Topics: Australia spying on Indonesia, the carbon tax and Coles-Woolworths code of conduct
Lyndal Curtis
…joining me now to discuss the day is Labor Senator Sue Lines and Parliamentary Secretary for Education Scott Ryan, welcome to you both. Scott if I can begin with you, Andrew Willkie made the point that Indonesia’s response to the latest revelations is likely to be caught up in domestic politics. Can Australia afford to ignore any fallout though?
Scott Ryan
Well Lyndal I’m aware of the media reports that have occurred this afternoon, but as the Prime Minister made clear in Parliament it’s a long standing convention that all governments in Australia don’t make comments on such matters.
Curtis
But governments have to respond to the reaction?
Ryan
But we don’t make comments on reports like this.
Curtis
Sue, from the reports this happened under a Labor government. Is it not unexpected, not entirely surprising that countries spy on each other? That countries spy on other countries leaders?
Sue Lines
Well I’d agree with Scott, certainly as an opposition we won’t be commenting on the matter either but I certainly agree it needs a response. This is a real test for Tony Abbott as Prime Minister to see if he can really step up to the mark and I think Australians certainly want to see strong leadership on foreign affairs matters, and particularly because Indonesia is such a close and important neighbour for us. I guess to date most Australia’s would think Tony Abbott actually hasn’t done a very good job and we are now beyond the three word slogans and it really is up to Tony Abbott to demonstrate that he can work diplomatic relationships, that he has the language, that indeed he understands the language. That’s the big questions at this point, can Tony Abbott really step up to the plate and manage good relationships, there’s no point talking about them, they have to actually be real and solid and lasting, and he’s gone from bad to worse on foreign relations.
Curtis
Scott, the Prime Minister made the point in parliament that the relationship with Indonesia is the most important one, that Australia does use all resources at its disposal including information, to help friends and allies not to harm them. Is that an attempt to say we might be doing this, we’re not going to confirm it, but it’s in your best interest?
Ryan
No it’s a statement of fact and Sue’s comments there were the longest no comment I’ve ever heard and the longest attempt to try and twist it into a political point for the Labor Party. What the Prime Minister was saying was that our relationship with Indonesia is a very important one. It has been a priority for this government and contrary to assertions that Sue just made, through the meeting that the Prime Minister had with President Yudhoyono in Bali not long after he was sworn into office, through the measures that the government has taken to respect Indonesia’s position and Indonesia’s needs as well as Australia’s policy objectives. This is a relationship that is strong and it will continue to get stronger.
Curtis
We might move on now to the carbon tax repeal legislation. Scott, in the parliament today Christopher Pyne, the leader of the house, has limited time for the debate, the vote will be held at midday on Thursday, he’s also limited questions about it the house during that debate. Why not allow a full debate, allow everyone their say on this?
Ryan
Well there’s no point allowing Labor a filibuster, this is a really simple question for Sue and for Bill Shorten and for everyone in the Labor Party. Will they listen to the judgement of the Australian people? There was no more central issue at the last election, and indeed over the last three years, than Labor’s broken promise on the carbon tax. We made this an explicit promise of a Coalition government that the first legislation we introduced would be to repeal Labor’s carbon tax. I don’t think, quite frankly, that anything, any question that is asked in the Senate or the House of Representatives will necessarily change Sue’s mind from what I’ve heard Bill Shorten say today. It’s a simple question, will Bill Shorten and the Labor Party listen to the Australian people or will they ignore them?
Curtis
Sue, the government and the Greens combined in the Senate have a very short enquiry into the carbon price repeal, reporting date I think of the 2nd of December. There is likely to be a vote before Parliament rises isn’t there?
Lines
I would expect so because we are in opposition now. Labor has made it clear and in fact Shadow Minister Butler gave a really good detailed speech on our position today and what we are saying is there must be an ETS and despite the Coalition Government’s policy being around for three years, it’s got no credible scientific or economic person who supports it. It’s a policy that’s meaningless, there must be an ETS and this government is really embarrassing us both domestically and internationally. We had a lot of people more than 60,000 out across the country yesterday, letting the Government know they wanted an ETS. It’s a bit of a furphy to suggest that it was a key election matter for Australians, it was not, it never rated in the top five of issues of importance to Australians.
