E&OE TRANSCRIPT
Topics: PM’s meeting with Chinese Premier, Cheng Lei, renewable energy, pay rise for Victorian construction workers.
KARL STEFANOVIC, HOST: The Prime Minister's historic meeting with the Chinese Premier has been described as candid and fruitful. The leaders vowing to improve military to military communication lines, among other things. Joining us to discuss today's headlines is Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth and National’s Senator Bridget McKenzie. Morning, ladies. Nice to see you. Amanda, first up, you've come up with some miracle form of communication that will prevent China from firing on our soldiers in the heat of battle. I don't think anyone quite believes that.
AMANDA RISHWORTH, MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES: Well, firstly, I'd say that I think progress has been made through this visit. Of course, we need to look at where we can cooperate with China and of course, we will disagree at times and that's important too, but always in our national interest. So, I think progress is made, co-operation, in areas where we can, will be pursued. But that's not going to stop Australia standing up for our national interest, and we will keep doing that.
KARL STEFANOVIC: I guess what I'm saying is that how do you prevent China from firing upon our soldiers with this form of communication?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: I think the Prime Minister had a fruitful meeting and continued to have dialogue with China, making it very clear about what our national interest is. Of course, we'll continue to look at ways we'll cooperate, but of course, when it comes to protecting our defence force and standing up for our national interests, we will keep doing that. But we've got to continue to have cooperation where we can.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Ok, I'm not sure you answered, but I'll move on. Chinese officials appeared to block formerly imprisoned journalist Cheng Lei as well, from the view of cameras at a press conference. Bridget, this is a press conference inside Australian Parliament in a liberal debate with an Australian journalist. It is as brazen as it is bizarre.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE, NATIONALS SENATOR: It's absolutely appalling and listening to Amanda talk about our national interests, I'll tell you what is in our national interest, having a free press and having journalists of all stripes being able to front up in our people's house, the Australian Parliament, and ask our own politicians and foreign politicians whatever questions they like. And to see Cheng Lei, who has, you know, been released from imprisonment in China, manhandled, intimidated by Chinese officials, and for the PM to say he didn't know anything about it, shows just how weak he is. He's either not being upfront or he's got an incompetent office. These are managed within an inch of their lives.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Oh come on…
KARL STEFANOVIC: How would you describe it then Amanda?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: I mean, why would you make it so political, Bridget? of course it is great Cheng Lei is back in the country and the Prime Minister..
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: [interrupts] it is political Amanda.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: And the Prime Minister worked very hard to deliver that, along with the Australian Government.
KARL STEFANOVIC: How would you describe what happened yesterday?
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: He didn’t protect her.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Oh, she asked him a question - and I agree with you, Bridget - there needs to be a free and open press and I'm pleased that Cheng Lei was at that press conference and asked the Prime Minister a question. Of course we expect appropriate behaviour when it comes to the freedom of journalists and the freedom of the press, but she asked the Prime Minister a question - and good on her - and he answered it.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Ok, let's move on…
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: [interrupts] and she was intimidated by Chinese officials.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Order. Order. Moving on. National’s leader David Littleproud has vowed to avoid large scale renewables, such as those magnificent wind farms we're seeing off the coast, if elected. Amanda, they're making ground on you, I reckon, because no one believes you'll meet your targets. And your strategy hasn't brought power prices down.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Let's be clear. How is David Littleproud planning to generate energy? There's some nefarious kind of ‘other sources’, ‘alternative sources’. There's no detail, there's no information. Of course, they've got these nuclear reactors. Even if they got off the ground, even if we knew where they were going to be built, it wouldn't get off the ground until 2040. I mean, this is so reminiscent of 21 failed energy plans under the previous government, which didn't attract investment and left us languishing at the bottom of the pack. Now, when it comes to our plan with renewable energy, it is starting to deliver. We are starting to see cheaper, more reliable energy entering the grid, being backed up with gas. You can't just come out and say, ‘Oh, we're going to look for alternative sources’ and not say where they are, what they are, how much they're going to cost. This is just lazy policy by David Littleproud and the Liberal National party.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Bridget, really quickly on that. I mean, I don't know what your wishy-washy policy is and I don't know when your prices are going to come down.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: Yeah Karl, I think Amanda tried her very best in not answering your question to deflect from the fact that you're right, Labor isn't going to deliver on its emissions targets. Their policies are sending prices through the roof. We have a credible plan that's not going to destroy environmental impacts such as these wind farms and indeed, as we're seeing the rollout of solar, industrial size solar…
AMANDA RISHWORTH: [interrupts] How Bridget? How? Who is going to do it? What is it going to cost?
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: Excuse me, Amanda, you went on and on. Please let me finish. This wind farm on the Illawarra is going to cost $10 billion in a transmission…transition that is going to cost over $1.2 trillion. We do have a credible plan for zero emissions, nuclear, to complement renewables so we can get prices down, keep jobs onshore and not trash the environment on the way through.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Bridget, agree with all that. Anyway, let's see how that tightens up in the election, because I do want to get to this last topic. Making headlines a 21.5% pay rise is coming from Victoria's construction workers, the powerful CFMEU union celebrating the deal in Melbourne last night. Amanda, entry level road traffic controllers who already earn $200,000 a year, I was shocked, they're going to get more. So, the national debate this morning, do you think that's fair pay?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, I'm not going to be the arbiter, as a politician, on what people should get paid. There is a Fair Work Commission and employers and employees sit down and negotiate enterprise agreements based on the hours worked, the days of work…
KARL STEFANOVIC: I know, but they're just, they're getting more than doctors, nurses, cops. I mean, at what point do we reel it in?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, am I going to tell you, Karl, what you should get paid? I mean, that's a communist country if I tell you who's going to get paid what, where, as a politician. We have an independent commission, at arm's length from politicians, to set wages and conditions. And there should be pay increases for workers to help with the cost of living.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Very quickly, Bridget.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: Yeah. Look, John, Setka and the CFMEU. There's one reason Amanda doesn't want to answer that question. It is because they are beholden to the CFMEU. The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Amanda, I gotta go…
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: And you count on them for your pre-selection.
KARL STEFANOVIC: I’ve gotta roll…
AMANDA RISHWORTH: So no pay increases for workers Bridget? No pay increases for workers?
KARL STEFANOVIC: This has been good. I've loved it. This has been very good. You two are electric this morning. I love it. Thank you, Bridget. Thank you, Amanda.