E&OE TRANSCRIPT
SUBJECTS: Retiring from politics; future of the NDIS; Maribyrnong voters comment on retirement; next Labor candidate
KEIRAN GILBERT, HOST: Welcome back to the program. Joining me now is the Government Services Minister, Minister for NDIS Bill Shorten, soon to be Vice-Chancellor. When did you make the call.
BILL SHORTEN, MINISTER FOR THE NDIS AND GOVERNMENT SERVICES: Well, the final call was when I pressed send on an application in August and the week we were sorting out the NDIS legislation, I could see an end in sight for the legislative part of our reforms. We've been doing a lot in the last two and a half years in the NDIS, and I thought, okay, and now it feels okay to think about doing something else.
GILBERT: Yeah, well, as you said, you've still got time for another career. And I know, having spoken to you many times over the years, how much that meant to you, that issue of education, from your mum, a lawyer, academic. And now it's come full circle in a way. Yeah.
SHORTEN: I rang my uncle, mum's younger brother. He's a lovely man. And I said what do you reckon, Uncle George? He said well your mum would be proud of you. I mean Mum was a real academic. I'm coming in to help. But also, you know, there are choices. You could do some more terms here. Critics may say not, but I'm good at politics and I like helping people. Every day I've been in politics has been a gift, no matter how crap it is, some days can be crap, it's a real privilege you're lucky to serve. I'm grateful to my voters, just as I'm grateful to the men and women in the union who taught me so much. And I'm grateful to my electorate, grateful to the Labor Party. But I thought, mmmm, I could be a lifer and that'd be great. Or I thought, I'm in my mid 50s and people in their 50s sometimes in Australia, it's not just me, think about what else do I want to do, and I don't. I want to keep contributing to the country.
GILBERT: You quoted Blue Eyes yesterday, the great man. But when you were standing there in the Prime Minister's courtyard and there aren't many people who have a farewell from the Prime Minister's courtyard, unless you've got to that job. But there aren't many that got so close to it either.
SHORTEN: Oh, that was -
GILBERT: Did you reflect on that at all?
SHORTEN: That was the Prime Minister's generosity. We were going to stand up together and announce it. A former Leader, he said that's important. And he suggested the courtyard. And I thought, well, that's very nice of you. So it was, that was Anthony.
GILBERT: You and Kim Beazley are the two that people will now say, got the closest, best Prime Ministers we never had from the Labor side of things. That's the way it will be - I mean, Mark Latham won't be in that mix, but you and Kim Beazley are. Do you have, how do you reflect on that as you look back at the last two decades?
SHORTEN: It's very generous of people to say that. Obviously, I wanted to be the Prime Minister, but I'm at terms with that because I accept the verdict of the people. That's our system. Also, we made mistakes. Some were beyond our control, and some were within our control.
GILBERT: But you can live with it all.
SHORTEN: Yeah, because my family were never anyone in particular. No one's been in politics. Some of them were very active in the union movement as shop stewards. My first two ancestors came to Australia as convicts. So, thanks to the British legal system. We had another one who was a rebel rouser at Eureka, allegedly one of the first two to fire a musket at the police. I don't know how the Trade Union Royal Commission missed that fact. You know, I had family who served and died in the Second World War, and but no one's ever thought of being in politics on dad's side. He was British. Grandma grew up in housing commission, lived her whole life there. I had a British relative once come out and say, this is before the 2019 election, my family in Britain, who are great people, they were just – it’s a much more classed society even there, they couldn't wrap their head around. That was even in Parliament, much less running for Prime Minister. So yes, I would love to have won that election. The Delorean hasn't been invented, so you can't go back in time and change things. But I've also since then had the chance to organise the Robodebt Royal Commission, the class action and the NDIS. So, I’m lucky.
GILBERT: Do you reckon – yeah, you are luckier than many, but do you think you'll get it done, the NDIS? You put a lot of changes in place. Will it be done by the time you leave this place?
SHORTEN: I think the first stage of reforms is well underway. Two and a half years ago, the previous financial year, the Scheme was growing by 23%. Now it's growing by about 18%. The last year under the liberals, 15%, the numbers on the Scheme were growing by 15%. Now it's 8%. We've got good leadership in there. Kurt Fearnley as the chair, half the board are people with lived experience. I've got Rebecca Falkingham, the CEO. She's got a great executive team. We've now got a new Safeguards Commissioner. I've had Mike Phelan, the former head of the Crime Commission, now Louise Glanville and Natalie Wade supporting her.
GILBERT: So, it's on the right track.
SHORTEN: The right people are there. We're clamping down on the fraud. I mean, you watch it. The next few weeks, we're going to have more arrests, more clamp down. You know, like everything we've been doing in the last two and a half years has come together. The legislation - and what's great is the states have agreed to step up, and we've agreed to respect the states and make sure they're co-governance of the Scheme is respected.
