MATT “MACCA” MACCARTHY, HOST:
We welcome New South Wales Senator Tim Ayres this morning, Tim, how are you?
SENATOR TIM AYRES:
Oh Macca, I am good, Good to be on the show.
MACCA:
Absolutely. Good to have you back. Fair bit happening at the moment. We're keeping an eye on our roads. We're seeing more potholes than ever before. We're seeing patch fixes. But they tell us good news is on the way from the government with some more road funding. Where are we up to with that one? And particularly for the New England Highway here in Tamworth?
SENATOR AYRES:
Firstly, the problem. You're right. There are big challenges in regional roads, particularly with some of this weather making it very difficult in some sections in New South Wales. Good news on the project that you're inquiring about today, it is in the planning stages, the Goonoo Goonoo Road, it is likely to start construction by the end of the year. It is a $40 million project, the Australian Government is committing $32 million to that project, so that is underway. It occurs against the backdrop for the New England highway, the government's committed $764 million across six projects on the New England Highway, plus an additional $268 million for the Muswellbrook Bypass. That is a billion dollars of Commonwealth commitment to this very important highway that really is the artery that pulls the New England community together. But also, it is an important transport route between Queensland and New South Wales.
MACCA:
Good to see an approximate date there and we will have to hold the government to that one. Would be great to see work started on that one by the end of the year. And what about the Aquatic Centre? We left you with that one last week. Did you get any updates on that for us?
SENATOR AYRES:
Well, same answer as before. It is being considered. It is a process that as I understand it is up to the second round, I'm really looking forward to if I get a chance to come up to Tamworth soon, to have a talk to the Council and understand what the scope of the project is. They have been strong advocates for it and as I said in our last interview country towns need sports infrastructure. Not every project is funded because not every project can be funded. And we're not interfering in in the grant allocation process here. We're going to let the merit-based process do its work.
MACCA:
Talking of power bills, a lot of us have received our quarterly power bill at the moment. A lot of people are saying their power bills are actually up with the government telling us that the power bills are supposed to be down. What's the story?
SENATOR AYRES:
First of all, what is absolutely clear is that power bills are about 19 and a bit percent lower than they otherwise would have been. Because we've had the biggest energy shock in recent history with Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. Now that has meant that power bills, gas, coal, there has been a big impact on energy prices right around the world. That is being felt by Australian industry and Australian households. We have acted as a government to impose a set of measures, price caps essentially on gas and working with the state's, price caps on coal, and that has held back price rises. But price rises have happened they are just much less than they otherwise would have been. We are working on the long-term structural work that needs to go into our energy market to make sure that we're driving prices down. This short term but challenging set of issues related to this war in in Ukraine has complicated this work somewhat. But we are determined to keep downward pressure on prices. We get it - these are very challenging for households and difficult for Australian industry too, that's why we've worked hard on the gas price cap. It's a shame that the Opposition has voted against all of those propositions in the Parliament. But we are going to keep our eyes focused on the bottom line for Australian households and business.
MACCA:
It's funny to see this impact of the war in Ukraine and the situation over there. I know that around COVID, we were talking about COVID being the issue and whatever else obviously there is a ripple effect. But is it making that much of a difference to us, Tim?
SENATOR AYRES:
It certainly does. Richard Marles, the Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister for Defence, was in Kyiv after attending Anzac Day ceremonies in Gallipoli. Richard Marles travelled to give over the course of the last couple of days and plead additional commitment on behalf of the Australian Government. This conflict is an absolutely brutal and barbarous invasion of a sovereign country by its neighbouring country. It is illegal, it's immoral. And for Australia that matters, of course, in terms of our values. It has clearly had a big impact in terms of energy markets around the world. But this is a challenge to the rules-based order to international law, and the Australian Government, along with the rest of the governments of the world, stands united with Ukraine, and we're providing practical support and, in this case, an additional $100 million worth of support for this important struggle for freedom and sovereignty.
MACCA:
It's got to be hard. Australia's always been there for everybody else, and we remember and commemorate that, in particular last week with Anzac Day with massive celebrations right across the country and the world. For our expats that aren’t even living in Australia at the moment, what sort of support (you mentioned $100 million there), at what level of support are Australia providing to the people of Ukraine at the moment?
SENATOR AYRES:
Well, I haven't got the figures in front of me. We have been the largest non-NATO contributor and it's important to set out the reason why. It's principally because it is in Australia's interest. We benefit as Australians from having a rules-based order that is based upon the principles of international law. Small and medium sized countries should not be dominated by large countries. Australia advocates for our world where the principles of sovereignty rather than a might, is a right kind of world. That is why this Ukraine struggle is so important because what is occurring here is a large military power seeking to impose its will on a on a smaller country. That is absolutely in the Australian interest to make sure we stand alongside them, alongside all the Europe Union.
MACCA:
I'm going to have to cut you off there to go to the news. Thanks, Senator Tim Ayres.
ENDS.
