Julia Gillard’s carbon tax; aviation ticketing increase; Craig Thomson; Queensland and NSW floods; job losses; ALP leadership: Tony Abbott Doorstop

03/02/12

TRANSCRIPT OF THE HON. TONY ABBOTT MHR

JOINT DOORSTOP INTERVIEW WITH MR SCOTT MORRISON MHR,

SHADOW MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP,

SYDNEY

Subjects: Julia Gillard’s carbon tax; aviation ticketing increase; Craig Thomson; Queensland and NSW floods; job losses; ALP leadership.

EO&E..............................................................................................................................................................

TONY ABBOTT:

Well good morning and it’s lovely to be here. I want to thank Stephen Rich and his staff for making Scott Morrison and me so welcome.

This is one of the tens of thousands of small and medium sized business will be punished by Labor's carbon tax. More than that, this is one of the vital businesses if our sophisticated manufacturing capacity in this country is to survive. Manufacturing needs tools and tools need tool-making businesses like this but the carbon tax on top of all sorts of other things is going to make it that much harder for this business to survive and flourish into the future.

The Rich’s electricity bill is something like $40,000 a year. That will go up by $4,000 at the very first hit of the carbon tax. Power will be more expensive, aluminium will be expensive, steel will be more expensive. Everything that this business uses to make tools will be more expensive under the carbon tax. That's why the best thing that this government could do for the manufacturing industries of this country is scrap the carbon tax now.

We are already seeing illustrations of how the carbon tax is casting a dark shadow on the families of this country, the jobs of this country. We had yesterday an announcement from Qantas and Jetstar that their tickets are going to cost more because of the carbon tax. So everything you do will be more expensive under the carbon tax. Turn on the lights, you pay. Open the fridge, you pay. Get on the train, you pay. Catch a plane, you pay. This carbon tax won't just be bad for jobs, won't just be bad for families, it's now going to be bad for the tourist industry because it will be a tax on holidays as well as a tax on the necessities of life.

I have a very simple message for the manufacturing workers of Australia – your jobs won't be safe until Julia Gillard loses her job and this government is gone because the carbon tax is a dagger aimed at the heart of manufacturing in this country.

Just a couple of other subjects, if I may before I ask Scott and Stephen to say a few words. Look, Fair Work Australia must bring its investigation of Craig Thomson to a swift conclusion with appropriate action to follow. The Prime Minister really needs to answer this question: does she continue to have full confidence in Craig Thomson? Does she have full confidence in Fair Work Australia’s investigation? If we are to have respect for the institutions of this country, we need to be certain that there has been no political interference in their investigations and that's why it's imperative that the Prime Minister declare: does she still have full confidence in Craig Thomson? Does she have full confidence in Fair Work Australia's investigation?

Finally, we know that yet again there are devastating floods in southern central Queensland and northern central New South Wales. Obviously, all Australians' hearts are with the people in those areas who are now yet again flood impacted. I spoke this morning with Bruce Scott, member for Maranoa, who was out with his local community preparing sand bags in Roma. I spoke this morning with Mark Coulton, who is the member for Parkes. He was getting his truck ready so that he could help with the clean up in Moree. It's very important that all Australians do what they can to help our fellow Australians in times of need and it's great to see local members helping their people at a time like this. Scott.

SCOTT MORRISON:

We're here in the heart of the Shire’s light industrial area, here as well as Kirrawee a bit further west from here, and as you look around this place this is a carbon laden business which is right in the sights of Julia Gillard's carbon tax. And Stephen and Kathy Rich who run this business, they took it over from Stephen's parents, Charles and Gwen, they've built this business over more than 50 years and, as the time has gone on, it's got tougher. They've had to deal with changes in the global economy and here in Australia and they've been in there continuing to employ people, local people and they’ve done an extraordinary job and the last thing this business needs is a kick in the teeth from the Gillard government with their carbon tax but that’s what’s coming their way on the first of July as a result of this government’s attitude towards manufacturing, towards small business and the future of our economy.

I want to really congratulate Stephen and Kathy and Gwen and Charles for the magnificent job they’ve done here over more than 50 years. They are the true heroes of the Australian economy, of our Shire economy and we are indebted to them for the jobs they’ve created and this prosperity they’ve created for our Shire and for our country.

TONY ABBOTT:

Stephen?

STEPHEN RICH:

Thanks. We just can’t keep in business when our costs keep going up and our overheads go up and our turnover goes down because lack of work and overseas competition. That’s all. Thank you.

TONY ABBOTT:

Well said Stephen. Ok. Any questions?

QUESTION:

Mr Abbott, Kevin Rudd again in the headlines. It seems everyday there’s a new story to do with him…is this going to be a game-changer for the Coalition because it’s got to the stage now where you guys probably have to seriously consider him as a return to prime minister?

TONY ABBOTT:

Look, I think the important thing is that the government change its policies and they can change their leader but unless they change their policies, this will continue to be a bad government for Australia and what I’m on about is good government. In the end, it’s up to the Labor Party to decide who their leader is. But what I want for Australia is the best possible government. That means a government that gets spending down and productivity up so that we can get borrowing down, so that we can get taxes down and we can start to get more money in the pockets of ordinary Australians who are doing it tough.

