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SUBJECTS:  Dreyfus criticism; Labor Government chaos; SA Liberal Party leadership E&OE................................ Keith Conlan: Over the weekend, a real surprise and this is just part of it.  The Prime Minister: “There are some really big shoes to fill and it does give me an opportunity now to promote some fresh talent with fresh ideas into the Government’s Executive and I’m very pleased to do so.  We will be able to present to the Australian people a rejuvenated team as we move into the parliamentary year in 2013”. Jane Reilly: .. and that was Prime Minister Julia Gillard after announcing the loss of two Cabinet Ministers, Nicola Roxon and Chris Evans and it comes on top of her announcing the election last week so joining us on line now we have Coalition frontbencher Christopher Pyne .  Good morning Christopher. Hon Christopher Pyne MP: Good morning Jane.  Good morning Keith. Conlan: Good morning.  You’ve come out and said that the Julia Gillard Government is starting  to resemble a scene from Downfall, the story of the fall of Hitler it hasn’t gone over too well with the Government.  Do you kind of think maybe you went in a bit hard? Pyne: Well look, it’s a fictitious movie Keith and the man who’s making the criticism of me Mark Dreyfus two years ago he described Tony Abbott as being like Joseph Goebbels so I don’t think he’s got a lot of credibility I think it’s more like confected outrage. Conlan: He says it’s an entirely different set of circumstances. Pyne: Well it’s not; I think he’s just trying to get a front page.  But the truth is my remark reflects the fact that the Government is in chaos and that the Australian public deserve better.  We need a Government that is aiming to make Australia strong and prosperous and safe and secure.  Instead we’ve got the Prime Minister lurching from one crisis to another at the start of a horror year. Conlan: Talking about confected outrage, calling it chaotic and so on these two people said that they’d spoken to the Prime Minister some time ago, and, so this is one of those things that changes.  Are you suggesting that within a Tony Abbott Government there wouldn’t be resignations from the Ministry? Pyne: Well Keith it’s chaotic because it comes on list of a long line of disasters.  First the Nova Peris shoe horning into the Senate over Trish Crossin which went badly, the announcement of the election campaign on Wednesday, followed by Craig Thomson being charged with 149 offences on Thursday, Peter Slipper appearing in Court on February 15 charged with offences and then of course two Ministers resign in the space of 24 hours.  I think anybody would describe that as chaotic. Reilly: Do you think that these two Ministers were going to resign but with the calling of the election last week they’ve kinda got caught a bit earlier than planned? Pyne: Well I think that Julia Gillard is very much trying to sure her Leadership against Kevin Rudd and the four people that have been promoted are all Rudd supporters.  So she’s trying to cut the ground out from underneath Kevin Rudd and the two Ministers who have resigned well I just don’t believe her alibi quite frankly that she’s talked them about this 12 months ago because 12 months ago in February, she was defeating Kevin Rudd in the Leadership ballot and then apparently, she reappointed two people to the Cabinet who didn’t want to be there.  Now I find that very surprising. Conlan: The Financial Review is suggesting that there may be other senior Ministers to follow suit.  Have you heard any rumbles? Pyne: Well I’ve heard that there’ll be other backbenchers who will resign from Parliament before the election.  I’ve definitely heard that and on Friday night I heard there’d be other Ministers beside Chris Evans and I said that on Lateline that night and low behold, Roxon resigned the next day.  I have heard there will be other resignations before the election because of course a lot of people are fed up with this Government and in the Labor Caucus there’s a lot of division and dysfunction and not a lot of support for Julia Gillard. Reilly: Christopher do you think we are making much more of it because we now know the date of the election, it was called last week so that if these things were happening like the resignations had happened a week before, we wouldn’t make that much of it.  Now, whichever Party is involved is under the microscope. Pyne: Well Jane, I think you make a good point and that is why people in Canberra are scratching their heads the Prime Minister is going to have a seven month election campaign when it is the most bizarre and unprecedented decision and  it’s never happened before in Australia’s history because of course everything will now be seen through the prism of an election campaign and a Leadership ballot between Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard and I think the Australian public deserve a lot better, they deserve some adults in the room who are thinking about them and not thinking about themselves. Conlan: But talking about adults in the room we are reading more about the remaking of your Leader Tony Abbott, are you now saying that there is going to be a new approach from your side because it’s been pretty hard pull so far. Pyne: Well I think we’ve had a very successful approach over the last two or three years since Tony Abbott’s been Leader and the proof of the pudding Keith has been in the eating.  We won more seats than Labor at the last election and you know at the moment you’d say that we are in a good position for the next election so we just have to make sure that we keep the thinking of the public first and foremost rather than thinking about ourselves as politicians need to put the public first. Reilly: Well the polls that are out today and they show the Coalition is 54% versus Labor 46% and the Coalition would win by 14 seats.  How do you ensure that a big lead at this stage will actually result in a convincing victory on September 14? Pyne: Well Jane I think we just need to keep convincing the public that we have the plans for a better Australia, to abolish the carbon tax to abolish the mining tax to bring back the Australian Building and Construction Commission to bring in a workplace entitlement through the paid parental leave scheme to try and get the Government and Country back on an even keel to live within our means I think if we keep repeating the same messages of stable and secure government that the public are looking for I’ll think we’ll be right so we just have to make sure we don’t get distracted. Conlan: We’re talking to Christopher Pyne Federal MP but of course as former Senator Vanstone told us last week Christopher that all of you take an interest in what is happening in the State.  Are you concerned that we now have a Chapman versus Evans deputy leadership battle and therefore we’re going back to the bad old days? Pyne: Well this will all be resolved this morning, Keith.  I think Steven Marshall has got off to a flying start since last Thursday.  I think Isobel Redmond did a great job as Leader for three and a half years but Steven Marshall I think will be the fresh thinking that the State and the Party needs for the future whoever they choose as Deputy I’m sure will offer him the loyalty he needs and that’s the most important thing. Conlan: Not a sense of chaos with those two going head to head in the old family.. Reilly: Rivalry? Pyne: If we’re looking for chaos Keith, we just need to look at the Labor party in Canberra. Conlan: Nothing to see here.? Pyne: Nothing to see here. Reilly: Christopher why doesn’t someone like David Pisoni  who’s a very hard working, he’s kind of full of enthusiasm for the State and kind of very middle of the road, shouldn’t someone like David put his hand up for Deputy Leader? Pyne:  Well, much as I’d like to answer all the questions of why my State colleagues do one thing or the other, I think that’s a question you should probably put to David Pisoni rather than to me Jane but I have a very high regard for David Pisoni as I do for all my State colleagues but they’ll choose their Deputy Leader and I’ll support the choice they make. Conlon: If I could just go back to that idea of the contest for the Deputy.  Martin Hamilton-Smith today saying he won’t be in it and he hopes that it is an uncontested candidate who takes on the job.  Would that be your advice to the State Party? Pyne: Well look it might well be that by the time they get to 9.30, but that’s really a matter for the State Parliamentary team, not for me. Conlon: Christopher Pyne, thanks very much. ENDS.