Doorstop interview: Bennelong by-election

KRISTINA KENEALLY, LABOR CANDIATE FOR BENNELONG: It's great to be here. This is the second media conference I've done today, here at East Ryde. It's wonderful to be out here with the voting underway, and it's great to have the Leader of the Opposition, our Labor Leader, Bill Shorten here today, supporting us, talking to voters. It's been just terrific to have you Bill on this campaign trail so often.

The reception here has been quite warm, both in terms of the temperature and from the voters, and we're not going to stop campaigning until 6pm tonight because it's worth fighting for Bennelong.

Bennelong deserves better. It deserves better than the cuts to schools, it deserves better than the cuts to Medicare and it certainly deserves better than the slow NBN that's coming from this third-rate Liberal Government.

So I'm really pleased to welcome Bill Shorten here today on the campaign trail. Bill, would you like to say a few words?

BILL SHORTEN, LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION: It always feel like it's a Sky interview when you listen to Kristina.

 

First of all, I just want to congratulate Kristina Keneally in running a remarkably energetic, local issues-focused campaign, despite all of the smears and innuendo that a panicked Turnbull Government has thrown at her.

 

I think I can comfortably say that all of Australia, in particular, the voters of Bennelong, have been very positively impressed by Kristina Keneally's commitment to fight an uphill battle, to rest Bennelong and to send the Turnbull Government a message.

 

I think as you talk to voters today, we are getting a warm reaction, and two themes are emerging in this election. One, people think that Kristina Keneally is an energetic, intelligent, capable woman who will fight hard for the locals in Bennelong. And the second message in this election is that the voters here are going to take up an opportunity to send the Turnbull Government a message that they're not happy with the direction of this country, not happy with cuts to Medicare, not happy with cuts to schools and universities, not happy with an inefficient, slow NBN.

 

It's very clear, and indeed, the Prime Minister himself, in a moment of unusual candour, said on the Neil Mitchell 3AW show yesterday morning, this by-election will be about sending a message on the performance of the Turnbull Government.

 

We encourage the voters of Bennelong, on behalf of the people of Australia, to send a message to Malcolm Turnbull, that it's not good enough and they need to do better.

 

We're happy to take any questions.

 

JOURNALIST: Mr Shorten you just talked about the smears to Kristina Keneally –

 

SHORTEN: Yes, they have been bad.

 

JOURNALIST: Labor has been accused of running a very dirty campaign itself. Race baiting, overreach on the China-phobia issue, dividing the community on ethnic lines. What do you have to say to that?

 

SHORTEN: I think that if Mr Turnbull had his time again he wouldn't have engaged in his trademark overreach and his promotion of China-phobia. There is no doubt that he wanted to pursue Senator Dastyari, and Sam Dastyari did make some very serious lapses of judgement. But we all know about this Prime Minister. His classic trademark is to show poor judgement and overreach on an issue. The fact that from the Government of China to Chinese Australians, all universally expressing concern that the chief spokesman for Australia is engaging in dividing the community.

 

I hope that if Mr Turnbull has any capacity to learn from whatever happens tonight, that he will never again engage in the sort of rampant China-phobia that we've seen in the last five weeks.

 

JOURNALIST: But can you give us specific examples of China-phobia? What is China-phobic about his language?

 

SHORTEN: There is no doubt in my mind that when he starts quoting Chairman Mao in Chinese, and of course as the experts have said, misquoting him, you go, what's going on? I don't want Turnbull quoting Chairman Mao in Chinese, I want him fixing schools, I want him fixing the hospitals. I want him to make sure we've got better NBN.

 

I think we all know that he's pursued a point on Sam Dastyari, but as he always does, from Godwin Grech onwards with Utegate - the bloke always overreaches. And he doesn't have good judgement, and you don't have to take my word for it, just ask the Government backbenchers.

 

JOURNALIST: Mr Shorten, what's China-phobic about quoting the founder of the Chinese republic?

 

SHORTEN: You and I both know, I assume you know, that this Government has been trying to say somehow that the Labor Party is not loyal to Australia, and what they have said is that somehow the actions of Senator Dastyari mean that the Labor Party is not loyal to this country.

 

The reality is that all sides of politics love this country. But Labor has instead tried to appeal to the voters of Bennelong by offering them a better vision, a vision of priorities making sure that your local primary schools are properly funded, that don't have 300-day elective waiting lists to be able to see the doctor, that you can afford to see the specialist when you need to.

 

This week alone we've seen the Government caught out having billions of dollars of extra cuts to universities. The truth of the matter is, it doesn't matter what your politics, we all want to hand on a better deal to our kids. The Turnbull Government is failing that very basic test of handing on a better deal to the next generation.

 

JOURNALIST: Mr Shorten, the Prime Minister has indeed said that today's result is casting judgement on his leadership, on his Government. Are you prepared to do the same, to say what happens here in Bennelong is voters passing judgement on your leadership?

