Canberra protest: Tony Abbott interview with Jason Morrison, Radio 2UE
27/01/12
TRANSCRIPT OF THE HON. TONY ABBOTT MHR,
INTERVIEW WITH JASON MORRISON,
RADIO 2UE, SYDNEY
Subjects: Canberra protest.
E&OE……………………….…………………………………………………………………
JASON MORRISON:
Mr Abbott, thanks for your time. I know a busy morning for you.
TONY ABBOTT:
Oh Jason, look it’s a pleasure to be with you.
JASON MORRISON:
Firstly, I mean I think you probably agree that Julia Gillard showed a great degree of class yesterday in making sure you got out of that building safely as well.
TONY ABBOTT:
No doubt about it. I’m grateful to the Prime Minister and her security team for looking after us both. It was an ugly situation that was developing. I don’t think that the protesters reflected mainstream Aboriginal thinking. It’s been good to hear Warren Mundine and Mick Gooda and Sue Gordon and others being very critical of the way the protesters behaved. But look, all credit to the Prime Minister and her security team for getting us out because if the banging on the glass had continued, it might have been a more difficult situation.
JASON MORRISON:
So, it was as bad as that, that’s what I couldn’t get, that sense as to how bad it was in the lead up to what took place.
TONY ABBOTT:
Well, I suppose there was about 100 people inside the old Lobby restaurant for the emergency services medal presentation – which was a lovely ceremony and a nice thing to be happening on Australia Day – and a few hundred yards down the road, there was of course quite a large crowd gathered to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Tent Embassy, and towards the end of the medals ceremony, some protesters started banging on the windows of the Lobby restaurant and their numbers quickly swelled and it was at that point that the police decided that it was important to move the Prime Minister and me on.
JASON MORRISON:
Does something need to be said about the failure to contain it in the first place?
TONY ABBOTT:
I think it was something that developed very quickly. I would be very, very reluctant to criticise the police. I think they acted swiftly once they were aware that there was a potentially difficult situation. But all credit to them because it could have been nastier. As it was, it wasn’t pretty, but in the end, there was no harm done, much, a bit undignified perhaps and it’s always a shame when national leaders, particularly the Prime Minister of the country, have to be hustled out of the building. I think it’s a bit un-Australian when that sort of thing happens.
JASON MORRISON:
Yeah. I actually can’t think of a time where it’s had to happen to both an Opposition and Prime Minister have been pushed into the same car – I mean, you’ve been in the game a lot longer than I. I can’t imagine that’s happened at all.
TONY ABBOTT:
Well, it was a bipartisan occasion, which is why we were both there. I mean, this was the inaugural award of the emergency services medal and the Prime Minister had invited me to be present. I thought as a member of the local rural fire brigade, I probably should be there and help to indicate to all of those emergency services workers, both paid and volunteer, the respect and the admiration that they have from the nation. I thought it was important to be there and I think it was just fortuitous as it were that we were both there and therefore, there could be if you like, bipartisan anger so to speak.
JASON MORRISON:
Can I go to the remarks, and I don’t know how what you said, which was pretty innocuous diplomatic, you know, politician speak frankly when you were asked the question about the relevance of the Tent Embassy up in Sydney. How some hours later that got turned into, he wants to pull it down. Let’s be clear on it, what’s your view about it?
TONY ABBOTT:
Well it’s what I said yesterday. I think that we’ve all moved on a long way over the last 40 years. I don’t think anyone could say that indigenous policy has been neglected. I don’t think anyone could say that the polity is indifferent to what happened to Aboriginal people. That might have been true 40 years ago, it certainly isn’t true today and that’s why I think the sense of grievance which motivated the establishment of the Tent Embassy all those years back, ought not be as intense today and that’s why I said I thought it was time to move on. Now, I certainly didn’t say what was attributed to me and I think it was most unfortunate that some people in that crowd verballed me and as a result stirred people up.
JASON MORRISON:
Anyone who has been to Canberra drives past it and sees it. Depending on, you know, whether there’s something on or not, it can be anything from a curious thing to look at to an eyesore and it’s the question about whether it should be there or not. Do you have a view about that?
TONY ABBOTT:
Look, as I said, I don’t want to go beyond what I said yesterday because I think I made a perfectly reasonable point yesterday that, if I can just repeat it, you know I think the indigenous people of Australia can be very proud of the respect in which they are held by every Australian and yes, I think a lot has changed since then and I think it probably is time to move on from that. Now, that’s what I said yesterday, that’s my view Jason. Obviously some people haven’t moved on. It was very obvious yesterday that some people haven’t moved on. I think that’s a pity.
JASON MORRISON:
The venom, and we’ll get to that in just a moment with the representative of the Aboriginal community. Just before we go, I have to ask you this. I’m intrigued as to what you both said to each other when the car took off – that’s the only part of the story we sort of didn’t get to know about.
TONY ABBOTT:
Well look, I think, and everything happened very fast, I think I said, well look, thanks Prime Minister, it’s good to be able to share your car and I think as we got to The Lodge a minute or so later, I said something like, well Parliament will be pretty tame by comparison to that and in the meantime I think we were reflecting on when the last time it might’ve been that a Prime Minister and Opposition Leader had to make such a spectacular exit from a function.
JASON MORRISON:
Can’t think of it. Good on you nice to talk to you. Thank you.
TONY ABBOTT:
Good on you Jason.
JASON MORRISON:
Tony Abbott, Leader of the Opposition who didn’t deserve that and nor did the Prime Minister.