GILBERT: Well, that's good. I think a lot of people will be reassured that it's heading in that right direction. I want to play you a few comments from your constituents. Some of course, as you know better than anyone, some love you, some not a big fan. But let's have a listen in, I want to play you a couple of your constituents in Maribyrnong.
SHORTEN: Nothing like surprise video news. This my game face.
MARIBYRNONG VOTER: I think it's a, it's a great decision. I think he's been a great politician.
MARIBYRNONG VOTER: It seems like a bad thing. I think he was doing a lot of good for a lot of people.
MARIBYRNONG VOTER: He's a good Man. He's looked after this area. Yeah. It's okay.
MARIBYRNONG VOTER: I'm sorry to see him go. Yeah, he's quite a friendly guy.
MARIBYRNONG VOTER: He's a very nice bloke. He does a terrific job.
GILBERT: So that's a pretty positive assessment, I've got to say.
SHORTEN: It is, and I know this sounds silly, but I've been getting a lot of texts and they're more grief texts. I mean, I guess the people who hate you don't text you. Or. Although sometimes they do, but they tend not to leave their phone numbers. I love my electorate, and to be honest, seeing that makes me feel sad because I do love being a politician. And by that I don't necessarily mean question time or some of the sort of stuff we carry on. But I like the people in my electorate. Yeah, so that makes me feel, I find that quite emotional. Because I really want to tell them I really like them. And it's not a…you know.
GILBERT: Yeah, there was a lot of love for you there, which you've got to feel comforted that having represented them for 17 years.
SHORTEN: It gives me goosebumps.
GILBERT: It resonated with them
SHORTEN: I mean, I just need to say, none of them are my relatives of the people there, I didn't know what to expect. That's nice. And so, I've determined to make a couple of good announcements in the electorate before I go. And also, there's ongoing work. I mean, the Victorian government is proposing a lot of changes in the public housing towers, and I think we need to make sure that's done with the people who live there. There'll be those residents I'm working with who will be concerned, what does it mean if I'm going? There's Melbourne Water's re-evaluated the flood risk for community, parts of the community along the Maribyrnong and I'm working with them and the state, even the state Green member. So, what I realize though is, there's always going to be another issue in your electorate, but I'm really in a hurry to make sure that we can set some processes up so my public housing tenants are heard. So, the people in these new deemed flood zones aren't screwed over.
GILBERT: Well, what’s our message to those who say with you departing a sensible element of the party in the Labor, right pro-Israel side, economically cautious if not conservative view, that that's also going with you.
SHORTEN: Oh, that's flattering to these are people saying that are generally some of the people who don't vote for us in the Liberals. I you know, it's nice that they're nice about me. Would rather they were nicer about me before the 2019 election. But having said that, no, the Labor Party is a sensible party. We're a party of government. All my colleagues understand there's a difference between being the outraged protest sort of kabuki troupe of actors that are the Greens and getting things done. So no, I'm eminently replaceable. My issue is I will miss my local - well, I’ll miss voters, I like them. But the nice thing about working in the University of Canberra is they've got a reputation for, you know, equity, helping people move from disadvantage.
GILBERT: And you'll still have a public role in that, won't you, in terms of advocating for the higher education sector. And you'll be part of the debate, won't you? You know where the studio is. You'll be coming back a bit, I hope.
SHORTEN: Yeah, until February, you'll still hear from me about government services, my electorate. I've got a few sporting clubs I need to help sort out. I want to – I think mental health in my electorate is a big challenge for young people. So, I just want to reassure the voters until the very minute that I'm not your member, I'm going to keep working. And when I get to the university, yeah, I'll do a lot of listening, a lot of respect, but I'm not there to sit behind a desk. I want to be active.
GILBERT: Well, that's good, good news. And just. I should ask you before I let you go, who should be the Labor candidate? Have you got a view in your seat of Maribyrnong?
SHORTEN: One thing I learnt when I left the Australian Workers Union is once you're going, go. Don't try and meddle back. Having said that, I really sincerely hope it's a local. Our community, my Labor party there is not branch stacked. It's a pretty honest party. It's a lot of great rank and file members. So, I would hope that we are smart enough to pick people grounded in the community. Because to be honest, you can't take a vote for granted and increase
GILBERT: So, someone from Maribyrnong, from that area.
SHORTEN: And authentic. That would be the ideal outcome. With a caveat, once I said I was going, I sort of said in part, then it's going to be up to other people to decide their replacement. But I know my people in that electorate, they can smell a fake at 100m. And so, the trick is, be real.
GILBERT: Well, you certainly have done that. Congrats on a great career in this place. Continues though, for a few more months. So, we'll see you -
SHORTEN: Yeah, I’ll try and give you some scoops. Okay.
GILBERT: Yeah, look forward to it. Thanks. Talk to you soon.