THE HON TANYA PLIBERSEK MP
MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
SUNRISE WITH NATALIE BARR
MONDAY 26 AUGUST 2024
SUBJECTS: FOREVER CHEMICAL INQUIRY, NORTHERN TERRITORY ELECTION.
NATALIE BARR: A Parliamentary Inquiry has been launched by Senator Lidia Thorpe into the dangers of "forever chemicals", as they're called, after Sydney Water detected cancer causing toxins in the city's drinking water. But while the levels are within Australia's drinking water guidelines, they are well above US safety thresholds. That has led to mounting calls for the Government to meet global standards and implement routine water testing across our country.
For their take, let's bring in Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, and Nationals MP, Barnaby Joyce. Good morning to both of you.
BARNABY JOYCE: Good morning.
BARR: Tanya, is this the asbestos of the 21st Century?
TANYA PLIBERSEK, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER: Look, I think we have to cautious with PFAS and related chemicals, and that's why in fact I've banned the importation of a whole lot of chemicals in this class from 1 July next year; it's why we're doing the Drinking Water Guideline Review the Health Minister, Mark Butler has brought forward; it's why we support the Senate Inquiry.
We do need to be a little bit cautious about the comparison with asbestos, of course, because even the tiniest exposure, even once off to asbestos can be deadly, and we don't have that sort of information for PFAS and similar chemicals.
We're watching as the evidence grows internationally. We are updating our water guidelines, and we are working with the States and Territories closely, of course they've got primary responsibility for what's happening with drinking water in their State and Territory.
BARR: Barnaby, we've got Australia's chemical levels in drinking water roughly four times what's allowed in the US. Should we change I know we're looking at it, but it feels like there's been lots of stories this week, and now we're sort of looking at it. Should we match the US?
JOYCE: I'm kind of with Tanya on this one. You've got to make sure that you don't go from wanting to get rid of forever chemicals to getting rid of every chemical, because you can't get rid of every chemical. There are traces of certain chemicals in water, like at [inaudible] here there's uranium in the water, if you shut it down, you just don't have any water.
We've got to make sure that it's healthy, we've got to make sure that we don't put people in unnecessary harm, but you can't remove any possible iota of any risk, that is not possible, and if you try to get rid of every chemical, then you're going to create massive problems, because of course, you've got chlorinated water, you’ve got chemicals that you need to stop weeds growing, and you know that it's a balance thing, isn't it, but if it's an absolutist thing, it can become you can create more problems than you're fixing.
BARR: Yeah, I see what you mean. And let's not be alarmist about it, let's look into it first. Tanya, do you have a water filter to filter out these chemicals in your house?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: No, I drink tap water. Nope, I drink tap water, and I'm actually very pleased to drink tap water, because I know that, you know, Australian drinking water or Sydney drinking water is some of the best in the world, and particularly because it's got fluoride in it for protecting teeth.
We see a lot of kids growing up in areas where they're filtering their water or drinking bottled water actually end up with terrible cavities in their teeth.
So, I'm not panicking, I'm still drinking the tap water. I think it's important to look at the evidence from the United States, we're doing that. The Senate Inquiry will look at why the US has changed its drinking water guidelines. We're updating ours; the Health Minister's brought forward that update, but I don't think we need to panic. We need to be cautious, but we don't need to panic.
BARR: Okay, moving on. Tanya, Labor suffered a landslide election defeat in the Northern Territory over the weekend, being reduced to just four seats. The issue of crime front and centre of this campaign. Is this a warning sign for Labor?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well, we don't take anything for granted. I mean in my own seat I've been campaigning since the day after the last election, and we've got the same attitude as the Government. We've got to firmly focus on what matters to people, and what matters most at the moment is the cost of living, and that's why we're so focused on making sure people earn more, keep more of what they earn, every Australian taxpayer gets a tax cut, minimum wages are up about $7,000 since we came to Government, cheaper childcare, cheaper medicines, free TAFE, writing off some of those uni debts.
The reason we're doing all of this is because we are listening to Australians who are telling us that they're finding it tough to make ends meet, and that's why we've got to focus on that. Electricity bill relief, throw that one in the list as well.
