ABC NewsRadio

SUBJECT: Labor Leadership E&OE................................ Marius Benson: Christopher Pyne do you think Kevin Rudd is trying to get his old job back? Hon Christopher Pyne MP: Well there’s no doubt in my mind that something is going on in the Labor Caucus. They spent most of the week in whispers and small gatherings in the back of the Chamber and in corridors talking about the Labor Party. This is the problem with the Government all they do is talk about their internal divisions and they don’t get on with the job of serving the Australian people. I think this is why the Australian people are thoroughly sick of this Parliament and want it to end. But yes I do think he wants his job back and there’s obviously a move on. Benson: But you said more than a week ago that your Labor sources had told you there would be a move this week, the week of June 3rd. It’s Friday no move yet. Pyne: No that’s right. I was told that. There’s a lot of rumours coming out of the Labor Party Caucus. Some of them turn out to be true, some of them don’t. But there is no doubt at all that there is an attempt to destabilise Julia Gillard’s leadership yet again and that that is in favour of Kevin Rudd. I think that’s indisputable. Joel Fitzgibbon, one of Kevin Rudd’s spear throwers was out this week mocking the Prime Minister and his cosery are backing him to do that. Benson: But how good are your Labor Party sources because you said yesterday, that it was announced that Kevin Rudd was going on the 7:30 programme, you said that Julia Gillard had demanded that she be able to appear, according to your Labor sources - that she’d taped an interview and that she was demanding that Kevin Rudd rule out a challenge to her leadership and Leigh Sales went on the 7:30 Report last night and said the Prime Minister did none of the things you claimed with the authority of your Labor sources. Pyne: Well that turned out to be wrong and one therefore needs to question their Labor sources a bit more closely in future. Benson: But do you have these sources, or is this Christopher Pyne mischief making? Mischief making is suppose is allowed in politics. Pyne: No it’s not that. I wouldn’t just go out and just make things up I’ve been in Parliament for twenty years. And, that would be unprofessional and I wouldn’t do that. I did rely on Labor sources as I have all along, but obviously those Labor sources are not always reliable. Benson: They’re sources plural, not just one? Pyne: That’s right Marius. Benson: Members of Parliament? Pyne: It’s a combination of Members of Parliament and Labor backroom people. Benson: But they seem to get everything wrong. Pyne: Not always, no. In fact they often get things right. They told me that Kevin Rudd would go out and breathe life into the same-sex marriage issue a few weeks ago before he did it and sometimes they’re right and sometimes they’re wrong but that’s the nature of politics. Benson: Is the Coalition trying to deliberately lower expectations about a future government which would be a Coalition government by backing away from a promise to stop the boats for example to just making a difference from day one? Pyne: No we will stop the boats, but at the moment we have uncontrolled borders. Customs and the Navy is doing their very best to manage the massive number of boat arrivals. 700 boat arrivals since this Government came to power, 43,000 illegal arrivals and it won’t end on day one. The boats will stop under a Liberal government, but they won’t stop overnight. It will take time as all good policy does. Benson: If not day one, when? Pyne: Well it’ll stop because the policies we introduce will be ones that are meaningful and make a difference. But Marius I can’t tell you that on September 15th, the boats will suddenly stop. The Australian public know that and playing the game of trying to picking a date, public would regard as adenine. Benson: Christopher Pyne, thank you very much. Pyne: It’s a pleasure. ENDS.