TRANSCRIPT: Interview with Fran Kelly, ABC Radio National, 27 August 2018

E&OE

Subjects: Drought policy, new Prime Minister, ministries

FRAN KELLY:

Well, Prime Minister Scott Morrison made drought his first priority of his Prime Ministership. A day after announcing his new ministerial line-up, the PM will travel to south-west Queensland to see first-hand the effects of the big dry on local farmers. This follows the appointment of Barnaby Joyce as a special envoy on drought policy. Scott Morrison will be accompanied on his Outback tour by the Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Nationals, Michael McCormack. Michael McCormack, welcome to Breakfast.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

Good morning, Fran.

FRAN KELLY:

Before we come to the drought and the rain, the public has not looked kindly on last week’s Liberal leadership crisis if the latest Newspoll is any guide. Popular support for the Coalition has crashed to its lowest level in a decade after being very competitive just two weeks ago. How could your colleagues in the Liberal Party not see this will be the consequences of their bloodletting?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK: 

We have to turn it around and we will turn it around, we must turn it around. We've got a new team bringing a fresh, energetic approach to the job that we have in hand now.

FRAN KELLY:

What does the Coalition - because you're all tarred with these polls - what does the Coalition need to do to win back public trust in a hurry really?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

What we need to do is ensure stability, unity and decisive action on the things that really matter to Australians – that's what we need to do right now. Cost of living including power price - I’m delighted that Angus Taylor has been rewarded. Jobs, wages, economic growth, national security – they’re the things we now need to focus on, the people of Australia - stop focusing on ourselves and start concentrating now on the people of Australia. I mean we always were, but we had a week of, as you say, division and disorder and that's been reflected in the polls. But we will now get back to the job at hand and that is making sure that the Australian people know that they're the ones that matter most.

FRAN KELLY:

Well, you talk about stability and unity and talk about rewarding. Peter Dutton, Mathias Cormann, Greg Hunt, Steve Ciobo – they are still very senior in the Cabinet. Why have they been rewarded, particularly say Peter Dutton and Greg Hunt and Steve Ciobo, for the treachery?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

Well Peter Dutton has done a very good job in the Home Affairs portfolio stopping the boats and I think that's what Australians want their politicians to do - actually the job that they've both been allocated and look they so far…

FRAN KELLY:

But hasn’t he done a very good job in wrecking the Coalition standing with the people too?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

Let's put that week behind us. Let's move on, and I know that the Prime Minister, the new Prime Minister Scott Morrison, has put the people around him he thinks can do the jobs best. And they’re the jobs for Australians – not for ourselves but for the people who really count and they’re the 25 million Australians who rely on us to make Australia the country that it is.

FRAN KELLY:

Let's go to the drought. Scott Morrison lost no time in announcing drought as his number one priority in his Prime Ministership. There's been some rain over the weekend. I don't know if you think that was a good omen or Scott Morrison thinks it was a good omen but...

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

I’d like to think so, Fran…

FRAN KELLY:

How helpful has it been? Has it made any difference? Is it enough of that?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

Look, now, it's not nearly enough. It's provided a bit of a green tinge across the landscape in the areas in which it fell but look, we need continuous rain for six weeks and then some. This provides a little bit of relief, a little bit of respite, it provides a bit of a green pick for the stock, but look we need a lot more rain than that.

FRAN KELLY:

In the last month or so, the former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced extra help for farmers – I think a total $570 million. Will it be any…

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

Well, it’s actually $1.8 billion. We've had three announcements of drought...

FRAN KELLY: 

Right.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

…of drought relief and we need to do a bit more and we will do more.

FRAN KELLY:

So will there be additional support to that $1.8 billion under Prime Minister Scott Morrison?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

Look, there's going to need to be and that's why we're going out to Quilpie as you mentioned at the top of the show to talk to stakeholders, talk to local councils, talk to the farmers on the ground. That's what we're doing today. I'm delighted. I urged and encouraged the Prime Minister to make it his first priority. He has. He’s listened and we're going out to do some more listening today. We’ll do some more acting.

FRAN KELLY:

So what kind of extra help will be needed …

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

…Acting as in providing more drought relief.

FRAN KELLY:

I know what you mean, not pretending. But the Prime Minister - the last Prime Minister -announced cheques on the table, he announced more money recently for mental health support and financial services and money for fodder storage and all those sorts of things.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

(And) Local councils, yes.

FRAN KELLY:

What’s the missing piece? What's the next bit of funding you'd like to see added to that 1.8?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

It’s just to make sure that we continue the roll out of funding and when we need it and how it’s needed to provide additional support. Now that will depend of course on whether it rains more but that'll also depend on exactly how long this drought lasts. And these communities, they’re not just going to take weeks to get over this, they're going to take months if not years. You know, you can't restock in just a matter of months. It takes three years in most cases to restock. So we have to evaluate that. We've got Barnaby Joyce now as a special envoy – I’m delighted he has accepted that challenge. We've got Major-General Stephen Day, he's going to be our Drought Commissioner and he's coming out with us to Quilpie today, and of course we'll work in conjunction with our various agencies and ministers and make sure that we're listening and we're responding to the challenge at hand.

