Tony Abbott Interview with Lyndal Curtis, AM Programme

26/08/10

Subjects: Costings; Westminster system of government.

E&OE

TONY EASTLEY:

The Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, says he has nothing to hide. He’s speaking here to chief political correspondent, Lyndal Curtis.

TONY ABBOTT:

Absolutely not, but there is this matter of the leak of information from the Government. That’s subject to a criminal investigation. It is a serious matter. Of course, we’re only too happy to give our policies to the Treasury for costing but this matter has got to be resolved first. Until it is resolved, we can’t have confidence in the integrity of the process.

LYNDAL CURTIS:

But given that all your policies are public now, why not put them in for costing now? After all, Treasury and Finance, if you’d won government, would be the one doing your costings at the moment.

TONY ABBOTT:

But until this leak is resolved and it is a criminal matter this, until this matter is resolved there can be no confidence in the integrity of the process. Now, what I said to the independents yesterday, what I’m happy to say over and over again publicly is we will be completely frank and candid with the independents. We will make available to them all of the assumptions, all of the modelling, everything including access to Horwaths, the respected accounting firm that did our costings but until this criminal leak out of the Government is satisfactorily investigated and resolved there can be no confidence in the integrity of the process.

LYNDAL CURTIS:

But couldn’t you find a way around that, if you say yes, you’ll put your policies in to Treasury for costing and then publicly release them, won’t that mean that any leaks, there won’t be a problem with any leaks because it’ll all be public anyway?

TONY ABBOTT:

But the thing is that the Government did not observe honesty and integrity in this whole process and the fact that there was a leak, a criminal breach of confidentiality, shows that there is a lack of integrity in the governmental process and until that’s resolved, we’ll be as absolutely upfront and candid as we can be with the independents but this has got to be resolved and then, of course, we’re only too happy to give all of our policies to Treasury for full costing.

LYNDAL CURTIS:

Have you ever known a leak inquiry to actually find the culprit? Is that what you want to happen? To find the person who did the leaking?

TONY ABBOTT:

Look, I’ve never been a leaker and I’ve never instigated a leak inquiry. But this was a criminal matter, it was a criminal breach of confidentiality and if there’s going to be integrity in government, these matters need to be pursued.

LYNDAL CURTIS:

But the leak wasn’t part of the costings process so it wasn’t a breach of the confidentiality of the costings process, was it?

TONY ABBOTT:

Oh yes it was. Information about Coalition policies and Treasury analysis of them was in breach of the criminal law made available to the media.

LYNDAL CURTIS:

But it was information that was…

TONY ABBOTT:

It was an act of utter political bastardry. That’s what it was, Lyndal. It was sheer political bastardry practiced by this Government in a desperate attempt to cling to power.

LYNDAL CURTIS:

So what do you want, what would you like to see resolved from the leak before you will be happy to put your costings in?

TONY ABBOTT:

We’d like to see an investigation completed by the AFP and charges laid.

LYNDAL CURTIS:

Would you like to see the information that Treasury prepares for an incoming government be publicly released as part of this process?

TONY ABBOTT:

This is very important, Lyndal, because you know our system depends upon public servants being able to give free, frank and fearless advice to government and that means the advice has got to remain confidential and what we’ve got here is a desperate Prime Minister trashing the Westminster system in an attempt to hold onto power.

LYNDAL CURTIS:

So you don’t want that information released?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, if the most confidential public service advice can be casually released just to help this Government hang on to power, I mean they are trashing the Westminster system in a desperate attempt to hold onto power. It’s a measure of this Government’s complete lack of respect for our system that they are doing this. This from a Prime Minister, don’t forget, who couldn’t be bothered to turn up at National Security Committee Meetings of Cabinet. I mean, really, this is a desperate government further debasing our polity in a desperate attempt to hang onto power.

LYNDAL CURTIS:

Would you be happy for that information to go to the independents without it being made public?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, look, that’s not what the Prime Minister is apparently wanting to do and the fact is there are conventions governing our system. The conventions are there for a reason. They are there because if you are going to have efficient and effective government, the public service has got to be able to give confidential advice. Now, you just can’t have this advice strewn around like confetti because you have a desperate government, desperately trying to cling to power and in the process trashing the Westminster conventions.

LYNDAL CURTIS:

So, you wouldn’t agree to her request to you to change some of the caretaker conventions to provide more information to the independents as part of this process?

TONY ABBOTT:

I’m very happy for public servants to give briefings to the independents if that’s what the independents want and I understand they do. I’m very happy for that, but what cannot happen, you cannot have the frank and fearless advice of the public service prejudiced by releasing it to people for whom it was never intended. I mean, this completely undermines and compromises our whole system of government and it is typical of this Prime Minister, who in a desperate bid to hold onto power, to cling to power, despite a savage swing against her government, an unprecedented swing against her government, she’s trying to trash the Westminster conventions.

LYNDAL CURTIS:

The three regional independents are all former members of the National Party. Do you think that their, do you expect that their natural inclination will be in the end to side with you?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, I think Lyndal that in the end, if we are going to have stable and competent and effective government, they will have to make a decision. They will either have to decide to back a discredited Labor Party that two months ago sacked its own leader in a parliamentary coup, masterminded from outside or they’re going to have to back the Coalition, which is a stable, united team.

LYNDAL CURTIS:

Rob Oakeshott has talked about building a bloc or having numbers more than the 76. Would you be happy to include potentially members of the Labor Party in your government, if that’s what it took?

TONY ABBOTT:

I think it’s unrealistic to expect radical changes in our system but what I’m only too happy to talk to the independents about and indeed to implement, is a much more collegial and consultative parliament, proper respect for the due process of government. I’d be very happy to see an independent speakership on the Westminster model. I think that our Parliament has been needlessly confrontational in the past and I’d certainly like to see a Parliament which is more open, more respectful and more a place for genuine debate.

LYNDAL CURTIS:

Do you accept that you played a part in that confrontation in the past?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, I had a different job in the past, but my current job is to lead the Coalition and my current job is to seek to unite the nation after a very close election and that’s what I would like to do.

[ends]