Mon, 23 Dec 2024 - 15:31
Viewed

TRANSCRIPT - Sky News Weekend Edition with Tim Gilbert

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

SKY NEWS WEEKEND EDITION

22 December 2024

 

Tim Gilbert: Let’s look at the drama in New South Wales and the threat to the iconic Sydney fireworks. It’s all surrounding a pay drama in the transport sector. Are unions holding Australians to ransom? Joining me live is the Federal Manager of Opposition Business Paul Fletcher. Paul, how are you?

Paul Fletcher: Good to be with you, Tim.

Tim Gilbert: What do you make of this? No fireworks. There’s a bit of a flashback to when you and I were young, and beer trucks and all sorts of things.

Paul Fletcher: Look, it is an example of old style union activism causing enormous inconvenience across the community. It would be devastating for many Sydneysiders and visitors and families and kids if travel to the fireworks was disrupted. But, you know, under Labor, both federally and in New South Wales, we’ve seen a huge empowering of the unions. We’ve seen changes in the laws. Tony Burke, when he was Workplace Relations Minister, hundreds of pages of laws. There’s now 13 different factors in the definition of whether an employee is a casual employee. You know, the unions have got a right of entry into businesses around the country. All they have to do is suspect an underpayment. They’ve got greater rights of entry than the police. And, you know, Labor is the political arm of the union movement. The percentage of private sector employees who are now members of a union is down to 7 per cent but unions control the pre-selections of Chris Minns and of Anthony Albanese and Labor frontbenchers in governments, federal and state. And that, unfortunately, is why we are seeing unions carrying on in a way which will cause potentially great inconvenience to millions of people.

Tim Gilbert: Well, let’s look at a drama for your party and it’s happening in Melbourne. The whole story around John Pesutto , Moira Deeeming, it is a black eye. You’re getting former Prime Ministers commenting on it and it’s a very unhelpful scene for you guys federally. 

Paul Fletcher: Well, look, what I’d say is that in Victoria, we see a Labor Government which has driven the economy of Victoria into a disastrous state. We’ve just seen Tim Pallas, the State Treasurer, leaving as Treasurer.

Tim Gilbert: That’s their problems. But just on this one. 

Paul Fletcher: So my point is really this is the job of the Liberal Opposition is enormously important. They need to be preparing to form government. That’s what’s desperately needed. John Pesutto, I think is leading a team, and he’s shown a real focus on holding Labor to account. And that’s why I would encourage all of my Victorian Liberal colleagues to be focused on.

Tim Gilbert: You want solidarity, don’t you?

Paul Fletcher: Well, I think what we want people to in the Parliament to do is to be focused on how they can serve the members of their community, in this case, the people of Victoria. That’s enormously important. So I wish all of my colleagues in Victoria the very best. There’s a lot of very good, very motivated, very committed people doing important work. And I think at every level, the important thing is to focus on serving the people who put you there.

Tim Gilbert: Now, the mid-year Budget update showed an increase in government spending. It’s propped up the economy to a large extent recently.

Paul Fletcher: What the MYEFO showed is an economy which is growing very, very slowly. We’ve had seven now, quarters of a per capita recession in a row, and we’ve seen government spending out of control. Labor’s added $347 billion in spending since they came to government. That is in stimulating the economy and putting upward pressure on inflation and interest rates, while the RBA, at the same time, is trying to slow the economy to get those interest rates down. So this is very, very poor management. We’ve got deficits out as far as the eye can see, $233 billion in deficits. And Mr Chalmers is doing a terrible job. You know, the one thing he’s good at is finding excuses. But people know that Mr Albanese and Mr Chalmers do not have this economy under control, and they do not know what to do to return Australia to the path of growing prosperity, which we have had for a long time and which is what we need.

Tim Gilbert: You are one of the MPs that are leaving, of course, retiring at the next election. Congratulations on your career and all the best going forward. You’re not the only one. There’s a few people moving on. A reshuffle could be announced today from Peter Dutton. Are you expecting it today and what do you think will happen?

Paul Fletcher: Well, look, the timing of the reshuffle and indeed the changes that get made are properly a matter for the leader, Peter Dutton. What I would say is he’s got a lot of talent in the Liberal and National Party rooms available to him. One of the reasons I gave for bringing my political career to an end after 15 years is renewal. Renewal is a healthy thing for individuals and for organisations and for the party room in Canberra, it’ll be a healthy thing. And for the Australian people who we are there to serve, it will be a healthy thing. So a lot of talented people, I’m sure we’re going to see some very talented colleagues getting promoted to more prominent roles and working very, very hard to hold the Albanese Labor Government to account and to be ready for us to form government, I hope, next year.

Tim Gilbert: Do you think it will happen today?

Paul Fletcher: Look, again, that will be a matter for the leader. He’ll take the time he needs to get it right, and so that we can get focused on the issues of concern to the Australian people. We don’t really want to be talking about ourselves. We want to be talking about issues like how badly this economy is travelling and what we can do to fix that.

Tim Gilbert: How does the Paul Fletcher crystal ball look? Are you going to win the election?

Paul Fletcher: I think we are very, very competitive. Peter Dutton has done an amazing job in keeping a discipline and focus on the team over the last two and half years. At the same time, we’ve seen an Albanese Labor Government, which is demonstrably mismanaging the economy and focusing on issues which often not of mainstream concern to Australians. They’re often talking about things that are not relevant to the concerns of day-to-day Australians. What we want to focus on is how can we get interest rates down so it’s easier for people who’ve got a mortgage. On a typical mortgage, you can be paying up to now $30,000 a year more. These are incredible numbers. So we need to fix that, that’s our focus. We’ll keep talking about what we intend to do to fix that should we get to government. And we’ll leave it in the hands of the Australian people as to whether they choose us.

Tim Gilbert: Well, speaking colloquially, it’s going to be a ding dong battle. Have a good Christmas. 

Paul Fletcher: You too Tim, and to all your viewers. 

Tim Gilbert: Thank you very much.