‍DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TERRITORIES
SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Pro-Palestine rally, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Melbourne protests, energy policy, net zero, renewable energy, transmission costs, VNI West project, police resources

SEAL 

To our top story and streets in Sydney filling up as 10s of 1000s of people are preparing to march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in a major pro Palestine rally, similar protests expected in Melbourne today as well. And joining us live is Dr Anne Webster, Shadow Minister for Regional Development. Dr Webster, thank you very much for joining us. You're in Mildura, in Victoria. What are people in your community saying about these protests?

WEBSTER 

Look, there's very little that I'm hearing at a local level. I think they're … you know, activists have a tendency to be in the major cities. They all work together. And so really, in Melbourne and Sydney, I'm watching as you are on a screen, and hope that there is no violence, hope that there is a reasonable approach. I mean, already in Melbourne, we see that some of the protesters are not doing what the police have asked them to do. So yeah, I just hope it's not another sad day in Australia's history.

HEATLEY 

Anne Webster, Kenny Heatley here, thanks so much for joining us on the program. If I can just turn your attention to energy now, we had the opposition energy spokesperson, Dan Tehan on Sky News this morning, who said a Coalition review into net zero and energy policy could take up to 12 months. Do you have any faith at all that the Coalition and the Nationals and the Liberal Party can draw a bridge between what the city voters are looking for and what regional voters are looking for.

WEBSTER 

Thanks. Kenny, I think it's a really good question, the suffering that we are experiencing out in the regions, where this rapid roll out of renewables and this really heavy handed approach by governments is not what the city cousins are experiencing, and we understand. I've been talking with Dan about net zero, where we sit. You know, the National Party is working through our process. We also have a committee. I'm attending those committees, and we want to address the economics. Somehow, we have to help our city cousins understand the economic pain that they will continue to endure with net zero. So, while the processes are all taking place. We are garnering information. I've just done a survey across my entire electorate, over 5,500, heading towards 6000 responses so far on a complete survey of the issues that matter to the people in Mallee, and I can assure you, energy bills are right up the top in terms of what is worrying families and businesses.

SEAL 

I think Dan Tehan said that energy is the economy on the show this morning, on Sunday Agenda. And certainly you know that that big debate that he mentioned this morning on nuclear energy, I know they've spoken to you numerous times Anne about the people around regional areas, as opposed to many people in the city, and the differences with nuclear potentially being a baseload energy. But then it's the cost factor and the timing as well. But if we do look at costs, I mean, look at what's happening with the opposition here. I mean where you are, for example, the VNI West transmission project, you're saying that it's blown out in terms of costs. So would you say that it's not just potentially nuclear, it's transmission and renewable energy as well.

WEBSTER 

100% we know that the latest report, which was, I mean, it was comparing only last year, so 2024, the transmission, VNI West, was, you know, set to cost around $3.6 billion. Now it could go up to $11.9 billion. That's one year. Where are we going to end up? It's also got a two-year delay. All of those costs come to taxpayers, they come on our bills, they come on taxes that the government are seriously looking at increasing in a couple of weeks at the productivity roundtable. So, you know, people need to understand that these policy decisions that Labor are taking will impact them personally. I'm always trying to encourage people, please don't lock out political discussions and what's going on in Parliament, because it is impacting you every day.

HEATLEY 

Anne Webster, just hold the line for a second, because we just want to show you these pictures coming out of Sydney live. It looks like this protest is just about to begin its march from the CBD to North Sydney. You can see Wikileaks founder there leading that March wearing a suit. He's kept a fairly low profile since his return to Australia in June of last year, but this march is just about to get underway. We saw Josh Lees from the Palestine Action Group, directing people towards the front there. Obviously, they're probably trying to get as many high profile people to lead the pack, and these 1000s of people as much as possible. Jaynie also, the weather has backed off a little bit. It was pouring with rain just a moment ago, but it looks like that’s eased back. You can see there's Josh Lees directing people there and leading a chant on the microphone.

SEAL 

And you mentioned a few high profile figures we might just take a little listen in... Oh, Sydney there, the March is about to get started, 1000s of people, and as you said, Kenny, it's certainly looking like it's dried out a bit, but the forecast is for more showers, but bringing back in Anne Webster, it's certainly a dry one in Victoria - well, certainly Melbourne where the protest is, we'll go to our reporter shortly. But again, you didn't really hear much in terms of the protests where you are in regional Victoria. You said it's more of a state, sorry, a city-based issue. But it's interesting hearing from Georgie Dickerson, our reporter in Melbourne, she mentioned that there had to be extra authorities coming in from four areas in Victoria. So in terms of assistance, police presence and the like, they've had to add more people in the Melbourne City area today due to the protests. So is that going to have a potential influence on where you are?

WEBSTER

Well, I certainly hope not. The police are depleted in numbers. We know that already, and if they're calling on, and I know they do call on our regional bases to be able to provide that back up in an instance like a protest. But the police also are very … you know, they've got to balance everything out so they will have enough police in my area. I'm sure there are police from Bendigo, Ballarat who've been called in, and let's hope they've got enough.

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