ABC NewsRadio

SUBJECTS: Coalition’s Our Plan, Real Solutions for all Australians campaign;

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

Marius Benson:  Christopher Pyne, good morning.

Hon Christopher Pyne MP:  Good morning Marius.

Benson:  You and all national politicians have some busy months ahead.  What’s your guess about how many months?  Do you think the general estimate that the election will be around August is right?

Pyne:  Well the election is due in August and so we would expect it to be held in August so we’ve got seven months left before the end of this Parliamentary term and the consigning of the so-called ‘new paradigm’ to history.

Benson:  Ok, let me go to ‘Our Plan’ which was outlined by Tony Abbott yesterday.  It was criticised by Labor for having no policy specifics, just broad promises.  In terms of those broad promises you are promising a stronger economy.  Can’t Labor say this is a strong economy, the envy of the world?

Pyne:  Well not really, Marius.  I mean Labor keeps saying that but the truth is that if you’ve just lost your job at Boral or Penrice Soda Ash or any of the car industry places around Australia over the last twelve months your certainly not feeling that this is a strong economy.  The Prime Minister simply described those job losses as ‘growing pains’ which is easy for her to say but not so easy for the families who have to pay mortgages and put food on the table for their children.  So we are entering a dangerous phase for Australia’s economy.  We are highly taxed; we have a Government that  is a big spending Government and not encouraging economic growth across the economy but simply relying on creating new sources of revenue, whether it’s the carbon tax or the mining tax to try and cobble together a budget which even then they can’t deliver a surplus, only massive deficits.  So we do have a lot of work to do on the economic front.

Benson:  When you say that the Government is a high taxing government.  Taxes are actually lower now than they were during the Howard years and, in fact, during the Howard years in twelve years, promises of lower taxation never resulted in taxes being lower.

Pyne:  Well that’s not true Marius.  I mean, we cut income tax in every budge I think bar one over eleven budgets.

Benson:  Yes, but if I could interrupt, the overall picture is provided by the proportion of the GDP which is taken in tax and that was 24% plus under John Howard, now it is running at less than 23%.

Pyne:  Well Marius we had growing revenues because we had a growing economy.  But if you go out to Main Street and ask people do they feel that this is a more heavily taxing government than the Howard Government they will all tell you that of course: the carbon tax, the mining tax, the alcopops tax.  This Government’s increased or introduced 22 different forms of taxation.  So you won’t be able to convince me or anyone else that this is a low taxing government.  But you know you are welcome to try.

Benson:  Your Liberal colleague, Cory Bernardi, is in the news.  Now, I think you grew up in the same street as Cory Bernardi didn’t you?

Pyne:  I certainly did.  It wasn’t called Main street but it was not far off it.

Benson:  But you’re not exactly allies.  He’s under criticism for failing to declare ties to a right-wing, pro-gun, pro-tobacco American organisation that he’s reportedly required to do under the rules of the Senate.  He is in fact Chair of the Senate Committee that polices those very rules.  Should Cory Bernardi resign from that position?

Pyne:  Look that’s a matter for Cory Bernardi and Cory is defending his position over this issue and I think it’s fair enough that he be allowed to answer those questions not that it be put to every other Member of the Coalition.  But if we’re talking about Cory Bernardi perhaps then the Prime Minister should answer for Steve Gibbons’ most recent outbursts about Invasion Day being the same as Australia Day and talking about throwing dead animals on a barbie as we did apparently, according to him, to indigenous Australians and I think she should answer those questions as well.

Benson:  I’ll leave it there.  Christopher Pyne, thank you very much.

Pyne:  Thank you Marius.

ENDS.