TRANSCRIPT: INTERVIEW WITH JOHN DASKEY AT 2PK PARKES, 8 JUNE 2023
Subjects: School mock council, ANZAC writing competition, local infrastructure funding
E&OE
STARTS 8.06AM
JOHN DASKEY
Michael McCormack, G’day.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Great to be on 2PK. I’ve got my coffee from Deja Brew. What great little coffee place.
JOHN DASKEY
Well, if you’re going to plug them we got some nice egg and bacon rolls from there last Friday. They were sweet as.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Friendly staff. I’ll tell you what, Gavin Tom and his mates will be happy. I had dinner with them last night and farmers will be celebrating, not quite sure that the picnic race people will be, but this rain is very good, John.
JOHN DASKEY
A bit of rain won’t hurt the picnic races mate, just settle the dust that little bit. We won’t mind too much.
[Laughter]
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Well, it’s needed, isn’t it?
JOHN DASKEY
The crowds will certainly come from near and far to be a part of that on Saturday. Now you flew into town yesterday I understand mate? So you’ve certainly been doing a few things?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Well, the Christian School were having a council session with Neil Westcott, the Deputy Mayor, and a few others. The General Manager Kent Boyd was there. But they had all been replaced by kids, and
they were having a session, they were having a local government meeting at the council chambers. And, to a kid, they were so thrilled about the Lions Park upgrade that’s happening at the moment and that’ll be opening in a few months’ time. We’re going to have some adventure swings and all sorts of fun and games there. But gee, the kids were good – they knew a lot about democracy, they knew a lot about how the different forms of government and the different levels work. I was pretty impressed.
JOHN DASKEY
So it was a bit like being back in Parliament early?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Although they were better behaved.
[Laughter]
JOHN DASKEY
Now, what’s on the agenda today, mate? I believe you’ve got plenty in the little diary there?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Well, we spent all day in Parkes yesterday. Today is Forbes and we are going to Red Bend Catholic College and Forbes North to present some ANZAC certificates and, more importantly, book prizes. I was amazed by the number of children who entered my 13th annual ANZAC Day writing competition. And it is always good, John, that kids from here write about what ANZAC means to them. I know that ANZAC Day is a long time ago, but it shouldn’t be just April 25 when we say thanks for the service of our people who’ve donned the uniform, and those who are in a uniform now and our Veterans, et cetera. We should say it every day. And so, these kids write these entries in and talk about what ANZAC Day means to them. And yesterday at Parkes East we presented more than 100 certificates, including to Samara Wood who actually won the competition.
JOHN DASKEY
Wow! Well done.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Yes, she got a book prize from the Australian War Memorial. So today it’s Forbes North and Red Bend Catholic College, where we also received dozens and dozens of entries.
JOHN DASKEY
All right, mate. Now, just generally speaking about other things at the moment – since you and I last chatted, there’s been a bit of a changing of the guard. Not only the Queen to the King and that sort of thing, but also, nowadays doing your thing in the opposition. Question is, when are you going to start keeping them honest, mate?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Well, we do keep them accountable and that’s what Parliament question time is for. You do ask questions to the Government. I’m very disappointed that a lot of the local roads and infrastructure money, the regional funding, has been stripped away and a pause put on all the other projects.
JOHN DASKEY
Well, it [the funding] has just stopped.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
It has just stopped. You only had to look yesterday – at the rugby field, Spicer Oval, where we put in $1.3 million for lighting and a lot of money towards the new grandstand and community centre there and new changerooms for both females and males – that’s a lot of money.
JOHN DASKEY
Sure.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
But that’s all gone. (I was at ) the skate park yesterday and kids use that skate park. It’s a great facility – $600,000 or there abouts it cost. That money won’t be coming over the next few years while Labor’s in power. Communities will feel it, they’ll notice it and they’ll notice that there aren’t those workers on those projects, like yesterday at Lion’s Park – there were half-a-dozen workers and trucks. That’s very unfortunate because not only the big projects, like the Newell Bypass, but it’s the smaller projects – those ones that are supported by local governments, where the councils get to decide at a local level. Now all the decisions about spending on regional funding is going to be done at a Canberra level, and you and I and everybody else listening knows that not all the best decisions are made in Canberra, let’s face it.
JOHN DASKEY
No, not generally speaking. All right, well that’s all very interesting. Mate, look, do your best – I’m sure you can. When are you going to get five minutes to put pen to paper yourself personally? You do like to get the quill out occasionally!
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Well, I’m a former newspaper editor. I was going to write a book before I got into Parliament, I just haven’t had time, on why soldiers went to the First World War. I’m fascinated by the First World War and by the commitment that country men, particularly, and women, too, as nurses, but so many country men went to war and died. Sixty thousand of them never came back and 62,000 died in the decade thereafter. So we lost 120,000 of our best and brightest and bravest.
But, certainly, sport interests me. I’ve got a lot of interest in a lot of things and local history interests me. But look, I’ll put pen to paper and write books that I’ve threatened to my wife that nobody will ever read when I retire, might even write the memoirs! That’ll be fascinating, that’ll be interesting. But, look, at the moment I’m busy concentrating on representing the Riverina and Central West as best I can. Getting out and about seeing, you know, the good folk of Parkes and Forbes and getting up here as often as I can. I’ve got an office here. Eliza Buckland, she’s in charge of that office, she does a great job – so anybody who has any federal issues, please drop in my Clarinda Street office and see Eliza.
JOHN DASKEY
Well, we certainly appreciate just about every time you come into town. You pop in and see us Michael and it’s always good to catch up with you. And again, thank you for your time with us on the program today.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Now, are the Eels going to win next Monday? I know you and I both support Parra. They’re playing the Bulldogs, fingers crossed, John!
JOHN DASKEY
I’ve tipped them.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Oh, so have I, but I always tip them. You can’t tip against your own team.
JOHN DASKEY
Would you believe three weeks ago I tipped against them and the buggers won!
MICHAEL McCORMACK
That was against Souths, I’ll bet!
JOHN DASKEY
Yes it was.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Aha, see!
[Laughter]
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Yes, they surprised us – they always beat the good sides and then lose to the ones down the bottom of the ladder. But anyway, great to be with you.
JOHN DASKEY
All right, Michael, thank you very much for your time on the program today.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Wonderful.
Ends 8.12AM