E&OE TRANSCRIPT
Topics: Cost of living; Prime Minister’s property; Housing; Rent to Build Scheme; Help to Buy Bill; Debit card surcharges, ABBA concert.
SARAH ABO, HOST: Welcome back. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is defending his decision to purchase a $4.3 million beach house in Copacabana on the NSW Central Coast. Joining us to discuss today's headlines is Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth and Nine News and 3AW presenter Heidi Murphy in Melbourne. All right, ladies [Copacabana by Barry Manilow plays]. Sing it. Come on, Amanda. It's nice for some, isn't it?
SARAH ABO: Are you gonna be invited over or what, Amanda?
HEIDI MURPHY, JOURNALIST: Can’t wait for that first party. Yeah Amanda, can we all come?
AMANDA RISHWORTH, MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES: It's bringing back a lot of memories from, you know, some bad wedding that I went to.
SARAH ABO: We've all heard it at a bad wedding, haven't we? All right, but seriously, Amanda, is this purchase completely okay or is it completely tone deaf?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, first, I'd say it's entirely a matter for the Prime Minister and his fiancé. He wouldn't be the first politician, or indeed person, in Australia to buy and sell property. But, you know, when we look at the issue of concern around getting access to housing, it is a big issue and that's why our Government has made a real focus on it. That's why we have legislation in the Senate at the moment talking about a shared equity scheme so more people can buy property and that's being blocked by the Liberals and Nationals and the Greens. So, we have a very big housing agenda, more social, more affordable housing.
HEIDI MURPHY: Amanda, Amanda, you’ve undermined it. But you've undermined it entirely.
SARAH ABO: It’s a total stalemate. And especially now. I mean, some people in your own ranks are calling this Albo’s Hawaii moment.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, I would say again, plenty of, whether they're politicians or ordinary people, buy and sell property in Australia. I'm not sure that the Australian people want us talking about politicians and their private properties. They want us to be getting on and doing the job.
SARAH ABO: Exactly, but you are, this is the point. We are talking about it Amanda because of this decision that he has made.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, we want to get on and do the job…
HEIDI MURPHY: [Interrupts] But we can't pretend the PM is just any other, any other Australian. He is about to wage a campaign in an election on housing affordability and cost of living. He is not just any ordinary Australian. A $4.3 million house purchase stinks.
SARAH ABO: And that's the thing, isn't it, Heidi? I mean, you know, you talk about that cost of living crisis. The Government can't get that housing bill that Amanda's talking about through the parliament for whatever reason, it's not getting through. There are 1.2 million homes that are apparently going to be built by 2029, but we need some 80,000 extra tradies here to actually build them. And yet, amidst all of that, the Prime Minister is splashing out. The leader of this nation.
HEIDI MURPHY: I mean, good luck to him. I hope he enjoys the home, but he cannot stand in front of an open microphone in front of a voter and say, I understand the cost of living crisis. I understand how housing affordability is affecting you. You've undermined any message to the outer suburbs and to people trying to get into the housing market, I reckon.
SARAH ABO: Do you see that point, Amanda?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, no, I don't accept that point. I think you have to judge us by the actions that we've taken in public policy, and that is doing the largest rent assistance increase in the last 30 years, $32 billion to build more social and affordable homes. Our Rent to Build Scheme, which is about building long term rental accommodation, our Shared Equity Scheme, I mean, we, through our actions, through our policy, whether it's what we did with tax cuts, whether it's what we did when it came to energy bill relief, our actions are demonstrating we understand cost of living, at the same time delivering budget surpluses that are putting downward pressure on inflation, so we’ve got to look out our policy.
HEIDI MURPHY: But the PM's actions, his personal actions, are saying something else, aren't they?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Like I said, he's not the first person in Australia to buy and sell property.
SARAH ABO: I know, but Amanda, I think, look, I think we can all agree that the rules are different for a sitting Prime Minister, especially when it comes to a housing crisis that works experiencing this country. Let's move on. Small businesses are pushing back on the Government's plan to ban debit card surcharges. Concerned they'll be the ones to absorb the extra costs. Amanda, businesses say it'll end up costing them and their customers more. Is this a bit short sighted by the Government?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: What we're saying, firstly, is our immediate action is to get the ACCC to have a crackdown on surcharges. But I think many ordinary Australians would be really frustrated at the fact that when they use their own money, including a debit card, they get charged a surcharge and there's no way out of it. And that is really unfair for many people, there's circumstances where you have to pay with your debit card and you can't pay any other way and you get hit with those surcharges. So, this is about looking at this in terms of competition, about what are the profits being made here by the banks, by the card owners, and making sure that it's a fair for consumers?
SARAH ABO: All right, let's hope it doesn't get passed on to consumers. Just finally, Melbourne Lord Mayor hopeful Aaron Wood has pledged $10 million to help bring ABBA’s spectacular 3D virtual concert to Docklands. Heid, do you reckon it’ll work and Amanda, will the Federal Government show them the money, money, money they need?
HEIDI MURPHY: We so want this show in Melbourne. We've been trying for it for a while. I think we're competing with Sydney, maybe a few other cities. I can't quite remember where it's gotten to, but any money we can put towards it. It's by all accounts a phenomenal show.
SARAH ABO: Amanda, will the Federal Government help out here? Make it happen?
HEIDI MURPHY: Come on, come on.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: I can't make any commitments on this, but what I would say is I think this would be a real coup for the country to have a show like this.
HEIDI MURPHY: Especially for Melbourne.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, I’d like it in Adelaide personally, but not sure we quite get over the line for that.
HEIDI MURPHY: We’ll share the love.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: A lot of people love ABBA.
SARAH ABO: Absolutely they do. Thank you both so much for joining me today, appreciate it.