Today Show

KARL STEFANOVIC: Welcome back. Well, the explosive phone call between President Trump and Malcolm Turnbull is this morning continuing to make headlines around the world. This is Mr Trump talking within the last hour about the deal to send refugees from Australia to America. Check it out.

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Countries that are allies, a lot of people taking advantage of us, a lot of countries taking advantage of us, really terribly taking advantage of us. We have one instance in Australia. I have a lot of respect for Australia, I love Australia as a country - but we had a problem where for whatever reason president Obama said they were going to take probably well over a thousand illegal immigrants who were in prisons…

KARL STEFANOVIC Doesn't sound like he is changing his tune. The row has plunges our American alliance into crisis - we have reaction from here and the US. Christopher Pyne and Anthony Albanese join us here on the show. Good morning.

Christopher, embarrassing, humiliating, anything else.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Malcolm Turnbull is standing up for Australia's interest and what this proves is that Malcolm Turnbull is the kind of person who is capable of being the Prime Minister of Australia because he puts Australia's interests first. He will get those people off Manus Island and Nauru. That has been confirmed by President Trump last Saturday, by his spokesman earlier this week, by the US embassy and the State Department yesterday and by his spokesman again this morning. Sure, Donald Trump doesn't like the deal because it was made by the Obama Administration and he wouldn't have made it if he had been the President at the time, but what this week has proven is that Malcolm Turnbull knows how to stand up for Australia and get outcomes whereas what Bill Shorten has proven is that Bill Shorten one day says that Malcolm Turnbull should be tough, but when Malcolm Turnbull has been proven tone be tough Bill Shorten wants to have his cake and eat it too. He could write a textbook on hypocrisy Bill Shorten. He should have been giving Malcolm Turnbull the credit for getting the deal done.

KARL STEFANOVIC: Let's keep to it the deal. When are they coming off the island?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well obviously, they will be going through the vetting process that the United States and Australia have outlined but I think Bill Shorten doesn't actually…

KARL STEFANOVIC: When are they coming off the islands?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: That is what’s going on right now. That started at the end of last year, but that obviously takes time. The reality is that the deal is going ahead and I actually think Bill Shorten doesn't want the deal to go ahead. He would rather have those people on Manus Island and Nauru at the next election.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Seriously, Christopher if, the challenge for you mate this year, and this is your first appearance on the show, is to appear just once without talking about Bill Shorten.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: It would be nice if Bill Shorten would show a bit of statesman-like behaviour.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: You are the government and the fact is that these people who have been found to be asylum seekers need to be settled somewhere. They have been there for three years.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: And you put them there.

KARL STEFANOVIC: What is the plan B if it doesn't go ahead?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: The deal is going ahead. That has been the whole point of the last week's conversation. President Trump committed to it, his White House spokesman committed to it twice. I heard it on the radio coming to work this morning. The embassy committed to it yesterday. The State Department committed to it yesterday. The deal is going ahead.

KARL STEFANOVIC: Are you sure?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Malcolm Turnbull stood up for Australia's interests.

KARL STEFANOVIC: Are you sure it is going ahead?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well I couldn't have been clearer this morning Karl. Malcolm Turnbull put Australia first. Bill Shorten is always putting his political interest first because he is just a Labor political hack.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: You’ve got your talking points.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Do you really think that Bill Shorten wants those people out of Nauru and Manus Island, because he doesn't act like it?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: You are the government, and you need to solve it and you haven't solved it. You are in your second term where you have been talking about finding a place for people…

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: These people are there because they came under your watch.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: We want these people to settled but I think when we are talking about Australia's relations with the United States that we are honest about it. The problem here is that one Malcolm Turnbull came out and said it was fixed.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: It is fixed.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Then we have had a shambles where by we have had the US President try to conduct foreign policy and diplomacy through Twitter.

KARL STEFANOVIC: And what do you think about that Chris, in just in relation to what he said. He said it was the dumb deal, the worst by far. It flies against his own policy, the refugees on Manus and Nauru are from Iran, Iraq, Somalia, they are on the banned list. He has accused the Prime Minister of deporting the next Boston Bombers. I mean that’s just humiliating rhetoric from the President of the United States.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Australia's Prime Minister stood up to it. Australia’s interest are being put first, the deal will go ahead. Sure, it is not a deal…

KARL STEFANOVIC: And the President is just blustering is he?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Let me answer the question. Sure, it is not a deal that Donald Trump would have done, if he was the President at the time, and he obviously doesn’t like the deal, but a deal is a deal and Malcolm Turnbull is making sure that it happens. He is getting the outcomes for Australia. And all we hear from the Labor Party is carping from the sidelines, because I don't think they really want those people off Manus and Nauru. They want them there at the next election.

KARL STEFANOVIC: So the US President was out of line with his comments?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: I am not going to comment on how Donald Trump conveys his views through Twitter, or elsewhere. Our alliance is very strong.

KARL STEFANOVIC: You don't like it. Why don't you stands up and say you don't like it?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Malcolm Turnbull is standing up for Australia, Karl. I am not going to be drawn into a fight with the US President. The reality is what we are seeing from the Opposition is grotesque hypocrisy on their part because I don't think they really want these people off Manus and Nauru really quickly. Bill Shorten wants them there.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: The government has stopped governing. They are just into their first term and they can't say a single sentence without talking about the Opposition Leader, Bill Shorten.

KARL STEFANOVIC: Thank you guys.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Pleasure.

KARL STEFANOVIC: You okay Christopher?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Welcome back, Happy New Year!

ANTHONY ALBANESE: So cranky this morning…

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Just telling the truth…

ANTHONY ALBANESE: On top of the talking points it said ‘stay angry’.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: I had a lovely holiday…

KARL STEVANOVIC: There you go Christopher…