Curtis
It is though, one that the Coalition has perused for a number of years, isn’t it?
Lines
It’s one the Coalition has been absolutely clear about but they’re back flipping and sliding all over the place, we had John Howard go to an election supporting an ETS. What we’ve now got is people being forced to back in a Prime Minister who thinks that carbon science is crap. He’s on the public record as saying that, so they’re backing in a climate sceptic.
Ryan
It’s a grab bag of falsehoods and a grab bag of excuses. You talk about people protesting yesterday, well there were 14 million votes cast at an election, and quite frankly, for you to assert that this was not the central issue in Australian politics in this campaign over the last three years, demonstrates how out of touch Labor has become. We promised to repeal the carbon tax; there was no more central issue to Australian politics and Labor is coming up with excuse after excuse. Let us never forget this important point, which under Labor’s floating tax policy, which is the ETS, carbon emissions rise in Australia by 90 million tonnes by the end of the decade, so it doesn’t do anything to cut pollution.
Curtis
That was if there was no change, emissions would rise even higher.
Ryan
Under Labor’s policy, let them not say that it’s about cutting pollution, it’s got nothing to do with that. It’s actually about forcing up electricity bills. They talk about price signals, what that means is higher costs for households and business.
Curtis
I want to move on to one final issue, the promised Productivity Commission inquiry into childcare has been released. The minister told Parliament nothing is on or off the table, nor should it be, but both she and the Prime Minister wanted to say there are no plans, Mr Abbott said, there’s no intention to means test the childcare rebate. Scott, would there be any reason to means test the childcare rebate?
Ryan
The Prime Minister made his view clear, we were talking a minute ago about this government trying to keep its promises. This Government is going to keep its word that it gave to the Australian people, we said we wouldn’t, and the Prime Minister has restated that.
Curtis
Sue, there were occasionally suggestions that Labor in government might have means tested the childcare rebate. The Coalition has promised not to, the inquiry is to look at more flexible options for childcare. Do you think that’s needed, given the changes in peoples’ working patterns?
Lines
What the Prime Minister is on the public record as saying is that there will be no new funding in the early childhood sector. If we look at the scope of the Productivity Commission, he is trying to extend out services, now that does mean there will be massive cuts to families. There’s no getting away from that, you cannot as a Prime Minister say no new funding in early childhood, but we want to expand the scope of what we offer. That means either there’s a means test, or there’s cuts for all parents in terms of rebates and benefits. Mr Abbott needs to come clean right now and say there will be no cuts to what parents are getting now, that they will continue to back in the National Quality Reforms that Labor put in place, proper focus on education and care has never been done before, and in relation to the Productivity Report, it’s not going to report until at least March 2015. Come on, this is not a priority of the Abbott Government, this is just another furphy, and if parents are not careful, there will be massive cuts as the Prime Minister uses the same level of funding to stretch additional services.
Curtis
Scott, some flexible childcare options, such as nannies, have been looked at by governments in the past, but they have been found to be very expensive. Is it possible to provide more flexibility without more cost?
Ryan
I don’t think anyone that has a child in childcare thinks the system works. I’ve got a two-year-old son in childcare and obviously I travel a bit for work, the costs next year are going up by more than 20% and the letter from the council specifically says it’s because of the policies Labor introduced. Everyone I know who’s a young parent talks about the rush to get out the door and the hope there’s no traffic jam on the way to get to the childcare centre at 6:00. We know it’s not working because of changed working patterns, and a Productivity Commission inquiry is the sensible way. To take eighteen months to do it actually shows how important this is, by not doing a quick slap-dash review, the way Labor used to.
Curtis
On that note, we’ll have to leave it. Scott Ryan and Sue Lines, thank you very much for your time.
Ryan
Thanks Lyndal.
Lines
Thanks Lyndal.
(Ends)