Julie Bishop - Member for Curtin

720 ABC Perth, Mornings with Geoff Hutchison

Subjects: Christian Porter

E&OE…

GEOFF HUTCHISON    How welcome will Christian Porter in Federal Parliament? I’m joined by the Deputy Federal Liberal Leader Julie Bishop. Julie Bishop good morning to you.

JULIE BISHOP    Good morning.

GEOFF HUTCHISON    Do you greet this warmly?

JULIE BISHOP    I think it is a vote of confidence in Tony Abbott and the Coalition team that somebody of Christian Porter’s calibre would want to leave state politics and join the federal team. Of course he must now go through the pre-selection process, as any other candidate must do, and ultimately it is a matter for the pre-selectors. But I am delighted that people of quality, people who have already made a contribution to public life are keen to be part of Tony Abbott’s team and be part of the national debates on the national issues.

GEOFF HUTCHISON    Now am I right in saying you gave him probably one of his first jobs as a lawyer?

JULIE BISHOP    I do know Christian very well from my days back as a partner at Clayton Utz. He was an articled clerk and a young lawyer at the firm at the same time that I was there, and I found him to be an intelligent, bright, engaging young man with a bright future and he’s certainly demonstrated that by becoming a State Member of Parliament and a State Treasurer, State Attorney-General. I understand he is now looking for a federal position, he wants to be part of the national debates on the national issues and I think Tony Abbott and the federal team will be delighted to have people of Christian’s calibre come on board.

But it is a matter for the pre-selectors and I stress that point. He has to go through the same process that every other candidate goes through and that is to be subjected to pre-selection by the local branches and then ratified by State Council.

GEOFF HUTCHISON    You’re listening to Julie Bishop. Julie Bishop, what do you think he brings to your side of politics federally?

JULIE BISHOP    Well he has already demonstrated his capabilities and talents in the State Parliament. He has been a very competent Treasurer and a competent Attorney-General who has been interested in reforms. He is a champion for Western Australia and he has demonstrated that at a state level.

Whether he is pre-selected for the seat of Pearce remains to be seen, but it does reflect well on the federal team that somebody that has such a promising career at a state level would want to join Tony Abbott and the Coalition team.

GEOFF HUTCHISON    Is he a potential Minister?

JULIE BISHOP    Well he was certainly a competent Minister in Colin Barnett’s government and he is a highly talented person and should he be pre-selected I would expect him to have a bright future in federal politics.

GEOFF HUTCHISON    Would you look at him and would he have been identified over time as a likely candidate if we could convince him to come across?

JULIE BISHOP    That is not the way I saw it. When Christian chose to go into state politics I assumed that is where his career path would take him, but as he has indicated today he has harboured a desire to go into federal politics and he sees this as an opportunity and from that point of view it doesn’t come as a surprise to me.

I knew he was interested in federal politics, indeed he was a very keen student of politics when he was a young lawyer. I knew that he came from a family of people deeply interested in politics, his father Chilla Porter was a stalwart of the Liberal Party and I knew that Christian had a deep interest in politics and expected as some point he would go into public life. He was brought up to believe that going into public office was a high calling and I think he has demonstrated that by the work he has done at the state level.

GEOFF HUTCHISON    It is has been rather lost in the last couple of years the belief that going into federal politics is a high calling, but are you satisfied that there are indeed enough members in the House for whom it is truly a high calling even though there might be high levels of public dissatisfaction or anger with both sides of the Chamber? That there is an understanding that it is a place you can go and do things?

JULIE BISHOP    Well it is certainly what drove me to go into federal politics, to leave a legal career here in Perth and enter into federal politics. My parents had been involved in public life and I had been brought up to believe enter public office was one of the highest callings, one of the greatest contributions you can make. If you can devote your energy and efforts to the betterment of your community or your state or your country then that was a path worth taking, and I certainly have no regrets in doing that.

And I think most people are driven by the right motives to go into politics and I think that in federal politics most are there for the right reasons, that is to serve the country. And I would think that if Christian Porter were to be pre-selected by the pre-selectors in the Liberal Party in Pearce and were he elected by the voters in Pearce then he would make a wonderful contribution at a national level.

GEOFF HUTCHISON    Now I am asking this purely in a historical context, do you ever ruminate on the offer that was made to you along time ago now isn’t it, more than 10 years ago, the invitation to come back to state politics and lead the state party?

JULIE BISHOP    Oh Geoff that is ancient history. That is just a historical footnote in the annals of Western Australian political history. I always look forward, don’t look backwards!

GEOFF HUTCHISON    Fair enough. He made one observation that I did find very interesting and that is – the impression I get – he wants to make decisions based on what it is he wants to do rather than someone else’s assumptions and expectations. Do you think there has been a lot of that around Christian Porter? As there always is in politics when somebody says, “look at him” or “look at her, she’s got talent, we’ll keep an eye on that one”.

JULIE BISHOP    Often being labelled a rising star is not the most useful moniker you can attract, and people do have expectations. I think the point he is making is that he wants to contribute in his own way in a field he believes he can make the greatest contribution. And he has clearly thought about this. Going into federal politics from Western Australia is not a decision that you make lightly.  It does have a considerable impact on your personal life, on your home life. You are away from Perth much of the time because of course Parliament sits in Canberra. You are required to do committee work and travel. A lot of the work that we do is on the east coast so you are away from home.  And you don’t make the decision to go into federal politics lightly in any event, but doubly so if you live in Western Australia.

GEOFF HUTCHISON    I appreciate you taking to us. Thanks for your time this morning.

JULIE BISHOP    My pleasure.

GEOFF HUTCHISON    Julie Bishop, the Deputy Federal Liberal Leader.