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TRANSCRIPT TV SKY TOM CONNELL INTERVIEW
PAUL FLETCHER MP
Shadow Minister for Science and the Arts
Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy
Manager of Opposition Business in the House
TRANSCRIPT
TV SKY TOM CONNELL INTERVIEW
6 September 2022
Topics: Question Time, Standing Orders, Ministerial Code, Minister McBain
TOM CONNELL: The Opposition has failed to get what it believes would be more accountability in Question Time. They wanted to extend it - the minimum time that Question Time goes for - to make sure enough questions were being asked. Joining me now is the Manager of Opposition Business, Paul Fletcher. Thank you very much for your time. So you wanted a couple of things, a 3:30 p.m. end, which I guess is good for big fans of Question Time, and we broadcast it on Sky News, and making or trying to get all 22 questions in there. So what problem are you trying to fix?
FLETCHER: Well, the problem we're trying to fix is that the government, a couple of sitting weeks ago made changes to the Standing Orders that were supported by a majority in the House, which provided for 22 questions and said of those 11 would go to the government, and of the remaining 11, eight would go to the Opposition and three would go to the crossbench. Now the problem has been that the Prime Minister has increasingly been shutting Question Time down after 20 questions or even 18. So yesterday it was 18.
CONNELL: At 3:15, give or take.
FLETCHER: The time varies bit, but certainly well before 3:30. So we've certainly proposed and indeed we moved a motion yesterday that Question Time should go to 3:30. There have been plenty of times in the past where it's extended there or longer. And indeed the motion we moved was supported by the crossbench and so it was lost ultimately 73 to 70. So that was significant. The crossbench joining with the Opposition calling for more scrutiny for Question Time to last longer and essentially for the government to live up to what was implicit in the changes it made just a few weeks ago, which is that there would be 22 questions. Now this came after some changes were agreed between the government and the crossbench that shifted around the order of Opposition and crossbench questions. Now the impact of that if the Prime Minister keeps shutting Question Time down early, is that in practical terms there's likely to be a reduction in the number of questions that the Opposition is able to ask. Now that's not good for transparency, scrutiny and accountability and of course that is the job of Opposition.
CONNELL: Have you done the averages? How many questions did the Coalition get through, on average?
FLETCHER: Well, yesterday –
CONNELL: I mean, in your time in government.
FLETCHER: Well, we frequently had Question Time going later than it is going today. Look, it varies from Question Time to Question Time. But, of course I make this point that the Coalition is being asked by the government, we're being required by the government, to have fewer questions now than we allowed to the Opposition between 2013 and 2016.
CONNELL: Yeah but you’re a smaller Opposition?
FLETCHER: Well no, we’re actually larger. You know from 2013 to 2016, Labor had fewer seats than we have now - we have 58 seats. So it is important that the constituents represented by the 58 Coalition members in the House –
CONNELL: But 2016 onwards Labor were much bigger and you've got obviously the new thing is this heaving crossbench compared to the old one. They deserve a bit more time?
FLETCHER: Well, the point we were making with the motion that we moved yesterday was that this is essentially a problem the government has created for itself because of the way it's cutting off Question Time, and so the solution to that would be to have Question Time go a little longer and to have the Prime Minister stick to the 22 questions that was implicit in the change.
CONNELL: When you say cutting off though, I mean this is what the Coalition did in government as well, there'd be a rough time of quarter past. At that point, generally Question Time would end even if you weren't through the 22. Now there'd be exceptions if there'd been a lot of condolence motions, that still happens today, roughly. But this is, you know, Scott Morrison didn't sit there and go, no, let's let's get a few more questions in to make sure we get to a magic number, did he?
FLETCHER: Well, the point I make is that the government just a few sitting weeks ago passed this new Standing Order, with the support of a majority of the House, Standing Order 65a that contemplates 22 questions. That is within the Government's control and they've now moved away from that.
CONNELL: Okay.
FLETCHER: And the manoeuvre yesterday essentially was trying to shift the weight away from the Coalition towards the crossbench. That is unfortunate because of course we have a skilled and experienced team well able to hold the government to account and that's an important part of our job.
CONNELL: RBA we think is going to increase rates again. It's trying to tame inflation so it's going hard and it's going to be painful, but is it doing what it has to?
FLETCHER: Well, the RBA is independent. The key question is what plan does the Albanese Labor government have to deal with increasing cost of living, increasing mortgage repayments? We heard a lot about their summit last week, but where are the practical measures to help Australians deal with cost of living increases?
CONNELL: It's not really anything they can do in a big way because if they throw a lot of money at it, it increases inflation, right?
FLETCHER: Let's be clear the Albanese Labor government needs to be held to the standards that it said to the Australian people it would meet as it came into government. And so we are seeing a significant cost of living problem in Australia, we need to see a plan from the Albanese Labor government to deal with it.
CONNELL: Paul Fletcher, got to leave it there. Thanks for your time.
FLETCHER:Thanks, Tom.
[ENDS]
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