TRANSCRIPT: INTERVIEW WITH KATIE WOOLF, MIX 104.9 DARWIN, 23 July 2020

E&OE

Subjects: Live Cattle Exports Federal Court Decision;

KATIE WOOLF

Now, joining me on the line to talk more about this decision on the live cattle exports is the Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals Leader, Michael McCormack. Good morning.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Good morning, Katie.

KATIE WOOLF

Now Minister, no doubt that pastoralists and farm lobbying groups will be breathing a sigh of relief this morning with news then Attorney- General, Christian Porter, announced yesterday the Federal Government would accept the outcome handed down by the Federal Court. How did the Government ultimately reach this decision?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

It was just the right thing to do. We knew that our pastoralists, our cattle producers, had for nine-years been living with the consequences of what was a knee-jerk, atrocious, decision by the former Labor Government, by the former Minister, Joe Ludwig. Unnecessary at the time. Based on a television program. Done in haste. Done unnecessarily and it put the lives and livelihoods of those great cattle producers – particularly in the North – at great risk. And for some, they still haven’t recovered. Many of the Aboriginal stockmen found it difficult to even gain work after it. It was a blow the industry could ill afford and I know that having spoken to Tracey Hayes and Lia Finocchiaro this morning, they’re pleased with the decision. Cattle producers are pleased with the decision. The National Farmers Federation President, Fiona Simson, was on the phone to me. It’s the right thing to do and I appreciate that yes, there were legal complexities. We don’t need or want every ministerial decision being tested in the courts but this one was necessary. It was right and the right outcome has been achieved.

KATIE WOOLF

Minister, why did it take so long to reach this decision?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, court cases take a long time –

KATIE WOOLF

[Interrupts] Well then, how come the Government took a number of weeks to decide not to appeal?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well again, what we don’t want to see is every ministerial decision being put through the courts. Every ministerial decision that is taken in a considered and measured way which is what the Liberals and Nationals do, which is what the Country Liberals do. We don’t need those decisions pulled this way and that by courts of law. Ministers make decision based on evidence at the time – that’s what we do – unfortunately, the Labor Government made this decision very much in haste on the back of a television program and literally overnight shut down an industry without even telling, dare I say, our friends in Indonesia, a great trading partner for decades. They hadn’t even told Indonesia, they found out through the media. This was a bad decision and of course, for those shipping companies, those cattle producers, it meant the end of their trade, the end of their livelihoods and of course they were just left high and dry.

KATIE WOOLF

And so, was everybody from the Liberal and National Parties in agreement about the decision that was made late yesterday?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

I do believe so and certainly, I know a number of my regional Liberal colleagues including Christian Porter himself, he has big cattle yards there and big holding pens in his electorate but certainly for the Members for Durack and O’Connor and certainly, my National Party colleagues, this decision was the right thing to do. It meant the world of difference for the people they represent, for those who rely on this industry for their livelihoods.

KATIE WOOLF

Now Deputy Prime Minister, do you think that the court ruling will make future governments think twice before making knee-jerk reactions following media reports and lobbying from interest groups?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, we’ve never done that and as a Government we have taken everything carefully and considered, you look at even the measures we put into place for JobKeeper and JobSeeker, HomeBuilder and JobMaker, all those that we’ve done through the COVID situation. We’ve met for hours and hours. We’ve thought about them. We’ve looked at it. We’ve consulted stakeholder groups and then we’ve gone back again. We’ve not done anything in haste. Yes, we’ve done it speedily but everything has been considered, measured, practical, we’ve kept the economy afloat.

This decision was done by Labor on the whim of what social media warriors were saying on Twitter and other social media platforms and you cannot believe everything you read on social media. Yes, I appreciate that the program highlighted some things that needed addressing. We put animal welfare front and centre – we always have. We always have as a nation done will continue to do that but this was a bad decision, a dumb decision made in haste and the consequences were felt by the cattle industry now for nine years. And I’m glad that the right decision has been taken and the right course has been approved.

KATIE WOOLF

Now, Deputy Prime Minister, I know you are pressed for time but we are expecting today in some fairly significant news, the Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is going to be giving an economic update. He has warned Australians to prepare to see eye-watering numbers on debt and deficit when he reveals the worst budget black hole since World War Two. Deputy Prime Minister, how bad is it going to be?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, I’ll let the Treasurer make that announcement, he’s due to stand up at 11 o’clock and do that. Let me tell you, Australia is a very resilient nation. We’re so lucky that we’ve got a vibrant agriculture industry, a vibrant resources industry and certainly Northern Australia leads the nation in both of those respects. We’re glad and we’re happy that this will continue to be the case. If there are two industries which are going to help us out of this situation, it’s those two. Of course, we’ve got a record amount of money that we are spending on infrastructure to build better roads, to get better rail services, to make sure that our ports are what they should be, to get planes back in the air and to continue to improve our balance of payments. Our workers across those industries and certainly across regional Australia and certainly the Top End, they’re going to be front and centre of this economic recovery. We will get out of it because that’s what Liberal National Governments always do. The right decisions have been made to ensure that we cushion the effects on the economy from this pandemic which is of course global. It is not something which is just isolated to Australia and of course, we’ve made sure that the health situation is first and foremost and our case rates and our mortality rates are the envy of the world and we’ve done the right thing by the economy as well.

KATIE WOOLF

Now, just before you go, we know here in the Northern Territory we’re expecting the Government to hand down similar information next week ahead of the election on August 22. We are all expecting the number’s here in the Territory to be pretty bad, some are suggesting that we’re going to need the Federal Government to bail us out but realistically, even if we were in that situation the Federal Government has a real problem dealing with everything else.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

The situation in the Northern Territory was bad even before COVID because the Government had not looked at the economic situation and they haven’t been managing the economy as well as they should have. There’s great potential in the Northern Territory, I know that, the CLP knows that, they want to make sure that the potential is maximised which is why on August 22, Territorians have a very important decision to make and whether they go with the CLP and Lia and her team or whether they go with much of the same, debt and deficit that the Gunner Government has put into place in recent years so it’s an important election. It’s a landmark time.  

KATIE WOOLF

Well, we do appreciate your time Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack, thanks for having a chat with us.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Thanks, Katie, any time at all.

Shane Manning