Subjects: Dunkley by-election; Nathan Conroy; Labor’s cost of living crisis; the Coalition’s funding commitment to the Frankston to Baxter Rail project; the Prime Minister’s new car and ute tax; birthday wishes to the PM.
E&OE.
JOHN SHAW:
RPP FM. You’re having Scrambled Eggs for breakfast. You’re with John Shaw, Amy Campion, Steve on the buttons, Brendan Telfer and the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Peter Dutton, is on the line. Good morning.
PETER DUTTON:
‘Morning guys. How are you?
JOHN SHAW:
We’re going very well. You’re loud and clear.
AMY CAMPION:
That’s brilliant!
PETER DUTTON:
Oh, you’ve got me loud?
JOHN SHAW:
Yes, fantastic.
PETER DUTTON:
Righto, I’ll just maybe dial it down a bit.
AMY CAMPION:
No, good line.
JOHN SHAW:
No, it’s a wonderful line.
Welcome along to our Scrambled Eggs Brekkie Show, and there’s something happening in Dunkley at the minute?
PETER DUTTON:
Yeah. You might have heard, there’s a by-election on! So, we’ve just had a catch-up with Nathan Conroy, which was great, and some of our local volunteers and the good news for local residents is there is only one sleep to go and then the by-election will all be decided and people can get back to their lives.
BRENDON TELFER:
Peter Dutton, Brendon Telfer again, we spoke the other day on Peninsula Talks here on RPP FM. Welcome back to the electorate.
PETER DUTTON:
Thanks, Brendon.
BRENDON TELFER:
A beautiful day for it, and you’ve just been over in Overport, haven’t you?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, firstly, it’s a gorgeous day – 26 I think today – so there’d be a lot of places around the country very jealous.
We were just at Frankston, at the cricket oval there, talking with some local residents, and also some of their volunteers as well. This is my fifth visit down, and I’ve enjoyed it, actually. It’s been a really good opportunity to catch up. A lot of people are really hurting and a lot of people are struggling financially at the moment. So, you know, most of the discussions really are about cost of living.
BRENDON TELFER:
Indeed. I think last time we probably made you an honorary ‘Dunkley-ite’, with the number of times you’ve been down here. Obviously, a lot riding on this, a 6.3 margin, as we’ve discussed in the past. What are you seeing? I mean, 50,000 people pre-polling by the end of today. Are you getting any data back from them? Any information, are you seeing any trends?
PETER DUTTON:
I haven’t seen any polling, any exit-polling, as they call it, but there’s certainly a lot to point to a level of anger within the community of people who are working harder and just barely treading water. It’s not just the electricity bill, it’s the gas bill, it’s the insurance premium, it’s a bigger bill when you get to the checkout at the supermarket. So, there’s a level of anger there, and I suppose many people look at this by-election as not an opportunity to change the Government, which obviously you can’t do, but it’s an opportunity to send the Prime Minister a message that the Government needs to do better in the way in which they can support families and small businesses and help people get through what is a really difficult time.
BRENDON TELFER:
Well, we had the Prime Minister on earlier on this morning, Peter, and he was suggesting that his tax benefits and tax cuts are probably going to do the job for those on the median income here in Dunkley of $1,700 a week, would you agree?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, a couple of points. I mean, one is that people won’t see any tax cuts from the Government until the 1st of July, and to the extent that they will see them, they will be about $15 a week and I’m sure…
[Audio fail]
AMY CAMPION:
And with me seemed to have lost…
BRENDON TELFER:
We seem to have lost the Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, who was in full force, and he was certainly punching through.
Peter Dutton, you’re joining us again on RPP FM. Good morning, again.
PETER DUTTON:
We were going so well!
AMY CAMPION:
I know.
PETER DUTTON:
You jinxed us to start with!
BRENDON TELFER:
We were getting a double barrels from you. So basically, just to recap, I mean, the Prime Minister earlier on suggesting that his $15 a week is good enough for those on the average income here of $1,700 in the electorate. You have a different view.
