ROD CORFE, HOST: Joining us now, Senator for NSW, Assistant Minister for a Future Made in Australia, Tim Ayres. Good morning.

SENATOR TIM AYRES, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR A FUTURE MADE IN AUSTRALIA AND TRADE: Oh, mate, I'm really good. Good to talk to you and your listeners. I wish I was going to get there for the Burke Twilight Street Fiesta. That sounds fantastic. Penny Lumsden. That'd be great.

HOST: Come on down. You're welcome anytime

AYRES: I would, I would love to come. And if you're anywhere near Burke, you'd be mad to miss it. That sounds great.

HOST: Yes, we'll have a few feet tapping. How are you going?

AYRES: Pretty good, pretty good. You know, just putting one foot after another. It's the run up to an election, we're very focused on the election campaign and making sure that we are continuing to focus on the issues that matter for Australians, particularly the cost-of-living stuff and looking forward to the campaign.

HOST: Was it supposed to be called by now?

AYRES: Well, the PM's always had a preference to run a full term and the latest the election could be held is in May, if you discount the option of an additional half senate election. So, I think, I think that's where it's landed. Of course, you would have seen that over the last few weeks with Cyclone Alfred in Southeast Queensland and Northern NSW - that has really been the singular focus of the government over the last two or three weeks. The PM is very focused on making sure that all the capacity of the Federal government is deployed there effectively and that we're supporting very large population centres being hit by a cyclone and then a very heavy tropical low. I think what's interesting about what's happened there is it shows the Queensland, NSW and Commonwealth governments working together, as the PM said: no political parties, no state boundaries, just focusing on the interests of the people who are affected by it. We are steadily, as governments, learning the lessons of previous natural disasters. The preparation this time around was much more front loaded. You know, all of the work was done: staff and capabilities deployed, helicopters, trucks, all of the generators and equipment that's required to get people through. And it was a good demonstration of government working hard to learn the lessons. We've resourced the National Emergency Management Agency really thoroughly since we've come to government, and I'm pleased with the way that the government stood up and worked with people to get a much better result than we might otherwise have had.

HOST: One of the other things making a lot of news is that big storm across in America with Trump and tariffs.

AYRES: Yeah, well, this is a rocky road for Australia and for the global trading system. Australia is a medium sized economy and exports are crucial for our economic resilience, for our prosperity and particularly for jobs in the regions. You know, firms that export to the world offer more jobs, better quality jobs and higher wages than Australian firms that don't. So, protecting our trading interests is absolutely critical. No country secured an exemption on the aluminium and steel tariffs that have been imposed by the Trump administration. We've worked hard to try and secure a similar exemption to last time. But it was pretty plain, I think, from the US Administration that they've been determined to embark upon this course. We think it's the wrong policy, and it's a slap in the face. All it's going to do ultimately is put up prices for American consumers and businesses. We have more decisions coming along the way. The administration signalled that further tariffs may be imposed on imports of the United States from every country around the world. And there's decisions to be made over the course of April. So, we'll continue making the case for Australia, Rod. And the central message is the same that it's been from this government since we took office. We'll work on bilateral relationships, we'll focus on the things that matter. But overall, Australia's interests are best served by diversifying our exports and by diversifying the goods and services that we offer the world. And that's why the Future Made in Australia agenda is so important. Bringing back manufacturing, diversifying our economy, making it more complex. That makes Australia more resilient as a nation, makes us more secure, but also delivers very significant economic benefits to the regions because that's where the new manufacturing jobs will be.

HOST: We're hearing from Senator Tim Ayres. And with trade, it does open opportunities for trade with the rest of the country, other countries.

AYRES: Yes, that's exactly right. We are. Our steel and aluminium sectors, for example, they account for 0.18% of Australia's trade with the United States. So we are putting this absolutely into perspective. We don't want to understate or overstate the impact of these tariffs. But as I said before, if we take it from the general observation about diversifying and rebuilding our manufacturing sector in steel and aluminium, the government is determined to protect our current capability. That's why we put $2 billion in to secure the future of the Tomago aluminium smelter, the Boyne Island aluminium smelter in Central Queensland and the other aluminium processing facilities around the country because they’re key national assets. We've intervened with the South Australian government in the steel industry in Whyalla to protect that vital piece of national steel making infrastructure. Because Australia's future has to be in processing more of these minerals here in Australia. So; making iron, making steel, making aluminium, rather than just exporting iron ore and bauxite to the world. That means more diverse products, more manufacturing jobs, spreading the risk of the shocks in the global trading system and setting Australia up for a stronger economic and manufacturing future.