 

SHORTEN: I'm prepared to say that the voters are indeed casting judgement on Malcolm Turnbull's leadership. The fact of the matter is, he is the Prime Minister, they're the government. It's up to them to satisfy Australians we're going in the right direction.

 

You don't need me or Kristina to tell you that a lot of Australians feel that economic growth is being unevenly distributed. I think a lot of Australians are worried that Mr Turnbull's only plan for their wellbeing and that of their kids is to give big business massive tax cuts, to give millionaires tax cuts, yet increasing the income taxes of every day Australians.

 

We all know this Government is out of touch. And here in Bennelong, the people have a chance to say to Mr Turnbull, pull your socks up, mate. Do better than you're doing because we're not happy.

 

JOURNALIST: Mr Shorten, some of the feedback on the booths is we're a week out from Christmas, it's summer, politics is the furthest from our mind, it's been a long year - you feel the same?

 

SHORTEN: Yes, I feel the same both in the feedback and it has been a long year. But we are in this set of circumstances, there is a by-election, and what Labor has done is that we take it seriously.

 

Bennelong is a Liberal jewel in the crown. It's only ever been won once by Labor in 70 years. It would have been easy for Labor to sort of drive by, not pay any attention, just take Mr Alexander being returned and not do anything about it. But that's not the party I lead, that's not what we're made of.

 

We see an opportunity, at the end of year to send Mr Turnbull a message, that in 2018 Malcolm, just do better. Stop focusing on the millionaires and multinationals, stop focusing on your internal arguments, and start listening to the people of Australia.

 

And a  demonstration of our seriousness that we take this by-election – we are running the best candidate in the by – election by a country mile.

 

JOURNALIST: What do you make of  John Alexander refusing to do a proper doorstop interview today? It seems almost like he's being shepherded to the finish line?

 

SHORTEN: Well it's a very unusual voting strategy when the Liberal party don't want to meet the voters, but I think it is consistent with their policies. I don't blame Mr Alexander for hiding from the voters, I mean I don't blame him for every mistake of Malcolm Turnbull. At the end of the day the voters in Bennelong have a clear choice: an energetic, highly capable candidate, who is going to fight for this district and the voters in it for years to come – or someone who is on a victory lap.

 

But as Mr Turnbull said, it is up to him if this seat swings against him. I don't blame Mr Alexander, I blame Mr Turnbull for the mess that the Liberal Party are in in Bennelong.

 

JOURNALIST: Mr Shorten, we're here because of the dual citizenship debacle. Will there be more by-elections early next year in Labor seats for the same reason?

 

SHORTEN: I certainly regret that Mr Turnbull missed the opportunity to refer a number of MPs across the board to resolve this once and for all.

 

I mean, it is sort of odd really, that the Liberals have been baying and saying, you know, Labor has got a whole lot of problems. Yet when they had a chance to refer their own MPs and Labor MPs, they voted against resolving this matter. So if the citizenship saga goes into the new year, you have got one person to blame, Malcolm Turnbull.

 

JOURNALIST: If you do win today, and I acknowledge that's obviously a hypothetical, you would in theory have the numbers if you have the crossbench to unilaterally refer Coalition MPs with citizenship doubts to the High Court if you could get the crossbench on side, would you do that?

 

SHORTEN: Well there's two parts to your question. First of all, Labor hasn't won Bennelong yet and we may not. But I do again want to say, this is a chance to send a message to Malcolm Turnbull that we are not happy.

 

So in answering the rest of your question, no one should take from that I think it 's anything other than a very hard fight.

 

In terms of the referral of MPs to the High Court, I believe it has to be done with the consent of the MPs and the party. We practiced that view all the way along and we will continue to maintain that level of integrity despite what Mr Turnbull's trying to do.

 

JOURNALIST: Do you concede that you not referring your own MPs, let's not worry about the Coalition, but you not worrying about your own MPs, looks like you're just trying to protect them knowing that this is what's going to happen eventually?

 

SHORTEN: When you say let's not worry about the Coalition, the fact that we're standing -

 

JOURNALIST: You could be a leader now, and you can look after your own party and you can refer your Members and say, here I am, I'm the alternate Prime Minister, I want to be the Prime Minister,  this is how I'm going to show my leadership and I'm going to refer my Members to the High Court and let them be tried there. Why can't you do that?

 

SHORTEN: Because I actually don't think Malcolm Turnbull should be allowed a leave pass. I don't think he has the right to determine that he's the High Court for the Liberal Party, and we have to go to the real High Court.

 

I am happy, collectively, to have a complete solution but unlike Mr Turnbull, I don't think there is one rule for Labor and then he gives himself a leave pass. Remember, Malcolm Turnbull promised us there were no problems on his side –

 

JOURNALIST: So did you –

 

SHORTEN: Well, as I've said, it is regrettable. But my point is, one rule for all. I think all Australians and all Australian Parliamentarians should be subject to the Constitution, are subject to the Constitution, one rule for all.

 

And listen, with that, Kristina and I need to get back to talking to the voters, thanks very much for your interest.