5AA Adelaide Radio

JOURNALIST: Senator Nick Xenophon seems to have stuck a deal whereby there’ll be now more oversight of the delivery of the Murray-Darling Basin plan, it’ll be discussed at every meeting of COAG, there’ll be a special estimates session. Can I ask you Chris Pyne, did Nick Xenophon do a good deal for South Australia?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well the Murray- Darling Basin Plan is a great deal for South Australia and nobody had put it at risk, but this is an enhancement to the management of the plan and elevates the Murray-Darling Basic plan delivery to first Ministers, which means the Premiers, Chief Ministers and the Prime Minister. So the states of New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria will now have to genuinely come forward with projects that will save water but won’t damage the economy or the society in the Murray-Darling Basin and return that water to the environment so we’re all rooting for the Murray-Darling Basin from South Australia and this is an additional enhancement which I think is good for South Australia.

JOURNALIST: What about you Albo?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Oh dear, poor old Nick Xenophon, he’s agreed to have more discussions but nothing’s actually been delivered but nothing’s actually being delivered. We’ve seen Barnaby Joyce as the Minister in Parliament this week refuse to actually commit to the plan, refuse to support the 450 gigalitres that is the key to it and all that Nick Xenophon has got out of this is that there’ll be more discussions. He was pretty bolshy last week about it all but this week he essentially has agreed to not much at all.

JOURNALIST: Can I pick up on what you said Chris before about these discussions will now be at the Prime Ministerial and Premier level, does that mean that the Deputy Prime Minister, ie Barnaby Joyce as Leader of the Nationals, is not party to those talks, is that one of the things that appeals to you, maybe appeals is the wrong verb there.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well Barnaby Joyce and Anne Ruston remain responsible for the implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin plan, Anne Ruston of course is a South Australian Senator and nothing has changed with the plan, it never did. There was something of a storm in a teacup generated by the Labor Party in Canberra but the reality is the plan remains unchanged, it was always unchanged but because of that storm in a teacup whipped up by Labor we now have an enhancement to it, I think everyone welcomes that, it’s good news for our state. Water is one of our pre-eminent important resources and Steven Marshall of course is the state leader in South Australia came to Canberra last week, lobbied the Prime Minister and Barnaby Joyce and Anne Ruston and myself of course and he was pushing against and open door because obviously we all support the Murray-Darling Basin and he was…

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Why was he there lobbying then?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well as Liberal leader he wanted to make it very clear to the government how important this was and I think it was a good move on his part.

JOURNALIST: So is Labor’s line on Nick Xenophon Albo going to be that he has been sold a pup on this?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Absolutely, he has been sold down a dry river.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: The river did flood actually…

JOURNALIST: But that doesn’t seem to necessarily be the assessment of people here locally, we just spoke to the Mayor of Alexandrina who said that the 450 gigalitres was always sort of regarded, and these are people who are right at the bottom of the river who’ve got the most to lose, he seemed to be saying that it was almost like a nice to have optional extra and even without it the river would probably be okay.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well it’s certainly not an optional extra, but the problem here is that Barnaby Joyce as the National Party Member for New England, as well as leader of the National Party, which has zero representation from South Australia in the federal Parliament, was always going to prioritise, always going to prioritise the irrigators over the people at the end of the system if you like, which is South Australia. And that’s why John Howard never let the Nats anywhere near the Water policy, that’s why he appointed indeed Malcolm Turnbull to be in charge of the Water policy and as soon as Barnaby Joyce did get control you’ve had this shift, a shift in rhetoric, a shift in terms of policy and implementation…

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: There’s no change in policy whatsoever, or implementation, that’s not true.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well you just said Christopher that the South Australian Liberal Party flew to Canberra last week to lobby on this issue.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: But which part of the law’s been changed Anthony?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well which part of…

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: You can’t give an answer.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: …Being here to lobby last week because of concern that is there legitimately…

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: But which part of the plan has changed, which part of the law has been changed, which part of the implementation has been altered?

JOURNALIST: Hey guys I want to jump in because we want to change tack sorry, this announcement yesterday by the state opposition here, the state Liberal leader Steven Marshall has come out against coal seam gas exploration, what’s known as fracking. He’s introduced a ten year moratorium on the practice in the south-east, does this put him at odds with the feds, that’s the question to you Chris and to you Albo I just want to know what Labor’s position on the fracking question is if indeed there is a position, start with you though Chris.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well I think it’s rather presumptuous that you guys think you can change the subject willy nilly just because you’re the radio announcers.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Who do they think they are? Next thing you know they’ll be taking calls from listeners.

JOURNALIST: No sorry, we thought we’d try to assert our authority, it doesn’t always work.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: To answer your question, so conventional gas extraction and exploration has always been a feature of the south east of South Australia and the announcement by the state opposition has not changed that. What they’ve announced is a 10 year moratorium on fracking, or unconventional gas extraction that was the recommendation of the Department of State Development; it was also the recommendation of the inquiry that was conducted over the last two years I think in the South Australian Parliament. That is obviously a matter for Steven Marshall, that’s and assessment that he’s made, if he gets to be the Premier of South Australia, and I hope he does, and implements that policy, well he’s a sovereign government and good luck to him.

JOURNALIST: But don’t you think though Chris between this and between his opposition to the nuclear waste discussions, even his newfound passion for say no to apartments in the parklands, he’s almost looking like the Bob Brown candidate for Premier isn’t he?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well Jay Weatherill set up a nuclear dump for international waste to fail when he decided to ignore the report of Kevin Scarce which had been carefully put together and have a citizens’ jury which didn’t even hear from the federal regulators of nuclear energy in Australia and instead chose to hear from the Australia Institute and other various left wing organisations, it was always doomed to failure from that moment onwards, so one has to assume that Jay Weatherill never wanted it to proceed. And Steven Marshall is standing up for his state, he’s standing up for the residents of our great city, obviously he wants to have a lower tax, less regulation and pro development state, but we don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water and nor should be.

JOURNALIST: Where does Labor stand on the fracking question Albo, I know you fight with the Greens in your seat.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: I struggle I’ve got to say to keep up with who the South Australian Liberal leader s from time to time let alone what announcements that they’re making…

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: He’s been the leader of for four years.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: So I haven’t, oh yeah he’s the guy who backed Labor before last election, I do remember that.

JOURNALIST: You’re on dangerous ground teasing political parties for changing leaders too often Albo.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: I do remember that…

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: It’s the pot calling the kettle black.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: And I’ve been consistent on it as you know that that was a bad idea.

JOURNALIST: Yeah, that’s right.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Didn’t stop you doing it.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well I didn’t.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Crean, Latham, Gillard, Rudd, Shorten, Albanese…

JOURNALIST: Fracking, what’s Labor’s position on the fracking stuff?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Oh, I haven’t seen his announcement, so I mean state governments look after these things with regards to where fracking occurs. It’s a matter of I think looking at whether the land’s appropriate or not, obviously in cities like my electorate at one stage there was searching for coal seam gas in St Peters, which is a bit like looking for North Terrace there, it’s pretty stupid and it went nowhere and I think also we have to protect our pristine agricultural lands, so I think that’s the priority but it’s a case by case basis.

JOURNALIST: Depending on when you start drilling for that coal seam gas on North Terrace you might be surprised at the public reaction.

JOURNALIST: That’s right, I can think of one building that they’d love to see plundered.

JOURNALIST: Pyne and Albo, thank you very much for joining us on two tribes on this Wednesday morning.