Transcript: Interview with Cameron Marshall for Mornings on ABC Mid North Coast, 16 April 2019
EO&E
Subjects: Infrastructure spending, Liberal candidate for Chisholm, Candidate for Cowper Pat Conaghan, One Nation, Peter Dutton, Immigration
With: Candidate for Cowper Pat Conaghan
CAMERON MARSHALL:
Well gentlemen, thank you so much for coming in this morning. First of all, on a national angle. Most of the money that you’ve promised for infrastructure won’t be spent until after the next election. Is that misleading voters?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
No, that’s usually the way and particularly at the last budget, the one before this one, we had $75 billion worth of spending. That’s a record amount and we’re actually rolling that out right now and additionally, now we’ve got $100 billion. Well of course, you can’t spend all that money at once. Now Labor knows that. And certainly when it comes to rolling out infrastructure, it’s ongoing. There’s witches hats, there’s high-vis vests, there’s excavators, whether it’s a capital city, whether it’s regional, country, coastal, remote Australia, there’s work being done.
The difference between Labor and the Liberal Nationals is the fact that we, when we invest in regional areas we invest it on an 80:20 split so it’s 80 per cent Commonwealth, 20 per cent State. Labor’s 50:50, so we’re spending more money as a Commonwealth Government in the regions. In regions such as Port Macquarie, in regions such as Coffs Harbour. We’re doing the work, we’re doing the hard yards and we’re spending it and of course you couldn’t spend that amount of money in one year. I mean the New South Wales Government is spending $90 billion over a four year period. They’ve got that going on as well so there’s a lot of building, there’s a lot of cranes over Sydney, there’s a lot of roadworks right around the regions. It’s all happening. It’s all happening thanks to the Nationals in Government.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
On another issue, how damaging do you think it will be in terms of the comments that Liberal’s Chisholm Candidate Gladys Liu’s description of LBGTI issues as ridiculous rubbish, will be in the campaign?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Oh look, candidates often say things. Look, the fact is, we’re talking about the economy. We’re talking about the things that matter most to Australians and that is their retirees savings. That is, their negative geared investments. That is the jobs for them and their children in the future, building better roads, getting the Inland Rail happening. They’re the sorts of things that Australians want us to talk about. Candidates should focus on that. That’s the important thing. That’s what the people are pulling me up in the street and talking to me about. They’re not talking to me about what some candidate in another state might happen or not to say.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
So it doesn’t deserve any oxygen at all?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well, you know, she’s made those comments. Unfortunate as they are. Look, fact is, candidates make these statements during campaign trails. They’re long-time…you know, the fact is, the important thing and the real important issues for people, every day, ordinary Australians sitting around their breakfast table right at the moment is how are they going to pay their next bill? How are they going to make ends meet? They’ll make ends meet under a Liberal Nationals Government. They’re going to be battling under a Labor Government.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
This is your second visit here to the Mid North Coast in about three weeks. You’re here to support Pat Conaghan who’s-
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Great candidate.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
-who’s the Candidate for Cowper. Of course, The Nationals are incumbent there. Their lead could be eroded. We don’t know yet until the final figures come through but how concerned are you, for the seat of Cowper?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well I’m concerned for every seat. We want to win every seat. We want to retain absolutely every seat that we currently hold and we want to add a few as well and we’ve got the potential to do just that. Pat Conaghan’s an outstanding candidate. I’ve known him for a while. He’s a bloke who gets in, gets involved in his community. Family man. He’s done a lot of good for a lot of people right throughout this electorate. Right throughout this region and give him a chance and he’ll work hard, he’ll deliver, he will achieve the sorts of things that people in this electorate, in this particular part of the world need, want, expect and deserve.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
Pat Conaghan, thank you so much for joining us this morning. What is it about you that will set you apart from the other candidates and in particular, why should people vote for you as opposed to Rob Oakeshott?
