TRANSCRIPT: AFTERNOON BRIEFING WITH GREG JENNETT, ABC NEWS, 5 OCTOBER 2022
E&OE
4.21pm
GREG JENNETT
Well we discuss some of the issues of the day with our political panel, joining us Labor Senator Nita Green is here in Canberra welcome, Senator, and Nationals MP Michael McCormack’s in Melbourne today. Welcome back to you Michael. I might just check in on local conditions in your electorate, there is a bit of rain on the way, but have you had any reports from afar about what’s going on today?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Yes well, Hello Nita and hello Greg, yes, the weather patterns aren’t looking good for the weekend and beyond we have got quite a heavy rain cloud over the whole of the Riverina today. There has already been a very unfortunate accident where a driver has skidded off the road and hit a telegraph pole and lost their life, so that’s very, very unfortunate. We are expecting a big dump of rain on already saturated ground. This is going to make it so hard as well for the farmers. They are looking to the skies and they want dry days so they can get their heavy harvesting equipment into the paddocks and that doesn’t look likely anytime soon.
GREG JENNETT
Well exactly, that’s invaluable for your region as you know full well Michael. Why don’t we bring it back to politics and bring Nita in here as it’s already been a subject of discussion on our program and elsewhere today, Nita. Stage three tax cuts, we are trying to pass all the language changes from Labor’s senior economic leadership team. Still not certain we know exactly what’s going on, but do you think there will be any alteration to those already legislated tax cuts?
NITA GREEN
Well from my part I don’t think the language has changed all that much. I think there’s some commentators and obviously the opposition want to make more of some of the language that’s being used. But I think the Treasurer has been really clear. Our position hasn’t changed and we are taking into account consideration of all the economic factors when we’re thinking about this Budget. But our position on the stage three tax cuts hasn’t changed and we are making sure we are making a Budget that repairs a lot of the debt that we have seen and is full of cost-of-living measures.
GREG JENNETT
There is a nuanced difference in those two statements though isn’t there? Our position hasn’t changed, and we are taking into account all of the present, well current economic circumstances. Because one could lead the other to change and in fact might.
NITA GREEN
Well I think you want from a Treasurer, and I know Jim very well being a Queenslander myself and I know that he’s taking all of those factors into consideration. But you should be able to do both, you should be able to consider our policies and the things we committed to at the election and take into consideration our economic policies and how they factor into what is a very difficult time around the world when it comes to our fiscal outcomes. So I don’t think it’s a one or the other, Greg, I think it is definitely some very sensible and responsible language from the Treasurer and that’s why I think the Budget is incredibly important to hand down.
GREG JENNETT
Hold that thought and we will explore it a little further with you, but why don’t we bring you in at this point, Michael. What is it that you hear when you listen to Katy Gallagher or Jim Chalmers? Do you detect that they are as resolute as they were before the election in their language? And if they are altering what would be wrong with that because so to have economic circumstances.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
No, they are actually not, in fact, Nita mentioned commentators, Brian Mitchell the Member from Tasmania and Mike Freelander the Member for McArthur in the Western suburbs, are not commentators they are MPs and they are MPs in Government and they are saying completely different things. Brian Mitchell is out there saying that Jim Chalmers has every right to review what has been legislated tax cuts. Mike Freelander is saying the tax cuts should remain because we promised them going to the election. And, indeed, the tax cuts should remain going into the Budget. Why shouldn’t Australians have more of the money that they earn to spend on the sorts of things that they want to spend it on?
GREG JENNETT
Maybe because the economy has changed substantially since they were first legislated. Not necessarily since the election, Michael, but since these tax cuts were first locked away.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Well we have record iron ore prices; we have got record prices for metallurgical coal. We are looking like we are going to have another bumper harvest if it would just stop raining. Things are looking bright and, yes, I appreciate some might say the fiscal outlook globally is not good, but there are great opportunities for Australia. Labor talks up manufacturing. I know Nita comes from Gladstone, which is a huge manufacturing area. We have got people who are wanting people to move to the regions to fill those job vacancies. Things are looking OK. Let’s not blame what’s happening in the UK or elsewhere for Labor being all at sea on these tax cuts. They need to come out and confirm that the tax cuts are going to remain. They are legislated and they should remain.
GREG JENNETT
Why, Nita, have these references to the failed Liz Truss tax-cut experiment in the UK, why have they begun to infiltrate some of the pre-Budget language that we are hearing from your economic leadership?
