Topics: State elections, SPC Ardmona and Woolworths deal, and the commission-of-audit
E&OE…
Kieran Gilbert
…with me on the program now the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Matt Thistlethwaite, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Senator Scott Ryan. Senator Ryan to you, on what Tom Connell spoke of there and the prospect of wall-to-wall Liberal governments, would that assist in the Abbott Government’s efforts of trying to reform the Federation, Commonwealth and State relations if every government across the board, except the ACT of course, if every government is Liberal?
Scott Ryan
Well, I’m hopeful and optimistic that the voters of Tasmania and South Australia will see the need for change versus more of the same. That on the weekend they’ll see that their states need strong leadership versus the current governments that pander to minority groups like the Greens, that are focussed on political battles and infighting. When it comes to the Federation, the Coalition and the Prime Minister made a commitment before the election to look at reform of the Federation and go through a detailed consultative white paper approach. The truth is many areas of public concern are areas that are touched on by multiple areas of government in Australia, for example health and education. I might say that leads on occasion to blurred accountability and we’ve seen that with Jay Weatherill and in my home state with Premiers like Steve Bracks and John Brumby, where they run the hospitals but they would try and blame the Federal Government, even though the Federal Government doesn’t run any hospitals. So, what the reform of the federation is about is actually ensuring the people can hold politicians accountable for the decisions they make for the services they know are important to their lives.
Gilbert
So, in that question again, and I’ll put it to you, wall-to-wall Liberal Governments will it make that process easier for Tony Abbott to deliver?
Ryan
The white paper process will take some time. The point I would make is, while Premiers represent their states and I have no doubt that just as Denis Napthine represents the people of Victoria and Barry O’Farrell represents the interests of the people of New South Wales, hopefully Steven Marshall and Will Hodgman will get that opportunity on the weekend. It does mean that having people committed to the interest of all the people of their states rather than political gamesmanship, as Jay Weatherill and Lara Giddings have shown. That you will get a real process and you’ll get the opportunity for real reform, just has happened previously with Premiers like Jeff Kennett and Prime Ministers like John Howard.
Gilbert
Matt Thistlethwaite, it hasn’t taken long if we look at the electoral prospects in Tassie and South Australia, the Liberals are the favourites. If they win it hasn’t taken long for the entire landscape to change from wall-to-wall Labor Governments in 2007, to what is going to be, in-every-likelihood, Liberals across the board except in the ACT.
Thistlethwaite
Well Kieran there’s no doubt that Labor is the underdog in South Australia and Tasmania this weekend. We will be fighting on the issues that matter to constituents in those states. The people of Tasmania and South Australia should look at what’s occurred in other states particularly in areas of services delivery for a preview of what could occur if they elect Liberal Governments on the weekend. In NSW we’ve had massive cuts to health and education budgets, we’ve seen TAFE teachers sacked, in Queensland you’ve seen a similar scenario, there have been massive cuts to the Western Australian health and education budgets. That’s what you’re probably likely to see if those states elect Liberal Governments on the weekend and I don’t believe that’s what the people of those states want.
Gilbert
Matt, I want to ask you and move on to another issue now. The SPC situation, they’ve done a deal with Woolies that has just been released, a Woolworths $70 million contract with SPC Ardmona providing fruit for the next five years. This is a huge development for that region for the workers and the company and it comes just a month or so after the government rejected a request for a $25 million handout, they’ve been vindicated by this deal haven’t they Matt?
Thistlethwaite
Well it is pleasing to see that SPC have done this arrangement with Woolworths. It will improve the job prospects for the people who are working there but it’s not true that there wasn’t any government assistance delivered to SPC of course the Victorian Government provided I think $23 million worth of assistance. Much of Labor’s approach to this issue was the inconsistency being shown by the Abbott Government when it comes to supporting industry and supporting jobs in Australia. Only a few months earlier a $16 million handout had been given to Cadbury a large multinational similar to Coca-Cola Amatil and it appears the only reason for that $16 million handout is the fact that the assistant Health Minister’s former Chief-of-Staff was the lobbyist…
Ryan
…be careful Matt…be careful.
Gilbert
Matt Thistlethwaite, the $70 million deal does show that if $25 million was paid by the Federal Government a month or six weeks ago that it would have been money wasted essentially because it’s not needed. They’ve done this deal and put those producers in the Goulburn Valley on a firm footing for the next five years at least according to Woolworths.
Thistlethwaite
These types of investments are about ensuring job creation and about leveraging opportunities particularly in regional and rural areas and Labor’s approach when in government was to look for those opportunities in areas where the economy was expanding and areas where there was opportunity for exports and in areas where you’re supporting highly skilled and technical jobs. That’s the sort of industry you have with automotive with car components and export in those industries and SPC Ardmona, in my view, is a similar sort of industry with growth opportunities in Asia associated with food.
Gilbert
Let’s bring in Scott Ryan. The company says the government’s decision actually helped generate consumer enthusiasm or renew consumer enthusiasm for their products. You can’t rely on that every time when taking a hard line on government assistance?
