E&OE…
Topics: Omnibus Bill, Bill Shorten, Sam Dastyari, gay marriage
LAURA JAYES:
The Minister for Industry, Innovation, and Science Greg Hunt joins me now. Time is ever precious in this 45th Parliament.
GREG HUNT:
As we speak, Anthony Albanese is filibustering to allow us to do the interview.
LAURA JAYES:
Yes. Well, thank you Anthony. You must have some kind of pull in this Parliament, Greg Hunt, if you've got Anthony Albanese doing that for you.
LAURA JAYES:
Okay, let's move on. Now how important was it for the Government to get this big win up of the omnibus bill and support through the Parliament?
GREG HUNT:
First and foremost, it was important for the country. This is about $6.3 billion over the forward estimates that will never go onto the debt bill. It's close to $16 billion, 1 per cent of national GDP, which will never go onto the debt bill.
So yes, it's good for the Government. Much more importantly, it's part of our great national task, and Labor was dragged kicking and screaming to this position.
Sure, if you're Sam Dastyari, you can ask the Chinese to pay a personal bill. If you're Australia, you can't ask China to pay that bill. We need to make these savings, not for any other reason than that it's simply leaving the debt for the kids and the grandchildren to pick up.
LAURA JAYES:
You say Labor kicking and screaming, but the Government had to make some concessions here, four in total, from the original proposition. So is this a sign of how this 45th Parliament is going to have to play? More pragmatism, particularly from the Government.
GREG HUNT:
I think it's an outstanding outcome. Remember, the original bill that we put was Labor savings. Every one of the measures we put was savings that Labor banked at the election, and even then they were forced to do it, the Treasurer and Scott Morrison and the Prime Minister and the Coalition pushed them to that position. But then they wouldn't even bank their own savings. Well, we forced them to find other savings commensurate. What does it mean? It means less debt, less for the grandchildren to pay off. It's our time and our moment to make these savings, and this is the hallmark of what the Prime Minister is seeking to do.
LAURA JAYES:
But it was important for you, the Government, to demonstrate to the Australian people that you can make this 45th Parliament work. Would you agree?
GREG HUNT:
Sure, of course we can make the Parliament work.
LAURA JAYES:
But this is the first demonstration of that.
GREG HUNT:
It's the signature moment, because this is the Government showing that it's governing. It's a signature moment, because it's $6.3 billion now but more than $16 billion over the next 10 years, which will never have to be paid off by our children and our grandchildren.
LAURA JAYES:
So it is structural, in a way. But can I look at some of the climate.
GREG HUNT:
These are deep, long-term savings.
LAURA JAYES:
Some would argue that you need to look more at structural savings in the Budget, and I know the repair job isn't finished there. But if I could look at the climate initiatives here, you've had to keep a fair chunk of the ARENA funding. So will this affect the Clean Energy Innovation Fund? Will it suffer as a result?
GREG HUNT:
Look, I'll obviously leave that for the Finance Minister and the Environment Minister. I know the Environment Minister is sitting down with his counterparts, and they're going to be discussing the details. The net result here is that there'll be some balancing between the Clean Energy Innovation Fund, which was debt and equity, in other words, loans and investment by the Commonwealth.
LAURA JAYES:
Well, that's the whole point here, isn't it?
GREG HUNT:
In return, there are more grants. But what isn't made up for here in savings is made up for elsewhere. So the big picture is that there are structural savings. That would have in fact been a one-off saving, whereas what Labor has compromised on with us is permanent savings. So not just once, but each and every year. So it's actually a better outcome as far as I'm concerned.
LAURA JAYES:
But Mr Hunt, it seems unusual to me that the Government didn't really push this line, because the Clean Energy Innovation Fund is different to ARENA. It doesn't just hand out cash. It makes sure taxpayers essentially have an equity state. Surely that is something that would resonate with many Australian voters, but the Government didn't seem to push that hard.
GREG HUNT:
Well, this is a case of achieving the savings and to do that now is very important. Of course, Labor banked the billion dollars of ARENA savings only ten weeks ago, so Labor went to the election pledging to make those savings. Now, they've walked away from it but they were willing under pressure to compromise on other savings so we're perfectly happy to achieve that outcome. At the end of the day, what will be the hallmark of a Turnbull Government, achieving things and there's always a negotiation. The nature of the Senate is we can negotiate outcomes with the Opposition, with the Greens, or with the crossbench and we'll just seek to find ways to do that.
LAURA JAYES:
There hasn't been such agreement when it comes to the same-sex marriage plebiscite. Is it now patently clear, from the Government's perspective, from your perspective, someone who would be in the yes camp.
GREG HUNT:
Yeah, look, I'm a yes voter, clearly.
LAURA JAYES:
Is it a plebiscite or nothing?
GREG HUNT:
Look, I think it's absolutely clear that the pledge that we took to the election and for which the Australian people voted was to give the Australian people the choice. And this is a rich, noble, democratic concept. Not only is it honouring our election mandate, which the Australian people voted for, but it it's honouring the Australian people, it's trusting the Australian people, and just to quote Bill Shorten only a couple of years ago, his words were but in terms of a plebiscite “I would rather the people of Australia could make their view clear on this than leaving this issue to 150 people,” so he believed fundamentally in the principal.
So, his opposition now isn't that he's afraid of a no vote, the disgusting, venereal, low approach that he's taken is he's afraid of a yes vote. He doesn't want to give Malcolm Turnbull the victory and he's willing to sacrifice the cause he's pretending to believe in. I think this is an absolute disgrace and if he really cares, if he really cares about this issue, he would support a plebiscite because he's supported not just a plebiscite, the principle, the morality of it only a couple of years ago in front of the Australian Christian Lobby.
So, I don't just support this, I believe in it deeply and if Labor wants to support same-sex marriage, this is there moment.
LAURA JAYES:
What do you say to the likes of Dean Smith who was once a no voter for changing the Marriage Act, he has a personal interest in this and he has said today that he cannot stomach a plebiscite. What do you say to colleagues like that?
GREG HUNT:
I respect his views deeply. The point about Dean is he has a genuine principle. Mr Shorten advocated in front of the Australian Christian Lobby a plebiscite and in fact he advocated the principle of a plebiscite, he advocated the belief in this and, sure, he's entitled to change his views but he's only changed his views by convenience precisely because, as I said before, he's not afraid of a no vote by the Australian people, he's afraid of a yes vote because that would take away his issue, which is a disgusting betrayal of the very cause and for me that's an utter failure of character.
This is his moment, if he believes in same-sex marriage, give the Australian people a chance because 70 per cent of Australian people, according to Griffith University, want a plebiscite and I think overwhelmingly if given the plebiscite that they voted for at the election and which they want, they will vote yes.
LAURA JAYES:
Minister, passionate arguments on all sides and you are certainly one of them as well. Well, thank you for your time on The Latest and no interruptions from the House.
GREG HUNT:
Thank you very much Anthony Albanese.
(ENDS)