PAT CONAGHAN:
Well, thanks for having me. I think it’s because I haven’t been a politician and I haven’t been in a ministerial office all my life. It’s because I’ve had life experience. I’ve been a police officer for 12 years and in fact, I was a police officer in Kempsey. I grew up in Kempsey. I’ve been in Port Macquarie for now for some eight years. I’ve had family in Port Macquarie for 30 years and family still in Kempsey so I’m a local boy. I know the local area and I know the local people. So the fact that I’ve been a police officer and also a solicitor for 18 years. I’ve had my own business. I know how tough business can be. I know what it feels like when you’ve paid your staff at the end of the week but can’t pay yourself. So I’ve been there, I’ve done that and that’s why I think I’ve got the experience and the talent to take that down to Canberra, rather than somebody who’s been there, done that and given Cowper a Labor vote.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
So are you getting a sense from the electorate and who you’ve talked to that there is a mood for change? Or do you think that people are wanting to stick along the party lines?
PAT CONAGHAN:
Look, there is a mood for change but also a fresh change. I’m being told by people, I’m getting support that was previously provided to the Independent. Those people are coming to my functions, they’ve offered to hand out how to votes, they’ve got my corflutes in the front of their yards and they’re saying to me, “Good on you Pat for getting out there. We need someone different. We need somebody fresh to get out there and fight for us.”
CAMERON MARSHALL:
It’s a five week campaign. It’s hard. It’s a grind. What will be the hallmarks of your campaign?
PAT CONAGHAN:
Well each area is different. Coffs Harbour is different to Kempsey. Kempsey’s different to Nambucca and Port Macquarie. You can’t just identify one area but the biggest issue for me is to provide a stable economy. If you provide a stable economy, then you provide jobs. Then you provide funding for the environment, then you provide funding to increase employment for the youth. So, there’s no just one issue. It’s about having a steady set of hands. And a stable government and a government such as the Coalition who can provide a surplus and are providing a surplus for the next budget or for the next financial year and it’s something that the Labor Government hasn’t done for 30 years.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
Well in parts of your electorate you’ve got people who are perhaps more attune in terms of the environment and climate change. Has that come up as an important issue of what people will be voting for?
PAT CONAGHAN:
People are more concerned about the cost of living rather than the climate change. They’re concerned about how they’re going to pay their next electricity bill. They’re the biggest issues. Yes, climate change is there and my answer to them is, we will work towards renewables. We will work towards investing in new innovation but the biggest thing for people is, “How am I going to pay for the school fees? How am I going to put food on the table and will I have a job in the next 12 months?”
CAMERON MARSHALL:
Well the jobs and employment is a big issue here. I think we have one of the highest rates of youth unemployment in the country, in this electorate, so in which ways or how will you tackle that?
PAT CONAGHAN:
There’s 23% unemployment, youth unemployment up at Coffs Harbour. When those figures came out and when I was pre-selected, I said we need to have a youth unemployment summit. We need to get TAFE, we need to get universities, we need to get employers, tradies, the unemployed and kids in school ready to matriculate. And we need to determine where those jobs are going to be in five to 10 years’ time. There is no point, me going to do a law degree if there’s no legal jobs in Coffs Harbour. There’s no point me doing physiotherapy if there’s no jobs so we need to determine where in the next five to 10 years, the employment will be. That’s what I want to do and that’s exactly what I’ll do if I’m elected.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
One Nation, the latest polling shows a fall in support for Pauline Hanson’s led party. Is it now time for The Nationals and your Liberal colleagues to put them last when it comes to preferences?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well we always do that, determine that on a seat by seat, at a local level. That’s the democratic way we do it. I get to choose who I should put as my preference order, just like Pat will and just like those of our colleagues who sit with The Nationals in the LNP in Queensland will also do. And I think that’s the right way to do it.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
There’s concern about Peter Dutton’s seat in Queensland. Is he lead in the saddle bags?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Peter Dutton’s done an outstanding job as Home Affairs, Border Protection, Immigration Minister, making sure that we’ve stopped the boats. Making sure that we continue to stop the boats because we don’t want to see a return to 55,000 people arriving on more than 800 boats and costing the economy $15 billion which could otherwise be spent on public hospitals, on public schools and public roads. That’s the Labor way. Let everyone in. Sadly, under Labor’s watch, 1200 people died at sea. That was an absolute tragedy and they’re the ones we know of. We don’t want to see a return to that. Scott Morrison, initially in the immigration portfolio and then Peter Dutton, have done a very, very good job to ensure that those tragedies stopped and that the boats stopped that you know, if people want to get into Australia, well, they do it the right way.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
So do you think on a local level, immigration will be an important issue in that electorate?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well it should be an issue in every electorate. In every one of the 151 electorates right across Australia because the money that Labor wasted on immigration, they put more beds in detention centres than they ever did in hospitals. That’s the sort of commitment that we make, that we will continue to have strong border protection. Continue to have strong focus on national security. We’ll do that. It’s an issue because money spent on these sorts of things needlessly, is money wasted. Money that can’t go to local schools and local hospitals and local roads and that’s why we’ll always be strong and tough on borders and border protection.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
You’ve got the cheque book open on your visit here to the Mid North Coast. You’ve got money for I think a project-
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Because we’ve got a strong economy.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
So how much or what is being spent today? How much are you revealing in terms of the campaign sweeteners?