Ryan
I think the coverage of the issue is what the company had previously said has generated consumer interest and they said that only a few weeks ago, when they had SPC Sunday and the product was flying off the shelves. It was the media coverage of the issue, it was public awareness. I just want to go to something Matt said then, Matt just alleged something about the grant to Cadbury that I haven’t heard any of his colleagues in the Senate allege and there is no evidence to support that at all. He can be critical of the grant but is allegation just then was frankly disgusting. The point of the announcement with Woolworths is this goes to show this was a company with prospects and it was a company with opportunities and those opportunities have come forward. The only consistent thing about Labor’s industry policy is they would run down the road handing out blank cheques to companies and ironically the worse you did the more tax-payer money was handed out.
Gilbert
Do you believe then, Scott Ryan, that the Abbott Government has been vindicated in its decision by this deal between SPC and Woolworths?
Ryan
That’s one way to put it but regardless of this particular decision by Woolworths it was the right decision for this government to make. With the investment Coca-Cola had put in and now this deal with Woolworths that does go to show these companies do have a future and they can stand on their own two feet.
Gilbert
Let’s take a break. We will be right back on AM Agenda. Stay with us.
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Gilbert
This is AM Agenda with me on the program the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Matt Thistlethwaite and the Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Senator Scott Ryan. Scott Ryan I want to turn our attention now to the commission-of-audit and I want to ask you about some comments the Prime Minister has made on this. He has indicated that in the not too distant future the government is likely to have something to say on it, now you’ve got the interim report obviously the government has the final report delivered on March 31. How important is it, in your view, for the government to get out some of the difficult calls, the tough recommendations early to start the conversation with the Australian people so they’re not announcing anything dramatic in the May budget?
Ryan
The most important thing Kieran is that we give this report consideration. You just mentioned the key dates there, Senior Ministers have received the interim report, the final report is three weeks away and this government is not going to do something like the Labor Government did, which is dump a report after holding it for months without having duly considered it. We made a commitment before the election and we’ve kept to those commitments since the election, we’re not going to be breaking any of those promises. When people see the budget on May 14 people will see the government delivering on its promises. The previous government kept the Henry Tax Review secret for over four months and then dumped it on the Sunday before the budget. This government is going about things in a calm, methodical fashion to ensure we give these issues deep consideration.
Gilbert
Only four Ministers have a copy of the report Senator Ryan, its’ being very tightly held isn’t? Much of the senior bureaucracy doesn’t know what’s in it either.
Ryan
I read that in this morning’s papers as well and I don’t know how true that is, I haven’t seen it. It’s only an interim report Kieran, the final report is not due for three weeks. Let’s put this in context, this is a process the government started before the end of last year, we’re not going to do anything flippantly, we’re not going to anything quickly, and we’re not going to rush these things out. We’re focused on using this first budget to deliver on our commitments. I might add the only thing stopping the government delivering on our commitments, to repeal the carbon tax, to balancing the budgets by reining in the school kid’s bonus, the only thing stopping us is the Labor Party not even letting us bring it to a vote in the Senate.
Gilbert
Matt Thistlethwaite, the final report, as Senator Ryan points out, isn’t due until March. It makes sense doesn’t it for them to spend some time considering what’s been put to them before releasing it. Doesn’t that make a lot more sense than simply releasing a document without any sort of commentary or response about it from the government?
Thistlethwaite
Your question was right Kieran, this is the document that’s going to form the basis, we understand, of the government’s approach to the budget and the fiscal position for the nation in the years to come. They need to begin the conversation with the Australian people now. We were told late last year that the interim report would be released prior to the end of January and that was held back until after the Griffith by-election and it’s now being held back again until after the Tasmanian and South Australian elections and now we find out today it’s going to be held back even further until after the Western Australian election. The people of Western Australia and indeed South Australia and Tasmania have the right to know if they’re going to be voting on important issues that affect service delivery, what is in this document and what does the government have to hide. If we’re going to make a considered assessment of these proposals prior to the budget, if we’re Members of Parliament with our communities we need to have a look at this document. It should be released as soon as possible.
Gilbert
Is this an exercise in trying to avoid any sort of controversy before the WA election Senate rerun, Senator Ryan, as Matt Thistlethwaite is pointing out there? Of course as well we have the state elections this Saturday.
Ryan
Matt’s hysterical answer was a sign of a desperate Opposition trying to find something to talk about other than its blocking of us trying to deliver on our promises. The Prime Minister has made it clear, we will keep our promises that we made at the last election and this first budget is about delivering on the promises we made. The question for Matt is not whether the government releases an interim draft report when the final one is due in three weeks. The question for Matt and the Labor Party is; why they won’t let us vote on repealing the carbon tax in the Senate because his colleagues are filibustering.
Thistlethwaite
…can I just respond?
Gilbert
Just quickly Matt, we have to go in 30 seconds.
Thistlethwaite
Tony Abbott said nothing before the election about a possible Medicare co-payment, about a tax on GP visits. That’s an idea that’s been floated through this commission of audit process. I would think the people of Western Australia, Tasmania and South Australia should have the opportunity to have a say on an important proposal that will fundamentally change the universality of our healthcare system prior to them voting.
Gilbert
Gentlemen, we have to go. Matt Thistlethwaite and Scott Ryan thanks for that.
(Ends)