HOST: And a lot of places in Australia are taking advantage of the rare metals and getting that out of the ground.

AYRES: Yeah, critical minerals are absolutely core for our future. Australia is like the periodic table really in terms of the number of these critical minerals that we have. Some countries on Earth have got some of the critical minerals that are required for the big industrial transformations. There are semiconductors, wind towers and solar and batteries and all of the smart technology that's being built around the world requires these minerals. Some countries have some of them in vast quantities. Australia has all of them in vast quantities. And we have the world's best solar and wind resources. So, we can cheaply deploy that capability to process these minerals here. That creates good jobs, new factories and makes Australia stronger. That's what the future Made in Australia program is all about. It is the biggest pro-manufacturing package in our history, and it is focused on iron and steel, aluminium, critical minerals and national security related manufacturing questions. That's where the Albanese government is focused now, the alternative. Peter Dutton and Angus Taylor and David Littleproud and all of these characters say that they would tear all that down again and put us backwards in manufacturing terms. I don't think that's what Australians want. I think Australians instinctively understand that we need to rebuild our manufacturing capability if we're going to make our way successfully through what's going to be a very challenging three or four decades in front of us.

HOST: And quickly, the Western Sydney truck stop. Why is that important for the Federal government?

AYRES: Well, it's important for truck drivers coming in and out of Sydney. Sydney's infrastructure for truck drivers who drive into the city to deliver and then drive back out, driving for thousands of kilometres through regional NSW - while there's some infrastructure in regional NSW for truck drivers, there's nowhere really in Western Sydney that people can get a shower and get a rest and get a feed. This is really important in terms of safety. It's very close to the new Western Sydney airport. So, while it's located in Sydney, I think actually almost all of the truck drivers who use it will be regional truck drivers. I'm delighted to see that the Commonwealth government together with the Minns Government has funded this bit of infrastructure. A mate of mine, in the Senate, Labor Senator Glenn Sterle from Western Australia has been a really strong advocate. He was a truck driver before he came into Parliament. He can still be found driving trucks around Western Australia. He's a really passionate advocate for the truck driving sector and I know that he was the driving force, along with Minister Catherine King, in making sure that this facility is being built. I want to see it being built really fast - it's an important election commitment from us but it'll make a real difference for driver safety, just looking after truck drivers. It's a tough job and they deserve a bit of amenity and a bit of comfort. So, this facility ought to be a decent thing that makes a difference in truck drivers lives.

HOST: And finally today, Senator Tim Ayres: Medicare. It always raises its head, particularly as we head into an election. Medicare, and of course some people would like to see dental care put in.

AYRES: Well, Labor built the system. Every time the Liberals and Nationals get into government they dismantle important elements of the Medicare system. When Peter Dutton was the health minister for Tony Abbott in 2013, he ripped $50 billion out of public health. $50 billion. He tried to impose a GP tax, a new payment that would have made access to medical services more expensive. And he froze the Medicare rebate for six years which is one of the things that's created this system wide set of problems that Mark Butler and the government are trying to fix. So we've had 10 years of going in the wrong direction on Medicare. We have begun fixing the system. 87 urgent care clinics built around the country, 50 more if we are re-elected. We have put very significant resources into increasing the incentive for bulk billing practices so there's more bulk billing and of course we're focused on training doctors and working on the tough issues that we have not yet solved in regional towns - making sure that there's enough GPs, particularly locally trained GPs, to make sure that people are being looked after the way that they should. So, we're focused on building the system up. If Peter Dutton is elected, what people can expect and has clearly been signaled, is that he's going to have to find the money for $600 billion worth of publicly funded nuclear power stations from cuts from somewhere. He indicated that there are a series of cuts that he would make that he's going to tell people about after the election. Well, Medicare is one of the biggest areas of public expenditure and so expect that under a Dutton led government that there would be very significant cuts to Medicare. In terms of dental, Rod, I'd love to see all these things in the Medicare system. We have to make decisions along the way as a government that are about the best expenditure of public money. There are lots of good ideas about what should be improved but we have to make a clear-eyed assessment of making sure that it works, and that and that we're protecting the budget. We've delivered two budget surpluses. That's put downward pressure on inflation and we're going to keep that level of fiscal discipline if we're elected again later this year.

HOST: Thank you for your time today.

AYRES: Good on you Rod. Talk to you soon.

ENDS.