PAT CONAGHAN:
Cameron, we’ve got a very important announcement, it’s a great announcement later this morning. It’s about the foreshore and the beatification of the foreshore. But I’ll wait until later this morning until the announcement.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
There’s something isn’t it? Beautifying Port Macquarie. It is already a beautiful, beautiful place. I used to holiday here regularly. I used to alternate between here and in Coffs. They’re magnificent places. Wonderful places to live and under The Nationals we’re going to make them even better.
PAT CONAGHAN:
Indeed.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
Alright, so you can’t tell us why you’re here. How much the town green is going to get?
PAT CONAGHAN:
You’ll have to wait until later this morning.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
That is disappointing. Alright. Is there any other announcements that you can make whilst you’re here.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well a good announcement will be, if people get behind Pat Conaghan, they’re going to get a candidate who’s going to work hard, going to get a member who’s going to, every single day he’s going to be putting the people of this area first and making sure that they get the delivery that they deserve. Whether it’s roads, whether it’s education, whether it’s schools, health. Whatever the case might be. Services for this area are going to happen and big time under Pat Conaghan. He’s a dedicated person. He’s put his hand up and I take my hat off to him. I mean he’s got a wonderful CV. But more than that he’s a real local family man and he’s going to get behind this area follow on the great traditions of Luke Hartsuyker.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
Now, you brought the lucky wombat in with you.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Indeed.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
Who accompanies you on the campaign trail. Is it the kind of thing that you might have to hand over to Pat Conaghan to entrust him with the wombat?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well maybe I could let the wombat answer that but for those who can’t actually see what we’re doing here, we’ve got this wooden wombat which came on the campaign trail, firstly in the 1980s under Ian Sinclair and it’s been with every National Party leader since. It’s a bit of an icon, a bit of a mascot for The National Party leader. It goes wherever that leader goes and right around the nation, so the wombat will be coming with me to Tasmania later on today and as I go around the country, talking about the great delivery, the strong economy that The Nationals are achieving. The wombat will come with me.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
Pat Conaghan, you don’t have a wooden wombat of your own.
PAT CONAGHAN:
No I don’t.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
You’re going to be relying on the lucky socks, is that right?
PAT CONAGHAN:
I do. My lucky Irish socks. I’ve got them on right now.
CAMERON MARSHALL:
(Laughs) Let’s hope they’re extra thick because no doubt you’ll be pounding the pavement and as you say, covering a few k’s in the electorate. In the meantime, thank you so much, both of you, for coming in this morning.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Anytime at all.
PAT CONAGHAN:
Thanks very much.
ANNOUNCER:
And thank you wombat. Does he have a name?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
We’re not quite sure whether it’s a male or a female wombat but maybe the listeners could maybe text in or email in and suggest a name for the wombat. Maybe Warren or Wendy or something like that (laughs).
ANNOUNCER:
Warren (laughs). That’s a good name for a rabbit. Maybe something like Rastus. Alright. Thanks again so much for coming in.