2GB Ben Fordham

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
Interview – 2GB Ben Fordham with Anthony Albanese
Wednesday 6 May 2015

SUBJECTS: Greens Leader; Foreign aid; Ambassador to France; Budget 2015.

BEN FORDHAM: Christopher Pyne, the Minister for Education and Anthony Albanese, the Shadow Minister for Infrastructure. They have had a little bit of time off, a little bit of holiday time; they are back in to it - the budget next week. Christopher Pyne, good afternoon.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Good afternoon Ben. I’ve had no time off at all.

BEN FORDHAM: Here we go.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: I just missed your show for four weeks while Anthony has been doing the hula in Cuba I understand.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Just one complaint after another, poor Christopher has got to work.

BEN FORDHAM: Anthony Albanese, good afternoon.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: G’day Ben, how are you?

BEN FORDHAM: Look, let’s test the honesty of politicians here for just a moment here. I just mentioned Mother’s Day this weekend, have either of you organised anything for your wives for this weekend?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well we actually will be driving up to Port Macquarie. Wait for it Ben, there is a punchline!

BEN FORDHAM: Your lucky wife, she gets a car trip to Port Macquarie!

ANTHONY ALBANESE: There’s a punchline: it is her parent’s 60^th wedding anniversary.

BEN FORDHAM: Have you got her a present?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well, it’s coming. My son has got her a present.

BEN FORDHAM: Christopher?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Carmel loves a car trip.

BEN FORDHAM: Christopher, have you organised anything for Mother’s Day so far for this week?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: We have morning coffee tea with my mother.

BEN FORDHAM: Have you organised a present?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Carolyn is not my mother.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: He is too cheap.

BEN FORDHAM: Have you organised a present for your mum?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: My children – yes of course I have a present for my mother. My wife has organised a present for my mother and I have organised a present for her mother.

BEN FORDHAM: Enough of that, let me get on to the news of the day. The Greens have a new leader after the surprise resignation of Christine Milne. Did either of you guys see this coming?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: No, I certainly didn’t. You know I wish Christine all the best. She has been in political life for 25 years and she is entitled to have some “me” time for herself in retirement. I wish her all the best. I don’t agree with many of her views I’ve got to say but I didn’t see it coming and I think it is a bit rough for the Greens to talk about process from time to time and criticise the major political parties, both Labor and Liberal. I mean if we had the sort of process, either political party for that matter whereby they have an announcement and an hour later behind closed doors just select a replacement, it’s pretty clear that there is a bit [inaudible] of any input of who the new leader should be.

BEN FORDHAM: What has gone on here, Christopher?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well I think it is interesting that both Adam Bandt and Christine Milne have gone. Obviously there are deep divisions within the Greens, we have known that for quite some time. And it starts to remind me a bit what happened to the Australian Democrats. They were a very popular third party for 25+ years but when they started to fight amongst themselves then the voters turned right off as they saw them as no better than the major political parties. And on this occasion I would have to agree with Anthony – their process reminds me a lot less of the major parties and a lot more of a secret society.

BEN FORDHAM: Albo, your boss Bill Shorten released a statement and I focussed on the last line, he said “I am proud to lead the only political party that gives its members their say in choosing their leader”. But I thought, hang on a moment, didn’t the members want Anthony Albanese?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Yes, they did.

BEN FORDHAM: And didn’t the MPs and the factions go for Bill Shorten? The members wanted you, Albo?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well, the important thing is, is that we did have a process and it was open and transparent and the membership did get a vote.

BEN FORDHAM: They had their say, but their say didn’t count?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well, people had their input and I haven’t complained about the process. I’ve got on with the job of having the honour being a part of the Labor frontbench team. And I think it was a really good process and it’s one of the reasons why Labor has been in a pretty strong position from the end of 2013 was that people could see there was a mature debate about policy about future direction.

BEN FORDHAM: Christopher?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: What really happened is that Anthony is the people’s choice and Bill was the faction’s choice and Anthony’s own factions [inaudible] and Kim Carr from Victoria backed the Bill Shorten candidacy or some of his people did at least, and gutted Anthony Albanese, and now they are doing it again over the federal presidency.

