ABC 891

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
Interview – ABC 891 Adelaide with Matthew Abraham, David Bevan and Mark Butler
Wednesday 25 February 2015

SUBJECTS: Air Services Australia; Employment figures; Automotive industry; Prime Minister’s Office.

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: Chris Pyne to you first, you’ve disowned any support for a nuclear waste dump, or nuclear power industry in South Australia? I think it’s fair to say last week and you wrote to your own Prime Minister … or you wrote to Mark Scott protesting about ABC cuts affecting Adelaide. Will you also take action over plans to shift air traffic control jobs from Adelaide to Melbourne?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: No. No I won’t be doing that; Air Services Australia is an independent statutory body within the Government, 95% of [unclear].

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: So is the ABC.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: …95% of air movements are already managed from Brisbane and Melbourne, the Air Traffic Control Tower at Adelaide is not closing, they’ve just built a new one there so they’re hardly going to be closing it but the movement, the control of movements, will be done from Melbourne in the same way as the movement throughout Hobart, Launceston, Canberra are done from Melbourne. The Gold Coast, Rockhampton, Mackay and Cairns will be done from Brisbane and the people at the terminal control unit at Adelaide haven’t been told that they’ve lost their jobs, they’ve been told that they’ll need to relocate to Melbourne. And if they don’t wish to relocate they’ll be retrained and that’s the nature of the decision that Air Services Australia has made.

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: So why were you so worried about Adelaide jobs from the ABC going to the eastern seaboard?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Because I think it’s completely unnecessary and I still believe it’s completely unnecessary and the decision by Air Services Australia is one decided on the basis of what they think is best for safety in the skies and therefore that’s a decision they’ve made because they’re the experts. I think the decision by the Board of the ABC and Mark Scott was done because they’ve always wanted to consolidate all the work in Ultimo in Sydney and I think it was utterly unnecessary, it remains the wrong decision, it remains the wrong decision.

DAVID BEVAN: Mark Butler.

MARK BUTLER: Well Christopher must be one of the people who received a briefing from Air Services Australia because the process that’s being followed here has been absolutely abysmal. The Senate –

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: No I haven’t had a briefing from Air Services.

MARK BUTLER: The Senate Estimates – okay, well a number of Liberal Party MPs and senators received briefings about Air Services Australia’s intentions around the Adelaide Airport but they were the only people. It became clear from the Senate estimates process last night that the State Government was not consolidated, no one else was consulted, Matt Williams and some other Liberal MPs were consulted and apparently put up no objections whatsoever to this shift in jobs from Adelaide to Melbourne. It also appears that a safety case was not submitted by the Air Services Australia to the Civil Aviation Safety authority so the perceptions around this are absolutely abysmal and again we see a case where an organisation has provided briefings to the Liberal Party MPs only and the resistance by them to yet more jobs being shifted by this Government from Adelaide to Melbourne was absolutely negligible.

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: Chris Pyne do you have any concerns, I mean, you and Mark Butler would use Adelaide Airport more than most, in and out, do you have any concerns at least Air Services Australia should have done some sort of safety report on the implications of this before signing off on it?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: No I have absolutely no concerns whatsoever about the safety of our skies because Air Services Australia is one of the most professional organisations in the world. We’re very lucky in Australia that we haven’t had the kinds of shocking tragedies that occur in some countries and Air Services Australia should be allowed to get on with their job. Now 95% of all air movements are currently controlled from Brisbane and Melbourne, so this is hardly an unusual decision on their part. I’m sorry that the people who have been asked to relocate if they don’t want to relocate have to find new jobs but that is the nature of - of the economy; there are 600 new jobs being created a day in Australia under our government up from 100 a day under Labor. The economy is now growing at 2.7%, it was 1.9% under Labor.

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: And what’s the unemployment rate now compared to two years ago?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well sadly in South Australia it’s 7.3%.

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: What’s the national unemployment rate?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: It’s about 6.4 I think at the last [unclear].

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: And what was it two years ago?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: I don’t know, this isn’t pick a box, I don’t know what it was exactly two years ago, it was lower than that.

