Morning Show

E&OE TRANSCRIPT

Interview - Channel 7 The Morning Show with Kylie Gillies and Larry Emdur
9 December 2015

SUBJECTS; Innovation and Science agenda, Christmas plans;

Kylie Gillies: The Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Christopher Pyne joins us now, good morning.

Christopher Pyne: Good morning Kylie.

Kylie Gillies: So are the skit creators disappointed with this new portfolio or are they going to live with it?

Christopher Pyne: The skit creators won a Walkley for this only this week or late last week I think, they won a Walkley for that and the other skit, and of course David Speers won a Walkley, which he should be sharing with me by rights for the fixer interview which led to all of these parodies. Just the way it is I suppose.

Larry Emdur: If only you could claim 25 or 50 per cent of all the money that they make after …

Christopher Pyne: Of the royalties? They make no money.

Larry Emdur: The Turnbull Government will spend more than a billion dollars on innovation. Let’s talk that through for a moment. Who’s likely to benefit from the new measures?

Christopher Pyne: Well the entire economy will benefit because we’re doing a number of things. We’re changing the structure around start-ups to do with taxation and bankruptcy, but we’re also changing the relationship between university researchers and industry to give them reasons to collaborate more, because we’re number six in the OECD for quality of research, but we’re number 33 out of 33 for the collaborations between business and universities, which is the worst in the OECD.

Larry Emdur: Is that right?

Christopher Pyne: So we do great research, but then we don’t commercialise it. So we’re going to change that. We’ve got a new Entrepreneurs’ Visa to bring people here who’ve got great ideas about creating jobs; more money into science, technology, engineering and maths at school, and the Government using its procurement dollar to encourage high tech innovation and creativity.

Kylie Gillies: Okay, so you’re off to Tel Aviv next week and Silicon Valley.

Christopher Pyne: I am.

Kylie Gillies: Travelling very close to Christmas, so good on you.

Christopher Pyne: Yes, I’m leaving on Friday; I get back on Thursday from Israel.

Kylie Gillies: Okay, so it’s a very quick …

Christopher Pyne: It’s a long way to go for three days.

Kylie Gillies: What are you going to be doing there?

Christopher Pyne: We’re going to launch the landing pad there, which is part of this innovation announcement. So if an Australian lands in Israel, in Tel Aviv, who has got an idea or is part of a creative research agency or some kind of start-up business, the Australian Government will help them connect to the right people, whether they’re in universities or whether they’re in business. There are going to be five of those around the world; one in Tel Aviv, one in Silicon Valley, two in Asia and one in Europe, but we haven't chosen the last three yet.

Larry Emdur: Okay. Now of course September marked a very big month for the Coalition. How is it with the new guy, what’s going on there behind closed doors, everything good?

Christopher Pyne: Yeah no it's going very well. Malcolm’s doing a great job. I mean, he just powers on. He’s full of optimism and positivity and confidence is up. The national accounts are looking good. I think business feels that they want to invest and create jobs and growth and Larry, the only reason we’re in government is to create jobs and growth for the Australian public.

Kylie Gillies: That's the only reason.

Christopher Pyne: It is the only reason.

Kylie Gillies: Tony Abbott – [laughs] – Tony Abbott said last night that he could have won the next election. Take a listen.

[Excerpt]

Tony Abbott: Whoever led the Coalition, I believe we were going to win the next election and win it quite strongly. Because obviously, on all of the evidence so far, the Labor Party, it can't learn and it hasn't changed.

[End of excerpt]

Kylie Gillies: Agree or disagree, not to the last part of that but to the first part of that answer?

Christopher Pyne: Well, I certainly agree that the Labor Party are not ready for government. They haven't done any of the work that oppositions need to do to think about why they lost in the first place, why they had such a terrible government - they haven't done that work. They are simply coasting along hoping to win. I do believe we will win the next election. I think Tony Abbott was a good Prime Minister, but the party room changed the Prime Minister and we are getting on with the job. And we’re not looking in the rear vision mirror; we’re looking forward, as are the Australian public.

Larry Emdur: What are your thoughts when you see Tony Abbott sit down for an interview like that? Is it - do you sort of think just go on a nice holiday somewhere and don't worry about that. Or do we expect to see former prime ministers and people in power coming up and rethinking it all and having a spiel?