FRAN KELLY:

Don’t we need – isn’t it clear now we need an overarching drought policy? As you say this won't be fixed in a hurry and rather than piecemeal announcements, don’t we need to draw up a new COAG agreement between the Commonwealth and States, that's the missing piece here isn’t it?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

COAG: There's a big responsibility there as well as the national water infrastructure that of course we've spent billions of dollars on, and I’m delighted that Scott Morrison has agreed that more money needs to be spent in drought-proofing, making our nation more resilient as far as pipes and troughs but right up to weirs and dams. So we’ll be doing that.

FRAN KELLY:

Sorry to interrupt Deputy PM but don't we need - rather than just piecemeal funding - don't we need this intergovernmental agreement that, you know, we had one signed in 2013, it's expired. The NFF has told us we need that again, a new COAG agreement. Don’t we need something like that that puts us on a more stable footing?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

I agree. The National Government wants to co-operate with the States. We need to do just that thing. We need to make sure that we've got all the States on board to ensure that our farmers - those who grow the food and fibre for our nation and others besides - are well catered for and our nation is well equipped when the next drought comes, because it will, rest assured. Once this drought is over we'll have a period of hopeful stability and then of course the next drought will come along. So we need to be ready and prepared for that eventuation.

FRAN KELLY:

You’re listening to RN Breakfast. Our guest is National Party Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack. You mentioned Barnaby Joyce there as the special envoy for drought, will that cut across the job that David's Littleproud does?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

No, no, we need every resource that we've got on the ground and David Littleproud has been doing a fine job, an outstanding job as the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. He's delighted also that Barnaby will be out there as a spokesman for what the Government needs to do and helping Major-General Day. It's all hands on deck.

FRAN KELLY:

See Malcolm Turnbull when he was prime minister believed and believes climate change was contributing to the drought. Do you acknowledge that the climate is changing and is making life tougher for farmers and it should not be considered an abnormal event?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

Well it's getting dry. There's no doubt it's getting drier and in parts of Queensland and in areas we’re visiting today, you know, they’ve been in seven years of drought. In Mark Coulton’s electorate of Parkes it’s now three years in a row. Look, the climate is getting drier. We need to recognise - we need to do everything we can, and particularly as well with soil conservation. I had a wonderful briefing from former Governor-General Michael Jeffery last week about soil and protecting it and of course we've mentioned water infrastructure. So we need to take all these into account and make sure that we can do whatever we need to do to build the resilience of our nation and drought-proof it more.

FRAN KELLY:

Well that brings us to energy policy. The Nats wanted the energy portfolio, you didn't get it, it stayed with the Liberal Party. What did you get in the new Coalition agreement that you must have signed between Scott Morrison and yourself, the Nats and the Libs.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

I'm delighted that Small Business is back in Cabinet - absolutely thrilled that that's eventuated - but also delighted that we've got Regional Development back, because whilst Dr John McVeigh was doing an outstanding job, that's long been - decades-long been - in the National Party fold and I've taken that on board in my Infrastructure and Transport portfolios as well. But look, we've got some new additions to our Nationals ministry team and Michelle Landry, she’ll do a great job with Children and Families and Andrew Broad will be a great Assistant for me. But I’m pleased that...

FRAN KELLY:

What about that agreement itself in policy terms? What agreement did you strike? What kind of bargain did you strike with Scott Morrison?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

Look, we've made sure that the rural and regional people we serve - those 8.8 million

people who choose to not live in the capital city - are going to be well served going forward with policy and projects. But look it’s an administrative document but what I do want to say …

FRAN KELLY:      

It’s a private document at the moment. Will you release it in the interest of transparency?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

No. No, no we’ve never released it.

FRAN KELLY:

Why not?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

Well it's a decades-long decision not to release that and I don’t intend to ...

FRAN KELLY:

Doesn’t mean it’s the right one.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

I don't intend to start now. I mean it's a document between the Nationals and the Liberal Party but what I do want to also add - you’ve mentioned Energy and I'm really pleased - yes, we didn't get Energy back but Angus - I'm pleased that Energy and Environment have been broken up and I’m pleased that my neighbouring Member of Parliament Angus Taylor has got that position. He will do a great job. He’s born to this role. His maternal grandfather William Hudson headed up construction of the Snowy Mountains for hydroelectricity and irrigation and I know that Angus Taylor, the title really should be energy and power price affordability because that's what he's going to be working on.

FRAN KELLY:

Michael McCormack, thank you very much for joining us.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

Any time at all Fran.

FRAN KELLY:

Michael McCormack is Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Nationals.

Shane Manning