E&OE TRANSCRIPT
SARAH ABO, HOST: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has appointed former NSW Liberal Treasurer Matt Kean as Chair of the Climate Change Authority, a move his former colleagues are calling treacherous. Joining us to discuss today's headlines are Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth and Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie. Good to see you both. So, Amanda this apparently came after a meeting with Chris Bowen. Sounds like the government may have been plotting this.
AMANDA RISHWORTH, MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES: I think when we look at Matt Kean, he doesn't come from the same ideological perspective as the Labor party, but what he has made very clear and what I think the government's made very clear, is that we need to bring everyone together if we're going to get cheap power and tackle climate change. We need to all be working together and Matt Kean, despite coming from a different ideological perspective, has come to the conclusion that we need to act on climate change and we need to invest in renewables in the long term to bring down power prices. I think he can play a really important critical role in our climate change policy moving forward.
SARAH ABO: It’s a very clever political move, hearing you speak like that, Amanda, isn't it Bridget? I mean, he's crossed to the dark side. You are calling it treacherous this move.
NATIONALS SENATOR, BRIDGET MCKENZIE: Look, I think it's really disappointing Sarah, that, you know, now that we have a bipartisan commitment to net zero by 2050, the climate wars are over, let's get on with the job, Labor's decided to make such a political appointment to our independent Climate Change Authority in appointing Matt Kean. It seems a very loose process, it hasn't gone through, or seemed to go through, the usual rigor that this sort of independent appointment would go through. Instead, the only kind of KPI Mr Kean has to meet is that he's equally as anti-nuclear as Bowen and Albo and unfortunately…
AMANDA RISHWORTH: [interrupts] but Bridget, you have abandoned the targets. You've said you're not going to adhere to Paris.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: Amanda, that’s not true.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: You have said you're not on track, you’re going to throw the Paris targets out of the of the window. I don't think we would say that’s bipartisan.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: That’s not true Amanda…
AMANDA RISHWORTH: But we need people working together, and I hope it will be bipartisan.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: Amanda, I'm from the Coalition. I'm in the senior leadership team and I am telling the viewers of the Today Show, unlike your rhetoric, the Coalition is absolutely lock, stock and smoking barrel committed to net zero by 2050. So please stop spreading false narratives that support your political agenda.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: That that's not what some other of your members seem to be saying. There seems to be a bit of confusion.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: No, not from the leadership team, mate.
SARAH ABO: It’s a bit of a case of the Turnbull’s, Bridget. Is he dead to you, Matt Kean?
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: Look, you know, Matt's decided to take up this appointment. As I said, the Climate Change Authority historically has been a very independent agency to give the government advice on setting targets, etc. Hopefully he can give them a target for 2030 and 2035 that they'll actually be able to meet. But in terms of where his political stance is, I think it's more about getting rid of nuclear, unlike, you know, we've seen Greta Thunberg come out supporting nuclear across the world, we know net zero nuclear has to be part of the solution to 2050. We’re on board and the Labor Party should stop playing childish games and get on board.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Bridget, Matt Kean clearly said that he looked at nuclear. He didn't close that door until he realised it could bankrupt his State. I mean, that is the type of economics we're talking about.
SARAH ABO: It's working, Bridget. It's working for them, isn't it? That’s why he was brought on.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: It’s a political appointment.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: I’m not that keen to bankrupt the country or New South Wales.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: [interrupts] I’m not keen either.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: He looked at it and it was not the right option and I think we all need to get on board with that Bridget.
SARAH ABO: Oh this is fun! I need some popcorn! We will move on because we have got a bit to get through this morning and Labor has, of course, watered down its world leading vape crackdown after striking a deal with the Greens. Amanda, from October 1, the public will be able to purchase vapes without a prescription. This is quite the backflip, considering the government's tough stance on vapes previously.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Firstly, I would say that to not be able to buy unicorn vapes and for children to get hold of them and smoke them in the school toilets, which is what is happening now, these are some of the challenges that parents are facing now, and we, as a government, said we wanted to do something about it. Now, it's disappointing we've had the National Party choose not to do anything about it and it will be up to people like Bridget about whether they will support our legislation in the Senate. But this is really important. You will only be able to buy vapes from a pharmacy. You will have to have a conversation with the pharmacist. But all the packaging and the marketing that was in place, the cherry flavoured or this flavoured, it was really luring in children.
SARAH ABO: I guess the issue though, Amanda, is that pharmacists aren't necessarily happy about this. Bridget, they're saying they're not tobacconists. I mean, they have got a point.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: Absolutely. This is a classic case of the Labor party trying to hide behind the white coat of the local pharmacists. In this vain attempt to try and get vapes out of the hands of our children and out of our schools. And this won't change. Kids will still be able to purchase vapes in the local smoke marts and all the stores we know in our suburbs and our shopping centres where they're doing it right now. We want to see vapes locked up behind the counter under cloak as cigarettes are…
AMANDA RISHWORTH: [interrupts] but Bridget it is going to be illegal to supply…
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: [interrupts] Amanda, can I finish? They are buying them now Amanda.
SARAH ABO: Just quickly, guys, because I do want to quickly move on to the next topic. We're running out of time, we've only got about 20 seconds left. And you would have seen the front pages, of course, of the papers this morning. Peter Dutton's son photographed holding a clear bag containing a white substance. Bridget, have you spoken to the Opposition Leader?
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: Not since this story has come out. And obviously this is a decision or an issue for the Dutton family and I won't be making any comment on it.
SARAH ABO: Amanda, your thoughts?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: I think families are conscripts to politics and it's clearly a private matter and I wouldn't want to be making any comments. Obviously, the only public comments that have been made is that it'll be dealt with privately.
SARAH ABO: Yeah, as Karl said before, it's bad enough his dad's the Opposition Leader. Guys, thank you so much for joining me this morning. Good chats.