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: … was it more or less? Do you know Mark Butler?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: We’re creating –

MARK BUTLER: I can’t remember; it was lower than that, there have never –

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: …, we’re creating more jobs –

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: Why is the unemployment going up?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: We are growing the economy, in South Australia we have a 7.3% unemployment rate, not because of the Federal Government but because the State Government in South Australia has made us the highest taxing state government in Australia. Our businesses are strangled with red tape and bureaucratic control from North Terrace, there is no enthusiasm for new business and new industries in South Australia from the Labor government, they have the unions running a large part of the construction industry. Now if you want to look at why we’re losing jobs in South Australia you have to look at a 13 year old tired Labor government that won 47% of the vote, 90,000 more people voted Liberal at the State election because they wanted a change of government; they didn’t get one – the confidence in South Australia is very low.

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: Mark Butler do you as, you’re a Federal Labor MP, would you agree with Christopher Pyne on that front that State Governments have control really of a local economy unless they’re totally mendicant and it’s their job to create jobs and create a climate for employment.

MARK BUTLER: Well it’s the job of State Governments to do that, it’s the job of Federal Government to do that, it’s the job of private sector to do that. It’s no one responsibility and Christopher might well sort of focus on South Australia but it is the case that across the country –

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well I’m a South Australian MP –

MARK BUTLER: You’re a Federal MP as well Christopher and you were asked about the national employment data, you weren’t able to or weren’t willing to answer it.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: … the thing is, you don’t want to talk about it –

MARK BUTLER: Come on, I let you go.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: - the Labor government.

MARK BUTLER: I let you go Chris -

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: You don’t want to talk about the South Australian Labor Government.

MARK BUTLER: I let you have a good go Christopher. The fact is, that the unemployment rate has increased under this Government, there are more people out of work across Australia than at any time since the aftermath of the 1991 recession. Youth unemployment is higher than it’s been for ten years, back when Tony Abbott was the Employment Services Minister so it’s all well and good for Christopher to focus on South Australia but there are national challenges around employment –

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well there are more –

MARK BUTLER: Which have not been helped –

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: There are more –

MARK BUTLER: Which have not been helped by the devastation to business confidence done by last year’s budget.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well that’s not true. Business confidence is in fact up.

MARK BUTLER: Oh it is not.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: In the last eight months the ANZ job ads have risen every single month for the last eight months.

MARK BUTLER: I said ‘confidence’. I said ‘confidence’ - Look at any business –

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Business confidence is also up.

MARK BUTLER: -- confidence measures.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Retail trade has been up every month –

MARK BUTLER: [unclear] that’s not right.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: - for the last seven months. The, the green shoots in the economy are quite extraordinary and there’s been, there were more businesses registered last year by ASIC than in any other time since records were kept so in fact there were more mortgages agreed to for houses last year than the year before so in fact people are coming back into the economy again, that’s not happening in South Australia and we have to ask why that’s the case, and the very – there’s a very easy answer to that – confidence is low in South Australia because the public voted for a change of government and they didn’t get one and they also have a state Labor government that relies too heavily on tax and isn’t prepared to live within its means, … [unclear] debt is now higher in South Australia than it was during the State Bank disaster.

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: Chris Pyne according to the figures I’ve just called up here, unemployment rate in 2011 was 5.1%. In 2008 it was 4.2%. It’s now 6.4%.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: That’s right and participation in the economy is higher than it’s ever been, there are more people looking for jobs and in the workforce than ever.

MARK BUTLER: Our participation rate has not increased Christopher; it has not increased.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: So therefore the people are coming back into the workforce –

MARK BUTLER: -- [unclear] it has not increased.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: They’re coming back in because they see that there is reason to be confident about the economy. Now I’m sorry that’s not the case in South Australia, I’m very sorry about that but you can’t blame the Federal Government when the Federal Government is creating 600 new jobs a day.

DAVID BEVAN: Well let’s go to Craig from Reynella.

Caller Craig: I work for a major automotive place down south who has been a very good employer and everything, but I work for an agency. Now I’ve been there two years, some people have been there four years, yesterday we watched the full time people go and get government assistance through the Automotive Regeneration Fund where it has not been offered to us as people who work through contract; now I can’t understand why this is the case where we’ve been loyal and working there for so long, before the gentlemen answer I’d like to say that I’m not a state or federal citizen, I’m actually an Australian citizen so can they help us?

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: And you didn’t get help because you’re a part timer?

Caller Craig: Yep.

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: So you don’t qualify? Or?

Caller Craig: That’s right. ‘Cos we’re through an agency and there’s been a lot of standing, they’ve been there four years so the decision wasn’t to employ any more full time people and the company has been really good but it’s no fault of their own that the Government won’t allow us to have any chance of getting any government assistance and all those casuals or agency people will be the first to go.

