E&OE TRANSCRIPT
Topics: Newspoll; Election; Cost of living; Coalition’s long lunches policy.
SARAH ABO, HOST: Well, the sudden dip in support for Anthony Albanese is painting a familiar picture in Australian politics, it would seem. The Australian has this morning revealed that every Prime Minister since John Howard's election in 1996 has suffered a significant fall in Newspoll’s satisfaction ratings. What we don't often see is leaders crawling their way back. John Howard was the major exception to that, nosediving before going on to win the next election. For more on this, let's bring in Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth and Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie, who will hopefully join us in a moment. Amanda, let's start with you. So, the PM's fall is a gradual one, this poll shows, but he is still in the danger zone. He has a lot of work to do. How does he swing it from here?
AMANDA RISHWORTH, MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES: Firstly, I would say that it's not an easy job to be Prime Minister. But I know that this Prime Minister has been working every single day for the Australian people. So, what we'll be putting forward at the next election is a clear choice. A choice between our Government that's been focused on supporting people with cost of living and setting the country up for the future, compared to the Liberal Party that has no real plans and is a risk to send people's cost of living pressures up, and make them worse. That's the choice at the election and that's what will be on offer and elections are always about choices. But of course, it's been a difficult time for people. There's been cost of living pressures that have been right around the world. Our Government is firmly focused on making sure that we're supporting people with cost of living and setting our country up for the future.
SARAH ABO: Amanda, you can't deny that people aren't necessarily warming to your choices or the options you're putting to them.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: As I said, being Prime Minister is tough. We've seen that historically. What our Government is firmly focused on is how we make a difference to people's lives, how we support them and how we set our country up for the future. It's been a tough three years, and we were left with a pretty big mess from the Liberal Party. We had inflation rising. We had a trillion dollars of debt. Now we've seen budget surpluses, taking a responsible approach to the economy, but also supporting people when they need it. We will keep taking that approach and supporting people and the choice will be there at the election.
SARAH ABO: It's a tale of two demographics. I mean, we're seeing Albanese struggle with male voters with 37 per cent of that demographic backing Peter Dutton instead. They don’t necessarily trust the PM with the economy. Bridget, I want to bring you in here on the flip side. It seems Dutton has a women problem, particularly with young women. They don't like him.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE, NATIONALS SENATOR: Sarah, I think in Amanda's analysis, she's dead right. There is a clear choice at the next election. Australians increasingly are showing through the polls that they believe our country is going in the wrong direction, that the Albanese government has the wrong priorities and that they're suffering not just at the checkout, but with their mortgage payments, energy bills each and every day. The Government just doesn't seem to get it. So, both men and women are recognising that as an issue and obviously you're seeing over the long trend of the polls that people are taking the Coalition and Peter Dutton very seriously as an alternative Prime Minister. But it is a long way to go and if you want to change the trajectory of our country, if you want to get it back on track, we're going to have to change the Government and that means voting for a Coalition Government.
SARAH ABO: You've also got to try and hold onto them once, if you are elected. I mean it could lead to one term as we might see now with Albanese.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: I think that's why we're going back to basics with our whole suite of policies. Whether it is about fixing the housing crisis, fighting the cost of living crisis, rebalancing our immigration story, or growing the regions. On any measure, we are just wanting to get back to basics, restore trust with the Australian people, do what we say we're going to do. And instead, the alternative against that is obviously Anthony Albanese with a lot of false promises and his priorities have been in the wrong place for the last three years and Australians have rightfully had enough.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Bridget, I don’t think the right priority is using taxpayers’ money for boss' lunches. You talk about policies, there are no policies except the most recent one so you can take people out for a golf trip. And this is the choice.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: Amanda, 26,000 small businesses have gone under thanks to you.
SARAH ABO: What do you mean? Donald Trump plays golf while he's in office.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: [Laughs] It's good people will be able to use Australian taxpayer money to host him here – this is a farce. The choice will be with actual policies on the table to make our country better, that our Government will be putting forward. And really just risk and cuts from those in the Liberal Party.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: 26,000 small businesses have gone under, that policy is for them.
SARAH ABO: We do have to go, but it is shaping up as the battle of the sexes this election. Amanda, Bridget, thank you very much for joining us.