TRANSCRIPT – ABC AFTERNOON BRIEFING

Angie Bell MP
Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education
Shadow Minister for Youth
Federal Member for Moncrieff

TRANSCRIPT

ABC AFTERNOON BRIEFING

16 July 2024

Subjects: : CFMEU, Threats to democracy, Labor’s cost of living crisis

E&OE…………………………

GREG JENNETT:
Let’s welcome today’s political panel now, two hardworking MPs who aren’t taking a winter break at the moment, although I can indicate that many are. Joining us from Queensland LNP MP Angie Bell, Member for Moncrieff, welcome back Angie. And from Western Sydney at relatively short notice, so with extra appreciation to you Susan Templeman, Labor MP for the seat of Macquarie, thanks so much for joining us again.

I’ll go you first of all, Susan on the CFMEU question, doesn’t it beggar belief, you’ve been around for a while, that governments federal and state didn’t know either about the existence of criminal and bikie infiltration, or the extent of it?

SUSAN TEMPLEMAN MP:
I am not really privy to what happens in Victoria. So as a New South Wales person, it does feel like it’s quite different to what I have experienced but it is concerning for all of us to see this activity and I think this week you’ve seen with the great work done by investigative journalists. And as a former journo, it’s just another reminder while we need terrific investigative journalists, and you’ve seen some very swift actions this week and I know, as you’ve indicated that there’s likely to be more steps that happen, because this is unacceptable criminal behaviour. It is quite frightening to what has happened. I was really moved to read the reports of it. Interrupted…

GREG JENNETT:
Just to interrupt Susan, and sorry to do that. But full credit to Nick Mckenzie, Nine Media and the team that did investigate this, but why should media be last line of defence here? Why weren’t the relevant authorities onto it?

SUSAN TEMPLEMAN MP:
Well, they’re questions to be looked at, but media in our history, been t the group of people who have held unions, businesses, politicians to account. I mean it is a really vital role. I don’t see them as the last line of defence. I see them as a vital part of the structures of democracy that we have in place, that allow us to uncover things and I certainly know I became a journalist, because I thought I could expose things that perhaps weren’t easy for others to expose. And, so I absolutely think it’s a vital role. Sometimes they’re the first to identify, sometimes it’s picking up on things that have not quite threaded together. So I think that’s an absolutely legitimate role and yes, wouldn’t it be great if all our systems and structures were perfect, but we know they’re not. What media does is shine a light to show where things have to improve and here’s a case where action is absolutely needed.

GREG JENNETT:
I can assure you Susan and Angie Bell for that matter, you won’t get any argument from me about the important work that has been done here, but Angie, the IBAC in Victoria, the Federal Government and its agencies, police investigations are all underway, plus there’s the scrutiny that’s been applied as Susan points out by the media. Why is your side continuing to tell us that we need a Building and Construction Commission resurrected when all this is going on?

ANGIE BELL MP:
I think what we just heard from Susan was a bit of filibustering on the issue of unions and how close they are to Labor. What we’ve seen here is a weak Prime Minister who has ignored for many years the warnings from the LNP, from Liberals and Nationals about the rampant bad behaviour of unions on building sites around the country. Even here on the Gold Coast I’ve had first hand accounts of what the unions have done on building sites, their stand over tactics, their threats, etc.

We’ve been talking about this for years and years. And the Prime Minister, one of the first things he did was abolish the ABCC, the Building Commission. He did that while allowing unions to behave badly, and their behaviour has become worse and worse. While Australians should be shocked by this, I don’t think they’re super surprised by this. The Prime Minister should give the $6.2 million back that he has received from the unions while he’s been the Prime Minister, because what happens is, prices have been allowed to rise and that costs more for families who want to build a home. There are flow on effects from infrastructure projects, where these unions are involved in setting their prices to build them and they are taxpayer funds.

We’re seeing a weak Prime Minister who needs to step up and be strong when it comes to unions and disassociate himself, as should Susan.

GREG JENNETT:
Alright, just on the donations question Susan, because there are other topics we want to get to but that does arise now, doesn’t it? At what point would Labor be prepared to cut off backflow of CFMEU donations.

SUSAN TEMPLEMAN MP:
And I certainly understand that that’s under discussion by our Secretariat, the state and federal parties who look after those things, but I really just have to take issue no, this stuff didn’t just happen in the last six months, the last 18 months. The ABCC failed to do anything to deal with this sort of behaviour. So, to say for the Opposition, just to jump in and say oh, that’s why we need it. Well why? Interrupted…

ANGIE BELL MP:
So, it’s better not to have a cop on the beat at all Susan?

SUSAN TEMPLEMAN MP:
…action and let’s remember, this is one division of one union. We have incredible unions working in the best interests of workers. And we need to be very clear that the bad apples, just like a bad businessman, or businesswoman needs to be out of business. So does a bad union.

