchet up funding for Sport Integrity Australia since it was even introduced in 2020, under my predecessor Richard Colbeck brought it in, and we know that the question of integrity in sport is so important. We've had to continually ratchet up funding to keep pace, because the kind of testing that we're talking about now, the kind of levels that athletes are at when these things come under question, we're talking about a teardrop in an Olympic-sized swimming pool, trying to detect that. So that needs forefront technology, and I'm working with the Minister for Industry on being best prepared for Brisbane 2032 in that space.

JOURNALIST: This one's not about Rockhampton. You talked about nailing your colours to the mast on netball. You're obviously one of 15 members on the OCOG. I'm just wondering how you navigate that personal view, with what has to be unanimous support of OCOG. Have you run the netball support by them? 

WELLS: Well, it isn't actually a unanimous support protocol that is required. It is the IOC who makes the decision about which handful of sports makes into the Brisbane 2032 program. So, I did speak with some of my colleagues on OCOG ahead of making this announcement today to show respect, but I don't think they were surprised because I have voiced this opinion in that forum for some time. It is the biggest female sport in Australia. It deserves its moment to shine in Brisbane 2032.

JOURNALIST: So, at another one of these events a couple of months ago, I asked the Deputy Premier about this. Every Olympics up until our one has had some kind of emissions target. So, in LA they were targeting for a net positive emissions goal. Brisbane, when we got the initial contract, part of that contract was a net positive. There’d be less emissions as a result of the Olympics than they would have been if we didn’t have one. That's now gone. The Deputy Premier, when I asked him about this, said that we don't have any target at all. There is no emissions target for our Olympics. Because he removed that completely, because it would add cost. Do you think that was a good decision?

WELLS: I think this is a good example of how, as the federal partner, in the Brisbane 2032 Games, we are a partner, but the host is Queensland in partnership with Brisbane City Council, defer to our interjurisdictional colleagues on decisions where they bear the budget impact of it. Yes, that's right. Everybody considers it. We certainly consider sustainability in our deliberations on OCOG. But ultimately, like with the venue plan, that is their prerogative as the Queensland Government, and I do my best to work in and to add value from a federal perspective. 

JOURNALIST: Minister, can you shed some light? You talk about respecting the authority of the IOC. It's something the State Government occasionally doesn't do. We had the Deputy Premier effectively blackmailing the IOC about rowing in Rockhampton. Can you shed some light on where the relationship is with Brisbane 2032, the Federal Government, and the State Government, and the IOC?

WELLS: I would say it is, in my experience, day to day, meeting to meeting, far less bombastic than you’d read in the media. It is collaborative. Everybody understands that we're all coming from a different perspective, and we're all trying to discharge our duties from that perspective. So, like I just said to you, as a Queenslander born and bred, nonetheless, I understand that there might be different sports that go to different states, and I, as the Federal Sport Minister, need people from Broome or Devonport or Alice Springs to also feel a buy-in to the games. So, I think there is a natural tension that is well discharged, because we are all so earnestly trying to give everyone the Brisbane 2032 that will help lift the nation, unite the nation. Sport makes us want to hug strangers, that’s what we’re chasing with the four weeks in 2032. 

CLARKE: All righty. No more questions from the floor? I might just finish on one that comes to cost, and I sense you might refer me to Catherine King. But the federal envelope for infrastructure is $3.43 billion Now, notoriously, it seemingly is the world we live in, the cost to build and develop these major infrastructure projects, they blow out. The Crisafulli Government insists that what they're going to do is deliver this infrastructure project on time and on budget. But given the nature of construction and development, and cost blowouts just seem to be inevitable, do you see a world where the Federal Government opens up its $3.42 billion cheque book further if Queensland gets stuck, and we're 12 months out and we need a new stand of seats or something in Victoria Park. I mean, could the Federal Government increase its budget, do you think, at all? 

WELLS: We don't just have a gentlemen's agreement. We have an intergovernmental agreement that both sides of government signed. Where, yes, the federal contribution is capped at $3.43 billion, and in that we pledge to work together, we collaborate with each other, all major decisions we run past either side. And that is why, even when you'll remember in the second to third iteration of the venue plan, we really wanted the Brisbane Arena as part of that. I went out publicly, because we, the Prime Minister and I, believed in that, not the decision that the current Queensland Government took. That's fine. We're working with them, that's their prerogative. And ultimately, it's the Queensland Government that underwrites these Games. So ultimately, I try to work in and add value from a federal perspective, because if they make decisions around venue capacity, around savings, it is them ultimately that has to underwrite the operational costs of the Games. And I'm here if you need, here to support. But ultimately, those are the formal agreements that we each entered into, and that we each will continue to discharge. 

CLARKE: The Honourable Anika Wells, plenty for us there, I think. Really appreciate your time. Thank you very much. Can we have a round of applause.