Tony Abbott interview with Alan Jones

08/09/10

Subjects: Election outcome.

E&OE

ALAN JONES:

The Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has rung through. Tony Abbott, good morning.

TONY ABBOTT:

Morning, Alan.

ALAN JONES:

How are you feeling this morning?

TONY ABBOTT:

Look, a bit like I was last night, disappointed, Alan, and I suppose disappointed that the country is likely to have a timid and I suspect far from competent government. But, look, I guess also disappointed for the five and a half million people who voted for the Coalition and disappointed for our candidates who didn’t win. But, look…

ALAN JONES:

Is it a healthy democracy when a Party wins the majority of the two party preferred, wins the majority of the primary vote and wins more seats in the Parliament than the other Party but the other Party forms government?

TONY ABBOTT:

Again, Alan, it’s disappointing when all these things are true but it is our system. In the end a government is formed on the floor of the House of Representatives and the two country Independents who went with Labor have made their call. I guess the…

ALAN JONES:

Can I just ask you a question about them? I mean, you had weeks of negotiations with them...

TONY ABBOTT:

Yes.

ALAN JONES:

Did they ring you at any point and tell you that they were going to support the Government or did you find that out by watching television?

TONY ABBOTT:

I found out at three o’clock watching the television but I suspect that the Prime Minister did as well. I think they kept both of us in the dark…

ALAN JONES:

If that’s the case, who directed the Governor-General to return from Melbourne?

TONY ABBOTT:

That’s a good question. I don’t know the answer to that one.

ALAN JONES:

Well, someone must have told the Governor-General that a decision was going to be made by the two Independents and she’d be needed to swear in a Prime Minister. You didn’t know that.

TONY ABBOTT:

Look, I just can’t speculate. I mean, the interesting thing Alan is that twice now Julia Gillard has become Prime Minister but on neither occasion it’s been by popular vote. The first time she was installed by the factions. The second time she’s been installed by the two Independents. So, look, she is the Prime Minister and as Australia’s Prime Minister we ought to give her respect but it is a Government that’s utterly without a mandate.

ALAN JONES:

Just one final thing because I’ll talk to you in detail on a later occasion but Windsor was at pains yesterday to say that he actually, one of the determining features in all of this was that they voted for the Government and mind you I don’t believe that, I think Windsor was always going to vote for the other side and there are 101 reasons for that. But Windsor said basically that he was going to vote for the other mob, the Labor Party because Abbott was most likely to take the people back early to an election and if Abbott went to the polls, Abbott would win.

TONY ABBOTT:

Yeah, that was a curious comment of Tony Windsor’s…

ALAN JONES:

Did you ever give any indication to them that you would be running back to the polls if you became Prime Minister?

TONY ABBOTT:

No, I didn’t and it did strike me as a bit of an alibi, I’ve got to say, Alan, because we’ve just been through and election, elections are gruelling for everyone and the last thing any of us would’ve wanted was a swift return to the polls. My position always was that I would do my best to form a government and if I’d been able to do that, we would’ve done our best to run the country well for three years but look, that’s not to be.

ALAN JONES:

You said at the end, there were certain catchcries in relation to your campaign. One was you’d turn back the boats, you’d retire the debt and there’d be no mining tax and so on. What’s to happen to all of these things? What’s to happen to the boats? What’s to happen?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, I think it’s pretty clear now that the Gillard Government is limping on, that the boats will keep coming, the taxes will keep coming, that the debt will keep piling up and the waste will continue. The point I made yesterday is that the National Broadband Network is almost certain to be school halls on steroids because a government that was utterly incompetent in everything it turns its hands to is hardly likely to manage this highly complex, vast, gargantuan operation well.

One of the other curious things that was said yesterday, Alan, was Rob Oakeshott’s statement that he will withdraw confidence from the Government on the basis of maladministration. Well, we have seen grotesque maladministration from this Government in spades when it comes to pink batts and school halls. I guess the disappointment for me and I suspect people right around the country this morning is that the two country Independents have endorsed a government which is guilty of all the things that they say a Government should fall for.

ALAN JONES:

They didn’t sound too independent to me yesterday when they spoke, I have to tell you, but…

TONY ABBOTT:

Look, Alan, you know, they’re both decent, decent people and I am sure that they’ve made what they thought was the most honourable decision in all the circumstances, but I think inevitably they’re going to be seen as de facto Labor members of Parliament and I think that’s going to be a difficulty for them.

ALAN JONES:

Good to talk to you and I thank you for your time.

TONY ABBOTT:

Thanks Alan.