DAVID BEVAN: Christopher Pyne it’s not your portfolio area but Craig is a South Australian. Can you help him?

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: Can you help him?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well I’m happy to take it up with Ian Macfarlane who is the Minister for Industry and he’s in control of the Automotive Regeneration Fund, the growth fund, so I’m happy to take that up with him. I imagine it’s because technically Craig is employed as a contract worker by the agency and therefore the agency could put Craig into a different business that they also supply labour for, I guess that’s the technical reason. But given the circumstances I’m more than happy to take it up with Ian Macfarlane and if perhaps Craig wants to leave his details with your producer and pass them onto me I’m happy to follow it up.

DAVID BEVAN: Craig please do that, … that would be good. Mark Butler you have some sympathy for Craig?

MARK BUTLER: Well the automotive industry has used these agency agreements, often on a very long-term basis now for many years and I think that where there are contractor or agency employees who work at car companies or supply companies for many years they should be subject to this. So I encourage Christopher to take this up.

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: Chris Pyne, again called up another website here, I’m happy to be corrected here but it looks like a very reputable one, Labor force participation rate in Australia decreased to 64.79% in January this year from 64.80 in December of 2014. So is that correct, it’s going down not up?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: That’s in one month. Right, so of course there are monthly fluctuations, of course there are monthly fluctuations Matthew, especially between December and January when, in summer, you might notice a lot of people probably stop working for the summer and stop looking for work in the summer.

MARK BUTLER: They’re seasonally adjusted figures Christopher.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: [Unclear] on holiday.

MARK BUTLER: They’re seasonally adjusted figures.

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: They’ve reached an all-time high in November 2010, of 65.81% so it’s now 64.79.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well I would need to look at the figures and exactly what you are comparing, of course I would.

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: Okay.

MARK BUTLER: Well you should look at them before you come on radio and say the participation is up because it’s been quite clear for many months that participation is not up.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well the simple fact of the matter is you can’t blame the Federal Government every time somebody loses their job when you don’t praise the Federal Government when 600 people find work every single day. New jobs. Six hundred new jobs. Under Labor it was one hundred a day. Under the Coalition it’s six hundred. Now I don’t hear him saying, well done to the Federal Government when they create six hundred jobs. A day. A day.

MARK BUTLER: Well because they focus on the people who haven’t found jobs and there being more people out of work today than there have been for more than 20 years in Australia.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: And we are –

MARK BUTLER: And that should be your focus rather than self-congratulation.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: My focus –

DAVID BEVAN: But Christopher, Christopher Pyne –

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: My focus is on creating work for South Australia and we’re doing it every day. That’s my point.

DAVID BEVAN: Christopher –

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: My point is that every time somebody loses a job you can’t blame the Federal Government for it and I think –

DAVID BEVAN: Christopher Pyne –

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: - and I think that’s just common sense.

DAVID BEVAN: Christopher Pyne, should Peta Credlin keep her job?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Of course she should. She’s doing a very good job.

DAVID BEVAN: You’re not disturbed that she might have now become an obstacle to the government especially in the next 18 months coming up to an election?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: No; I think Bill Shorten should be questioned about whether he keeps his job, when his disapproval rating jumped nine points in two weeks in a time when the Coalition has obviously not been having our best run in the park and the Labor Party of course has still got to come up with all how they are going to pay for all the promises they’ve made.

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: Mark Butler how do you explain the fact that the ALP, given what has gone on in the Coalition in the past fortnight, has lost ground and Bill Shorten is less popular?

MARK BUTLER: Well, well I think he still fares very well on the Preferred Prime Minister rating and in terms of net satisfaction ratings he fares monumentally better than the Prime Minister does. But I think the poll before it, the Newspoll a couple of weeks ago was a particularly abysmal poll for the Government so I think it would be natural that there would still be some bounce back. But the figures that we saw earlier this week are about the same figures that Tony Abbott achieved in his victory in 2013, they’re about the same figures that Rudd achieved when he beat Howard in 2007 so the government is still in a very bad position but from fortnight to fortnight these figures will jump around, there’s no question about it.

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: Mark Butler thank you, Labor MP for Port Adelaide

MARK BUTLER: Thanks very much.

MATTHEW ABRAHAM: And Chris Pyne Liberal MP for Sturt, thank you as well.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Pleasure, thank you.

[ends]

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