ABC News Radio

SUBJECTS:  Labor leadership spill; Liberal Party Policy

E&OE................................

Marius Benson: Christopher Pyne, what did you think, what were your thoughts when you heard that Julia Gillard would not be opposed, that there would be no ballot, she would continue as Prime Minister?

Christopher Pyne: Well I must admit Marius I think most people in the building and in the country wondered what the last three months, six months, twelve months of destabilisation had been all about.  Kevin Rudd and his supporters have obviously been building for a challenge against Julia Gillard for some time, undermining her and letting it be known that he was available and when the moment came the chosen one let it pass.  And I think the Country, people are wondering why the Labor Party think this is any way to run a county because it is no way to run a Country.  The Australian public deserve a great deal better.

Benson: It is a dream result for you.  The Labor Party tearing itself apart and nothing changes at the end of the day.

Pyne: Well the Government has been tearing itself apart for three years and while they’re doing that they’re not focusing on the budget, they’re not focusing on getting the books right, getting back into surplus, they haven’t got the cost of living and job security and border protection front of mind.  They’ve got the latest power play within the Labor Party front of mind.  It’s time to give the Australian people a turn at choosing the Prime Minister rather than the faceless men and I think the public would very much welcome an election in the next six weeks rather than the Parliament returning and just more of the same from Labor.

Benson: This is an armchair ride for you. You the Coalition you’re being handed government effectively on all the evidence without having spelt out policies in detail and particularly detailing how you will pay for them.

Pyne: Well we do have a policy prescription it’s called Our Plan: Real Solutions.  Now it does need to be fleshed out and by the time of the election it will be fleshed out.  And if the Government does get to the budget then of course we’ll have the latest round of figures.

If the Government calls an election in the next six weeks which they should then we’ll get the pre-election forecasts from the Treasury so we will be able to do our final numbers for what our policies will cost and that’s the appropriate time to release them.

Benson: But as things stand people are still guessing about what an Abbott Government will be like and all the surveys suggest that people have deep reservations about Tony Abbott himself.  Right now it’s just the other side, Labor, making you look attractive.

Pyne: Well the Australian people know that we will abolish the carbon tax, we’ll abolish the mining tax, we’ll bring back the Australian Building and Construction Commission.  The only thing that is left at the end of the jigsaw puzzle if you like is a fiscal policy which we can’t announce until we get the final figures during the election campaign.

Benson: Parliament is going to sit for five more weeks on the existing schedule that means five more weeks of you taking points of order and insisting that the Government Ministers’ answers should be relevant but after that you’ll be the Government on the evidence and the Opposition, Anthony Albanese, will be taking points of order and you’ll be offering answers of no relevance to the questions being asked from the Labor side and it’ll continue the same way nut with the sides flipped.

Pyne: Well Marius I wouldn’t be too cynical about it.  The truth is I gave a speech about this is January to the Institute of Public Affairs in Melbourne and I outlined reforms that we could bring to Parliament including a backbenchers’ Question Time.  I do think we need to give backbenchers the opportunity to ask questions about their own local electorate, about issues in their electorate.  So I think you would see a big change in the Parliament should we be fortunate enough to win.

Benson: Christopher Pyne, thank you very much.

Pyne: Thank you Marius.

ENDS.