Doorstop – National Press Club

SUBJECTS: Labor’s leadership crisis; Leader of the Opposition’s address to the National Press Club

E&OE………… 

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:

Well what we’ve seen today from Tony Abbott is a speech about hope, about reward, about opportunity, a leader who has a plan for the future of the first Coalition Government since the Howard Government. That contrasts dramatically with what we’ve seen from the Labor Party today, where Labor Members of Parliament are threatening to quit if Kevin Rudd becomes leader. What we’re seeing on the Labor side of politics is starting to resemble more of a scene from the movie Gladiator, where Simon Crean is sticking his trident in to Kevin Rudd today and there’s more blood and gore on the Labor side of politics than spread across the floor of the Roman forum. What we need in Australia – Australian politics today, is a Prime Minister who is not self absorbed with political survival, but is doing what Tony Abbott outlined today, which is a plan for the future – an economic plan, a social plan and as he said today, putting the Australia people first rather than political survival first.

What we’re going to see tomorrow from Julia Gillard, is a litany of stories about their so-called economic success, but what we won’t hear from her is how the Government is borrowing $100 million a day, how it has delivered four budget deficits out of four budgets and how all of their spending has been built on higher taxes and higher debt, putting the Australian taxpayer further in hock to overseas interests.

QUESTION:

Mr Pyne, polls show 55% dissatisfaction with Mr Abbott. What’s he doing wrong?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:

Well Mr Abbott is doing everything right. He’s holding the Government to account. He’s leading a united team and he’s outlining a positive agenda as he did at the National Press Club today. That’s in stark contrast to what we’re seeing on the Labor side of politics today. They couldn’t be more of a dysfunctional rabble. They are working against each others’ interests. This is in February or the beginning of January – the beginning of February, of the parliamentary year. The Opposition would love nothing more than a Government to focus on the day-to-day concerns of the Australian people, of jobs, cost of living, border security, rather than their complete self absorption with their own political survival.

QUESTION:

There’s plenty of hope and aspiration in Mr Abbott’s speech, but where are his policies? [inaudible]

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:

Well what Tony Abbott outlined today is a future Coalition Government that would live within in means. We won’t borrow in order to spend. That will try and reduce its footprint on the Australian economy – it will return savings we make to the Australian people in lower taxes and better services. The positive agenda out of Tony Abbott’s speech is that if we can get rid of the carbon tax, get rid of the mining tax, deliver income tax cuts, and we’ve got make sure that we live within our means and the number one issue for the Australian people today is cost of living, job security and border security. The economy is at the centre of our political debate and Tony Abbott hit that nail on the head today.

QUESTION:

[inaudible] Mr Pyne where political leaders are worried about being pilloried for breaking promises that they don’t make and that they can only aspire to?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:

Well I think Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd over the last four years have so devalued the currency of politicians promises that I think Tony Abbott’s quite right. He’s not going to make a promise to the Australian people that he can’t keep. There’s almost not a promise Julia Gillard’s made that she hasn’t broken. Even the Australian Christian Lobby today pointed out a number of promises that she made to them before the last election to garner their support, which she broke. I bet she didn’t tell Kim Carr she was going to sack him in her first reshuffle of the Cabinet. I bet she didn’t tell Harry Jenkins, he was going to be dispatched for Peter Slipper and we know that she didn’t tell Andrew Wilkie she was going to rip up the written contract with him over pokies reform and of course the big daddy of them all, “There will be no carbon tax under a Government I lead.”

QUESTION:

[inaudible]

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:

Well in the last election, we announced over $50 billion worth of spending cuts. They remain extant. Before the next election is held the Opposition will outline in more detail its exact spending and exact savings policy.

QUESTION:

[inaudible] spoken about it, but you haven’t told us how much the tax cuts will be or implemented. Can you shed some more light there?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:

Well we are ostensibly 18 months from a Federal Election if the Government lasts that long. There’s at least two budgets before the next election is due: this year and 2013. Obviously the extent of any tax cuts which we make will be determined by the state of the Federal Budget. It would be quite premature to put a figure on something this far out from an election.

QUESTION:

[Inaudible]

What we won’t do is we won’t have a carbon tax, we won’t have a mining tax. Every time we have a spending problem, we won’t reach for a new tax in order to try and fund that spending addiction.

QUESTION:

Is your aim to get the budget into surplus? [inaudible]

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:

Well that kind of question you should put to Joe Hockey, the Shadow Treasurer and I’m sure he’d be quite prepared to answer.

QUESTION:

[inaudible]

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:

Well I’m not going to start expanding on all the particular policy details that have been outlined over the last 18 months. Mr Hockey is the best person to put that question to.

QUESTION:

Will you be holding talks with Mr Wilkie about [inaudible] motion and a potential no confidence motion?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:

Well I talk to Andrew Wilkie very regularly. I think of all the independents who are, who lean towards the Government, he has been the most independent of those and I’ll continue to talk to Mr Wilkie and if we get to the point where the Government is no longer propped up with the vote of Craig Thomson, then it will be most interesting to talk to Mr Wilkie about what we might be able to do to deliver a good government to this country rather than the one we currently have.

QUESTION:

So there won’t be any no confidence motion until the numbers are in.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:

We will move a no confidence motion when we believe it is appropriate to do so.

QUESTION:

When the numbers are in…

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:

Well when we believe it’s appropriate to do so.

QUESTION:

Have you advised…

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:

When it’s appropriate.

QUESTION:

Have you advised any of your staff against the type of behaviour Tony Hodges engaged in last week which [inaudible]

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:

Well Tony Hodges’ actions on Australia Day have been widely canvassed in the press. Hopefully they will be a lesson to all political staff that politics is actually about – what they used to say, the slow boring through hard boards. It’s not a sexy business. It’s not West Wing and I think that will be a very valuable lesson to all political staffers.

[ends]