Doorstop interview; Australian manufacturing

 

JOANNE RYAN, MEMBER FOR LALOR: Good morning everybody. I'd just like to welcome you all to the electorate of Lalor, to Milltech Martin Bright, and say thank you to Fred Reis the Managing Director for having us down here today.

Bill's joined me down here today to talk about jobs, to talk about Australian manufacturing, to talk about cost of living, to talk about wages, and we've had a fabulous host. We've had a great tour of this facility, of course it's working with Australian steel. 

I want to introduce Bill Shorten, thank you.

 

BILL SHORTEN, LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION: Good morning everybody and welcome back for the new year.

 

It's great to be here at Milltech Martin Bright, talking to the management and the workforce about the issues that challenge this business. 

 

What is very clear to me this year is that Australia deserves a wage rise, Australians need a wage rise. Now what is interesting in 2018 is that not only do Australian workers think they need a wage rise, but Australian business understands the need for Australian workers to be spending more money to put some confidence back into our economy.

 

It doesn't always happen; we've got an alignment of interests between Australian industry and the Australian workforce. 

The problem is the Government doesn't understand that Australians need a wage rise. They had the perfect opportunity last year to show they understood and were in touch with the needs of everyday Australians when they could have reversed the cuts to penalty rates, but they didn't. And in fact they're now proposing increasing the Medicare Levy, increasing taxes on millions of people who earn less than $87,000 a year.

 

Labor understands that a key issue for 2018 is cost of living pressure. The Government has got no plan to deal with health insurance premiums, the Government wants to increase the taxes on Australians through increasing the Medicare Levy, they're not interested in doing anything about helping people and their wages and it's also very clear they've got no plan for energy prices whatsoever.

 

And indeed, the challenge of energy prices is affecting Australian industry. Electricity prices at this company, and for new contracts, have increased by 170 per cent, and we're seeing massive increases also in the gas bills of important Australian manufacturing businesses.

 

So Labor is saying that this year, one of our key focuses is cost of living and helping ordinary Australians make ends meet. 

Now, I understand that Malcolm Turnbull probably doesn't need a wage rise, he doesn't need a wage rise but the problem is that millions of Australians are working their darnedest to make sure they can make ends meet, and they deserve a wage rise.

 

The Government doesn't understand how everyday Australians are constructing their finances and how hard it is. Only Labor is committed to making cost of living a national priority and coming up with solutions which help Australians keep ahead, not go backwards. 

We're happy to take any questions that people might have.

 

JOURNALIST: Mr Shorten, do you support celebrating Australia Day on January 26 or should it be moved?

SHORTEN: I understand there's a range of views about when Australia Day should be. I'm on the record as supporting Australia Day staying on January 26. 

 

One of the problems though is I can respect that different people have different views, you're not going to see me sneering at Indigenous Australians who want to have a discussion about a different date for Australia Day.

 

The real problem here is that Mr Turnbull always looks for the division in the community. He's always fired up with enthusiasm to plunge right into a divisive debate where he can try and score some points or sneer at someone he doesn't agree with.

I respect that people have different views. What's more is I understand that Mr Turnbull is seeking a diversion, a division, he's seeking division in the community, he's seeking a diversion from the real issues.

The real issue confronting Australia is cost of living pressure for millions of Australians. Mr Turnbull is seeking to have a diversion. I don't think Mr Turnbull really understands that one of the most important jobs the Prime Minister can have is to unite the country, not pull it apart.

JOURNALIST: Will you establish a second day though, to celebrate Indigenous Australians perhaps on the Queen’s Birthday as suggested by Linda Burney?

 

SHORTEN: I think that my first priority for Indigenous Australians is to close the gap. Now I think that one of the ways we can help close the gap, along with providing the proper health care, jobs, education, and housing, is to make sure that we actually listen to Indigenous Australia.

Last year, Indigenous Australia came together at Uluru and they made what they call The Statement from the Heart. They want to have a voice where they can be consulted with decisions that affect them. I think that is perfectly reasonable. 

Unfortunately, Mr Turnbull in his trademark sneering, ruled that out of hand. I understand why Indigenous Australians are deeply frustrated with Mr Turnbull constantly seeking to divide. Real Prime Ministers unite the country, false Prime Ministers divide the country.

