TRANSCRIPT - INTERVIEW With Tim Shaw, Radio 2CC Canberra, 20 May 2019
E&OE
Subjects: Election; polls; policy for rural and regional Australia; Labor opposed Drought Future Fund; National Party Leadership; discussions with Prime Minister; infrastructure across Australia and in/around ACT.
TIM SHAW:
They’re calling him the Messiah from the Shire, Scott Morrison the Prime Minister of Australia in the job on Saturday 257 days. A man, though, in the job from February 2018 leading the National Party of Australia, the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development with his extraordinary team nationally has retained every one of their 16 seats in the Lower House: I’m delighted to welcome the Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals Leader Michael McCormack to 2CC Breakfast. Deputy Prime Minister, a very good morning and congratulations.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Good morning Tim and thank you very much.
TIM SHAW:
Take me through what went through your mind as the polls closed, you realised that swing against the Coalition somewhere in the order of 2.46% earlier reported – what went through your mind, Michael McCormack?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
I was driving to our function at the Murrumbidgee Turf Club in Wagga Wagga and a new poll came in suggesting it was Labor 52 to the Coalition’s 48 and I said to my wife Catherine: I think they’ve got that wrong just like they’ve got every other poll wrong. I really really believe we will win this thing. I just don’t see, having been around the country, that there’s a mood for change. She agreed. She had been with me on the Wombat Trail, the campaign trail that the Nationals had, and we covered more than 20 electorates together in just about the last fortnight. We just didn’t get that sense – in fact it was quite the opposite. People more than ever wanted the Coalition because of things like franking credits and negative gearing changes that were going to be forced upon the country by Labor. I just didn’t get a sense that there was a mood for change. I think people believe in Scott Morrison. They wanted him to succeed, and I thought the polling was wrong.
TIM SHAW:
Let’s underscore though the importance of regional and rural Australia. You have been on the front foot battling for those in regional Australia. I spoke to Joel Fitzgibbon, the Shadow Agriculture Minister, and I asked him if elected what impact would Labor’s tax policies have on regional and rural Australia. He asserted that in around nine National Party electorates are some of the lowest income-earners in Australia. Was he right to say that, and what policies of the National and Liberal Coalition Government are going to lift the hearts and the wages of those in rural and regional Australia?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
For a start I think Joel Fitzgibbon took a real whack in Cessnock. He’s lost a lot of ground there. I appreciate he told his local paper, the Cessnock Advertiser, that the Coalition ran a scare campaign and all this about various things, but Labor needs to understand that regional communities were hurting, that regional communities were being backed by the Coalition, that they weren’t being supported by Labor. Labor did not have a regional policy.
The fact is we’ve got behind the farmers in a drought and Labor opposed that Future Drought Fund. That was a significant move by us but also a significant blow to people in regional communities by Labor.
But on the positive, the lower tax rates for small business; the $525 million Work Skills package that we’re putting in, trying to encourage 80,000 more apprenticeships, was a real winner in regional areas. That regional bush wage, whereby employers can get 75% of the first year, 50% the second year and 25% of the third year wage was a real winner and I think even young people realised that if they wanted a future, if they wanted a job, then it was the National Party, it was the Coalition that they needed to vote for.
TIM SHAW:
You have delivered stability in the National Party as Leader. Do you expect to be re-elected unopposed when the Party Room meets?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
That remains to be seen but look, I’m very hopeful. Yes, I’ve led from the front. I’ve tried to do as best I could on a very local campaign, very tailored plans for each local community. We targeted our message. We utilised regional and local media. I put all my Members at the top of every media release because it was them running in their electorates; it wasn’t about me, it wasn’t about the Leader of the Party, it was about them in each and every one of their electorates right down to each and every one of their streets in each and every one of their towns, because it was important to get them all home. We did that and I was very proud of each and every one of them.
TIM SHAW:
I want to talk to you about the Coalition agreement and pressure relating to comments about NSW Senators, candidates voting below the line – is it time for a fresh look of Michael McCormack’s eyes over the Coalition agreement and that sit-down with Scott Morrison: Where are the areas of the Coalition agreement that need review, Michael McCormack?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Largely the Senate spots and those sorts of things are an administrative thing decided between the two State Divisions. So that is a matter for the State Divisions. Yes, I will sit down and have a chat to Scott Morrison face to face. I look forward to that. We’ve already had a number of phone discussions. In fact I accidentally pocket-dialled him at 1.14 on Sunday morning after having spoken to him earlier in the evening and then later that night – I threw the phone on the bed; I was about to go to bed, and unfortunately the phone started dialling. I quickly stopped it. He phoned me straight back and of course he was up and about as he always is and we had probably a 10 or 15 minute chat then about how good it was but acknowledging the fact that we needed to get back to work as soon as we could, as in today, and that’s what we’re doing.
I went out to Forbes yesterday and thanked the Party faithful, drove seven hours over and back to ensure people knew that I really really appreciated what they had done for me. The volunteers are amazing.
TIM SHAW:
A lot of prior promises from Labor with infrastructure, millions of dollars for a Stage Two of Canberra’s light rail project – if you remain Transport and Infrastructure Minister would you be prepared to consider the same?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
We have a $100 billion roads and rail and ports package right across the nation. It’s a record amount of money that we’re spending on infrastructure. I’m willing to work with any willing States and any willing Territories to build the infrastructure that is going to get Australians home sooner and safer, that’s going to put the right infrastructure in the right place – and I’m really keen and really looking forward to it.
TIM SHAW:
Sophie Wade fought a good campaign in the seat of Eden-Monaro; big spending offers from Labor on the full duplication of the Barton Highway: What can we do in regards to the Barton Highway, Michael McCormack? Can we find another $100 million there and get that project done sooner rather than later?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Again, we’ve got a plan and when you build a stronger economy you can build more infrastructure; when you’ve got the right economy putting the right investment in Australia and making sure that we pay our bills, you can build infrastructure. Yes, Sophie Wade did run a fantastic campaign and of course she was so active on Barton Highway lobbying; she has been for years; and I look forward to continuing to discuss things with her. I think she’s made an impact in Eden-Monaro and I’d really like her to stay on and lobby again and make sure she gets her name out there even more and have a crack next time.
TIM SHAW:
Have you spoken to Tim Fischer, former Leader – how is he?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
No I haven’t spoken to Tim but I spoke to him during the campaign when we opened the dedicated area in the Greens Gunyah museum at Lockhart – that was just a couple of weeks ago. Look, Tim’s well but of course he’s having treatment for his illness, but you can’t keep Tim down. He is an amazing, an amazing Australian. I love him dearly and I wish him all the very best. I seek his advice each and every week.
TIM SHAW:
Cabinet meeting in Canberra today?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
No, I’m in Wagga Wagga today in the electorate office meeting constituents and getting back to the many hundreds of texts that I’ve been unable to return or reply to – but I’m very very pleased and proud of the result right across the nation and particularly my 16 National Party seats being retained. It’s a fantastic and amazing result.
TIM SHAW:
We congratulate you Michael McCormack; thank you so much for your time today.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Always Tim, have a great day.
TIM SHAW:
Michael McCormack, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Federal Leader of the National Party.