BEN FORDHAM: Well, Anthony will have his time, don’t worry about that. We will dissect the budget next week because of course it will be the day after we will get to have a conversation about all of that. But there is a report today in the Sydney Morning Herald that Indonesia may be facing a cut in the aid in the next week’s budget – you know a lot of money that goes off overseas, no doubt there is a quip pro quo and a bit of back scratching that goes on and we have got important trading partners, but do you think anybody would object if we say for example change their $600 million a year to $500 million a year and maybe give $100 million to our farmers who are stuck in the middle of a drought. Anthony?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well I think we have got to look at what our national interest is. And we have a national interest in funding education for example in Indonesia that makes sure that girls can go to school and that you don’t have schools run by some of the more fundamentalist groups who are preaching in a way that is divisive. And I think that is in our interest, I think that Australians do accept that Australia’s foreign aid that goes to give a kid clean drinking water is something that we as a relatively rich country have to contribute. There has already been $11 billion worth of cuts to foreign aid.

BEN FORDHAM: Christopher, are there going to be more cuts next week to foreign aid?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well you will see that in the budget and that is part of the ERC process. Obviously we have to make rational decisions about foreign aid when we are faced with the belt tightening that has had to go on since the Labor Government that were spenders. Foreign aid was an area where we have reduced spending into the future. It continues to increase, but not as fast as Labor promised. Labor promised to put $11 billion more into foreign aid, but they’ll have to find that money, which I assume they would do it via higher taxes or cuts…

BEN FORDHAM: You guys are committed to that, replacing that $11 billion?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: We will make policies and promises at the appropriate time. And certainly not according to Christopher Pyne’s timetable.

BEN FORDHAM: Okay, let me ask you this one before we let you guys go, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he doesn’t concern himself about trivia when asked about reports that the Ambassador Stephen Brady offered to resign after his partner was asked not to take part in an official welcome. I think everybody knows the details of this by now, this is when the PM was flying into Paris and Mr Brady’s partner, Peter Stephens was told not to take part in the airport greeting because protocol says partners are only there if the Prime Minister has his partner there, and Margie Abbott was not there at the time. Is this one giant beat up, Christopher?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: I think it is a really embarrassing story on the part of the media. The truth is, I have been to dinner with Stephen Brady and Peter Stephens and Tony Abbott for their farewells, for Stephen Brady’s farewell to leave Government House and go to Europe. Tony Abbott is not the least bit concerned about people’s sexual preferences and the Sydney Morning Herald trying to write this story in the way they did cast them in a very negative light.

BEN FORDHAM: It was a bit harsh, wasn’t it Albo?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well I think what should happen here is that just for the detail to be made clear and then people can move on. I think that the concerning thing is about the story is that the resignation was offered and I think that’s what has raised questions…

BEN FORDHAM: Isn’t it clear because the protocol states and he should know this as a diplomat that the partner is only there when the Prime Minister is travelling with his partner. Tony Abbott took Peter Stephens and Stephen Brady out for dinner that night in Paris?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Look I wasn’t there, I am not aware of all the details and frankly in terms of a scale of a story you know I think that people are entitled to accept an explanation when they are given but it is not surprising that an explanation was asked for given that the resignation has appeared to have been offered.

BEN FORDHAM: Okay, sometime people just have dummy spits, don’t they?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well, a lot of the time things can be misrepresented and unfortunately when you are in public life you have got to give the explanation and I think often you know if it is a choice between a stuff up and the conspiracy often it is just a stuff up.

BEN FORDHAM: Are you two going to be behaving yourselves when Parliament resumes?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: I always behave, Ben.

BEN FORDHAM: Christopher?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: That’ll depend on Anthony, I guess. Until I came along, he had the record of being thrown out more than any other MP in Parliament, and now I think my record has been broken by a Labor MP called Nick Champion.

BEN FORDHAM: I’m glad I’ve got two of the biggest trouble makers on my show. I’ll talk to you next week.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Good on you. See you then. I hope this year’s budget goes a bit better than last year’s.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: I bet you don’t mean that. I don’t think you mean that.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: It was a shocker.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: I don’t think you mean that, Anthony.

BEN FORDHAM: See you gentlemen.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: See you.

[ends]