TRANSCRIPT: Interview with Sabra Lane, AM, ABC Radio, 30 May 2019
E&OE
Subjects: Operation Sovereign Borders; Water Infrastructure; Mental Health Spending; headspace
SABRA LANE:
And while Labor's finalising its team, the Morrison Ministry was sworn in yesterday. The Nationals Leader and Deputy Prime Minister is Michael McCormack and he joins us now from Wagga Wagga. Good morning and welcome to the program.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Good morning Sabra.
SABRA LANE:
First up - what can you tell us about the boatload of asylum seekers from Sri Lanka? Apparently they were intercepted near Christmas Island?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
That seems to be the case but obviously that's a matter for the authorities where they pick them up. But, yes that seems to be the case. They were intercepted and as with all these boats that come unauthorised, are turned back.
SABRA LANE:
You're the deputy chair of the National Security Committee of Cabinet; this hasn't been raised before that?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
I don't discuss what things go on in National Security Council, Sabra, and I think people would understand why that would be the case. But our number one priority is to make sure that our borders are protected, keeping Australians safe – that first order of business. Now 20 potential illegal-
SABRA LANE:
Were they-
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Go on.
SABRA LANE:
Were they processed on - sorry, were they processed on Christmas Island and what reasons were they stating in seeking asylum?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
The vessel left Sri Lanka illegally in early May 2019, and it was intercepted by Australian authorities, and it has been turned back. And no, I'm not going to provide any more details because of security reasons but that's always the case.
SABRA LANE:
Okay. To the election result: The Nationals overall in the House of Reps, your vote pretty much stayed the same, yet there were big swings towards the United Australia Party and Pauline Hanson in Queensland. Why are so many voters opting for those parties rather than the traditional mainstream parties?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well I disagree with that. We had we had some significant swings towards our National Party Members. And you look at the seats of-
SABRA LANE:
[Interrupts] Sorry, in Queensland there was a minor swing of minus 0.32 per cent away from you in your primary vote.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well in the seats that we were contesting in Central Queensland such as Dawson, Capricornia, Flynn, our members who were on tenterhooks prior to the election obviously, and from the 2016 results - they now sit on reasonably healthy margins. And that's because they've worked very, very hard. They've got out to the people and they've spoken to people and listened moreover to people about what's important to everyday ordinary Australians and that's reflected in their vote. They’ve been returned with healthy margins.
SABRA LANE:
You said during the campaign that Nationals’ policies were closely aligned with One Nation. Do you really think that?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
What I said was that people who vote for One Nation would tend to vote for the National Party ahead of voting for Labor or the Greens and therefore, that's why I would be confident that people who voted for One Nation first, would naturally, necessarily give their number two preference to perhaps the National Party or an LNP candidate. And quite frankly, that's probably what happened.
SABRA LANE:
How constructive was Barnaby Joyce during the campaign?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Barnaby won his seat of New England; it’s very constructive when all our members are returned, as they were - 16 Lower House seats all returned. And that's what we wanted from each and every one of our members, going, talking about the things that matter to people - the local roundabout, the local upgrade to the town hall, the drought, jobs, lower taxes. They're the sorts of things that Barnaby and all the others spoke about, campaigned street by street.
SABRA LANE:
But he also flagged he’d put his hand up for leadership if it was vacant again and he gave a long interview that sucked oxygen from your campaign. Were they helpful?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well he didn't put his hand up for the leadership and I remain as the Leader of the Party and that was settled this week.
SABRA LANE:
Do you worry that he still has a field marshal's baton in his knapsack?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
[Laughs] Look, Barnaby’s Barnaby and he's obviously passionate about building a better Australia as we all are.
SABRA LANE:
On the drought, you've said that we should pray for rain. What else should happen to secure water supply? Do Australians need to get over their phobia of drinking recycled water?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well I think people should also realise that yes, I said pray for rain. I think everybody said we need to pray for rain, but the fact is we need to do more than pray for rain and the good thing is we are. We've got now a dedicated minister at the Cabinet table with drought in his portfolio title. We've already provided $7.2 billion worth of assistance to farmers. Scott Morrison as Prime Minister has made it a huge priority of his and the Government's going forward.
SABRA LANE:
Sure, but in Opposition under Tony Abbott, the Coalition set up a dam taskforce in 2011. The Government's White Paper in 2015 promised more dams. You've promised a New Water Grid Commission to build more dams but not one dam has been built despite promises over eight years.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
[Talks over] Well to capture the petty politics of states too because we've put $176.1 million during the last term on the table for Rookwood Weir. Now that's been talked about for decades. Now we've put the money on the table and we're working through it with Queensland Government. Hells Gate, Big Rocks, all of those types of projects in northern Queensland; Urannah Dam near Mackay, Emu Swamp in east Stanthorpe – I’m looking forward to seeing where that projects up to, firsthand next week in Stanthorpe in Queensland in the seat of Maranoa. We're getting on and we're working with States. It sometimes is a bit difficult to work with States, particularly during an election campaign, but that's why the National Water Grid has been established to take the politics out, to put the science first, to put the local stakeholders first, and to make sure that we work cooperatively with all stakeholders, including the States and Territories to get dams built.
SABRA LANE:
The Prime Minister says a priority will be dealing with youth suicide. How adequate are services across regional Australia in dealing with prevention?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well in the budget handed down in April, Josh Frydenberg actually made this a priority of the Government, investing $460 million.
SABRA LANE:
Sure. Sorry, that wasn’t my question. How are services right now?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well they're improving because we've announced 30 new headspace centres and I’m delighted that in Cowra we're putting in a new headspace centre to take away the disadvantage of people in the Central West not having a nearby service. Mental health is an issue of deep concern to all Australians, particularly regional Australians because it is a scourge; the Prime Minister talked about this yesterday when he called the full ministry and he said we want to cut through these dreadful indictments on society and one of them, as he said, is mental health. And whether it's perinatal, whether it's youth suicide, but particularly in regional areas where the incidence is way too high, we're dealing with it through new headspace sites, we're dealing with it with new telehealth services funded through Medicare, and that's really going to be prevalent throughout New South Wales, throughout regional Australia, throughout all areas of Australia. And I commend the New South Wales Government for what they’re doing too.
SABRA LANE:
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, thanks for joining AM this morning.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Thanks Sabra. Any time at all.