NITA GREEN
Well first of all, I know the good people of Gladstone would love to claim me as their own, but I actually live in Cairns and we are a proud manufacturing city and I am very proud to live there and talk about manufacturing. But I just think it’s important to understand that one of the reasons that we have this conversation is, obviously, someone who will be on your show, Adam Bandt and The Greens, are trying to draw those conclusions and those comparisons. I don’t think they are the same. I think we have got a different set of circumstances here in Australia, I don’t agree with Michael that some things are necessarily as bright as he may seem to think that they are. I know people are doing it tough, I know people certainly are looking at cost of living as a real issue in their bank balances and their household budgets. So we do need to have a responsible Budget and we do need to make sure that we are pulling all the levers that are available to us but making sure that we are doing that in a responsible way.
GREG JENNETT
And on that point, Michael, you know full well the cost pressures that are mounting on the Budget in Defence, in Health, in Aged Care, in NDIS and in debt servicing. To meet those and to meet community expectations might it just be, and do you detect when talking to constituents, that there is actually an appetite to invest more in those and maybe even to forego much promised tax cuts?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Well the tax cuts were also introduced to prevent and reduce and stop more bracket creep and we still have 5 per cent of Australians paying 30 per cent of our tax receipts. So why shouldn’t those people who have been promised a tax cut, legislated, why shouldn’t those people who have been promised a tax cut, and backed in by Labor receive that tax cut? That’s the point and what we want to see is Australians working more shifts, what we want to see is incentive for people to work, to take up those jobs in regional Australia, to take up those jobs, whether they are in Cairns or Gladstone or any of those other fine regional centres which want to get back into manufacturing, which want to enhance all the great things that we are doing in resources, in agriculture, in the regions. I am very hopeful that we have a bright future ahead of us, and yes, I appreciate there are pressures on bottom lines, on family budgets on local government bottom lines, I get all that. But what we want to see is the Government investing in people. And that is what I am urging and imploring the Government and Jim Chalmers to do when he brings down his Budget.
GREG JENNETT
All right, somehow, I suspect we will be having this conversation for a few days if not weeks to come before we get to the Budget later this month. Nita, interest rates since we are talking about cost-of-living pressures the Reserve Bank went again yesterday, what’s your assessment of the capacity of voters, constituents, to absorb much more in the regions that you are familiar with, in particular.
NITA GREEN
Yeah, look I think it’s different in different parts of the county. I think there are certainty some pressures in regional Queensland where I live. There was some information in reporting yesterday that actually those interest rate hikes won’t be felt as much in regional Queensland or in places like Cairns because of property prices. But I just really think it’s important for us to understand that not everyone is in the same situation and not everyone could factor in those rate hikes. Not every single person is able to manage their household budget in a way because they have a long-term secure job. We still have really high rates of casualisation in our country and we have some precarious work environments in regional places. So, it is certainly a concern to me that these rate rises are having an impact on household budgets and that is why I would really like to see cost-of-living measures in the Budget that look at making it easier for people to pay their bills.
GREG JENNETT
Yeah sure, I imagine that’s under examination as well. Time’s marching on, Michael, I’ll take it that you would largely reflect the views of Nita on interest rates. But can I take you to something we heard Peter Dutton talking about today. This is the possible, or alleged repatriation from Syria of wives, partners and children of former Islamic State fighters. Do you agree with Peter Dutton that the risks here just can’t be mitigated, that it is in effect too dangerous. That’s his view.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
The onus is on Labor, the onus is on the Government to make sure that those women who have been radicalised are not repatriated to Australia and then cause trouble here. The first job of Government is to protect Australians and protect Australia. If these women, who have become ISIS brides have been radicalised beyond help then that is a very dangerous situation. So the onus is on the Government to do as we did when we were in Government to make sure that the first order is the protection of Australians, the safety of Australians. If Labor can’t do that, if Labor can’t guarantee that these people being repatriated aren’t going to cause trouble then, quite frankly, they need to stay where they are. I know it sounds harsh but that’s the bottom line.
GREG JENNETT
These are the markers that are being put down by the Coalition, Nita Can this be explained publicly, can it be managed safely?
NITA GREEN
Well I think it’s interesting to hear, Michael used more measured language than the opposition leader who I think is looking at an opportunity to make a divide on national security matters. This is a matter of national security, advice on national security has been given to the people making these decisions. I’m not privy to that advice. But I will say I don’t know the circumstances of these individual women and I would hate to put myself in their shoes and understand the circumstances that they are in right now. Our focus as a Government is keeping all Australians safe and I was led to believe that’s a bipartisan issue.
GREG JENNETT
All right well we will try and stay across that, as you say some people know more about this than they can state publicly but it is an evolving story, I’m sure. Nita Green, we are going to wrap it up and thank you. Michael McCormack, thanks so much for joining us from Melbourne today.
NITA GREEN
Thanks, Michael, thanks, Greg.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Thanks Greg, thanks, Nita.
Ends 4.32PM