MTR 1377, Drive with Luke Grant
Friday, 03 February 2012
Subjects: ALP leadership
E&OE…
LUKE GRANT …predicted that Kevin Rudd would probably challenge Julia Gillard before the March state election. There is obviously plenty of conversations going on behind the scenes in Canberra and outside of Canberra between Labor Members and Federal Ministers but we will see what the Deputy Opposition Leader has to say, she joins us on the line. Good afternoon Julie.JULIE BISHOP Good afternoon, good to be with you.
LUKE GRANT Yeah, thanks for your time again. There is obviously a lot of chitter chatter behind the scenes, what makes you think that they’ll go before the Queensland state election?
JULIE BISHOP Luke, this whole Government rests on betrayal and the great betrayer, Julia Gillard, will shortly experience the same level of loyalty that she showed Kevin Rudd. She betrayed the Australian people over the carbon tax, she betrayed Andrew Wilkie over gambling reform and now the man she betrayed over the leadership is about to get his revenge.
I expect there will be a challenge to Julia Gillard’s leadership and it will most likely be in the next few weeks before the Queensland election on the 24th of March. The momentum for change is underway. There are Labor Members who are absolutely resigned to the fact that Julia Gillard is not up to the job, there is massive division and instability at the highest levels of the government, and the parliament will adjourn on the 22nd of March and not return until Budget week in May. So there is a window of opportunity for Kevin Rudd, the momentum is his way, I believe he will take it.
LUKE GRANT In relation to Queensland, given their state election, it might actually – although turmoil, you’d think, might work against a political party – but for the people of Queensland, were they to see their favourite son, or perhaps former favourite son, Kevin return to the position that might put more of them at ease with the thought of voting ALP. So whilst it might on the surface look like a bad move for state parliament, a state party in Queensland, it might actually turn out to be a good move for them.
JULIE BISHOP Indeed and this would be the thinking of the Kevin Rudd-camp. If he gets a boost in the polls, a bit of a honeymoon, as the leader who was so betrayed coming back to lead the party it might boost them in Queensland. Now I don’t believe it will make any difference to the ultimate outcome, I think the people of Queensland have had enough of that rabble under Anna Bligh, but it might justify bringing Kevin Rudd back.
But I have to tell you, the level of division amongst Ministers is evident, it is pay-back time, senior Ministers are publicly attacking each other. And while Kevin Rudd is the obvious contender Simon Crean is apparently contacting colleagues about his prospects, Stephen Smith is considering his options. So it is an open race and only a question of when not if Julia Gillard will be challenged, when she will be dumped and by whom?
LUKE GRANT There is still – there has to be because of the way it was handled and the way the former, well Members of the Labor Party talk about the former leader Kevin Rudd – there has still got to be some concern there doesn’t there within caucus that this bloke might come back and get up to his old tricks, not communicating, all that sort of stuff?
JULIE BISHOP They didn’t like him at all.
LUKE GRANT No.
JULIE BISHOP But they voted him in last time. When he took the leadership in 2007 he was probably the most unpopular person in the caucus. But he is a good campaigner and at the end of the day self-preservation will win these Labor people over. They will be thinking, ‘how can I best retain my seat? Under Gillard or Rudd?’ and I think they will conclude that it is Rudd.
But while the Government is fighting among themselves they are not focusing on the concerns of the Australian people, the needs of the Australian people, the cost of living, the impact of this carbon tax. That is what people want them to focus on but they are so caught up in this internal division of revenge and pay-back that they have just totally ignored and neglected the interests of the Australian people.
LUKE GRANT I think that so many people would agree with that and trying to solve the world’s problem by reducing the world temperature by having a tax in Australia. I mean the whole thing, we’re the forgotten ones and we are the ones that get to vote for people like you and the Prime Minister. I have got to ask you this, because if people say the Deputy Leader of the Opposition is just making mischief here, do you have proof that there will be something before the state election? Are there signs? I mean you’re in the middle of it so you probably get a better look at it than anyone else.
JULIE BISHOP I have been in Canberra this week, I certainly have contacts in the Labor Party, there is chatter around the corridors, people are openly talking now. If I was saying this last year, yes I would have been stirring, but now it is quite evident. There are Ministers speaking publicly about it. Simon Crean’s extraordinary attack on the Foreign Minister calling him a prima donna and saying he wasn’t a team player. He was clearly out there trying to head-off what is an inevitable challenge. So I am not making the mischief, I am just reading the tea leaves. And I believe that the Labor Members, who are now making it quite clear that they believe a challenge is on, are going to start speaking even more to the media than they have been.
LUKE GRANT You still staring at gnomes?
JULIE BISHOP [laughs] I do reserve my stares for special occasions. But I have to say Luke, I am still sent a garden gnome every now and then. I will turn up at work and there will be a garden gnome on my front doorstep. And then in shopping centres, kids still come up to me and say, ‘stare at me, stare at me’. It was a very funny appearance on the Chaser, but I didn’t think it would have this kind of impact. There you go.
LUKE GRANT It is not a bad impact to have I have got to say. Have a great weekend, thanks so much Julie. Good to talk to you.
JULIE BISHOP Thanks very much Luke.
LUKE GRANT Thank you. Julie Bishop there, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, giving us her view on where things are with the ALP leadership.