QUESTION:

[Inaudible] who poses a bigger threat to you at the next election?

TONY ABBOTT:

Look, I just think that the important thing is to have the best possible government for Australia and, look, that’s what I’m focused on – good government for our country. The important thing for the Labor Party is to change its policies not just change its leaders and, at the moment, what we’ve got is the faceless men plainly involved in a whole serious of factional calculations but it doesn’t matter who the faceless men pick. In the end you’ve got to have the right policies for our country.

QUESTION:

Does this holding voters in contempt though? If we have another leadership changeover after two elections?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, the fact is I think the Labor Party holds voters in contempt when it’s not the elected members, it’s the faceless men who seem to be in charge of the party and that’s the problem. The faceless men have obviously decided that Julia Gillard is not up to the job but it’s not really up to the faceless men. It’s up to the Australia people and one of the reasons why I keep saying we need an election is because that way the people are in charge, not the faceless men.

QUESTION:

[Inaudible] when do you think you’d be able to deliver that?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, I think it’s very important that government remembers that in the end it’s all about delivering better services to the Australian people. Good economic management is essential but good economic management is a means to an end and the end is better services to the Australia people, lower taxes for the Australian people, a better life for the Australian people and I am totally committed to disability insurance. I am totally committed to better dental services and once we’ve got the budget back in strong surplus then we can fully deliver these.

QUESTION:

[inaudible] Labor for not having any plans to deal with the international economic crisis. What is your plan?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, our plan is to get government spending down and to get productivity up because that means borrowing goes down, that means less pressure on interest rates, that means that taxes can go down for ordinary Australians, that means more money in people’s pockets and less pressure on struggling families and the household budget.

QUESTION:

If you go to specifics about that though, because we’ve seen this week Holden, Westpac and also the Mortein factory all cutting jobs. If you were to become prime minister, how could you ensure there weren’t going to be service cuts like this?

TONY ABBOTT:

I can ensure that there will be no carbon tax, no mining tax, there won’t be wasteful and extravagant government spending on programmes like the pink batts that caught fire in people’s roofs, on the overpriced school halls that were rip off after rip off, on a nationalised broadband network which Australians don’t necessarily need and don’t want to pay more for. Now if you have responsible, prudent, frugal government, then you can put more money into people’s pockets, then you create the kind of economic circumstances in which jobs can increase, not decrease.

Let’s not forget, last year there was no net increase in jobs. For the first time in 20 years, under this government, there was no net increase in jobs. That’s a terribly indictment on this government’s economic management.

QUESTION:

How do you know that Rudd will challenge before the Queensland election?

TONY ABBOTT:

Look, in the end, what happens in the Labor Party is a matter for the Labor Party but Kevin Rudd obviously thinks he’s a miracle worker in Queensland and when you’ve got a big problem in Queensland, you’d think you’d want the miracle worker to be out there. So in the end it’s up the Labor Party to put its house in order. In the end, as far as I’m concerned, what’s important is not who leads the Labor Party. What’s important is good government for our country and the best way to get that is to take government out of the hands of the faceless men and put it in the hands of the Australian people with an election.

QUESTION:

Tony, with parliament going back shortly, are you expecting some sort of apology or acknowledgement from the federal government that your comments on Australia day were taken completely out of context?

TONY ABBOTT:

Look, I think it’s pretty clear that I was verballed by the Prime Minister’s office and I think it’s pretty clear that the government is desperate to try to cover all that up. Now, I think we should get to the bottom of it. Let’s face it, this is the most serious security breach involving an Australian Prime Minister in more than 30 years. There should be a full police investigation so that we can learn the lessons of this, so that this problem can be avoided in the future and I guess the fundamental lesson is let’s not have a government which is known for deception and dirty tricks.

QUESTION:

What can the federal government do to respond to job cuts at banks and plants?

TONY ABBOTT:

The federal government can’t solve all problems but it must avoid making a difficult situation worse and this is why government waste is a problem. This is why all these new taxes, particularly the carbon tax are a disaster and that’s why I say to the manufacturing workers of this country, your jobs won’t be safe until Julia Gillard loses hers and this government is gone.

QUESTION:

Scott, have you got any update on the Malaysia situation at all?

SCOTT MORRISON:

The reports that we have are what you have as well today and the effort at the moment always has to focus on recovery and rescue. But the Coalition has always had a very consistent policy on this area. We remain absolutely committed to this policy and that is the policy that is proven. That is the policy that is strong and that is the policy that should be restored to stop the boats.

QUESTION:

What’s the status of your talks with the government in terms of trying to solve the crisis?

SCOTT MORRISON:

Well, there are no further talks because the government has refused to change the legislation which they are seeking to force upon the parliament and the government clearly has been seeking to do nothing other than trash the Nauru option with their ridiculous costings which have been lampooned literally around the country. They have no serious intention of restoring temporary protection visas. We know they won’t turn the boats back. There is a sharp contrast between the Coalition and the government on this issue. It’s a sharp contrast on our record. It’s a sharp contrast on our policy and I think the Australian people know who they trust to get the issue of border protection right.

Thanks.