TRANSCRIPT: ABC INTERVIEW – WAGGA WAGGA PINK STUMPS DAY, 27 OCTOBER 2019
E&OE
Subjects: Pink Stumps Day, Newstart allowance
JOURNALIST:
… And so did you have a response to that Newstart, so John Barilaro has come out and said he would support of a raise to Newstart?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well, John Barilaro is not in the Federal Parliament, fact is this is decided by the Federal Parliament, John Barilaro is a state parliamentarian. He’s the Deputy Premier, I could start talking about payroll tax and those sorts of things but fact is I don’t have any say in payroll tax that’s State Government. Fact is, the Federal Government was re-elected on making sure that there were more people getting into work and we have had 36 months of unbroken jobs growth in Australia, we want people to be out of welfare and into work, that’s the important thing. Whilst I appreciated that Newstart is an important aspect of our welfare system it is only hopefully a stop gap measure for people in between jobs seeking work and we want to make sure that people have the opportunity to work. We want to have a mobile workforce, we want people to be filling those jobs certainly in rural regional and remote Australia were there are jobs but people obviously have to have the capacity to move to those areas but gee-whiz if they look around, if they are prepared to actually jump in the car or get on a train and go to a regional area they will find plenty of jobs. See many of the regional capitals indeed even the smaller towns, towns of about 5,000 – 7,000 people and even smaller still with vacancies in the window, they want people, hire within and those sorts of things and whilst I appreciate there is a call by some to raise the Newstart allowance – we as a government want people into work, we want people off welfare into work.
JOURNALIST:
But how do people get into work if they only living on $240 a week?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well, the amount is $559, but obviously the rate varies but its $559 per fortnight. You know, there is capacity for those people to seek and find jobs and take jobs and the best form of actually improving yourself and actually making sure that you can have the capacity to do more things with your life is to have a job, now whilst I appreciate there are people who, you know, will always be unemployed. There are services and there are payments for them but there are also people who are on Newstart who can avail themselves to many other services and benefits as well. It’s not just the base amount they are eligible for, there is all sorts of other things they can apply for and receive whilst they are on Newstart. Fact is, we don’t want people to stay on Newstart, we want people into work, and that’s why we’re providing the economic conditions for businesses to be able to employ more people and that’s exactly what’s happening. In the last term of government, 1.4 million Australians gained a job in Australia and we want to make sure that this happens again in this term of government as well. We want to make sure that people know that there are jobs and we want to provide the economic conditions for businesses to feel the confidence to employ more people and that’s what’s happening at the moment.
JOURNALIST:
So there’ll be no more raises to Newstart at the moment, because there are other services available?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well, it’s not on the agenda at the moment and the fact is if John Barilaro comes out and makes a comment well, why does that mean that the Federal Government has to actually stop everything, stop what our agenda is and stop the great economic conditions that we are laying down because somebody from the State Parliament, who is only responsible for State Parliament, he’s not in Federal Parliament, why should we stop our agenda just because he’s come out and made a comment. I mean, good luck to him, fact is if John Barilaro really wants to really do something perhaps he should look at state payroll tax and those state taxes that he’s responsible for, where he actually has a say and where he can actually make a difference and making sure that transport subsidies for drought-stricken areas are what they should be, making sure that fodder assistance is there for the farmers as the state government has an obligation to do, you know. So, we’re doing what we can in the drought, we’re doing as much as what we can in regards to the economic conditions for businesses to be able to employ more people and we want to get more people of welfare and into work and that’s what we’re doing and we’re sticking to our responsibilities, state politicians should do the same.
JOURNALIST:
Just now, turning to this today, what has brought you out to Bolton Park?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well, Warren Smith has done a great job along with a number of people who are involved in raising funds for cancer research, raising funds for the McGrath Foundation, this is a fabulous day and having had two parents who both lost their lives through cancers, I understand how important this is for the community. I’m a bit of a cricketer as well, I’m not going to talk myself up, I haven’t played for about 18 months but I enjoy cricket, I won’t say I’m much of a cricketer and Eric Koetz who is just wandering over here now, my old school mate can probably verify that I’m not much of a cricketer but I do love the game, I absolutely love the game and when Bolton Park gets a whole heap of people around and a whole heap of people in the middle of the pitch playing cricket you know summer is on and I’m very much looking forward to listening to ABC Grandstand and the cricket coverage this summer because it’s going to be a great summer.
Eric, come over here. Now we’ve got Eric Koetz here, now Eric went to school with me and Eric will tell you just what sort of cricketer I am, now Eric, this is the ABC, so watch what you say.
ERIC KOETZ:
Ok, so cricket’s an 11 man game and Michael was always number 12. No, no, Michael was good cricketer in the juniors, we played under 16’s together.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
We did indeed, we did indeed and both at St. Michael’s we very much love our cricket and I think that we’re the oldest players to still be turning out from that old St. Michael’s school which doesn’t exist anymore, still for the same club, we love St. Michael’s cricket club but we love our cricket more generally and Eric is a good sport he’s got out in the pink and he looks absolutely resplendent in that…
ERIC KOETZ:
[Talks Over] As you do too.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
And I’m sure he’s going to make far more runs than anyone else at this little one day initiative but it’s a great intuitive, its raising valuable funds for Breast Care nurses, raising awareness and raising funds for research and development and that’s what it’s all about.
JOURNALIST:
Wonderful, thank you.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Thank you so much.