GREG JENNETT:
Alright, well, it does sound like there’ll be further announcements afoot probably before this week is out.
Angie, I might kick over to you with this matter raised by Clare O’Neil, the Home Affairs Minister in his speech last night, she highlighted threats to democracy, she said mostly connected to break downs in social cohesion. She gave a reference to blockades and electorate offices, and she spoke of them as measures of autocrats, despots and tyrants, yet the Greens tell us these are legitimate, peaceful protests that they’ve been involved in, Which one is it?

ANGIE BELL MP:
Many of us have had protests and feared for our safety and security outside our offices, including myself here on the Gold Coast. I don’t disagree with what the Minister is saying about strengthening our democracy. But the questions I would have, what is she doing actually in her portfolio to strengthen our democracy? What happened to the taskforce that was set up 12 months ago? Who is she undertaking her engagements with, in terms of stakeholders? Where’s the funding coming from?

These are all questions that really should be asked of the Minister. What is she actually doing to strengthen our democracy? Because we do clearly need to strengthen it, and I’d like to see steps taken, the Coalition would like to see more steps taken to do just that.

GREG JENNETT:
Right. What springs to mind for you then Susan Templeman, if this is the shared objective of everyone within the system? And they tell us it is. What are the steps that a government at least complete here?

SUSAN TEMPLEMAN MP:
Well, look, I read Clare’s speech with interest because it was the launch of the report from the task force that Angie just alluded to. That taskforce has done its work and it’s identified a whole range of areas, and in fact there is now going to be consultation with people to get them talking about this issue, and giving their input into the ideas that the taskforce have. So that answers as that question about what’s happened to it? Well, this was the launch at the Museum of Democracy, the Old Parliament House, a very apt place for it. And Clare’s speech ranged over a wide range of things, including the work that the challenges of social media and the work that Michelle Rowland in her role is looking at. It touched on AI and talked about the work that Ed Husic is doing to make sure we have the controls that we need for this very powerful, somewhat scary, artificial intelligence. It also referenced the work that Labor is doing on political donations, which again, Don Farrell is looking at that so that we can be sure that influence is not undo because of political donations. And so there’s a whole raft of things and I really encourage people to read the whole speech not just the reports, it’s available on her website, because it does take a really holistic view. And of course, from my perspective, the thing that I back, is for support for media, especially the ABC but all media, because we need a range of voices reporting on these things, that helps us have a stronger democracy.

GREG JENNETT:
Well, you are our leading advocate today Susan Templeman, so we welcome that. Look just finally on cost of living and economic management. You both may have seen today a Resolve Political Monitor poll for the SMH and the Age. ALP, national primary vote, Susan, down to 28 per cent. Now that seems very low to me. And the pollsters analysis is that this is connected to economic management and cost of living concerns. Why so though, where’s the credit for the tax cuts or the budget bounce if you like? It’s not there.

SUSAN TEMPLEMAN MP:
I think we’re really aware, I’m certainly really aware in my electorate that people in the middle of winter are feeling cost of living crunches. I’ve had conversations today with retailers, with people who are paying off mortgages, I have been door knocking over the last week and it’s very real and so I’m not at all surprised to see those feelings come in through. I meant just because July 1 we got tax cuts, we got a freeze on medicines, we’ve had child care rebates you don’t feel it on day one. And I quite frankly I think a lot of people will need some time to see what difference our tax cuts make. Remember, anyone earning $45,000 or less was not getting a tax cut under the previous regime. And so for them to see it, to understand it. I will be looking really closely to see whether that does that, and our energy relief helps lift the pressure a little bit as we try to keep inflation down so that we can see interest rates come down.

GREG JENNETT:
Let’s see what happens there. And thank you for not telling us there’s only one poll that counts. But to that point Angie Bell, it takes time, right for some of this to flow through wouldn’t you?

ANGIE BELL MP:
There is only one poll that counts Greg! If you actually look at the figures, the numbers Australians are paying 20 per cent more tax under this government than they were under the last government. They are the facts and they are paying the price every day. Every single day, they are paying more, in fact, their cost of living is pushing prices absolutely through the roof, this crisis that we’re in.

We know that real wages have actually fallen by nine per cent, and costs are up overall by 10 per cent. Families are really hurting and this government is pretending to ride in on its white horse and rescue everybody. But actually families are paying more now and they are under distress. If they have a $750,000 mortgage for example Greg, they’re paying another $35,000 a year in repayments, and that’s because there’s been 12 interest rate increases under this government.

So, they say they’re helping Australians with cost of living relief, but Australians know that they’re far worse off under Labor for the last two years, they’ve been in power. Are they better off today than they were under the Coalition? No, they’re not.

GREG JENNETT:
Thank you, Angie. We’re gonna wrap it up there, somehow I think that frames the debate that we’re going to be having rather namely between both of you between here and the next election. Susan Templeman and Angie Bell, appreciate it as always.

[ends]