Subjects: Labor’s extreme industrial relations legislation; cost of living pressures; the government’s broken promise on a $275 cut to your power bills; Indigenous Voice to Parliament; the Socceroos; farewelling Ally from the Today Show; the secret behind Richard Marles’ year-round tan.
E&OE
ALLISON LANGDON:
Well, in a little under an hour’s time, the House of Representatives will meet to sign off on the biggest workplace reforms in decades. The legislation passed in the Senate last night with a few tweaks.
Let’s bring in pollies Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton putting on a united front. Gentlemen, good morning.
PETER DUTTON:
For you Ally, it’s all for you.
RICHARD MARLES:
Special day for you Ally.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Oh, I love this! This has made my farewell.
Hey, Richard, let’s talk about IR laws. A wonderful Christmas present…for the unions.
RICHARD MARLES:
Well, it’s a great Christmas present for the Australian economy and for Australian workers. But what’s important here is we said we were going to do this before the last election and now we’ve done it at the end of the year.
Just like with the Anti-Corruption Commission, that was a promise that we made to the Australian people back in May and we’ve now delivered at the end of the year. But this is going to make our industrial relations system fairer. We’re going to get wages going again, and I think for all workers out there, that’s going to be a very cheery message before Christmas.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Pete, I can’t believe you wanted to play Grinch and not give ’em a pay rise for Christmas.
PETER DUTTON:
Well, the complete opposite is the case. We want to see people with pay rises, but we don’t want to see interest rates go higher because inflation goes higher. Already the government in their budget’s predicting that inflation will be at 8 per cent next year. Everybody knows that if they’re on a fixed rate now at 1.8-1.9 per cent, they’re going on to four and a half, five per cent and it’s going up next year.
So, if you put this union sort of wish list of industrial relations changes across small businesses, it’s going to drive up unemployment, which is what the government predicts in their budget, and it’s coming at exactly the wrong time for the economy. So we want it to lift wages, but we don’t want to do it in an irresponsible way that’s actually going to have a dampening effect on the economy overall.
ALLISON LANGDON:
So Richard, you’ve had a win here with IR laws. You’ve got the Anti-Corruption Commission, it’s going to go ahead, but I guess where it hits people hard – that’s power bills. They’re not going to go down anytime soon and you’re not going to get an energy deal with the states this year, are you?
RICHARD MARLES:
Well look, we really understand that power bills have been going up and we’re very concerned about energy prices and their impact on households and on businesses. This is a really complex issue. We’ve said for some time now that we will take steps before the end of the year, and we will. We’re working this through with a whole lot of intensity right now. So we’re not far off taking those steps, but we want to make sure we get this right, because this is an issue which is absolutely affecting Australian businesses, Australian households. We’ve seen energy markets around the world…
ALLISON LANGDON:
But Richard, you’ve already had the Queensland Premier, who’s Labor, saying basically ‘hands off our coal’, New South Wales ain’t keen and South Australia. There’s no deal this year or any time soon, is there?
RICHARD MARLES:
Well, as I say, we’ve said we’ll take steps by the end of the year, and we will, but all of that just emphasises that this is a really complex issue. So, you know, we want to make sure we get this right, which is why we’ve been speaking with all of the people that you have mentioned, along with business, to make sure that we land this in a way which will actually have a downward pressure on energy prices, because that’s what we need to try and achieve.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Hey Pete, is Albo finding out a little bit like Scomo did during the pandemic that the states hold a lot of power and they don’t mind throwing it around?
PETER DUTTON:
I think the Premiers actually are pretty bewildered, as many Australian families are at the moment, Ally. I think the difficulty is that they heard the Prime Minister very, very clearly on 97 occasions tell them before the election that he’d down their power prices by $275. He refuses to even mention that figure again. He’s been asked 27 times in the Parliament about it and refuses to mention the figure $275.
So, I think frankly, Australian families and small businesses who are really doing it tough in this cost of living crisis that Labor’s created, they are really going to want from their government a plan that can reduce power prices – electricity prices and gas – because under the budget they’re projected to go up by 56 per cent for electricity and 44 per cent for gas.
So, let’s stop hearing about the thought bubbles and all of the talk of different options and let’s hear from the government as to what it is they’re going to do to help families and small businesses.
