Subjects: The Prime Minister’s divisive Canberra Voice; Katy Gallagher misleading the Senate.
E&OE
SARAH ABO:
The federal government has had some wins and some losses in Canberra this week. They scored a win when Finance Minister Katy Gallagher narrowly escaped a censure motion over what she knew about the Brittany Higgins allegations, but Labor also suffered a major loss, their social housing bill remaining dead in the water for now, and on top of all that, the back and forth over the voice continues to escalate as the proposal passes a major milestone in the Senate.
Let’s bring in Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles in Geelong, now and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton in Brisbane. Thank you both for your time.
PETER DUTTON:
Morning Sarah.
RICHARD MARLES:
Morning Sarah.
SARAH ABO:
Richard, I want to come to you first, questions are being raised over whether the Voice will have the power to decide the future of Australia Day. Will it?
RICHARD MARLES:
Australia Day is not going to change, and this government’s made it really clear. But you know, the kind of line of questioning that we’ve heard from the Opposition over the last couple of weeks, which goes to Australia Day and a range of other issues, is really an attempt to be spreading fear and be quite political about an issue which should be above politics.
I mean ultimately, this is about recognising our First Nations people in the Constitution and doing that in a practical way through the establishment of the Voice, so that we don’t do business as usual, and we actually take steps to close the gap.
The gap that we’ve got between First Nations Australians and the rest of the country, in terms of life expectancy, health, education, incarceration – I mean that just offends the Australian ethos of the fair go, and we need to change that.
That’s all the Voice is going to be focused on – issues which particularly affect Indigenous Australians now. That’s been very clear. The Opposition know that, but what we’re seeing is really a political line of attack here, which is not seizing the greater moment for the country.
SARAH ABO:
I mean Peter, you would agree that all of those things do need to be addressed, need to be changed, but you’re calling for the whole Referendum to be called off. Do you think that’s a sensible move?
PETER DUTTON:
Well Sarah, I just think every Australian wants to see a better outcome for those kids in Alice Springs, or in Katherine, or Tennant Creek. The gap is most acute, particularly in remote Indigenous communities, and we want to do everything we can to narrow that gap.
But the Prime Minister has taken a decision to put a question to the Australian people and I think millions of Australians have got reasonable questions that the government refuse to answer about how the Voice would operate.
There are legal experts who look at the words the government’s proposing, and their advice is that it would give the Voice the ability to have a say to executive government, and it would change the system of government in our country – and whether that would produce practical outcomes for the people that we want to help most is certainly in question.
There’s a bipartisan position in relation to constitutional recognition, and what we said yesterday, was that if it’s certain that the voice is going to fail, or if it just gets to 51-49 in favour, that basically splits the country in half.
The unifying moment for our country – instead of the division that the Prime Minister’s propagating at the moment – is to come together to support constitutional recognition. I think we would have 80 or 90 per cent support for that and that would be a more sensible question to put in October.
But if the Prime Minister continues because he thinks he’s got a political advantage out of all of this, then I think that sets back reconciliation and nobody, of course, nobody wants that. Everyone wants to see a better outcome, but the voice that they’re proposing, a new chapter in the Constitution, is the biggest change proposed to our Constitution in 120 years and they won’t give you the detail.
SARAH ABO:
All right. Well, the PM has come out firing, calling you unworthy of becoming Prime Minister on this issue. It certainly is divisive, but we do have to vote towards the end of the year. So, let’s see that outcome there. Now Richard, the Opposition unsuccessfully tried to censure Katy Gallagher. Gallagher, rather. You’re still confident in her position, though?
RICHARD MARLES:
Completely. I mean Katy Gallagher is one of the most ethical and honest people I know. She is a person of enormous integrity, and it is really my honour to serve with her. She’s made her position really clear and again, I feel very uncomfortable with the way in which the Opposition have gone about this issue.
Brittany Higgins made an allegation of a sexual crime against her. Now, there’s a process by which that’s all investigated, but given how under-reported sexual crimes are in this country, one thing that should be clear is that people who make those allegations are supported.
And when you look at the way in which this whole issue has unfolded, and the way in which the Opposition have gone about that, you know, I feel very unsettled by how this has played out in the public eye. Katy Gallagher has behaved completely impeccably in all that she’s done, and she’s made her position absolutely clear.
SARAH ABO:
I guess it seems unclear to the Opposition though, Richard, That’s for sure. I mean Peter, will you leave this issue alone now or bring it back after winter?
PETER DUTTON:
Well Sarah, honestly, I mean, Richard’s really sort of gilding the lily there. I mean it’s a ridiculous suggestion that he makes. This has nothing to do with Brittany Higgins, it’s all to do with Katy Gallagher misleading the Senate.
Every senior journalist in the gallery has written that Katy Gallagher has misled the Senate, and she should apologise. That’s what it’s about. It’s about her behaviour, her activity. It’s nothing to do with sexual assault or reporting of sexual services. Of course we want to provide support to victims and complainants of sexual assault.
I think Richard demeans the whole issue here. Katy Gallagher was caught on camera fibbing and misleading the Senate, and it’s black and white, it’s been reported by the journalists. It’s indisputable, and they’ve just dug in because they’ve got the numbers in the Senate. That doesn’t make it right.
SARAH ABO:
Look, it has become a bit ugly this…
RICHARD MARLES:
Can I just say, we don’t have the numbers in the Senate, and the idea this has nothing to do with Brittany Higgins completely beggars belief.
SARAH ABO:
All right guys, we did hope to end on a positive note by talking about the Midwinter Ball and how it’s so lovely to see it so collegial and everyone looking very glamorous and beautiful before you have your break, but we have run out of time. Enjoy your two weeks and we’ll catch up again soon. Thanks guys.
PETER DUTTON:
Thanks Sarah.
RICHARD MARLES:
Thanks Sarah.
[ends]