Transcript of
Senator Mitch Fifield
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary
for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector
Sky News AM Agenda
Ashleigh Gillon and David Bradbury
28 September 2009
8:40am
E & OE
Subjects: war widow compensation, budget, polls, ETS, asylum seekers
ASHLEIGH GILLON:
Welcome back to AM Agenda. Joining me here in the Sydney studio the Labor MP David Bradbury, good morning.
DAVID BRADBURY:
Good morning Ashleigh. How are you?
GILLON:
Well thank you. And the Liberal Senator Mitch Fifield will be joining us from Melbourne in just a couple of minutes. But let’s start with you David. It shouldn’t have taken media reports and public outrage to get some action on Breanna Till’s case, should it?
BRADBURY:
I think most people would be disturbed at some of the revelations, and as Neil James said, some of the reporting on this matter was sensationalist and didn’t necessarily assist Breanna’s cause, and ultimately I think that’s what we are all concerned about to ensure that in cases such as this, where we’ve got a widow of someone who died in defence and service of this country has left dependents behind, that we have the systems in place that are ready to deliver the support that is intended to be delivered as quickly as possible. And I think that’s what has really been shown up in this case, is that there were some problems with some systems, and ultimately these are the things that need to be addressed to ensure that the assistance that everybody agrees should be provided, is provided in a timely fashion. You shouldn’t have to be out there with a begging bowl and I think that’s something that rightly has caused a lot of concern amongst Australians.
GILLON:
Absolutely. Mitch Fifield good morning to you. Has the Government acted appropriately in this case? We did see a quick response yesterday to solve some of these issues like the housing issue for example. But what else needs to happen now not just for Breanna Till but for other war widows in her situation?
MITCH FIFIELD:
Well clearly the nation owes a special duty of care to the families of defence force personnel who lose their lives in the service of their country. And when you have a family in this situation who are saying they are not getting the support and the care that they need, you’ve got to take that very seriously. We do owe these people a very special duty of care. Clearly they are not getting the degree of support that they need. There is currently a review into military compensation arrangements which is due to report I think on the 31st of March. That report needs to be brought forward. I don’t think we can wait until March to look for a better way forward. We need to bring that reporting date forward so that we can make sure these families get the support they need.
GILLON:
Ok. Everyone seems to be in agreement on that. On a completely different issue though David, The Australian is reporting today that the Budget’s bottom line will be vastly improved. Are you confident that the Government can return the Budget to surplus sooner than expected, sooner than forecast?
BRADBURY:
Look I have no inside information on whether the figures that have been reported in The Australian are correct or not, but we’ve always said that the importance of acting early and in such a decisive fashion was that if we had waited, not only would the country have entered a recession and possibly a long and protracted recession, but many Australians would have lost their jobs. So the important thing in acting as early as decisively as we did was that not only were we avoiding the human cost of a recession, but also keeping the economy as strong as possible so that tax revenues into the future could continue to roll in. And that’s an important part of ensuring a strong and responsible Budget position into the longer term.
GILLON:
But those stimulus packages where based on these more negative forecasts, so now that things are looking a lot rosier than forecast wouldn’t it make sense for the Government to reassess this and perhaps wind back the spending?
BRADBURY:
Look I think there is a couple of points that need to be made here and first and foremost, when I’m out in my local community in Penrith in Western Sydney I see that there is still a lot of softness in the economy. So it’s one thing for people to point to economic statistics and a national level and say that things are all rosy, so that should be acknowledged, but I think the most important thing to acknowledge is that to be limping along with growth between nought and one per cent, that might satisfy some people in terms of our economic prospects, but I think we’ve got to be doing better than that. And that’s why we need to maintain the stimulus. Frankly any calls to withdraw the stimulus at this point would be to cut the Australian economy away at the knees at the time when it is just starting to get onto its feet.