ALLISON LANGDON:
You just mentioned the word ‘bewildered’. Was that you this week Pete, when the Nationals blindsided you with their opposition to the indigenous voice? It looked like they were trying to jam you and kind of distance themselves from the Libs?
PETER DUTTON:
Ally, I don’t want to surprise you here, but Richard and I have been in politics a long time. There’s not too much that surprises us in this place, right?
I think the Nats had a really good conversation in their Party Room. There obviously is a clear majority view that they don’t think the government’s provided enough detail. Look, if you speak to a lot of Indigenous leaders, which I’ve done, they are really bewildered as well that the Prime Minister dumped this Voice proposal out four months ago. There’s been no detail. Pat Dodson from the government is coming out saying there will be no detail.
I don’t know how you can say to the Australian public, ‘we want you to consider a really important aspect of public policy, a change to the Constitution, and you end up in a situation where the government won’t provide any detail ahead of a vote’. I think people reasonably are asking, why?
ALLISON LANGDON:
Well, I think we’re going to get that detail, but before that gets to a vote. But look, I just want to go Socceroos Sunday night against Argentina. Richard, I reckon you call it now, you have this power, right? Monday, a public holiday?
RICHARD MARLES:
Well, that’ll be a massive day if we beat the number three ranked side in the world. This is going to be one of the really big moments in Australian sport. I think there’s actually half a chance that Pete and I will be watching this game together. We’re heading off overseas, so we’ll be in New York. It’s 2 o’clock New York time on Saturday – is when this game is being played – so I can’t wait. If we actually get there, that is a very big day. You can expect I’ll be making a call to the Prime Minister.
ALLISON LANGDON:
So that is a big fat, yes? Yeah…Give him a little nudge there Pete, come on. I mean, if Pete was prime minister you’d just say, ‘sure, guys, take Monday off’.
PETER DUTTON:
I’d say any politician who didn’t call for that is a…in Bob Hawke’s language…
RICHARD MARLES:
Is a bum.
PETER DUTTON:
I’ll leave it to you, that’s it.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Hey gents, just before you go, I do want to say a very big thank you for the wonderful, often robust debate that I’ve witnessed these past three years. This is my last Friday ‘pollies chat’ and I just wanted to say that I think you’re a great example that opposing political views can get along. You do put the national interest first when it counts, and I mean, it’s a weird, but kind of sweet friendship that you share, but you do both love this country. I know you sacrifice a lot personally in the name of the job. So, from me to you, I just want to say thank you.
RICHARD MARLES:
You’re very kind Ally, and thank you and good luck for your future. I’m not sure how we’re going to survive on the Today Show without you, but you have been an ornament over the last few years and I’m sure, I speak on behalf of Peter, we’ve really enjoyed spending our time talking with you as well. So good luck for the future.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Thank you.
PETER DUTTON:
Ally, can I just add to that and say thank you. Thank you very much for the respect that you’ve shown to us and the friendship, and I wish you every success and I’m just sorry that it’s taken this long for you to get away from Karl and get a job where you don’t have to wake up 2am in the morning.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Me too! I’ve aged a lot in the three years I’ve sat next to him.
RICHARD MARLES:
Are you going to give me a present?
PETER DUTTON:
Now, we’ve got a present swap, right.
So, because we’re here in front of the Kmart-Salvos wishing tree and all of the presents here go to the kids around the country. Now, Richard comes from Geelong, which is a great part of the world, but it’s not the sunniest part of the world. But somehow Richard maintains a perfect tan year round. So, for Richard, I’ve got him next year’s supply of a little bit of tanning spray here…
RICHARD MARLES:
Is it tanning spray?
PETER DUTTON:
I don’t quite understand it, but my office was able to source it out for you, and I think you know more about this than perhaps me?
RICHARD MARLES:
You are a bad man. Well, thank you very much. Well, Peter needs help. So, I have him a lightsaber which you can use in Question Time against the Prime Minister.
PETER DUTTON:
Righto, this will come in very handy mate. Very handy.
ALLISON LANGDON:
I was wondering what you had in your hands there Richard Marles for most of that chat. Glad we sorted that out. Hey, have a great Christmas, both of you and a break. It’s been a really, really big year. Appreciate it this morning. Thank you guys.
RICHARD MARLES:
Thank you.
PETER DUTTON:
Thank you.
[ends]