E&OE….
Topics: Prime Minister Turnbull, Environment portfolio, water reform
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Welcome to the show.
GREG HUNT:
Hello Patricia.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
You walked into the ballot with Tony Abbott last night. Did you vote for him?
GREG HUNT:
Look, I think it's widely known that when Malcolm was leader, I stayed with him out of a sense of strong principle and support for the leader of the day whilst I was in Shadow Cabinet.
And I’ve made it clear to all sides that that same principle applied whilst I was a member of Tony Abbott's Cabinet.
So that was a set of values and principles, and I think the important thing was to be upfront.
Now moving forward, the critical thing is – what I think we will find is – that we have a sense of compassion and opportunity in terms of jobs and innovation, which will excite the country.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Were you electorally viable under Tony Abbott? Why did you back him?
GREG HUNT:
Look, I am not going to go through the past. I've set out honestly and openly where each – or where I stood. But let's be clear and I have worked very, very closely with Malcolm Turnbull over many years.
I was one of the people who was closest to him when he was last leader. And he is a man of extraordinary talent.
And if you had to create a single word to describe him – or to use a single word – I would use the word ‘vision’. And under that I would add ‘energy’ and a ferocity of intent to help give Australian people a country where the Government focuses on compassion, the opportunity to create jobs, to maintain jobs and help jobs – and innovation.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
When you describe compassion – where do we see this compassion? Where will we see this compassion that you talk of?
GREG HUNT:
Look I'll let a new Prime Minister outline his particular advances on policy. But let us understand, he has a deep sense of the future and support for those who are vulnerable.
And what does it mean? It translates into how he feels and cares about people. It translates into the vision for a country that will create new jobs, that will adapt to the world of the 21st century, that will engage with the challenges and the opportunities coming out of Asia.
We may not have had anybody in Australian history with that combination of assets and capacities as Prime Minister.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Why were the polls so bad under Tony Abbott for so long?
GREG HUNT:
Look, I am – respectfully – not going to try to analyse the past. What I am going to say is that we had to make some difficult decisions to repair the damage that was left by the extraordinary legacy of Labor's years, of Bill Shorten's years. They were fiscally irresponsible. We have made a huge step along the way.
Not all of those decisions have been entirely popular – I absolutely understand that – but where we're at now is going to a new phase and a new contract with the Australian people where we’re building new opportunities and giving people a sense of being able to engage safely in this modern, 21st century world.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Given you talk about this new phase – this new leadership – do we need to see policy changes as well?
GREG HUNT:
Look I'm obviously not about to pre-empt the right and opportunity of the leader and new Prime Minister.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
I'm not expecting you to announce detail – but conceptually?
GREG HUNT:
He'll outline his own areas in terms of opportunity and innovation.
For me, my focus is about making sure that we are delivering our emissions reductions, that we are delivering what we are doing in terms of the capacity for young people to work and be in the environment through the Green Army.
And we'll talk about what additionally might be able to be done. He of course is a huge advocate of action on climate change.
Significantly and importantly we've reached a complete consensus within the Party around the Direct Action because it's working.
That's what the Prime Minister and what Malcolm Turnbull said in Parliament today. It's working, it's not Pink Batts, it's not Green Loans, it's not Cash for Clunkers, it's not Citizens' Assembly, it's not a massive carbon tax on electricity.
It's actually reducing emissions in a no-fuss, low-cost, effective way. We're doing more than our share, we're lifting heavy weight and we're getting the results.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
On RN Drive my guest is the Environment Minister Greg Hunt, our number here – 0418 226 576.
What do you make of today's very historic day? Do you think Malcolm Turnbull will be prepared to change policies and which policies should he be changing?
On that theme, do you want to hold onto the Environment portfolio? Have you – kind of – raised a preference with the new Prime Minister?
GREG HUNT:
Look, I've always loved this portfolio. Any of us would be willing to serve at the pleasure of a new Prime Minister. But I love my portfolio and if I were offered it again…
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
And have you told him that?
GREG HUNT:
…look, we have had brief discussions because it's literally in passing about other things. So I think we'll have a proper sit down as he will with all of his Ministers over the coming days.
But I love it, I enjoy it. There are enormous opportunities in terms of solar and renewables and the next wave and the next phase of what can be done.
But we shouldn't underestimate the incredible platform which has been established over the last two years of – we've made emissions reduction non-controversial in Australia.
A bad tax which was driving up the cost of electricity and which would come back again under Bill Shorten is gone under us.
We have a working policy which is reducing emissions and which frankly is something that the ALP ought to look at.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
This is the new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Question Time talking about Direct Action:
“They are very substantial cuts, the means that we are using that the Minister for the Environment has diligently and carefully put in place to achieve them are doing their work.”
