MICHAEL “MOFFEE” MOFFETT, HOST: Let's go now to Canberra, because that is where we've got the New South Wales Senator, Tim Ayres. Tim, G'day. 

SENATOR TIM AYRES, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR A FUTURE MADE IN AUSTRALIA AND TRADE:  It's great to be on the show.

MOFFEE: Mate, raining here. What's it like there? 

SENATOR AYRES: It is a miserable, grey, cold, sort of rainy Canberra day here. So, it's good to be in the office. There is plenty going on in the parliament. It's full tilt down here for the first parliamentary fortnight of the next sitting. 

MOFFEE: Mate, what are some of those big things that are going to be covered off this time around? 

SENATOR AYRES: I think there's two brackets of issues that really matter to regional Australians or matter to your listeners. The first is, about the here and now. That is the government focused on continuing to put downward pressure on the cost of living, making sure that we're doing everything that we can to support families through what is a pretty tough time. We've got inflation down from its high point when we're elected, where it had a six in front of it, down to now where it's got a three in front of it. So, we've made some progress. We've put downward pressure on childcare costs, for example, down by 11%.  

We've stopped stratospheric rises in electricity prices - held them back by 15 or 16% - although electricity prices have still gone up, we're delivering tax cuts for every single Australian taxpayer. They will be in your listeners’ payslips now, and we're providing energy bill relief and downward pressure on Medicare, all those things. We are pulling every lever that we can, including having a really disciplined approach to budgeting, to put downward pressure on inflation at the same time.

The second part of it, Moffee, is shaping the future economy in the interests of regional Australians and the Future Made in Australia plan to bring back manufacturing to the regions and outer suburbs is the biggest thing going for the future of regional economies and good jobs in regional Australia. 

MOFFEE: We heard the other – well, last week or so, about the pay rise for childcare workers and stuff like that. But the offset on that being that the fees can't increase, that's going to help too.  

SENATOR AYRES: Look, I'm really proud of this piece of work. It matters in every suburb, every country town in Australia where there's a childcare centre. We have reduced childcare fees by 11% - that is very significant for Australians, young families. Reducing the cost of childcare - we've announced a 15% increase in the wages of childcare workers who do all of the early education for kids before they get to school. They are not child minders. Childcare workers are educators who perform a really important function for our kids and we put a cap on fees so that they can only go up over the next couple of years by four and a half percent. So, it is good for parents, because fees are being kept down. Good for childcare workers, good for the sector, because we can attract more workers into the sector, and it's good for little kids, good for workforce participation and productivity. So, this is smart, good, big, bold policy that will change lives out there in every part of Australia. And I'm very proud of the work that the Minister Anne Aly and Jason Clare and the Prime Minister have done here on this big reform. 

MOFFEE: There's a lot of talk at the moment about these digital IDs. A lot of people saying, you know, is it too intrusive on our details and things like that, but I mean, Tim, a lot of this information is stuff that's already accessible anyway, in one form or another. 

SENATOR AYRES: Well, this is a set of reforms that really is about improving the way that people access Commonwealth services, your MyGov ID and how that works and how functional that is, is really important for people. Australian citizens, they don't have a lot of time on their hands being able to access all of the government services using their digital ID. We've all got digital IDs with our banks, right across the private sector. This is the government improving the data security. The functionality of the digital ID that most Australians have with the Commonwealth Government. I know that when we talk about digital IDs, there's a sort of world of conspiracy theorists who hang around these issues and make all sorts of wild claims about... you know, look, I hesitate to go through the conspiracy theories that people develop, because they'll start new conspiracy theories themselves, but it's just making government services better for ordinary Australians to be able to access. It's a good thing. We are absolutely committed to improving not just the Commonwealth Government's approach to data security and privacy, but also providing leadership and regulation for the private sector. Australians do have a legitimate right to privacy and to data security, and that's what the Minister's doing here.  

MOFFEE: Exactly right, mate. We're going to go, but it's always great to chat and enjoy the coolest weather of Canberra. I'll just say, you know, we're going to get up around about 18 to 22 here today. 

SENATOR AYRES: Well, it won't get that warm in in Canberra, I think the surf's going to pick up. If you're driving, drive carefully up there. And if there's water across the road, forget about it. Follow the directions and keep safe. 

MOFFEE: Yeah, exactly right. Good on you mate. Talk again soon. There is New South Wales Senator, Tim Ayres. 

ENDS.