GILLON:
Well that is exactly what the opposition has been arguing for. Today’s Senate inquiry will be getting evidence from the Reserve Bank chief Glenn Stevens among others as to the impact of the stimulus packages have had on the Australian economy. Mitch what do you make of the Treasurer Wayne Swan’s claim that tens of thousands of jobs could be at risk if this stimulus spending is wound back? Is that something you agree with and do you agree as David said then that it was the Government’s stimulus packages that kept Australia out of recession?
FIFIELD:
No I think that is rubbish. What protected Australia were a number of things. Firstly the strong fiscal position which this Government inherited. But most importantly of all was the cutting of cash rates. That gave a massive stimulus to the Australian economy. Also, the devaluation of the Australian dollar in 2008. They’re the main reasons why Australia came through the global financial challenge better than anticipated and better than most other nations. They are the key factors that have led us to this point. But what this Government needs to realise is that if the stimulus spending continues, as they plan, it’s going to see a rise in interest rates. There shouldn’t have been this degree of stimulus in the first place. We should have allowed even more space for monetary policy to assist the economy, but this Government seems determined to proceed with this stimulus spending. And we know what the outcome will be. It is going to force interest rates up. I’m sure the Governor of the Reserve Bank will be diplomatic in what he says, but it is important that we get a frank assessment from the Reserve Bank Governor today. This Government has us on a path for higher interest rates, a path which is avoidable.
GILLON:
Well we’ll all certainly be watching that Senate inquiry today very closely and of course we’ll have full coverage of that here on SkyNews. David Bradbury apart from the economy, the emissions trading scheme is the big issue in the parliament. Of course they are connected as well. But as the Newspoll analysis shows today that the majority of regional and rural voters are in favour of the Coalition 51 per cent in favour to the Coalition, 49 per cent to Labor on a two party preferred basis. Do you blame the ETS for those sorts of results?
BRADBURY:
Well look I’m not here to speculate on the polls. And frankly polls are an interesting thing for political commentators to reflect upon but we are…
GILLON:
But they are starkly different from the other Newspoll we’ve seem from city areas for example. So it seems obvious that this might be the reason why there’s such a difference?
BRADBURY:
Well you might think it is obvious and if you draw that conclusion you’re entitled to do that but I think from our perspective we are focused on doing what we’ve been elected to do and that is to govern in the national interest. When it comes to challenges such as the CPRS, we’ll we’ve made our position very clear. We went to the election with some clear commitments. We are determined to take action on climate change. And to some people that might be popular, to others it may be unpopular. But we are not simply in the business of making popular decisions we are making the decisions that our nation requires if we are to set up our economy for future prosperity, and sometimes those decisions will be difficult ones, but frankly as I talk to people in my community, there is an overwhelming chorus of support for us to take decisive action, and we will do that. And hopefully we will be able to bring the Coalition with us on this, because the changes that are being proposed are needed and are in the national interest.
GILLON:
Mitch Fifield how did you interpret those results today?
FIFIELD:
Well I wouldn’t be popping the champagne corks yet over those polls. But I think there is a clear message in the polls for those who say the next election isn’t winnable for the Coalition, for those who say that the Coalition could never win a double dissolution. This Government does not have a lock on the next election. It is eminently winnable. And what these polls indicate, I think, is that in rural and regional Australia, our message about the flaws and the dangers of this ETS are getting through. People in regional and rural Australia, I think, have a much better appreciation for the way an ETS will work, the real world impacts of an ETS and I think that is what we are seeing with these particular polls.
GILLON:
But Mitch voters in non-capital cities still overwhelmingly prefer Kevin Rudd over Malcolm Turnbull as preferred Prime Minister. Does that suggest that you’ve got a problem with the way the Coalition is selling Malcolm Turnbull in those areas?
FIFIELD:
No, not at all. It’s always a tough job for an Opposition Leader. What are we, 18 months into the first term of this Government. So it is a hard road to hoe for any Opposition Leader. Brendan found it difficult. Malcolm’s finding it difficult. I don’t think it would matter who is in the position, it is a tough job. Malcolm is showing true grit and determination and on the ETS we’re determined to get the message out there that this current design of an ETS is flawed, it’s going to cost jobs, and we shouldn’t vote on it until we know what is going to happen in Copenhagen.
