ABC Radio National, Breakfast with Fran Kelly
Tuesday, 07 February 2012
Subjects: Syria; first week in Parliament; Australian economy; Fair Work Act; claims of sexism against Julia Gillard
E&OE…
FRAN KELLY Federal Parliament resumes today after a two month summer break. The Government buoyed by some good polling numbers yesterday wants to use the new sitting to showcase Australia’s relative economic strength but for the Opposition its parliamentary tactics will focus on renewed attacks over the carbon tax, Craig Thomson, and debt and deficit. While Labor’s leadership tensions continue unabated with revelations that Kevin Rudd is actively pursuing his old job.As we speak MPs are attending an ecumenical church service in Canberra to mark the opening of the Parliament. Julie Bishop is the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and I spoke with her a short time ago. Julie Bishop good morning, welcome to Breakfast.
JULIE BISHOP Good morning Fran.
FRAN KELLY Can we begin with Syria? More reports of violence in Homs overnight. Do you support the actions and the statements of the Australian Government on Syria which of course includes condemning the violence and supporting the UN resolution that President Assad should go?
JULIE BISHOP Yes we do, we absolutely condemn the violence. The Russian and Chinese veto of the UN Security Council resolution on Syria is particularly disappointing and concerning. It was put forward by the Arab League countries who have recently had an observer mission in Syria and it was supported by all other Security Council members including the temporary members. The Australian Government supports the resolution as do we. This veto must now give a level of comfort to the Assad regime who will face less pressure to stop this murderous crackdown on Syrian protesters.
FRAN KELLY Well, given that, what more or what else could the rest of the world do, including Australia?
JULIE BISHOP Well first neither China nor Russia have put forward a plausible alternative plan and so the bloodshed continues, but it is vital that the regime and its violence against its people be stopped. But this is a decision that President Assad can make without a United Nations resolution. Countries such as Australia have imposed sanctions beyond the UN framework, more countries should be encouraged to impose economic sanctions to indicate the widespread condemnation of the violence. Obviously military intervention should be a last resort and all other avenues should be exhausted.
FRAN KELLY Military intervention as a last resort, but still on the table. I note that US President Barack Obama said this is not a situation for military intervention.
JULIE BISHOP Well this is all part of a much more complex regional issue. There is a strategic interplay with a web of alliances on religious and cultural lines including Syria, Iran, Turkey, Israel. The best option is for President Assad to stand aside, as has happened in Yemen, stand aside and allow a civilian government to be formed.
FRAN KELLY The tensions in Syria are also being played out here in Australia. Over the weekend there was the break in of the Syrian Embassy in Canberra, reports now that police are investigating a shooting in Sydney of a man who supports the Assad regime. Are you concerned, this outbreak of violence here between Syrian ex-pats?
JULIE BISHOP Indeed, deeply concerning and I certainly condemn the actions that led to the bombing (sic) of the Embassy here and any violence that breaks out in Australia must be roundly condemned. This is an issue in the Middle East, it is deeply complex. President Assad lost all legitimacy to leadership when his regime started killing his own people. We must continue to call for President Assad to stand aside, allow a civilian government to be formed, but in the meantime in Australia we must urge calm amongst all people who are concerned about this issue.
FRAN KELLY Julie Bishop, Federal Parliament resumes for the year today. You are the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and I understand the Opposition finalised parliamentary tactics at a lengthy meeting of Shadow Cabinet yesterday. Has the polling bounce back for the Prime Minister and the Government forced a rethink of your parliamentary attack?
JULIE BISHOP No, not at all. The polls I think were a false dawn; they have to be consistent over several months before you can read anything into it. Now Labor might have taken heart from the fact that they have now got a 33 per cent primary vote, but nevertheless if an election were called tomorrow we know what the outcome would be on those polls. So our focus is on holding the Government to account. There is a real issue of competence and honesty with this Government and also on the issue of economic management and we’ll be focusing on the debt and the deficit and the wasteful spending that this Government has embarked upon.
FRAN KELLY Have you workshopped different strategies for a different Labor leader other than Julia Gillard?
JULIE BISHOP Well I think that it would be foolish not to consider the options given that all Labor seems to be able to talk about is its own leadership. It happens to be my view and a view of a number of people that Kevin Rudd will challenge Julia Gillard and I would imagine it would be before the Queensland election. If Kevin Rudd is so popular in Queensland well then surely the Queensland Labor Party would want to capitalise on that popularity in the lead up to the State poll.
FRAN KELLY You are just surmising I presume?
JULIE BISHOP Well I am actually speaking…
FRAN KELLY You’re not hearing this chatter?
JULIE BISHOP More than hearing the chatter. There are people in the Labor camp who are talking…
FRAN KELLY But not telling you?