PETER DUTTON:
Well Brendon, I just think the PM’s got a tin ear if he thinks that $15 a week is going to cut it for what families are going through at the moment. We support the tax cuts and it’s great that some money is able to be provided to families, but the Prime Minister pretending that this is going to solve people’s problems and ‘there’s nothing to see here, just take the $15 and be grateful and be quiet and vote for Labor as a result of it’, I just don’t think people are silly, and I think they know in their own budgets, they’re living it every day, they know how much pressure they are under people making decisions at the moment about not renewing their house insurance because they can’t afford to pay the grocery bill, and people are dropping their private health insurance, or they’re in a situation where they’re working more hours at work but still not able to pay the bills.
I think that’s why the by-election is an opportunity to send a message to the Prime Minister that the Government has to do better, but also, it’s an opportunity to vote for Nathan Conroy, who has a young family himself and a mortgage. He understands what is happening in the community because he’s well-connected to many families and many communities across Dunkley.
So, I think it’s a big race, it’s a big margin, as you point out, at 6.3 per cent, but I think if anyone could do it, Nathan Conroy can.
BRENDON TELFER:
Indeed. He is a friend of the station, as was Peta Murphy, of course. Nathan, a three-time Mayor, so obviously very popular and obviously knows what’s going on in the electorate, he would suggest?
PETER DUTTON:
Yeah, no doubt about that. I really think that will weigh on people’s minds as well. Peta Murphy tragically passed away, she was a good local member, and the question is now, who can continue to do good local work, and Nathan’s demonstrated that. He’s demonstrated an ability to unite the Council, whereas it was a basket case before. He has put forward a plan which has meant that local projects have been funded and delivered, and I think he can do more of that for his local community. He’s an incredibly passionate person, and he really cares for people.
So, I think he can be that local candidate and that local member who will fight hard for his community in Canberra, and that’s exactly what local residents need.
BRENDON TELFER:
So, is this why you’re investing so much time in the seat? I mean, Bruce Billson held it for so many years. Is this a chance for you to turn things around – the fortune of the Liberal Party in Dunkley again?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, I think there is an opportunity, as I say, for people to send a message or for people to vote for a really good local candidate. There will be different motivations that people have, but in this by-election, the boundaries are different to what they were when Bruce Billson was a local member, and they’ve trended in Labor’s favour, but I think this is an opportunity for us to turn it around. People say that the swing of 2 or 3 per cent would be a devastating outcome for the Prime Minister, because that would be without historical precedent. But I do think there is an opportunity for Nathan Conroy to become the local member, to become the champion and to help families and to take the message to Canberra on behalf of local residents. I think, too, because he’s got this proven track record as the Mayor, elected on three occasions, and people have seen him operate, they know his style and I think they like it.
BRENDON TELFER:
Speaking here to Peter Dutton, Leader of the Opposition, on Scrambled Eggs on this beautiful Friday down here in Dunkley.
Mr Dutton, there’s been some criticism of you, that it’s easy and perhaps cavalier of you to be able to promise big infrastructure spends: $900 million on the Baxter Rail Line and so on. From opposition, you’re in a position of comfort. Can you deliver, can we keep you honest?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, the answer to your question is yes, we can deliver, and we’re likely in the last 12 months of this term of government, so I believe that we can win the next election, and our job, as an Opposition, is firstly, to hold the Government to account and put forward our own vision of what we want for our country.
I believe that the $900 million investment that we’ve committed to, for the Frankston Baxter Railway Line, provides about 1,750 carparks, it’ll help people get to work quicker, it’ll help people to get home quicker to see their families. Don’t forget, this is a project that the Prime Minister himself promised, and didn’t deliver. He said it would be ‘transformational’ for the local community, and he was right! But he’s broken his word and gone back on that commitment, and we also know that it’s not the only project. The Albanese Government has ripped $3.9 billion of infrastructure out of Victoria, and I don’t think Victorians are going to forget that easily.