JOURNALIST: But this isn't Malcolm Turnbull, this is Linda Burney from your own party who is suggesting that we should celebrate a day for Indigenous Australians on the Queen’s Birthday. What do you think about that idea?

SHORTEN: I think for me, the first priority - and as I said initially, I respect all of the different views - I think we have enough public holidays in Australia and in terms of going forward, my priority is to make sure that we listen to Indigenous Australians and I think what we need to do is make sure they have a voice, that they have the ability to be consulted on decisions which affect them.

I think that Australia will be a better country, not when the Prime Minister is sneering at Indigenous Australia, but when we're listening and involving and empowering Indigenous Australia in our decisions.

And for me, that starts with tackling health care. The fact that we have third world conditions and eye diseases in remote communities, that is a shame which we shouldn't be celebrating. The fact that when you're an 18 year old Aboriginal boy you're more likely to go to jail than university, I think that is a shame. The fact that we don't encourage more young Aboriginal people to take up careers in teaching or in nursing. They're the real challenges.

We all know that Mr Turnbull is looking for a summertime diversion. The January 26 debate is a diversion by Mr Turnbull to not deal with the real issues affecting all Australians. I think all Australians this summer would rather see their political leaders talking about cost of living, the out of control energy prices, the out of control health insurance prices and the lack of wages growth.

The fact of the matter is, that when your wages are not keeping up, keeping pace with the cost of living - when your wages are not keeping pace with the cost of living, then Australian families are hurting. That's what motivates me.

JOURNALIST: Why hasn't Sam Dastyari resigned from the Senate?

SHORTEN: I'm sure he will very soon.

JOURNALIST: We understand he has a job -

SHORTEN: Sorry, I promise you I'll come back to you.

 

JOURNALIST: We understand Sam may have got a new job. Is that true and -

SHORTEN: I don't know.

 

JOURNALIST: He's earned $20,000 in salary since he's resigned (inaudible)

SHORTEN: I've got no doubt he will resign very soon.

JOURNALIST: (inaudible) is inevitable that we'll see her in Canberra?

SHORTEN: It's not a secret that I'm a fan of Kristina Keneally and I think she ran a very good campaign, an excellent campaign in Bennelong, and I think she has a lot to offer national politics. But I must also stress there is a process that New South Wales Labor will follow and through that process we will have a candidate for Senator, and I think Kristina will do a very good job if she is successful.

 

JOURNALIST: Do you have any plans to have further discussions with Malcolm Turnbull about the process of citizenship referrals to the High Court before Parliament resumes?

SHORTEN: I certainly think that Mr Turnbull should take up our offer that all MPs where there is a debate about their constitutional status or eligibility, that as a job lot that we should refer it to the Parliament.

For the record, at the end of last year, I think the Government missed an opportunity to resolve this citizenship constitutional eligibility issues when Labor and the crossbench put up a series of MPs, including Labor MPs - we were happy to do that - but then the Government voted against that.

So I hope the Government reconsiders it's approach as we approach Parliament.

 

JOURNALIST: Will you have further discussions with Malcolm Turnbull before you -

SHORTEN: I'm very open to that, and certainly we think - and I certainly extend the invitation for the Government to reconsider its opposition to referring MPs.

Let's just turn the clock back and remind everyone what happened. Labor and the crossbench proposed that a series of MPs, Liberal, Labor and crossbench, be referring to the High Court. Not because we necessarily thought there was a problem, but ultimately because we wanted to have resolution of the citizenship fiasco. Unfortunately the Government didn’t take up the peace offering and so no doubt there will be more debate. But again, we think that we need to rule a line under this, we are happy to do a joint process where the same rules apply to everybody.

 

JOURNALIST: Is Susan Lamb British?

 

SHORTEN: She has made all efforts to renounce her citizenship, and I am very confident based on the legal advice that she and I, and the Labor Party have received, that she is eligible to be the Member for Longman.

 

JOURNALIST: She didn't even get in touch with her estranged mother though to find out about her citizenship. Is that all reasonable efforts?