JULIE BISHOP Oh no, talking quite openly. Fran you just have to pick up a paper to see all the comments from Labor backbenchers. Well they are not confining them to the press gallery. There is a lot of talk around Parliament House and amongst Labor Members who are talking quite freely and openly about the possibilities of a change to Kevin Rudd, and of course there are other people who are looking at alternative leaders whether it is Simon Crean or Stephen Smith, lots of names are being bandied about. It would seem that it is just a question of when Julia Gillard will be rolled, not if.
FRAN KELLY If this is such a bad government, why not move a no confidence motion this week?
JULIE BISHOP Well, we will move a no confidence motion when it is appropriate.
FRAN KELLY What circumstances would that be and what would it take?
JULIE BISHOP Well obviously we will determine when it is appropriate and that is what we will do. But I am not going to flag in advance what our particular tactic would be this week on a no confidence motion.
FRAN KELLY Is there likely to be one this week?
JULIE BISHOP We will do it when it is appropriate.
FRAN KELLY You are listening to RN Breakfast, our guest this morning is the Deputy Leader of the Opposition Julie Bishop. Julie Bishop, the Federal Government’s preferred battled ground is the economy, Tony Abbott says the economy would be even stronger under a Coalition Government how do you better a triple A rating from the three global ratings agencies?
JULIE BISHOP Well we would better the debt position that the Government has put us in. The descent into debt is one of the deepest we have seen and the quickest we have seen in Australia’s history and that is what we should be looking at, the Australian standard. The debt and deficit position is quite precarious.
FRAN KELLY This Government is promising to deliver a surplus budget next year, this year, when would you be able to deliver a surplus budget?
JULIE BISHOP Well Fran the Government has two more budgets to deliver. In the last four Labor budgets the total accumulated deficits total about $160 billion. We don’t know how big the deficits will be in the next two budgets but I can assure you the Coalition will deliver a surplus before Labor does. And can I say that…
FRAN KELLY Well Labor is going to deliver one this year.
JULIE BISHOP Well before the Coalition is called to account for a surplus, the Gillard Government has to deliver a surplus, and we know there is a smoke and mirrors exercise underway, but let’s see what the real figures are in this year’s budget and next year’s budget.
FRAN KELLY The Gillard Government says it will deliver a surplus budget this year.
JULIE BISHOP Yeah, well the Gillard Government said it would never impose a carbon tax. The Gillard Government said that it would do a deal with Andrew Wilkie over pokie reform. Julia Gillard’s credibility problem is she can’t be trusted so when Julia Gillard says that there will be a surplus I think most people roll their eyes because it sounds like, Julia Gillard’s ‘there will be no carbon tax’.
FRAN KELLY Does Tony Abbott have a credibility problem over industrial relations, workplace relations? He now says the Fair Work Act has a flexibility problem, a militancy problem and above all else a productivity problem. He had said the Opposition doesn’t plan any, wouldn’t plan any immediate changes to the Fair Work Act, what is the position of the Opposition?
JULIE BISHOP They are not just Tony Abbott’s words they are the words of industry, they are the words of business, that is the feedback that we are getting from employers around the country….
FRAN KELLY So what is the Opposition flagging now in terms of the Fair Work Act?
JULIE BISHOP Well there is a Fair Work Act review underway and we will be following that very closely and very keenly to see what submissions are made on the Fair Work Act and what the Government proposes to change. Julia Gillard said she got the balance right, well let’s see what sort of outcome there is from the Fair Work review and that is what we’ll be looking at.
FRAN KELLY And finally, Julie Bishop, the debate over sexism in politics has resurfaced. Greens Leader Bob Brown said yesterday the PM is the subject of unfair and unrelenting sexism in the media, do you agree?
JULIE BISHOP Not at all. Julia Gillard was given enormous public support as Australia’s first female Prime Minister, not withstanding many people’s misgivings about how she took the role off her leader, but the current criticisms of her are all about her competence and her honesty not her gender. She is being judged on her performance as Prime Minister and she has been found wanting.
FRAN KELLY The questions aren’t all about the competence are they? What about Mike Willesee’s question on Sunday night, do you cry much? Is that a relevant question, an appropriate question?
JULIE BISHOP Well they could have asked Kevin Rudd the same question. I mean Julia…
FRAN KELLY But they don’t do they?
JULIE BISHOP Of course. Julia Gillard complains she is expected to have a personality but says John Howard wasn’t subjected to this. That is not true. John Howard was criticised over his personality, over his dress, he was constantly criticised but he won the public respect for his competence and his policies.
Gender had nothing to do with her betraying the voters over the carbon tax, gender had nothing to do with her betrayal of Andrew Wilkie over pokies reform, gender has nothing to do with the fact that she has so consistently botched policies, whether it is her failed Malaysian solution or failed East Timor solution or her live cattle ban on Indonesia which so damaged our relationship. Any Prime Minister who has this history of incompetence and dishonesty would deserve the same criticism that Julia Gillard is receiving and she can’t blame her gender for her broken promises.
FRAN KELLY That is Julie Bishop, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, speaking to me earlier this morning from Canberra. She was on her way to that church service the politicians attend on the first day of Parliament.
