DOORSTOP | NYAAL BAYUL GEELONG CONVENTION AND EVENT CENTRE | GEELONG
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP INTERVIEW
GEELONG, VIC
SUNDAY, 21 JUNE 2026
SUBJECTS: Opening of Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre; Bird Flu; Fuel Excise Tax; One Nation and the Liberals
STATE MEMBER FOR GEELONG, CHRIS COUZENS: Hi everyone, and welcome to Wadawurrung Country, known as Geelong, to the opening of Nyaal Banyul Convention Centre. And it’s my privilege to introduce our beautiful Premier Jacinta Allan, and of course, Richard Marles, the Deputy Prime Minister- I won’t call him beautiful. So, I’ll now hand over to our Premier of Victoria.
PREMIER OF VICTORIA, JACINTA ALLAN: Thanks, Chris. It is a really proud day to join with my state Labor team and proud local members, including Chris Couzens, Ella George, Alison Marchant, and Gail Tierney, and to be with the Deputy Prime Minister as well, Richard Marles, who’s also a very proud local member of Parliament. Because what we are here today to mark is not just the opening of an incredibly significant landmark piece of infrastructure for Geelong, it’s part of Geelong and Victoria’s future. And that is why our Labor government has invested over $400 million in Nyaal Banyul, because of what it represents for Geelong and Victoria’s future. We invest as Labor governments, in infrastructure like this to support jobs during the construction phase, and there was more than 1,000 jobs during the construction phase, and some of the workers are with us here today, and I want to thank you all for bringing your skills and talents and abilities to building something so incredibly special that you can be so proud of, to talk about for generations to come, that you are part of building Nyaal Banyul. But also, too, now that it’s finished and it’s open for business, we can see how it’s going to be such a big and important part of Geelong’s future, and that’s why we’ve also made this significant investment in the Geelong Convention and Exhibition Centre, that’s known as Nyaal Banyul. Because it’s about an investment in people and investment in the future of the region of Geelong, because the events- and we’ve already got more than 80 events booked in for the coming weeks and months ahead, and these are events and activities that will both support jobs for people who work here at the centre, but it’s also going to bring huge economic benefit across the Geelong region from the broader hospitality and tourism region businesses that will benefit from each and every visitor that comes to Nyaal Banyul for an event, for a conference, for a major function that brings people into the region, and with that brings economic opportunity. That’s why Nyaal Banyul represents so much more than bricks and mortar, it’s an investment in the people and the future of this great regional city, and it’s why I’m so pleased and proud that our Labor government made that investment. I must say it’s indicative of the sorts of investments that only Labor governments make in our regional cities, because we understand that you’ve got to bring the tools and resources of government to invest in the infrastructure that’s needed today to support jobs today, but also it’s a big pointer to what the future of our regions look like, and that’s always where Labor governments have a focus on; what does the future of regional Victoria looks like, and you deliver that future through investments like we have here today at Nyaal Banyul. I’ll now have hand over to the Deputy Prime Minister.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, RICHARD MARLES: Thank you Premier. And it really is a thrill to be here with Jacinta Allan, the Premier of Victoria and Chris Couzens and the entire Geelong Labor team, along with Steve and Michaela who have come down from the city for the opening. It is hard to describe the thrill that we all feel as citizens of Geelong in this moment; the opening of Nyaal Banyul. It means open your eyes to the hills and if you look to my left, you can really see the capturing of that phrase as we look to the You Yangs but I think from all of us here we feel we really saying to Australia, open your eyes to Geelong because this is an opportunity by virtue of this Convention Centre now for Geelong to become one of the great gathering places of Australia. And for really as long as I have been involved in representing the people of Geelong, having a world class Convention Centre here has been a long held dream. So, to be opening this today really does represent and enormous thrill. It is an exercise in cooperation between three tiers of government, the City of Greater Geelong, the Albanese Federal Labor Government – it is a $450 million project- but I really want to acknowledge the heavy lifting here has been done by the Allan State Labor Government, and it is an enormous credit to them to the work that they have put in to making today a reality. Finally, if I could just thank all of those workers who are gathered around me right now. It has been an incredible effort to deliver this on time, on budget and they have produced a place of beauty. And we’re really excited that in just 12 days’ time- I think- the practical opening of this will happen with its first event which will be the Barwon Health’s Foundation Gala Dinner. And that says something as well, because up until now we have not had a ballroom in Geelong where we can celebrate our major events. It is really fitting that that should be the first event that is happening here. And I know all of those workers have done such a great job in getting the Convention Centre to this point now. I am really excited about the next phase of seeing this in operation with that event in 12 days’ time. And Premier, thank you for partnering with us and the city in delivering what is an absolutely a world class facility. And with that, happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: In terms of bird flu, what’s the situation right now, and what’s the government doing to protect farmers?
