22 November, 2010
Sky News – AM Agenda
Ashleigh Gillon and Craig Thomson MP
22 November 2010
8:40am
E & OE
Subjects: NBN, banks, Nielsen Poll, Marriage Act
ASHLEIGH GILLON:
Joining me this morning, the Labor MP Craig Thomson, good morning to you.
CRAIG THOMSON:
G’day Ashleigh, how are you?
GILLON:
Well thank you. And the Shadow Minister for Disabilities Mitch Fifield, good morning.
MITCH FIFIELD:
Good morning Ashleigh.
GILLON:
We’re in the final week of the year, it’s been a long time coming a big year for everybody in this place. Craig, what are the priorities for the Government this week? What do you need to get through?
THOMSON:
Well we’ve got the NBN legislation, which I think is going to be front and centre this week, in terms of making sure we’re able to get that through and deliver the sort of fast speed broadband that everyone out there in Australia has been crying out for. So we need to get that through and move ahead.
GILLON:
How about for the Coalition, Mitch? What are the priorities for you?
FIFIELD:
Well, just on the Government’s priorities first. This Government fought like Kilkenny cats to get back into office. They tore down a first-term Prime Minister. They negotiated at length with the independents. And when they finally got back into Government, what was their agenda? There basically wasn’t one. This is the thinnest legislative agenda we’ve seen in a long, long time, straight after an election. The NBN is about the only significant item on the Government’s agenda. So what we want to see is some basic information from the Government. We want the Government to release the business case. The Government is asking us at the moment to vote on that, yet we don’t have that basic information. That’s what we need.
GILLON:
Well of course, the legislation that you’re both talking about is the structural separation of Telstra. And the Government has made it very clear all along that by the end of this week that’s what it wants to get passed through the Parliament. The Government has agreed to allow Parliament to veto, Craig, the sale of the NBN after it’s complete, in order to get the Greens on side. Does that mean it could be difficult to track down and recoup the costs when this NBN is built?
THOMSON:
No, no, look, we’ve always been committed to selling the NBN at the right time. And that’s why we’ve said right from the start that we’ll have a productivity commission inquiry to ensure that it’s the right time, the right price and the right sale conditions are there. And we’ll go ahead with that. Of course we’re going to consult Parliament in terms of that. I think it’s only proper that there be parliamentary scrutiny so that we can gauge that that is the right time in terms of the NBN. But I think the real question out there is, you know, let’s just get on and do it. I mean, this is something that we’ve been pushing for a long, long time. I see that even Malcolm Turnbull by his actions in terms of his company is in favour of the NBN, even though he might be saying something differently, from the report in the Sydney Morning Herald today. I mean, everyone out there is saying, ‘let’s get on, develop the NBN, it’s so important in terms of jobs, in terms of making sure that Australia is at the forefront of this new technology.’ We need to be doing it and all we get from the Opposition is excuses, you know, ways of trying to stand in and stop it, delays, those sorts of things. Any tactic they can use to make sure it doesn’t go ahead.
GILLON:
Just to pick you up on that point on the Productivity Commission; why bring them in at the end and not at the beginning, before the business case has been released? Before the thing is actually rolled out?
THOMSON:
Well, the issue with the Productivity Commission is about the right time for the sale, to make sure that taxpayers get the right return in terms of making sure when we offload the Government’s component in terms of the NBN. I mean, we’re committed to selling the NBN, but what we want to do is get it up and going. There are so many communities out there that are crying out for it, many of those who support Mitch and his party in the last election can’t understand the Coalition’s opposition to the NBN. I know in my electorate we have a campaign by some members of the Liberal Party, out there saying let’s get the NBN here as quick as we can. We need the Opposition to come on board with it, stop all of this nonsense about trying to delay and frustrate what everyone out there wants to see happen.
GILLON:
Malcolm Turnbull’s getting a lot of heat for this story that Craig referred to there, about having his company on board, it seems, with the NBN.
FIFIELD:
I don’t know the situation of Malcolm’s investments. That’s a matter for him. But Craig really highlighted the absurdity of the situation that we’re currently in. The Government is saying, ‘let’s have a Productivity Commission inquiry to work out when to sell the NBN. But let’s not have one at the outset to determine whether this is the right way to go about it. Let’s have parliamentary scrutiny to look at whether it’s the right time to sell the NBN, but let’s not have parliamentary scrutiny of the business case at the outset.’ And we’ve had this absolute farce over the last 48 hours where, initially, the Government wanted the Independents and minor parties to sign up to a seven-year confidentiality agreement. Then a three year one. Now it’s a two week one. So the only reason this Government is seeking a confidentiality agreement is so that the business case isn’t revealed until after the Parliament votes.
GILLON:
Craig, isn’t that picking favourites? Saying you’ll give these confidential briefings to some Members of Parliament, and only if they sign these confidentiality agreements? Isn’t that just a bit, taking it too far? A bit ridiculous? Or is that really necessary?
THOMSON:
Look, it is necessary in terms of some of the confidential issues that are there, and the business in confidence arrangements that are going to be shown in terms of this. And it’s only come about because, you know, there is some concern from some of the independents that they want to get a briefing. And we’re happy to do that, but we need to keep it confidential. I mean, these papers…
GILLON:
The business case is coming out next week, right? Next month, so in a couple of weeks?
