Sky News First Edition

SUBJECTS:  Labor leadership spill; Liberal Party Policy; Independent support for a vote of no confidence

E&OE................................

Kieran Gilbert: We are now joined in our Canberra studio by the Manager of Opposition Business, Senior Liberal Front Bencher, Christopher Pyne. My Pyne thanks for your time. There were calls yesterday by Tony Abbott for an election to be called. But despite the chaos, despite the farce of yesterday in Labor politics, the reality is the status quo remains and the Crossbench will continue to support the PM.

Hon Christopher Pyne MP: Well we will place a motion of no confidence in the Government on the notice paper in the break Kieran, which will be debated in budget week. Which will allow the Parliament to pass its judgement on a rancid Government. Enough is enough, it’s time for the Independents to examine their consciences’ and to speak to their electorates over the next six weeks about whether they want the faceless men of the Labor Party choosing the Prime Minister, or whether they want the people to at an election to decide the kind of makeup of the Parliament they want and the Prime Minister that they want. We will for the first time in this Parliament, move a motion of no confidence in the Government and if that motion is passed there will be an election.

David Lipson: The Independents, particularly Tony Windsor, to a lesser extent Andrew Wilkie have suggested that they won’t support such a vote. Do you have any confidence that it would get through? Have you spoken to any Independents?

Pyne: There are seven Independents, not just Tony Windsor and I hope Tony Windsor will examine his conscience quite frankly and speak to his electorate about whether they want the Gillard Government to continue in office. But there are seven Independents, they know our view. I think I know the public’s view, they are sick of the civil war in the Government, it’s not over. Kevin Rudd made it absolutely clear yesterday, that he would be drafted to the leadership if that was the wish of the Party room.

The civil war in the Labor Party is not over, nothing has been resolved. Nobody's focusing apart from the Opposition; but nobody in the Government is focusing on job security, cost of living, border protection or economic management. They’re supposed to be putting the budget together Kieran and David and instead they are fighting the war of the roses on the public’s time.

Gilbert: This is the third time the Prime Minister has been endorsed, re-endorsed by a vote, or otherwise within the Labor Caucus. They say this is a line in the sand and they are going to move on. Rudd backers are saying that they’re going to stop agitating. It looks like for all intents and purposes that they have finally finished. You obviously want to maintain that fact that their animosities continue. 

Pyne: Well Kieran, that’s what they said twelve months ago. This is like Groundhog Day and enough is enough. I mean I had text messages from Labor Party people last night saying that they’d be back at it again in seven weeks time.  So there is nothing that’s been resolved by yesterday’s debacle, only that the Australian public are the losers yet again, because nobody in the Government cares about what’s going on in Australia, in the economy, in cost of living and jobs. All they care about is this senseless war between Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard and the only way to end it is to have an election and stop the faceless men from choosing the Prime Minister and give the people a chance to choose the Prime Minister, because the Coalition does have a plan. Our plan, our Real Solutions Plan. If we get in to Government in the near future we are ready to govern, we are ready from the first day to start reducing the tax burden, building the infrastructure that needs to be built. Having a Paid Parental Leave Scheme that is a workplace entitlement - not government welfare, and doing all the things that need to be done to be a good Country going again and get rid of a bad Government.

Lipson: Well one thing put on display again yesterday was the Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s metal, she is tough. Do you give her any credit for that?

Pyne: I don’t give the Prime Minister any credit for anything at all David. She is leading a dysfunctional and divided Government, which is putting itself first and putting herself first, rather than the Australian people. I don’t give her any credit. If she called an election she would at least be putting an end to one of the most sorry periods, one of the most sorry chapters in Australia’s political history. Until she does that, she continues to preside over a Government that always places its own skin, its own self- interest ahead of the interest of the people it’s supposed to represent.

Gilbert: Christopher Pyne I appreciate your time this morning. Thank you.

Pyne: Pleasure.

ENDS.