MARLES: Well, as you would be aware, there has been a case of bird flu in Western Australia and a second case which is being investigated. In fact, the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness- which is literally just over there, in Geelong- has been critical in terms of identifying this, it has played a really important role here. Bird flu is, of course, on every continent around the world, we are the last continent to be touched by it. We are investing $113 million into seeing Australia be prepared for it. And we are concerned and obviously taking every precaution we can here and doing everything we can to mitigate this and try and contain it. But we will be working with agencies around the country, including the Australian Centre of Disease Preparedness. And I think Australians, farmers and the agriculture sector should take some comfort in that those agencies are amongst some of the best in the world.
JOURNALIST: I was just jumping onto the fuel excise, which everyone is watching. Is the cut an extension of an additional spend in the Budget or have you offset the savings elsewhere?
MARLES: We’ve been really focused actually, since we’ve come to government on measures which are around the cost of living, and when events started playing out in the Middle East, and we saw the global oil price go up, which was reflected of petrol bowsers not only in Victoria, but around the country. We were very minded to make sure that we were acting in that moment, and that’s why we cut the fuel excise at that point. We said it would always be temporary. We acknowledge the states played their parts as well in helping to reduce the fuel price at that point. Obviously, we are wearing this in the context of the Budget, and we continue to manage the Budget in the prudent way that we have. What the Prime Minister has announced today is a return to normality, but doing that in a phased way, which will see an extension through to the end of July, or actually the beginning of August, but doing that, doing it in a two-step way to return to normality.
JOURNALIST: What would be your message to consumers or drivers? Would it be that we don’t a repeat what we saw a couple of months ago with the panic buying?
MARLES: Well, I think what consumers, firstly, can have a sense of confidence about is that since the moment that this conflict arose, as a government we’ve been utterly focused on making sure that fuel supply has been secured in Australia, such that we can say right now there’s more fuel in Australia today than there has been, than there was immediately prior to the beginning of this conflict, that’s a significant achievement. And from the outset we saw the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, myself in our region doing what we can to work with our partners to make sure that there was the supply of fuel to Australia, and that has been delivered throughout the course of the last few months. Obviously, we look to the ceasefire and the MOU, which has now been signed by the United States and Iran, with some optimism about what is playing out over the coming months. And I’d be saying to consumers that you’ve got a government which has been very much focused on that supply, having been there, and we’ve been focused on doing our best to reduce the cost to consumers through what we, the steps we took in relation to the fuel excise. But since the MOU has been announced, we’ve seen the global oil price come down significantly. Obviously we hope that that continues, and we will, in returning to normal, do this in a phased way.
JOURNALIST: Just one quick question from ABC Regional. One Nation’s discussed increasing regional funding in coal, gas, and nuclear. How does Labor’s policy into the regions differ from this?
MARLES: Well, I think when you look at what we hear from One Nation, what we get is a vibe. We do not get detail, and if I’ve learned anything about what it is to govern, I’m sure Premier would say the same thing, governing is actually about detail and policy. You don’t change people’s lives by articulating a vibe, and that’s all we get from One Nation in respect of that. Now we have been very focused on managing the transition in respect of energy in this country. Net zero is important, but it is an enormous economic opportunity, and an enormous economic opportunity for the regions. We see that here in Geelong, as we are seeing ourselves become a centre in respect of renewable energy infrastructure, particularly to our west. We will continue to make sure that that management takes place in a way which benefits regional Australia and benefits the national economy, but we’ll also do it in a way which focuses on the detail and actually achieving outcomes for Australians in a real and practical sense, rather than just articulating the vibe, which is all we hear from One Nation.
[State questions omitted]
JOURNALIST: The federal government is extending some fuel relief, what are the states doing the GST (inaudible) ?
MARLES: We’ve probably answered that. As the Premier has just said there is a National Cabinet meeting tomorrow and so all of that will be discussed there. Obviously we are talking with the states, and states played a really important part when we first announced a cut to the fuel excise, in terms of helping in relation to the GST to further reduce the price of fuel. But that will all be worked through with the states tomorrow. I think what is important here, as we see the transition back to normality, what the Prime Minister has announced today is that we are doing that in a phased way.
JOURNALIST: The ABC has got one more for you. I promise this is the last one. What do you think of the Coalition’s plans for the fair share guarantee- do you think it will work with One Nation’s policy – oh that’s very convolutet. They’re asking about the – no, I am going to have to leave it, I don’t really understand what they’re asking. But they’re asking about One Nation’s policy to work with the Coalition on the fair share guarantee.
MARLES: Look, I think the way you’ve asked the question actually highlights beautifully how confusing One Nation’s policies are. When One Nation goes out there and talks, it’s really hard for anyone to actually understand how that would translate into practice. So, I think that really says it all.
ENDS