Nine Network – The Today Show
14 Mar 2014
Transcipt E&OE TRANSCRIPT
Nine Network – The Today Show
14 March 2014
SUBJECTS: South Australian Election; GST.
LISA WILKINSON:
Joining me now to discuss these issues and more, Education Minister Christopher Pyne and Shadow Transport Minister, Anthony Albanese. Good morning to both of you.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Good morning Lisa.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Good morning.
CHRISTOPHER PYNE:
Good morning Anthony.
LISA WILKINSON:
I’ll start with you Christopher. It does look like the country is heading for coast-to-coast Liberal wet governments this weekend with these two state elections, are you cracking out the champagne yet?
CHRISTOPHER PYNE:
Definitely not. I mean, I hope so. I hope for South Australia’s sake that they change the government but I'm a South Australian so obviously I'm very keen. But the polls in the paper this morning, they certainly point to a strong primary vote for the Liberal Party in Tasmania, but the vote in South Australia, in fact, may not even be enough for us to get elected in that state because of the current drafting of the electoral boundaries, which means…
LISA WILKINSON:
It has to be about 53, 54 per cent?
It’s 53/47 at the moment in that poll but we need to get about 54 per cent. So in fact Labor has so skewed the boundaries that we are desperately needing people to understand that even if they think the Liberals will win tomorrow, unless they vote for the local candidate they can't be sure of a change of government and I don’t think people want to wake up on Sunday and discover that they hoped to change the government and by a stroke of good luck Labor falls across the line. So people really need to think that if they want to elect a Liberal government in South Australia they have to vote for their local Liberal candidate.
LISA WILKINSON:
All your fault, Anthony?
CHRISTOPHER PYNE:
Again.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
It is a pretty extraordinary allegation Christopher has just made that the Labor Party skews the electoral boundaries, they are of course done independently. These will both be tough elections for the Labor Party. They are long term Labor Governments. It is hard after you have served for a decade to continue on but I think they are both good governments. I think Jay Weatherill has done an outstanding job of infrastructure development in South Australia and in Tasmania I think they need someone who will stand up to Tony Abbott rather than just roll over. When I was in Tasmania a couple of weeks ago, the National Broadband Network was an issue that was biting so we'll wait and see what the voters do on Saturday.
LISA WILKINSON:
Everyone wrote off Clive Palmer at the federal election but as we know with the coming Senate he could be set to have very significant influence. He is looking like he might get somebody up in Tasmania. What effect do you think that will have?
CHRISTOPHER PYNE:
Well it will depend on the rest of the seats but if the Palmer United Party gets a person elected I hope that they will support a Liberal Government. Generally, Palmer United voters and Clive of course, are more to the centre right than they are to the left. Even if Palmer United candidate gets elected I hope that they support Will Hodgman.
LISA WILKINSON:
Alright, moving on. Former Treasury boss Ken Henry is a well-respected figure on both sides of politics and he says that the GST will have to be increased. Christopher, I will start with you again, is it under discussion at the moment with the Government?
CHRISTOPHER PYNE:
No, it’s not. There is no discussion in the government whatsoever about changing of the GST. People need to understand of course that to change the GST every State and Territory would have to agree. And we said before the election if they wanted to do it, if the States and Territories wanted to change it they could petition the Federal Government to do so but we have no desire or plans to change the GST.
LISA WILKINSON:
But Anthony, Joe Hockey has said since he has discovered what the real numbers are post the election now that he is Treasurer, everything is now on the table. Why wouldn't the GST be there as well?
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Well, that’s a green light from Christopher saying that it is. He has just said…
CHRISTOPHER PYNE:
Hardly.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
…that he hopes to see wall-to-wall Liberal governments and he says that if the States want it then the federal Liberal Government will agree with them…
CHRISTOPHER PYNE:
No I didn’t. But there is not one State or Territory have said they wanted it…
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
…now the States have an incentive, the States have an incentive because they get the money. So wouldn't they want an increase in taxation from another level of government when they get the benefit. So I think that is one of the dangers that people should think of this Saturday when they cast their vote in South Australia and Tasmania, do they want a blank cheque for Tony Abbott to increase the GST?
CHRISTOPHER PYNE:
Anthony is badly verballing me, obviously, not one State or Territory has asked to increase the GST…
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
…you said they could, and you would welcome it.
CHRISTOPHER PYNE:
That is the… I didn’t say I would welcome it. I said they could petition us and we said before the election that we wouldn’t change the GST. So, I didn’t say we would welcome it. I didn't see there was a green light. Not one State or Territory…
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Sounds like a green light to me, Christopher.
CHRISTOPHER PYNE:
Not one State or Territory has asked for an increase in the GST. So you now, Anthony in the desperate last days of the state election campaign he is trying to find a new scare campaign to run and I don't think the public are going to buy it.
LISA WILKINSON:
Alright. We will have to leave it there. Good to see you both, have a lovely weekend.
[ends]