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CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Good morning!

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Good morning.

JOURNALIST: Now look, Chris we might kick off with you as the resident South Australian in this duo to get your thoughts first about the announcement by Coca-Cola this morning about the closure of the Thebarton plant.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well it’s very disappointing for the workers at Thebarton. It’s very disappointing for South Australia to lose another iconic employer at Coca-Cola. I’m not exactly sure of the circumstances surrounding the closure of the factory but I’m sure we’ll find out why as the day progresses through your good efforts as to the reasons that Coca-Cola gives for the closure but it goes to the whole issue of the future of our state in terms of making us a destination for investment and growth. And in my area of Defence Industry obviously I’m doing my bit for our state by prosecuting the investment in naval shipbuilding at Osborne, that will create up to 5000 jobs which will be a big shot in the arm at Osborne and across the city and bringing new head offices to our state but we can’t keep going on as a high tax, highly expensive place to do business with the highest electricity prices in the country and the most unreliable electricity supply in the country. This is where the rubber starts to hit the road and businesses have to think about their future. Now I don’t know the reason why Coca-Cola is closing, but the general environment in the state is not conducive to jobs and growth and investment and the State government needs to take a good look at the policies they’ve implemented over the last 16 years because it isn’t making us a state where people want to stay in.

JOURNLAIST: What about you Albo? Do you see any political implications from this closure? It does feel like here in South Australia that we are more often than not on the receiving end of these corporate consolidations; Arnott’s has left; there’s other big employers that have shut up shop to go to other states. Does that say anything about how our State has been governed for the last 16 years?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well what I won’t be doing is playing politics with this issue as Christopher just sort to do. The truth is that manufacturing across Australia has had issues and we’ve seen closures, certainly in my state in NSW as well unfortunately. I think today is a day when we need to think about the 180 people who will lose their jobs, their families, their friends and think about as well what sort of structural adjustment, what support could be given to those people to try and secure their future employment rather than try to point the finger given that Christopher just conceded he doesn’t know, and nor do I, what the decision-making processes have been for Coca-Cola in making this decision to close its plant.

JOURNALIST: Can I ask you one more Albo, just about what appeared to be some confusion last week on Bill Shortens part about the renewable energy target that Labor has got. Is this a target that you are sort of committed to hitting or is it more of an aspiration to hit in an ideal world?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well the issue here is that the renewable energy target, the RET is specific legislation and that applies to the target that’s been agreed of 23% by 2020 that is a bi-partisan agreement that’s there. Now whether you use the word target, or aim, objective, it’s neither here nor there. The mechanism that we see to promote renewable energy is the emissions intensity scheme as the vehicle for promoting renewable energy and we also see that there’s been a significant shift; renewables used to be relatively expensive; that is changing over a period of time. Renewables are becoming cheaper relative to other forms such as coal, but gas also is going to be increasingly part of the energy mix.

JOURNALIST: Christopher Pyne; one of our contributors to our programme, Phil Coorey has written in the Australian Financial Review today about a plot to remove Steven Marshall and replace him with an old colleague of yours; Alexander Downer. Did that make it to you? Were you asked for input on that manoeuvre?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well quickly, in respect to what Anthony said. The truth is Chris Bowen was asked this week whether Labor would legislate their renewable energy target…

JOURNALIST: [Interrupts] Yeah, no, the question was about Alexander Downer…

ANTHONY ALBANESE: It’s about Alexander Downer mate…

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well you know, the truth is they were asked 19 times about…

ANTHONY ALBANESE: [Interrupts] About Downer mate…

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: You’re not running the interview Anthony; I’m entitled to comment on what you were saying…

JOURNALIST: Hang on, let’s keep this clean. Christopher Pyne, were you approached about a plot to replace Steven Marshall with Alexander Downer?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: This is one of the most risible story’s I’ve ever seen in the newspaper and Phil Coorey should quite frankly hang his head in shame. Alexander Downer has retired from politics over 10 years ago; the idea that Alexander Downer would be coming back to state parliament and become to become the state leader is one of the funniest stories I’ve read in a long time.

JOURNALIST: Ok, Christopher Pyne and Anthony Albanese, thank you both.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Maybe you could do it?

JOURNALIST: I think he’s busy. Christopher Pyne and Anthony Albanese, thanks for your time, we’re going to leave it there this morning.