ABC News 24

SUBJECTS: Gillard dumps Wilkie deal;

E&OE…

Lyndal Curtis: Christopher Pyne, welcome to ABC News 24

Christopher Pyne: Thank you Lyndal.    

Curtis: In the end do you expect Andrew Wilkie’s decision to rip up his agreement with the Government to actually mean much, because he always held open the option of opposing Government bills or seconding or moving no confidence motions didn’t he? 

Pyne: It means a great deal on three levels.  It matters a great deal because what he has done in the last 48 hours has viscerally exposed the deceit and treachery of Julia Gillard and the fact that rather than concentrating on issues that the public are concerned about cost of living or jobs being in decline she’s much more concerned about protecting her own skin and is prepared to trash any political integrity she might have had in order to do so through this very ruthless act.  The second thing it’s done of course is highlighted the Government only has 75 votes out of 150 in the House of Representatives.  So it doesn’t have 50 per cent plus one which in most ballots as anybody would know, is the requirement for winning.  So the Government governs with the barest of majorities based on the defection of Peter Slipper into the speakers chair and the dispatching of Harry Jenkins late last year.  In fact if Harry Jenkins were still in the chair this would signal the end of the Government. 

Curtis: But it doesn’t necessarily does it because Andrew Wilkie hasn’t said he’ll vote against every piece of Government legislation? 

Pyne: If Peter Slipper wasn’t in the Chair the Government would be able to rely on 74 votes in the House of Representatives.  The only reason it can rely on 75 is because it despatched Harry Jenkins last year. 

And therefore the third implication from the weekend’s events is that Peter Slipper is very much at the centre of politics in Australia.  What Peter Slipper decides to do will decide the fate of the Government and Peter Slipper of course has already before campaigned and voted against the abolition of the private health insurance rebate and he’s indicated when he took the job on the last sitting day last year that he wouldn’t be responsible for being the only member of parliament to hold up what is a rancid Government.  So the pressure really comes on Peter Slipper to put his money where his mouth is when the Parliament returns in February and to help remove what is a very, very bad Government. 

Curtis: Andrew Wilkie says he intends to make sure he has exactly the same relationship he has with the Opposition that he has with the Government.  Do you think your chances of getting his cooperation will increase? 

Pyne: Andrew Wilkie has been the most independent of the independents that support the government, more independent than Robert Oakeshott, Tony Windsor and certainly Adam Bandt. He’s demonstrated a real ability to consider this piece of legislation and vote on the merits.  I don’t always feel that is the case with other independents on the crossbench.  I have had a very good relationship with Andrew Wilkie and I have no doubt that now that he is free from the shackles of his deal with the government and let’s not forget that this was a written contract between Julia Gillard and Andrew Wilkie that had 22 parts and she has fundamentally breached it in what many regard as the most ruthless political act since Richard the 3^rd disposed of his nephews in the Tower of London.  I think when Parliament returns in February it will be another toric year because the Prime Minister governs on the back of deceit and treachery.  She lied to the Australian people about the carbon tax, she dispatched Kevin Rudd and lulled him into a false sense of security, got rid of Kim Carr who got her the Prime Ministership in the first place, she dispatched Harry Jenkins at the end of last year to save her own skin and now she has trashed her political deal with Andrew Wilkie because she is terrified of her own caucus particularly NSW and Queensland turning to Kevin Rudd instead of sticking with her through to the next election.

Curtis: With all those things then, do you have grounds to move a no confidence motion with Parliament returns?

Pyne: We won’t be flagging our political tactics and as much as we love ABC 24 Lyndal, we won’t be flagging them on ABC 24.  When Parliament returns, the Parliament will see the Opposition continuing to hold the Government to account, continuing to put front and centre the issues that the public are concerned about; trust, cost of living, job insecurity, rather than this myopic focus of the Labor Party on themselves, on their leadership, on which political deal they can trash in order to exist from day to day media cycle to media cycle. 

Curtis: Have you made an offer to Andrew Wilkie or had any informal discussions with him either about directing preferences to him at the next election or not directing preferences away from him in order to win his cooperation?

Pyne: Well certainly I haven’t.  I speak to Andrew Wilkie very often and I have a good relationship with him and I have had none of those types of discussions.

Curtis: Do you think with the poker machine reforms as the government has now constructed them that the opposition would be more likely to support them as it doesn’t involve mandatory pre-commitment; it has a trial which would allow for an evidence based approach which increases financial help and extends support for online gambling as well.

Pyne:  Well we’ve said that we would announce our own reforms to gambling in good time.  We don’t have to support the Government’s proposals and unfortunately what this issue has now become about is not the efficacy or otherwise of the Government’s proposals but in fact yet again the trustworthiness or not of the Prime Minister.  This Government is dogged by the fact that since the Prime Minister dispatched Kevin Rudd when he was in that Chair there’s been no time we have been able to rely on the word of the Prime Minister.  Starting well before the lie about the carbon tax but I think most Australians are today scratching their heads and thinking she lied to us about the carbon tax, she lied to Kevin Rudd about the leadership when she said she wouldn’t challenge him, she lied to Andrew Wilkie about bringing legislation before May 8th and why on earth would anyone believe anything she says about any subject from now right through to the next election day.

Curtis:  The Government as part of the mandatory pre-commitment trial it wants to run in the ACT.  That would involve some clubs in the ACT that are affiliated with the Labor Party.  Do you have some qualms about the Government giving financial help to those clubs some of which are affiliated with the Labor Party?

Pyne:  Well it’s true that that the clubs in the ACT are affiliated with the Labor Party.  Many of them are significant donors to the ALP.  I think in fact $500,000 in recent times was channelled from ACT clubs to the Labor Party at election time … (inaudible) but of course this trial is going to cost $36 million that will be channelled to the clubs in Canberra and I think a lot of people in Australia are amazed that the Government could be giving $36 million to clubs in Canberra to conduct a trial about reducing problem gambling.  I means, there is nothing this government can’t touch that doesn’t have the Midas touch in reverse.

Curtis:  And one quick final question.  On the question of asylum seekers, Tony Abbott’s toughened the policy on turning back boats but this morning the former Chief of the Defence Force, Chris Barrie, said if sailors or officers had to choose between turning back boats in accordance with Coalition Government policy where the safety of life at sea laws are breached then they would choose acting in accordance with international law.  That would potentially place naval officers and sailors in a very difficult position wouldn’t it?

Pyne:  Well our policy has always been, Lyndal, that we would want to turn back the boats where possible.  The Howard Government did just that.  We have a three-pronged policy.  The reintroduction of Temporary Protection Visas, the reopening of the Nauru processing centre and turning back the boats where possible.  That has always been our policy, it remains our policy, it’s the policy that worked, it’s the policy that the Australian people voted for and supported in 2004 and 2007.

Curtis:  And you would expect naval officers and sailors to act in accordance with international law even if it conflicted with the Coalition policy?

Pyne:  Well the Navy will act in accordance with their duty and they would know their duty better than you or I would know it discussing it on ABC 24 but our policy is no different to that which it always has been.

Curtis:  Christopher Pyne, thank you very much for your time.

Pyne:  Thank you Lyndal.

 ENDS