BARR: Barnaby, the Northern Territory has the highest rates of domestic violence in this country, a broken hospital system; a lot of problems up there. Should this be a warning for Labor, or is this a different set of circumstances?
JOYCE: Well, I've always said we do follow the polls as politicians, and of course it's a warning for Labor. But when you look at it it's a poll of about 150,000 people living in both an urban environment, a regional environment, a remote environment, and even in areas even Natasha Fyles who's struggling for her seat this morning, the Environment Minister, lost their seat, I think it was.
It was devastating for Labor, and what it does show, yes, they are worried about the cost of living, and they most certainly are worried about crime and being safe, and it was only the other week they announced the biggest the best intermittent power solar factory you know, solar field in the world in the Northern Territory. That doesn't move a vote.
If you concentrate on --
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: It's a great news story. Thanks Barnaby for mentioning it.
JOYCE: -- things like intermittent power - intermittent power, on swindles factory, on solar, on all these other things that are marvellous, marvellous there's some areas in Darwin that went towards the Greens. Yes, there are people who worry about this, but they're a very small group. And what's happened with the Labor Party is they're concentrating on
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Up to 1,300 jobs at its peak.
JOYCE: -- on that small group -- concentrating on that small group and lost sight of the big group, and the big group voted them out, and absolutely, if I was in the Labor Party, I know their tacticians would be going through this with a fine tooth comb, going, "There is a poll of 150,000 people, and we went very, very badly in it", and that's why there was such intense interest in the Northern Territory electorate, and now Lia Finocchiaro has got a massive job in front of her, massive debt left by Labor, a massive crime problem left by Labor, and she's going to have to make some really hard decisions to clean it up, and I wish her all the very, very best on behalf of the people of the Northern Territory.
BARR: Tanya, you do go over it though, you do comb over it though surely.
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well, I join with Barnaby in wishing Lia the very best for governing. It's a tough place to govern; there's a lot of challenges there, a lot of social and economic challenges. I am pleased that Barnaby mentioned that huge solar farm that we ticked off last week, that's well over 1,000 jobs at the peak of construction
JOYCE: Where are these jobs? Mythical jobs.
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: -- it will provide --
JOYCE: -- where are the jobs?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: -- four gigawatts - four gigawatts --
JOYCE: Where are these jobs, Tanya, where are they? Where are these jobs, these green jobs.
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: When it's built, Barnaby. And actually, I was in Townsville the other day, I sat next to an electrical engineer on the plane on the way home who was telling me about all the work he's getting with hooking up the renewable energy plans to --
JOYCE: Tanya, we've got --
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: -- projects to the --
JOYCE: -- I can take you to all the coal towns, Gunnedah, Singleton --
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: -- to the green, Barnaby, there are jobs there.
JOYCE: -- where are the renewable towns? Where's the big renewable towns, Tanya?
BARR: Okay.
JOYCE: Name one.
BARR: We might --
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: You've got your head in the sand actually, Barnaby, if you don't see --
JOYCE: Which town is it, Tanya, which town --
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: -- if you don't see the renewable energy jobs there --
JOYCE: Tanya - no, no, Tanya just tell me.
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: -- as those places are being built --
JOYCE: -- Tanya, which is tell me, which is the renewable town, where's the renewable town?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: -- and hooked up --
JOYCE: Where's the renewable town?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: They're all over the place, all --
JOYCE: Where's the towns where all the jobs are renewables?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: All over the place.
JOYCE: Or that are mainly renewable?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well, Sussan Ley ticked off a big farm near you, Barnaby.
JOYCE: Which one? Just - there's no - there's no job -
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Sussan Ley ticked off a big one near you.
JOYCE: They're fly in fly out, Tanya, they're fly in fly out workers, they don't live here.
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: You've got your head in the sand, Barnaby, you're in denial.
JOYCE: No, Tanya --
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: You're in denial.
BARR: Okay.
JOYCE: That's why you lost in the Northern Territory. This is the attitude that lost you the Northern Territory. Keep going.
BARR: Okay. There's the bell. I think you've both had your say, very good say, and we'll leave it for next week. Thank you.
END