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
There he is talking about the Government's post-2020 emissions target.
You must have your doubts though as to whether the new Prime Minister is truly on board with the policy given the very strong, strident criticism of this policy he's made in the past?
GREG HUNT:
Actually I don't have any doubt about that.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
So he's just flipped.
GREG HUNT:
I’m completely confident that he is fully supportive. He has made the point that what has been developed and evolved over the last few years has become a highly effective, highly effective…
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
So, he was wrong.
GREG HUNT:
…low-fuss, low-cost policy.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Has he said, has he conceded he was wrong then?
GREG HUNT:
He doesn't have to. What he has seen occur and what he said…
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Well, that's very different to what he was previously saying.
GREG HUNT:
…what he said on the floor of the Parliament today is that the policy is working. And there have been many critics along the way – and you know what, the policy is working.
And there is a stark choice at the next election – a Prime Minister who is passionate about climate change but even more passionate about practical emissions reduction actions that work – and do that without driving up electricity prices and the cost of living for mums and dads and for pensioners and that's the choice for Australia.
It's climate action – but without a carbon tax on electricity or a massive new electricity tax.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Greg Hunt, at the beginning of this interview, you did allude to some changes that you do expect in the new direction by Malcolm Turnbull.
Could we see some of the Emissions Reduction Fund be set aside to buy cheaper international carbon permits? It is something that business wants. Is that something that's on the table?
GREG HUNT:
Look, I won't speculate on actions which a new Prime Minister may take. We already have an in-principle establishment of a review in 2017.
And that's the current position and there was a predisposition…
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
That was the position under Tony Abbott – isn't it up for grabs?
GREG HUNT:
…a predisposition to allow the consideration of international permits at that time as part of a strategic reserve. I won't pre-empt any further discussions.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
In striking the new Coalition agreement with the Nationals, the Prime Minister is handing the Water portfolio to Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce. How do you feel about that?
GREG HUNT:
I feel absolutely fine because prior to the election, Water was with Barnaby. He and I worked very well.
I think he may have been a little surprised when it was given to the Environment portfolio after the election. Historically…
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Was that the wrong decision?
GREG HUNT:
Look, we've made tremendous reforms, and between the two portfolios over many years we've achieved real reforms.
We've got the Murray-Darling Basin Plan agreed, which didn't occur under Labor. We've got the $2.5 million of water infrastructure a day being constructed.
And only yesterday, we really completed the vast bulk of our reform work, with the Senate passing the legislation for the 1500 gigalitre cap – which allows us to focus on infrastructure as the way forward.
So my job with Water was largely completed yesterday, in terms of reform. And so from now, it goes into…
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
What interesting timing from Greg Hunt.
GREG HUNT:
…it was fortunate timing. And I'm really proud of the work that successive Parliamentary Secretaries Simon Birmingham and Bob Baldwin did with me.
And we’ve just achieved, in the last two years, perhaps the greatest round of water reforms in Australia's history. And I feel as though that job is done…
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Can I just quickly ask you before I let you go – well, I want to ask you one last question before I let you go.
GREG HUNT:
…and it will be in good hands, by the way.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Well, clearly you think so. Before I let you go – can you really all unite behind Malcolm Turnbull?
Could Cory Bernardi and all of the people who really dislike Malcolm Turnbull – who've made it crystal clear, who see him as too much of a small ‘l’ liberal – do you really think they're going to unite behind him?
GREG HUNT:
I think – yes, I do – and I think there's a very important historical set of analogies here.
Bob Hawke was able to be a successful Prime Minister in his early years because Bill Hayden, to his credit, accepted the transition and smoothed it.
John Howard was able to be a successful Prime Minister throughout his four terms because Alexander Downer, to his credit, accepted and supported John Howard.
Tony Abbott will do the same thing. He's a man of immense decency and dignity…
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
You mean Malcolm Turnbull I think…
GREG HUNT:
No – Tony Abbott will provide the support for Malcolm Turnbull – which is what I was saying.
He'll do the same thing that Bill Hayden and Alexander did. He won't seek to destabilise. He does want the Liberal Party to succeed. He does want Malcolm Turnbull to succeed.
And that transition is fundamental – it saw the success of the early Hawke years, and it saw the success of the entire Howard era.
Tony Abbott will give Malcolm Turnbull that unique opportunity.
And that is something which I think gives us the opportunity as a country to have a stable, sensible, innovative, compassionate, forward looking Government over the coming years.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Greg Hunt, thanks for joining us.
GREG HUNT:
Thanks Patricia.
(ENDS)