Prime Minister Anthony Albanese discusses Black Summer, infrasture in south coast visit

In a swift visit to the south coast, Anthony Albanese has revealed how his government plans to tackle local issues such as the bushfire threat and road infrastructure upgrades. See the top five takeaways.

In a swift visit to the south coast, Anthony Albanese has revealed how his government plans to tackle major issues such as the bushfire threat, road infrastructure upgrades and the future of the local pharmacies.

The Prime Minister met with members of the community and local politicians where he discussed the threat of a possible second Black Summer, major infrastructures from the Milton/Ulladulla Bypass, to the Jervis Bay Flyover and more.

Here are Mr Albanese’s responses to the issues impacting the south coast and how he wants his government to deal with them:

Black Summer 2.0

Mr Albanese was questioned on how his government could stop a repeat of the massive bushfires which devastated the south coast in late 2019, early 2020.

“You're asking me to defy science,” he said. “No politician who’s serious can stand and say that they can guarantee that there will never be a natural disaster again in this country.”

However, Mr Albanese did reveal what his government had been doing to lessen the impact of major natural disasters, like fires in the region.

Mogo on the south coast was hit hard in Black Summer, with 17 businesses burning down.

“I think what people want is governments to be practical, to respond in an orderly way, to do what they can in the short term,” he said.

“[This] is what we're doing by providing a national large air tanker to supplement the NSW fleet, to implement the new Australian Fire Danger ratings system that we’ve done, to provide resources to ensure that communities can respond as quickly as possible, to have that meeting of state Emergency Ministers and to make sure that we undertake fuel load reduction strategies as soon as possible.”

Bushfire Regeneration

Mr Albanese, along with Gilmore federal MP Fiona Phillips, announced the completion of the $225,000 Forest Recovery Project at Milton Rural Landcare Nursery.

The project, funded by the federal government and the NSW Government Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund, has provided on ground support to 15 property owners in the Milton-Ulladulla area to manage regenerating bushland, by taking weeds from burnt areas and using seeds and cuttings collected from local native plants to replace them, reducing fire fuel.

“It was so exciting to show the Prime Minister firsthand how our South Coast spirit is helping us to recover and build our resilience,” Mrs Phillips said.

Jervis Bay Flyover

There has been recent questioning among the Nowra community as to whether the Jervis Bay Flyover would be completed, with major statewide infrastructure projects currently under a joint federal and state review.

The flyover is arguably one of the most long-awaited pieces of infrastructure in the region, with the stretch of highway outside Nowra being famous for clogged traffic and fatal crashes.

However, despite the review, Mr Albanese confirmed the project was still going ahead.

Transport NSW plans for the Jervis Bay flyover.

“Everything is part of the infrastructure review,” he said.

“I want to make sure it’s delivered because this is an important project. I’ve seen for myself why it’s necessary and we’ll get on with the job of doing it.

“This is a short, sharp review to make sure that every dollar goes to the right project at the right time, and this will be a priority.”

Ulladulla and Nowra Bypasses

In the 2022 federal election, both sides of the aisle committed to the Nowra bypass; however with the election now more than a year ago, very little on the project has been heard again.

However, Mr Albanese said the project was moving along as planned.

Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese visited Milton on the NSW south coast on Tuesday.

“In January, just this year, we put additional money into the project,” he said.

Similarly to the Jervis Bay Flyover, both the Nowra and Ulladulla bypasses are under costings review.

Mr Albanese said the review was needed for projects like these to ensure correct budgets were allocated.

“What you do is that you get the right policy, the right framework in place, and then you get on with delivering that infrastructure,” he said. “My government is determined to do that.”

Community Pharmacies

There has been concern about the impact of the government’s 60-Day Dispensing scheme on local pharmacies, which are bracing for less customers and a financial hit.

The scheme, which begins in September 1, will see patients living with a chronic condition able to receive two months’ worth of common PBS-listed medicines for the price of a single prescription, rather than the current one month’s supply.

Local Nowra pharmacy, Atlis Country.

However, many community based pharmacies have said the move would lead to less foot traffic, resulting in local pharmacies potentially having to fire staff and possibly shut doors.

Despite this, Mr Albanese defended the move, reaffirming his belief in the decision.

“We have cost-of-living pressures and the idea that where someone has a permanent condition where they have to get medicine for the rest of their lives – diabetes or a heart condition – that they should not get 60-day dispensing but should remain at 30-day dispensing, paying twice the amount, defies common sense,” he said.

Mr Albanese said rather than suffering, local pharmacies would benefit from the scheme.

“We want to provide support for community pharmacies and we’ll continue to do so,” he said. “And I note that every single dollar that is saved from the Commonwealth is going back into community pharmacies on this program.”