 

SHORTEN: Listen, I certainly have confidence in the legal advice but I want go a little bit further - and I thank you for raising that point. I was quiet disgusted to see some of the Liberal powerbrokers pile in on her - she's has explained her family's circumstances. There always used to be a traditional rule in politics that families were off limit. She has explained, and gone to a point of some personal pain to explain her circumstances. I would be very, very hesitant to start judging all of the family circumstances, and I would just think that we need to perhaps elevate the debate rather than just focus on particular and complex arrangements. We have all got families, we all understand that there's always back stories. 

 

JOURNALIST: Is it true David Feeney has been unable to uncover any evidence that he did indeed renounce his UK citizenship?

 

SHORTEN: Well, Mr Feeney can best explain what he has done but the matter is before the court now and I'm going to leave it there.

JOURNALIST: Could he just resign?

 

SHORTEN: Well the matter is before the court now.

 

JOURNALIST: How is his situation different to John Alexander's?

 

SHORTEN: I think there's heaps of differences. Mr Feeney says he has taken all reasonable steps, Mr Alexander didn't say that.

 

JOURNALIST: Is Sam Dastyari still doing any work for the Labor Party if he’s drawing a salary?

 

SHORTEN: I am sure he is just finishing up the matters which he had outstanding. I must say, you asked that question earlier a couple of times, I understand, and if you look at the precedent on previous occasions, the precedent been reported in the media that when Senators announce their intention to resign, they do take a period of days and weeks to resolve their matters.

 

JOURNALIST: The head of the trucking company Toll wants a national approach to heavy vehicle regulations to halt the carnage. Would you support it or do you think (inaudible)?

 

SHORTEN: I think one of the saddest things to come out of this summer has the been the road toll, and it has become clear that there are a spade of fatalities and injuries emerging in connection with heavy vehicles. Certainly, we need to do more. But I just want to remind people that there was a Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal which Mr Turnbull made great hay about abolishing. Labor warned at the time that there is a link between low levels of remuneration for people doing truck driving and the injury rate, not only for drivers but for other motorists. I would like the Government to reconsider their very arrogant approach which says that there is no link at all between exploitative rates of pay and unsafe practices on the road. Many industry experts, many employers, many safety experts believe there is a link and I regret that the Government took away one of the things which was aimed at making our roads safer. And what we are now seeing is an increased truck road toll which is a great tragedy.

 

Perhaps one more question.

 

JOURNALIST: Mr Shorten, the Minerals Council recently came out and said, it admitted to paying for access to politicians. In terms of Labor's position on accepting donations from political lobby groups in light of that, what is it?

 

SHORTEN: I think Labor's track record about standing up to the vested interest in the mining industry is there for all to see. I do think that we need to have transparency. I think that this year, there is an opportunity for Mr Turnbull to work with Labor to help restore some confidence in our political process. One of which needs to be the disclosure of donations above $1,000.

 

I think it is long past the hour for the Liberals to join Labor and to reduce the threshold which if the amount of money contributed to a political party is above that threshold, that becomes public. I also think we need to do it in a much more real-time than we see; the delay between when vested interest make donations and when it is required to be reported is too great.

 

We also want to see a ban on overseas donations to political parties. All of these measures are ones which regretfully, the Government hasn't seen fit to join with Labor on. But I think that, taking the spirit of your question, Australians I think, want to see better in their political process, they want to have greater confidence. Some of that must start with the way in which political parties handle this vexed issues of donations.

 

JOURNALIST: What do you make of Malcolm Turnbull's press conference with James Merlino yesterday? Was it a bit awkward?

SHORTEN: Just on the Victorian gangs issue - I live in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne. I go out to dinner on a regular basis in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne. I think I am like a lot of people sick of the Prime Minister for Bondi giving Melbourne a lecture. Of course we have got to tackle crime but if Mr Turnbull was fair dinkum about tackling crime, he wouldn't be cutting the numbers of the AFP. I think what is important in 2018 is not so much what politicians say but what they do, and I think it's pretty rich of Mr Turnbull to give advice to the Victorian Government and the Victorian Police Force yet at the same time is cutting Federal Police numbers.

 

Thanks everybody.