Doorstop interview: George Christensen, Batman bullying allegations, Nationals Leadership

MURRAY WATT: Well, we’re back in Canberra and one person who’s got some very big questions to answer today is National Party MP George Christensen. George was out in the media again over the weekend saying that he was going to blow up the Coalition yet again.

How many times have we actually seen this from George Christensen? He’s like the boy who cried wolf. Last year alone, George Christensen was going to cross the floor on the Banking Royal Commission and didn’t. He was going to cross the floor on penalty rates and he didn’t. He was going to cross the floor on the Backpacker Tax and he didn’t. Every single time he caved into the Liberals when he got down here to Canberra.

And who can forget that last year he was the anonymous National Party MP who was going to resign from the Government unless Malcolm Turnbull was gone as the leader by Christmas.

I think people in Mackay and Queensland are pretty sick of George Christensen just huffing and puffing, and rolling over when he gets down here to Canberra. He is the boy who cried wolf. He is actually the biggest gutless wonder that North Queensland has ever produced. In Queensland, we like people to say what they mean and follow through on what they say.

George Christensen is a gutless wonder. He’s a wuss and he’s an embarrassment to all Queenslanders. It’s time he actually followed through on his threats.

Every day that he stays with the Coalition under Malcolm Turnbull, he owns every one of Malcolm Turnbull’s decisions. When Malcolm Turnbull voted to cut penalty rates, George Christensen and the Nationals voted with him. When Malcolm Turnbull cut regional health, George Christensen and the Nationals voted with him. When they cut schools, unis, training facilities in the regions, George Christensen and the National Party voted with him. So, every day that George Christensen stays in this Coalition, he continues to let down his constituents back in Queensland.

WATT: I might also just add something about the Batman by-election. 

There’s been some very concerning reports starting to emerge in Melbourne about up to 15 to 20 bullying complaints having been made against the Greens Candidate, Alex Bhathal, by her fellow Greens Party members.

Now, the Greens are pretty good at coming down here to Canberra and lecturing the rest of us about the need for transparency, the need for open government. They like to say they are a different kind of party. They’re not like the old parties. But the minute anyone asks any questions about their candidates, and the behaviour of their candidates, the shutters come down. That is not good enough for any political party to be going around hiding these kinds of serious allegations of bullying.

The people of Batman deserve to know whether the candidate the Greens are running there is a serial bully, or whether these complaints have been properly investigated. It’s incumbent on Richard Di Natale to come out today and explain whether these bullying allegations have been properly examined and what has been done about them.

WATT: I might just cover off the National Party Leadership as well.

Obviously today the National Party are electing a new Leader. And doesn’t it tell you everything that you need to know about the Nationals that the best person they can come up with is the bloke who actually stuffed up the Census last year.

Michael McCormack, seems to be about to be elected as the National Party Leader. He’s the first National Party leader since 1989 who doesn’t own a farm.

Over the weekend, the National Farmers Federation were out in the media criticising the National Party. So we are seeing regional voters and now farmers walking away from the National Party in droves.

I don’t think the Michael McCormack as the Leader of the Nats is going to fix this. It is really a case of old McCormack doesn’t have a farm. It is about time that they start actually getting back to their grassroots and representing the people who actually vote for them.