GILLON:
Well David the Government commissioned Morgan Stanley to examine the ETS, and it’s found surprise, surprise that the ETS would cause financial distress to electricity generators. Is the Government open to providing more compensation, do you kind of assume this is going to form a major part of the Coalition’s amendments?
BRADBURY:
Look we, from our perspective we think the compensation has been set and calibrated at an appropriate level. We think that the system that we have proposed is a good one and will go a long way towards putting Australia to where it needs to be in tackling greenhouse gas emissions. No we are moving towards the next stage in negotiations. I don’t want to make any comments that might prejudice the good faith into which those discussions are entered into, but I’d simply make this point and that is that the Coalition has made the commitment that they would come forward and bring amendments forward, and that is absolutely essential. It’s not good enough for them to what they did the last time the bill was before the parliament and that was to simply vote it down. If they say that they support taking action on climate change, but they just don’t like what’s before the parliament, then it is incumbent on them to bring some amendments forward. If those amendments come forward, then we will negotiate in good faith because at the end of the day, we recognise that it is important that Australia show leadership before we head off to Copenhagen.
GILLON:
Well Mitch I guess it is just over a month until we are expecting another vote on the ETS. Can we safely assume that more compensation is a key part of the amendments that Malcolm Turnbull and your colleagues are drafting at the moment?
FIFIELD:
Well you only need to look at the Morgan Stanley report which this Government has itself commissioned, which says that there needs to be more compensation for generators. That is something which we’ve said all along. Our position is that we don’t want any design of an ETS to leave Australian businesses worse off compared to their American counterparts. We think that there should be equivalent compensation, equivalent protection for Australian businesses. I think this Government needs to stop their silly letter writing game. If they were fair dinkum, if they were serious about their legislation, they wouldn’t be sitting back saying we’ll wait to see your amendments, they’d be sitting down with us, they’d be talking about principles and they’d even be prepared to get their own people to draft amendments to give effect to any principles which were agreed upon. That’s how negotiations took place when there was the new tax system, the GST. Government sat down with the party with the numbers in the Senate and discussed principles. And the Government even drafted the amendments. After all, it’s the Government’s own legislation you’d think that they would want to take steps to try to get it through.
GILLON:
Well the Government’s made it very clear that that is not going to be happening in this case. Mitch though I want to ask you and David about one final issue, we have to be quick as we are running out of time but, we are seeing that the influx of asylum seekers is continuing. Is it right David that Christmas Island detention centre there is nearing full capacity, and what’s the Government planning to do when that happens?
BRADBURY:
Look we are still confident that we continue to have adequate capacity on Christmas Island to meet any incoming demand from asylum seekers. I guess the point that I would make is that the factors that are driving the numbers when it comes to asylum seekers is really largely they’re international factors, the UNHCR, other international bodies have acknowledged that and we are working very closely with our neighbours to tackle them.
GILLON:
Mitch Fifield this is turning into a pretty big problem for the Government. Sharman Stone from your side has been taking up this fight but this is a story that doesn’t seem to be getting out there much, this message that we are hearing from the Opposition that the Government is to blame for this, that it is the ending of the Temporary Protection Visas, the so called Pacific Solution, doesn’t seem to be getting much traction.
FIFIELD:
Well what is transpiring is exactly what we predicted. As soon as the Government started softening its language in relation to asylum seekers, as soon as the Government started to wind back the protections, such as the TPVs, we knew there would be an influx and that is exactly what’s happening. The Government continues to hide behind the argument that this is all because of push factors, it’s nothing to do with pull factors. Well we have lived in a world full of turmoil for a long time so there have always been push factors. What’s changed are the pull factors. This Government has helped make an attractive product for people smugglers to sell and that’s what we are seeing the fruits of now.
GILLON:
Ok Mitch Fifield, David Bradbury we’ve run out of time, thank you for joining us this morning. Thanks Mitch.
ENDS