The Bolt Report

SUBJECTS: Election of the new Speaker E&OE…  Andrew Bolt: Christopher thanks for joining me.  Labor says it’s the Opposition’s fault that Peter Slipper has ratted on you.  You virtually drove him out anyway and Tony Abbott failed to save him.  So why was Peter Slipper about to lose preselection for his Queensland seat? Christopher Pyne: Well, the irony Andrew of what happened last Thursday was that the Liberal National Party was moving against Peter Slipper in his preselection in Fisher and the Labor party has decided instead that he should be made Speaker of the House of Representatives over Harry Jenkins, who was a good, fair and honourable Speaker and gentleman.  So it does seem a bit unusual that the Labor Party would have plucked Peter Slipper from the Liberal Party backbench and decided to make him Speaker, but that’s just because…. Bolt: What was it you guys had against Slipper that he was on his way out? Pyne: My understanding of the LNP situation is that the numbers, which is really the gruel that runs our business in politics, had moved against Peter Slipper in Fisher and Mal Brough had recruited a number of local people to support him in preselection. Bolt: But it’s not just about numbers Chris is it?  Isn’t it about a disgust with Peter Slipper.  What was that disgust about? Pyne: I think that Peter Slipper has had a long career in Fisher and he’s had a tumultuous relationship with his local newspaper as well as local colleagues and LNP officials and I think there’s been a move against him for some time in his preselection, but…. Bolt: Is that because he was known to be someone very lavish with his own expenses, having to repay some of it.  Was it about his rudeness, was it about mystery trips with taxis, a so called video, an embarrassing video, was it about all those things? Pyne: Well, I guess Andrew they’re all things that the Prime Minister is going to have to answer for because she has adopted Peter Slipper as her own by removing Harry Jenkins and replacing him with Peter Slipper.  I don’t know the details of all those matters, but I know that now Peter Slipper is no longer the Opposition’s responsibility.  He is now Julia Gillard’s responsibility and frankly she has to come out today and do a proper press conference answering the questions just like you put to me about Peter Slipper and about the role she’s played, what she knew and when in the removal of a fair and honourable speaker in Harry Jenkins and his replacement with a member of the Opposition. Bolt: Yeah, but you seem to be going soft on Peter Slipper.  A lot of people seem to be putting the boot into him, into Slipper.  Is that because, as you say, he’s a friend of yours. Pyne: I’ve known Peter Slipper for a long time.  I’ve known him for 19 years and he’s been a colleague of mine all that time.  I work with Peter Slipper as the Manager of Opposition Business in the House and him as the Speaker and it’s not my responsibility as you say to put the boot into Peter Slipper.  Obviously the Coalition is deeply disappointed that Peter Slipper would take the nomination of the Labor Party to become the Speaker. But I’m much more disappointed and I think the public will be very disappointed in a Government that was prepared to dump one of their own in Harry Jenkins and I nominated nine Labor members on Thursday, none of whom were allowed to take the nomination in order to take an Opposition vote.  It’s a cynical move.  It’s a squalid arrangement and deal and I think it plays into the sense that the Australian public have that we have a Prime Minister who’s good a secret deals, good at special arrangements, whether it’s with the Greens, whether it’s with the cross benchers, whether it’s with Peter Slipper, but not very good at delivering competent government for all Australians. Bolt: I notice that he was being heckled by some of your colleagues as he was being dragged to the Speakers chair.  There are these rumours about expenses, some of it spread by Liberal Party MPs disgusted by it.  How do you expect him to be able to command the resect of the house, the control of the house, if he hasn’t got the respect of either side of politics? Pyne: Well, he’s going to have a very difficult time in the Speaker’s chair.  There’s not doubt about that.  He wouldn’t expect nor anybody should, the Opposition to be firing the confetti cannons and popping champagne corks that one of our own has decided to sell the pass and take the Speakership over Harry Jenkins.  It will be a much more difficult Parliament and that’s saying something because the last 12 months have already been a pretty gruelling experience and a pretty tooth and claw battle between Labor and Liberal and it’s all been made a great deal worse by Labor being prepared to dump Harry Jenkin’s to save the Prime Minister’s own political skin. Bolt: That may be bad news for Parliament.  It’s good news for journalists.  Thank you very much for joining us. Pyne: It’s a pleasure. ENDS