ABC News 24

SUBJECTS: Peter Slipper scandal E&OE…………… Michael Rowland: Christopher Pyne, good morning to you. Christopher Pyne: Good morning Michael. Rowland: Mr Slipper has done exactly the right thing hasn’t he given the seriousness of both the civil and criminal allegations against him. Pyne: Absolutely, Peter Slipper should have stood aside as Speaker and he shouldn’t resume the seat until he’s been cleared of all the allegations involving both the sexual harassment and criminal aspects to do with fraud against the commonwealth.  He did the right thing unlike Anthony Albanese and Wayne Swan who both said on Sunday that there was no reason why he should stand aside. Rowland: Now, if he is cleared of those allegations would you support Peter Slipper going back to the Speaker’s chair? Pyne: Once all these matters are resolved, both the civil and criminal matters and once Peter Slipper has been given, by the courts and by the Federal Police a clean bill of health then of course he should resume the seat of Speaker that he was elected to by the Parliament last year.  Although of course the only reason he is the Speaker is because the Government dispatched Harry Jenkins who was an honourable and decent and fair Speaker in a squalid deal in order to deny the Opposition an extra vote on the floor of the House of Representatives, which speaks volumes about the priorities of this Government.  Rather than putting stable Government as the first priority, they always put their own political survival as their number one priority. Rowland: What do you say to Craig Emerson’s claim on this program a short time ago that in his view Tony Abbott was whipping up a frenzy to follow what he described as the cheap and easy path to the lodge? Pyne: I think it’s sad that Craig Emerson would dismiss very serious sexual harassment allegations by a staffer of Peter Slipper’s as whipping up a frenzy.  I think it’s disappointing that he would dismiss criminal investigations being undertaken by Federal Police into the misuse of Commonwealth resources as whipping up a frenzy.  I think Craig Emerson is becoming increasingly erratic and distracted.  I think most members of the Labor Party caucus realise that the bad judgement that the Prime Minister made when she dispatched Harry Jenkins and installed Peter Slipper is coming home to roost and it goes very much to the lack of moral compass of this Government; that Craig Emerson or any other minister would dismiss these allegations as whipping up a frenzy when I think in the court of public opinion people would be very concerned that our institutions like the parliament should be traduced by having clouds hanging over their senior members and there’s no more senior than the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Rowland: If it was bad judgement to install Mr Slipper in the Speakers Chair what do you say about the Queensland Liberal Party preselecting him and preselecting him seven times? Pyne: Well, Michael, we never made Peter Slipper Speaker of the House of Representatives.  He was never given the most senior job in the institution of the Parliament.  That was a unique decision made by the Labor Party in a squalid move to deny the Coalition a vote in the House of Representatives and the chickens are coming home to roost. Rowland: Yeah, but an MPs position as you would know Christopher, being one is a position of trust and integrity then why given all these accusations, which as you well know has swirled around this man continually preselected by your side of politics? Pyne: Well, this is the first time anybody has taken a court action against Peter Slipper for sexual harassment.  It’s the first time that I’m aware of that’s he’s been investigated for a criminal misuse of Commonwealth entitlements by the Australian Federal Police.  So we have to compare apples with apples.  These matters have happened since December under the watch of this Government and they were the ones that installed Peter Slipper.  At the time they hailed it is a clever tactical move yet again to shore up their support on the floor of the House of Representatives, but I think the public are finally thoroughly sick of this Government and they should put them out of their misery, put the public out of its misery by calling an election so they can get the Government they deserve which is stable; one without the chaos and uncertainty which besets this Government on a weekly basis. Rowland: To that end if you’re so concerned about the state of governance in Australia why won’t the opposition move a vote of no-confidence in the Gillard Government when parliament resumes on budget day? Pyne: Well, we already don’t have confidence in this Government.  We’ve had no confidence in this Government since the Prime Minister broke her promise there’d be no carbon tax under the Government I lead and then promptly introduced one as part of another squalid deal with the Greens after the election.  It won’t come as any surprise to the public to know that the Opposition has no confidence in this Government.  It’s up to the independents to move a vote of no-confidence in the Government because we need their support to carry it.  Now, Tony Windsor and Robert Oakeshott continue to prop up this Government.  When they move, when they finally realise that the Australia Network tender, that the Thomson affair, that the Slipper affair have sapped the confidence of the public in their elected officials, then it will be worth moving such a motion, but really until the independents make that move it would simply be emblematic of continuing chaos in the Government. Rowland: Ok, Christopher Pyne in Adelaide, thank you very much for your time this morning. Pyne: It’s a pleasure Michael.  Thank you. ENDS