E&OE….
Topics: Liberal Party, Budget
MARK PARTON:
Greg Hunt, Federal Environment Minister’s on the line right now. G’day Greg.
GREG HUNT:
Good morning Mark. I’ve got to say when I hear a story like that one, you’re right, if people don’t like animals then they shouldn’t be keeping them and it’s extraordinary that it took so long to find that out.
MARK PARTON:
Isn’t it? None of the dogs in either yard were de-sexed, some were pregnant and there are 118 charges on the table. So it’s before the courts, there’s obviously, we’ve probably said too much but wow, it’s just – it’s crazy stuff.
GREG HUNT:
Yep.
MARK PARTON:
I’ve been reporting widely that there’s definitely no leadership spill and that Tony Abbott’s certainly going to be the Prime Minister by the end of the week…
GREG HUNT:
You’re correct.
MARK PARTON:
…and according to all reports, is probably going to lead you guys to the next election, whenever it comes.
GREG HUNT:
That’s what I expect. That’s what I think should happen and that’s been my clear and categorical position. I think two things have come about in the last month. One is I think that there’s a sense of a fair go, that the Australian people – whatever views they may have on particular issues – are of the view that somebody needs a fair go and a decent chance and the broader, deeper thing we’re doing is working on this profound, immensely important work of providing intergenerational fairness.
Where one generation isn’t leaving the bill for another, which unfortunately is what happened under the previous government. And the second thing is, I think what’s happened in the last few weeks has been that people have started to focus on Bill Shorten and the ALP as an alternative. Massively, deliberately higher electricity prices…
MARK PARTON:
I reckon that’s what’s happened.
GREG HUNT:
…and absolutely no concern about debt.
MARK PARTON:
Yeah. I’m with you – I think that people have sort of said, well hang on a second, if indeed we vote for this other mob, what’s going to happen to us? Peter Hartcher disagrees with us – I don’t know if you’ve seen his piece in the Fairfax press this morning?
GREG HUNT:
No, I haven’t seen it, I apologise.
MARK PARTON:
Now look, he’s still saying that, he says Tony Abbott’s supporters will claim today’s poll is proof that there is life in his Prime Ministership, but he says “only a superficial reading can support this conclusion. In truth it shows that his Prime Ministership is already dead”, says Peter.
So basically he’s referring to this question that says 72% of voters say the Abbott does not have the confidence of his own party. In other words, the people believe that Abbott lacks the basic qualification to remain leader.
GREG HUNT:
Look, I respectfully disagree with the journalist’s interpretation. If things have improved, they’ve improved. Now of course I’m always very cautious in terms of interpreting downs or ups because obviously they move around. But I do think, from what I have heard in my own electorate, talking to my own branch members, talking to people in supermarkets, at Clean Up Australia Day yesterday, that the twin views of – hang on, let’s have a fair go, we lived through this rotational approach to the Prime Ministership under the ALP and we’ve done some electing as people and we’d like to see it given a fair go.
And then secondly, the – ok let’s be very serious about this. Leaving a massive, massive unfunded bill for the next generation isn’t what a great generation does and people are increasingly uncomfortable about this notion of there’s no limit, there’s no barrier to expense, we can leave everything for the next generation. And we are trying and we are succeeding in reining back that act of intergenerational theft. It’s hard, but it’s the right thing to do.
And the other thing is to take the pressure off cost of living and I think people are aware that Bill Shorten and the ALP’s deliberate conscious policy is to hike electricity prices by a minimum of 10% and on their own figures at the last election, by 2020 it would be a deliberate 15% electricity price hike.
MARK PARTON:
Alright. Steering away from that, it’s probably the last thing that I put to you in regards to possible leadership spills and all that sort of carry on.
GREG HUNT:
Ok.
MARK PARTON:
I think one of the things that Australians hold very dear is loyalty and I think one of the things that we’ve seen from Tony Abbott in the last month or so is a strong loyalty to the people around him. You know, loyalty to his Chief-of-Staff, loyalty to his Treasurer, some may call it blind loyalty, but on the question of loyalty when you compare Tony Abbott to Bill Shorten, they are worlds apart aren’t they?
GREG HUNT:
Well, it’s the difference between the phrase ‘greater love hath no man to lay down his life for others and greater love hath no man that to lay down others for his own life’ and one falls into the first category and that’s Tony Abbott in political terms, and the other one falls into the second category, Bill Shorten. Nobody is too close to be sacrificed, in his case, for his own benefit.
MARK PARTON:
So today we are going to see some changes in direction on a number of policies, a number of barnacles, I gather, are going to be swept away. Can you tell us anymore?
GREG HUNT:
Oh look, you can understand the old respect the Prime Minister’s right to put any proposed changes to the Cabinet and the Party Room. But a very, very important point here is that he has and we have listened to some of the concerns that people have. We have listened intently and it’s always about finding the balance between doing the difficult long-term things, but doing it in a way which brings the public with you and I think what you’ll find is that the PM has listened and there will be some adjustments.
The consequence of that is always focussed on how do we protect and give the next generation a better quality of life, but at the same time ensure that those that are most in need now are also given the chance to maintain a quality of life. If you spend, then you are simply leaving the bill for the next generation without doing it in terms of living within our means. So we have to get the Budget back to a position that’s sustainable, but we can do this potentially in a way which brings the public with us. So that’s the principle.
MARK PARTON:
Greg, thanks for coming on this morning.
GREG HUNT:
Thanks mate.
(ENDS)