Today Show

LISA WILKINSON: Now it’s D-day in Western Australia tomorrow as residents head to the polls for the state election, and Premier Colin Barnett is facing a huge challenge to retain his grip on power with predictions minor parties, including Pauline Hanson's One Nation could decide the result. For more we have Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne and Shadow Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese, both here in the studio for a change which is nice. Christopher, it is very good to see you and I will start with you.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: It’s great to be here.

LISA WILKINSON: Now the Prime Minister made only one trip to WA in the six months leading up to the election. Have you given up already?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Absolutely not, I was in WA this week in fact repurposing a mining factory into a defence industry factory, which means our policies are actually working in defence industry. I was there on the Wednesday and I can tell you that the feeling was very positive for Colin Barnett and the Barnett Government. He deserves to be re-elected, and I fully expect that he will be re-elected on Saturday.

LISA WILKINSON: But why wouldn't the PM go over there.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: He was there, he was there during the campaign.

LISA WILKINSON: Once in the last six months.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: No, well look once during the election campaign, I don't know where he went before the election campaign, he has been to Perth at least once in the last six months I’m sure of it. He went once and I've been once, and I want the Barnett Government to be re-elected, they are a good Government.

LISA WILKINSON: All right, Anthony, Labor is polling well in WA but voters have become disillusioned. Why do you think so many people are looking to the minor parties for the answers at the moment?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well we’ll wait and see the verdict of the voters tomorrow but what we know is that the Barnett Government is out of touch, it’s out of ideas and out of time and tomorrow it should be out of office. The voters in Western Australia tomorrow shouldn't re-elect the Barnett Government by mistake because of this deal it's done with One Nation. I think people are very angry on both sides - the One Nation people are angry, that they said they were outsiders and now they are in bed with the Barnett Government, and Liberals, who have a small l liberal view of the world, are frustrated as well about this deal that's put One Nation before the National Party.

LISA WILKINSON: Alright, meanwhile Labor frontbencher Kate Ellis has announced she is quitting federal politics at the next election to spend more time with her young son as he starts school. It comes as a new report out today claim stay at home mums are a big drain on the economy and should be out working. Christopher It’s a tough decision for any Mum to stay at home or to go to work…

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: It is.

LISA WILKINSON: Some women of course don't have any choice at all, but we see a distinct lack of women in senior politics. Should we be doing more to help women?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well happily I've been in Parliament 24 years on Monday and I can tell you there are a lot more women in Parliament today and in senior roles than there were when I was first elected 24 years ago, which is a great thing. Of course we want to encourage more women into Parliament and I always encourage women in pre-selections within the Liberal Party. Of course it’s a democracy so they either win or they don't win but we want more women, they do change politics, they do make it less adversarial. They do tend to be more practical in many respects, as Margaret Thatcher said, if you want someone to say something ask a man, if you want someone to do something ask a woman and I think that was a pretty clever line many years ago. So yes of course we do and I wish Kate well, she’s been a great colleague, and she’s Labor of course, but it’s hard not to like Kate and I wish her well in the future.

LISA WILKINSON: But part of the problem, Anthony, is affordable childcare, and every time it’s put forward in Parliament it gets stopped, it never gets through.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well we do need to do more to assist women into the workforce, not just for themselves, but for the country, the nation benefits from taking advantage of our greatest resource which is our people. And with regard to Kate Ellis, I think she's made a fantastic contribution, she’s sick of the travel, we spend a lot of time away from our family. Her young son Sam starts school next year, and I'm sure she leaves with absolutely the best wishes of everyone on all sides of politics. She's just a lovely person, and she'll make a contribution to the workforce, I'm sure, in some other way.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Of course, Lisa, we do have an affordable childcare reform in front of the Senate right now, which Labor is refusing to pass which would actually make it cheaper and make it more accessible to people but Labor won't...

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well that's not right.

LISA WILKINSON: Well can you blokes just get together and get some affordable childcare, because as we can see, there's a real problem when it comes to the economy with not having it in place.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Absolutely, which is why we massively increased the childcare rebate when we were in government.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: But you’re not supporting what we’re proposing right now.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: We are not supporting the cuts…

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: $1.6 billion, so you’re supporting the childcare changes…

ANTHONY ALBANESE: What we are not doing is supporting your cuts and what this Government keeps doing is linking up unconnected things...

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Nonsense.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: So that they end up with this gridlock. That's why they’re not governing.

LISA WILKINSON: Alright, can you take this out the back, we’re going to come back to you in half an hour…

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: We’re going to do the weather again.

LISA WILKINSON: And find out whether you’ve sorted out childcare.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: He is better at the weather than he is at childcare reform.

LISA WILKINSON: You’re both very good at the weather. It’s a worry.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: This Government’s not good at much.