From: "Malcolm Turnbull" <Malcolm.Turnbull.MP@aph.gov.au>
Date: 17 April 2015 3:08:35 pm AEST

Dear Peter,

The re-election of the Baird Government in New South Wales was very well deserved. The Liberal Government has taken NSW from being rated the worst economic performer in the country in early 2011, to being the best performer.

Around the state, there is a feeling of confidence and a buzz of economic activity - whether in the many infrastructure projects now underway, long overdue after years of Labor neglect, in housing construction or in the retail sector which is now picking up.

Mike Baird has shown all of us that the economic reform era is not over. As long as Governments set out honestly and clearly the problems we face, the changes we need to deal with them and the benefits that will accrue from taking action, then they can secure public support.

Above all Mike was able to demonstrate the costs of doing nothing - of just kicking the can along the road - are extremely high.

That is why Treasurer Joe Hockey's release of the recent Intergenerational Report is so important, because it lays out in clear and unembellished detail the costs of doing nothing to improve our trajectory as a country.

Under the set of policies in place before the 2014-15 budget, we were on course to reach annual deficits of 11.7 per cent of GDP each year by the middle of the century.

That is, even under the rosy assumptions that we will see strong economic growth in coming decades, the Government was projected to rack up $139,900 of debt (in today's dollars) for every person in Australia.

The good news is that we are living longer, with better quality of life than in the past. By 2054-55 Treasury’s projections indicate there will be 40,000 centenarians, compared to only 122 Australians aged over 100 back in 1974-75. But of course this puts pressure on the Budget, by increasing pension, health and aged care costs.

And yet the real threat is to our competitiveness and standing as a highly skilled, high wage country with a generous social safety net. As I outlined in a recent speech in Brisbane, Australia will face a much more competitive economic environment in coming decades than we have previously.

Businesses that have traditionally been exposed to competition by other domestic firms are now competing against the whole world, thanks to the Internet. From taxis to television stations, business models are being upended and companies forced to evolve and innovate.

That is why the Government is so committed to not just reforming our public finances but to enhancing our competitiveness as a nation.

In my own portfolio, this has started with putting Australia Post on a more sustainable footing, by conducting an efficiency study into our public broadcasters and ensuring the NBN is rolled out sooner and more affordably.

We have also recently launched a 'Digital Transformation Office' to make sure that Government is as simple to deal with online as a bank or online retailer.

Elsewhere, the Government is also committed to a series of reforms: From simplifying and streamlining our welfare payments system; to increasing the number of science and technology graduates from universities and reforming our skilled workers immigration program; to making it easier for start-ups to build up their companies in Australia and retain workers.

These are exciting times for Australian businesses and our educated workforce. The opportunities afforded by the truly global economy are limited only by our imagination.

Anzac Day in Wentworth

This year Anzac Day holds a special significance. We will be marking the 100-year anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign. And we will also recognise the 34,500 service men and women who served in Afghanistan and the Gulf from October 2001 to December 2014 as part of Operation Slipper, with the operation now completed.

Metadata: An Explainer

Recently, there has been some confusion about the Government’s new metadata retention laws, particularly around the kind of data that will be retained and why law enforcement agencies use metadata.

The type of data that will be retained is information about a communication but not its content. We are not requiring telcos to collect or retain data about users' web browsing history.

For telephone use it involves the type of information that telcos recorded as Call Charge Records, for example that one number belonging to a particular account was connected to another number at a time and for a duration, but does not reveal what was discussed . This type of data has been recorded and accessed by police without warrant for decades.

On the internet it reveals that a particular Internet Protocol address had been at the allocated to a particular account for a certain time. In the context of messaging—email, for example—it reveals the sender, recipient, time and date, but again not the content. In all cases access to content requires a warrant.

Access to telecommunications metadata plays a central role in a vast number counterterrorism, and organised crime investigations. It is also used in almost all serious criminal investigations. The use of this kind of metadata is not new. However, there was a concern Internet providers are keeping fewer records in inconsistent ways. All the new laws seek to do is prescribe a consistent, minimum set of records that service providers who provide services in Australia must keep for two years.

Programs Reducing Drug Abuse in Wentworth

I recently visited the St Vincent’s Hospital team led by Associate Professor Nadine Ezard (pictured below) who are helping stimulant users identify and overcome the physical, mental and social issues created by drug use.

The Federal Government has announced it will grant the program $211,000 to continue its work for the next 12 months. Drug and alcohol treatment services in Wentworth have been allocated more than
$700,000 as part of the Government’s $87 million programme ..

Mike Baird's New Cabinet Sworn In



Congratulations to all the new Ministers sworn in to Mike Baird's new cabinet earlier this month, especially my State parliamentary neighbour Gabrielle Upton who was sworn in as Attorney-General and Gladys Berejiklian who was sworn in as Treasurer after the most productive four years as Transport Minister in the State's history. And it's the first time these important offices have been filled by women. About time!

Congratulations to Mike Baird and all his team and best wishes for an even more successful second term.

Yours sincerely,

Malcolm Turnbull