Prime Minister Anthony Albanese lays out plans for Western Australia in first sit-down interview

WA is the first jurisdiction Anthony Albanese has committed to bringing his Cabinet to in his first 12 months as Prime Minister, showing his recognition for the State. And it won’t just be one trip, but two in the first year, including a possible visit to the Pilbara. In his first sit-down interview since being elected PM, Mr Albanese told The West Australian he had chosen Perth and either Port Hedland, Karratha or another regional city to hold two separate cabinet meetings in the next year. He said he would work with Premier Mark McGowan to find “an appropriate venue” in the engine room of the national economy. “I think it’s important for people to recognise that Western Australia isn’t just Perth, and I’ve always done that,” Mr Albanese said. “I want to take the entire Cabinet to one of the regions. It’ll be Port Hedland or Karratha or another of those important regions. I’ve consistently — as Labor leader — travelled to those regions, but over a long period of time as well. “The only commitments I’ve given (on Cabinet meetings) are to the West.” While in Opposition in May last year, he did plan to bring his shadow ministry to WA’s iron ore heartland in an effort to show Labor remained the party of blue-collar Australia. But due to the State’s COVID-19 restrictions, the WA meeting did not go ahead. Former PM Scott Morrison pledged to hold the first ever Council of Australian Governments meeting in Port Hedland in July 2020. However, the meeting was scrapped and COAG disbanded in favour of National Cabinet continuing beyond initial COVID-crisis talks. OVERSEAS TRIP The Labor Party leader exclusively told The West in a one-hour interview in his electorate office in Marrickville, Sydney, on Thursday — just a day after he returned from high-level security talks in Japan — that his second overseas trip would be to Indonesia in June. “If you look at the possibility of Western Australia providing power into Indonesia in the future, there are enormous prospects, and we have to seize the opportunities there,” he said. “One of the things about the Indo-Pacific is that we’re an Indo-Pacific nation, not just a Pacific nation. Indonesia’s such a critical nation to us, and India as well. I’ll be visiting Indonesia soon — before Parliament resumes.” The Prime Minister promised to visit WA at least 10 times a year and would be making a trip west before parliamentarians return to Canberra, which is set to be at the end of June or early July. He will meet with the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet on Friday to put together the “family-friendly” timetable, with no sitting days to fall during school holidays to take into consideration the number of working women and men with children. “I’ve made a long-term engagement with the West and that will continue. I’ll be a regular visitor and not just during election campaigns,” he said. GST DEAL Despite vowing to make frequent appearances in WA, Mr Albanese would not commit to making the State’s highest share of GST revenue a “forever deal” as his predecessor did. There has been growing agitation from other States over WA’s big Budget surpluses and GST carve-up, which was legislated by the Coalition in 2018 to ensure WA receives at least 70 cents for every dollar it contributes. A review is set for 2026/27. However, Mr Albanese said he would not be touching the GST deal before the next Federal election in 2025. “I will not change any of the plans that have been put in place,” he said. “From time-to-time, States will have different interests, and they’ll put them forward, and I respect that as well. That’s their task. My job is to implement what I said I would do and that was to provide that commitment, and we will stick by it. “Western Australia shouldn’t be punished for it success and the extraordinary efforts it made during the pandemic. The economic outcomes in WA helped the national economy because people were still going to work, the resources sector continued to operate, and the other businesses continued to operate. That should be applauded.” LIVE SHEEP EXPORTS During the election campaign, the Labor leader said he would phase out live-sheep exports if he became Prime Minister, despite Mr McGowan refusing to throw his support behind his own party’s policy. Mr Albanese still stands by his commitment to shut down the $136 million trade industry, but has yet to come up with a timeline. “There really isn’t a timeframe on it because we want to work with industry and work with State governments,” he said. “There’s already been a significant reduction in live-sheep exports and we’ll maintain the ban. We’re not talking immediate action. We want to make sure that the interests of farmers and jobs are protected. “I respect Mark’s position and that’s why we’ll work with the WA Government. I’m sure Mark will continue to play the constructive role that he always does.” JOBS SUMMIT When asked if he will hold Labor’s jobs summit in WA, the Prime Minister said it was unlikely. “We haven’t determined that yet, but it’s most likely to be in Canberra,” Mr Albanese said. “I think it’s important the national capital be respected. We held our national campaign launch in Western Australia.” The employment forum, forecast to be held in September, is expected to focus on more immigration, improved skills policy and simplifying collective bargaining. MULTICULTURAL MIX “You have a Prime Minister called Albanese and a Senate leader called Wong” is how the PM explained his ministry when asked by The West about the new cohort of elected members who represent modern Australia. WA’s potential newest senator, Fatima Payman, is a 27-year-old Muslim woman who was born in Kabul in Afghanistan, and came to Australia as a refugee when she was eight years old. “My team is more reflective of the Australian population,” he said. “It’s a good thing. The next Parliament will be the most representative of the Australian people that we’ve seen and it’s Labor that is leading the way. “The election of Sam Lim is very representative. Tracey Roberts was not born in Australia. “My caucus is more balanced in gender, which is an enormous breakthrough. Pat Dodson from Broome is a First Nations representative. We have six First Nations people in our caucus. It’s extraordinary and sends a message to the world about modern Australia.” The ALP leader would not say how many Cabinet ministers he would choose from WA ahead of a caucus meeting on Tuesday and the swearing in of his full ministry on Wednesday. “I have no intention of pre-empting those processes,” he said. “We’ll have those processes next week, but one of the things I’m very pleased about is that we have fantastic quality from WA and we have some quantity as well.” CLIMATE LEGACY In Tokyo on Tuesday, Mr Albanese told the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue summit that a Labor Government would reduce emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 — putting Australia on track for net zero by 2050 — with some conservative critics saying the targets were too extreme. It comes after he told The West’s Leadership Matters breakfast in Perth last week that he wanted his legacy to be climate change. “When you look back at the last nine years, it was a wasted opportunity. It’s like a pause button on climate change was hit by the Australian Government in 2013,” he said. “Australia has rejoined the globe and that’s good for Australian businesses and good for Australia’s economy. We need to be more self-reliant and more resilient. Advanced manufacturing needs to be done here. “Our policies have been endorsed by the Business Council Australia, the Australian Industry Group, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the National Farmers’ Federation.”