BRENDON TELFER:
I’m wondering about the transition as well into more fuel efficient vehicles. You’ve dubbed it the ‘ute tax’. Are you picking that up in the electorate as you work your way around it?
PETER DUTTON:
Yes. Yeah Brendon, I really think this is a very big issue. The Government’s tried to put a couple of things off until after the by-election. There’s a cost increase coming for private health insurance, which the Government has delayed until next week. So, they didn’t want that figure out before tomorrow’s vote taking place, which I think is quite deceptive, but that’s the way the Prime Minister conducts himself. I think there’s an issue in relation to aged care, where they’ve got a report that they’ve delayed, that’s overdue and should have been released by now, but there’s obviously a reason why they’re delaying that beyond the election and clearly can’t be good news if they’re delaying it.
I think in relation to the ute tax, this is a really important issue, because I think the Prime Minister, at a time when we’re in a cost of living crisis, when he’s saying that he believes there should be a new car tax of up to about 15 or $16,000 on a Toyota HiLux or on a Hyundai, or a hybrid RAV4, for example, goes up by that $14,000. It’s unbelievable. I don’t think families can afford it, and I think the Prime Minister looks completely out of touch when he’s telling people that they’ve got to pay more for their cars, and what happens? The tradie pays the extra $15,000, and then he or she has to charge more when they turn up to fix your tap or to build extra room, the costs get passed on. I think the Prime Minister forgets that.
It’s part of the reason why this Government’s got a huge inflation problem at the moment, which is why interest rates are high. Because they just keep spending and they keep passing costs on, that ultimately, businesses have to pass on to consumers or ultimately the business goes broke. I think this is a big issue for local residents as well.
BRENDON TELFER:
Indeed, a number of us of course are multi-vehicle households because of the state of public transport down here. So, it’s probably going to have an impact on many households.
We’ve been encouraging people here listening to our RPP FM, genuine local radio right here in the centre of Dunkley, to come up and have a bit of a natter to you over the next day or so. Are you going to be in and around Dunkley?
PETER DUTTON:
Yes, I will, and I’d be very happy to. If I’m not there, then one of our volunteers will be, or Nathan will be, or Jane Hume’s been out and about, and a number of my colleagues will be on the ground. So, very happy to hear any suggestions people have got, questions that they have. I think there’s a real opportunity to vote for a very decent person in Nathan Conroy, and somebody who I believe will be a true champion for the people in this local community.
BRENDON TELFER:
Just before handing back to Amy and John, Peter Dutton, it’s the Prime Minister’s and the Treasurer’s birthday tomorrow. Do you have any birthday wishes for them?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, I wish him a happy birthday. I hope that he’s able to enjoy time with his family and friends, as he enjoys and celebrates his birthday, but commiserates on the loss of Dunkley to Nathan Conroy! How’s that?
AMY CAMPION:
That’s not a gift you want him to have.
BRENDON TELFER:
Indeed. He shares it with Bon Jovi and also Daniel Craig as well, so he’s in good company.
PETER DUTTON:
Oh, well he loves his celebrities. He loves his celebrities! So he’ll be happy about that.
BRENDON TELFER:
I’m sure.
PETER DUTTON:
In fact, he’ll be saying that they share the birthday with him. So, there you go.
JOHN SHAW:
Can we get one more request in?
PETER DUTTON:
Yeah. Fire away.
JOHN SHAW:
Can you please say that it’s you, and you have been on the Scrambled Eggs Breakfast Show on RPP.
PETER DUTTON:
It’s Peter Dutton, and I’ve been on the fantastic Scrambled Eggs Breakfast Show, and tune in! These guys are fantastic and love their local community.
JOHN SHAW:
Oh, good on you. Well done.
AMY CAMPION:
Thank you.
JOHN SHAW:
Hey, good luck tomorrow. May the best persons win.
PETER DUTTON:
Thank you. Appreciate it.
AMY CAMPION:
Yes.
PETER DUTTON:
Thank you, take care. Thank you.
JOHN SHAW:
Bit of Creedence coming your way before the news.
[ends]