THOMSON:
They’re coming out next month. This is not an issue that wasn’t discussed and known about at the election. At the election, the NBN was front and centre of many campaigns out there. It was subject to electoral scrutiny. There have been plans and business models put forward in relation to this. All we’re getting now at the moment from the Opposition is excuses and reasons to try and delay it. I mean, Tony Abbott…
FIFIELD:
We care about taxpayers money. We want value for money.
THOMSON:
Well, you’ve taken the position that you want to abolish the NBN. You don’t support it…
FIFIELD:
We want information. We want scrutiny.
GILLON:
Okay. Senator, what’s the Coalition going to do this week with this legislation on the structural separation of Telstra? Initially, the Coalition was against that when it was announced, and then you back-flipped and said it was a good idea under Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership. He thought that Coalition should actually be supporting that, but he wanted to amend the legislation. Where are you up to? What’s the Coalition going to do when this gets into the Senate this week?
FIFIELD:
Well it’s in the Senate today. And what happens is largely in the Government’s hands. We want the business case released. That hasn’t happened.
GILLON:
So you won’t vote for this until the business case is released?
FIFIELD:
Well, we live in hope that the Government will do the right thing and release the business case.
GILLON:
Well, it’s not going to, so what are you going to do?
FIFIELD:
Well let’s wait and see. I mean, they’ve been changing. Initially they wanted to have a seven-year bar on MPs speaking about what they learn from the business case. Now it’s down to two weeks. So this is a moveable feast.
GILLON:
But really, you don’t really think this is something the Government is going to release today? They’ve made it very clear that this is something to be released in December.
FIFIELD:
Well, they should. And we will continue to ask them to do that. But we have amendments to move. It remains to be seen whether those get up. Other parties have amendments to move. So we’ve got to wait and see what form this legislation is in when it comes to a final vote.
THOMSON:
Ashleigh, we’re seeing another example of them trying to delay and frustrate the NBN. They have no policies in this area themselves. Well actually, they do they have 19 policies in this area themselves, and they’re just trying to stop what everyone in Australia wants to see happen and that’s the NBN.
FIFIELD:
Release the business plan. You are your own delay.
GILLON:
Okay, we are rapidly running out of time. We are also going to see a focus on the banks this week – when Swan yesterday said that he wants credit unions to be the fifth pillar of Australia’s banking system. Is that a pretty good hint as to what direction he’ll be going in next month when he does release the suite of reforms that he’s promised?
THOMSON:
Well, I’m not sure what Wayne will be releasing next month, other than that we’re looking at making sure that it’s easier for people to have a choice and competition in banking. I mean I think the point that Wayne was making is that there are over a hundred credit unions out there and if you go out to any of their websites and have a look, the interest rates they’re charging on mortgages are substantially lower than those of the banks. The people, Australians, have had their faith in credit unions. They’re strong, they’re reliable, and they’re something that people should be considering. So I think, you know, Wayne will be announcing next month the full suite of packages in terms of this. But we’re determined to make sure that there’s competition there. The banks have acted irresponsibly in relation to putting interest rates as they have. Not only do we need to be putting them under this sort of scrutiny, we have the Reserve Bank Governor here on Friday and he’ll be under some scrutiny as well in relation to this issue.
GILLON:
Mitch Fifield, does the Coalition welcome that renewed focus on credit unions, more support from the Government to them? Would that be something you’d like to see?
FIFIELD:
Well, it’s about time that the Government started talking about competition, which they’re now belatedly doing. We think there needs to be a comprehensive review of the Australian financial system. It’s been about 15 or 16 years since the last one, since we had Wallis. So there needs to be a new inquiry. And some of those issues that Craig was talking about would be things that inquiry could look at. But in the meantime, there are some practical things you can do. So we’re introducing into the House this week our price-signalling legislation to give the ACCC more powers. But there’s something that the current Government can do right now to reduce upward pressure on interest rates. And that’s to stop borrowing, to stop spending stimulus money that time has passed – and to pay down the debt faster.
GILLON:
Okay, that is a debate I’m sure we could get in to. But I just want to very quickly, before we go, just have a quick look at today’s opinion poll in the Sydney Morning Herald. We’ve seen that the Nielsen Poll shows the Coalition is ahead on a two-party preferred basis, 51-49%. Craig, why hasn’t the Government been able to get any momentum going, post-election? What’s going wrong?
THOMSON:
Well, polls come and go…
GILLON:
But these polls have been pretty similar, lately.
THOMSON:
Well, I think things haven’t particularly moved for both parties since the election. We’ve got a hung Parliament that’s what the Australian public voted on. It’s not surprising that only a month or two after that that’s still where the public are with it. So I don’t think there’s any surprises in the poll that’s out there today at all.
GILLON:
But also, this poll asked voters about gay marriage, and found that 57% of people support legalisation of same-sex marriage. 37% of people opposed it. Mitch Fifield, this is something that would be better, if it’s going to move forward, to get Coalition support as well. Do you think that’s something we would ever see from the Coalition? Support for same-sex marriage?
FIFIELD:
Well the Coalition’s position is that marriage is between a man and a woman, to the exclusion of others, voluntarily entered into for life. That’s our position. Personally, I wouldn’t be particularly troubled if, in the fullness of time, there was some other form of contracting. It wouldn’t be called a marriage because it would have different characteristics. But marriage has a particular character, and the Coalition supports that.
GILLON:
And that is Labor’s position as well until the next National Conference, which we will all look forward to seeing. Craig Thomson and Mitch Fifield, thank you for joining us this morning.
ENDS