Christopher Pyne: Well Tony is a great advocate, he’s a very good friend of mine, he’s a great advocate for the non-Labor side of politics so I welcome his contributions to the public debate. He’s not saying anything that’s at odds with government policy and I see him as an asset.

Kylie Gillies: A big year, as we’ve said, coming up to the festive season. We’re interested in what messages you may be writing on your Christmas cards this year. We can give you a name and then you can give us a message to you might …

Christopher Pyne: This has not been scripted; by the way, I have no idea which names you’re going to give me.

Kylie Gillies: Well okay, so what message you might write in a hypothetical card, Christmas card to Malcolm Turnbull, your boss.

Larry Emdur: Good stuff.

Christopher Pyne: Thank you.

Kylie Gillies: For?

Christopher Pyne: Thank you for making me the Minister for Innovation and Science and Industry and giving me the chance to put innovation at the centre of the economy. Keep being positive, mate.

Kylie Gillies: Okay, that’s one message.

Larry Emdur: Would you- and then would you do like, kiss kiss or the smiley face?

Christopher Pyne: Well I can- I sort of- it depends how much time I have with Christmas. I did 1500 Christmas cards this week.

Larry Emdur: Right.

Christopher Pyne: So sometimes it says Larry, Christopher. Sometimes it says dear Kylie, all the best, Christopher with kiss kiss.

Larry Emdur: Oh yeah, she’s special.

Christopher Pyne: It just depends how much time I have.

Kylie Gillies: Are you ever …

Christopher Pyne: As it's your birthday I think we’d go the whole hog. Although Sagittarians don't like clingy people. So I was surprised that you hugged Rove.

Kylie Gillies: Oh, but you don't know their bromance.

Christopher Pyne: More going on there than I know about.

Kylie Gillies: Are you ever Chris or always Christopher?

Christopher Pyne: Whatever people call me. Lots of people call me Chris in the electorate but my mother calls me Christopher, and I want to …

Larry Emdur: We have lots of other interesting names for politicians as well, don’t they?

Christopher Pyne: Like what?

Larry Emdur: Tony Abbott. What would you write on Tony Abbott's card?

Christopher Pyne: Thanks for the wonderful job that you did as Prime Minister for two years.

Larry Emdur: You’re just writing thanks to everybody.

Christopher Pyne: Well that’s because I have enough - what do you want me to say? You know, keep powering on.

Kylie Gillies: Keep powering, okay. To Opposition Leader Bill Shorten?

Christopher Pyne: Hang in there, Bill. You’re doing a great job. Hang in there, Bill.

Larry Emdur: And thanks - and thanks - you’d say thanks to him too right?

Christopher Pyne: You’re doing a great job, Bill.

Kylie Gillies: Okay. That may not be genuine, that may not be from the heart.

Larry Emdur: No, you can't write lies on Christmas cards. That’s - that’s illegal.

Kylie Gillies: Well he is doing a good job for you guys.

Christopher Pyne: He’s going a great job. Let’s just keep him right where he is.

Larry Emdur: Yeah, keep him there forever.

Kylie Gillies: At roughly 14, 14 per cent.

Christopher Pyne: Bill went away for a week, and no one saw him for a week and he still went down on his approval rating, which is not a good sign. Not a good sign.

Kylie Gillies: That’s okay, that happens when Larry …

Christopher Pyne: Because absence makes the heart grow fonder, but didn’t on this occasion.

Larry Emdur: Yeah, all right. Finally, Palmer United Party Leader Clive Palmer - Christmas card, would you send him, or would you send him a text or a Facebook- how would you communicate and what would you say?

Christopher Pyne: Well I like Clive, I have texted Clive, and had dinner with Clive, and in fact we discovered the dumplings of China Plate together, Clive and I, which …

Larry Emdur: Oh, beautiful night.

Christopher Pyne: It was, it was a great night.

Larry Emdur: And who paid for that, just out of curiosity?

Christopher Pyne: I think Clive did, actually.

Larry Emdur: Really?

Christopher Pyne: Yeah. Although given all the things with Queensland Nickel, perhaps I should have paid for dinner that night.