Transcript - ABC 891 - 24 March 2011

SUBJECTS: Carbon rally; Offended practitioner of witchcraft

JOURNALIST:

(Recording begins)... contained derogatory sexual inferences she (South Australian Minister Gail Gago) says, and effectively was endorsing those by standing in front of them. What is your view on that?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:

Well look Gail Gago is really just trying it on. I don't remember Gail Gago expressing such outrage when the trade unions stormed Parliament House during the Howard Government, smashing the front doors, injuring workers and bystanders in a drunken rampage, a rally that Kim Beazley addressed. I don't remember Gail Gago coming out at that point and saying this is outrageous.

JOURNALIST:

There was a lot going on in Canberra that day so let's not re-write history Christopher Pyne.

PYNE:

I'm not.

JOURNALIST:

Kim Beazley was addressing a group of people well away from what happened at Parliament House.

PYNE:

He addressed the rally that then led to the storming of Parliament House. Now I'm not re-writing history, I was here, I was in the building and I don't remember the Labor party saying at that point what an outrage it was when they had a rally of trade unions against the Howard Government which went completely out of control. It damaged Commonwealth property, hurt Commonwealth officers and now we get these trite and pathetic responses from people like Gail Gago expressing mock outrage. If Gail Gago sat in the same chamber that I sit in and heard the snide personal insults that come across the table and dispatch box from the likes of the Prime Minister and other Labor party front bench, obviously being a very precious soul Ms Gago would demand an apology for those as well.

JOURNALIST:

Chris Pyne putting all that aside, was it a mistake of judgement by Tony Abbott to appear in front of signs, firstly do you think the signs are offensive and secondly do you think he shouldn't have appeared in front of them?

PYNE:

I think the signs are definitely offensive but I don't think that appearing at a rally where a small minority of people carried offensive signs, somehow means that Tony Abbott is associated with those views any more than Julia Gillard being convener of the socialist forum which was the bridge between former members of the Communist party and the Labor party makes her a Communist.

JOURNALIST:

But we're not talking about Julia Gillard from 20 or 30 years ago, we're talking about Tony Abbott from 24 hours ago. When he went up on that podium, wouldn't it have been more statesmanlike for him to have said, "Look, I know you have strong feelings about this but I think 'ditch the witch,' and 'Bob Brown's bitch,' are appropriate, you take those signs down before I get up on this podium."

PYNE:

Yeah, well he has put out a statement saying that he regrets that there were inappropriate signs and other views being expressed at that rally and he wishes that the personal and vindictive statements should be removed from the debate, not just from signs at a rally where people are angry about the carbon tax, but also from the Government's language, particularly the Prime Minister's language in question time.

JOURNALIST:

Do you think the problem here is that it feeds into the perception that Tony's got a problem with women?

PYNE:

No I don't think it's got anything to do with that, I mean that is the most wonderful longbow I have seen in a very long time. Julia Gillard spends an hour and a half every day of the most vitriolic personal snide attacks on individuals in the opposition and I don't see the press gallery writing that she should tone it down.

JOURNALIST:

Now, we've been told that the signs were offensive not just to women but also to homosexuals and this caller this morning from Rick of Morphett Vale was also offended for a different reason;

RICK:

Oh, g'day fellas how are you?

JOURNALIST:

Very well Rick

RICK:

I can't get over the fact that witch is used in a derogatory term, as a matter of fact. If there was a sign up that said ditch the Christian or ditch the Muslim all hell would break loose.

JOURNALIST:

Are you saying that witches should be offended by Tony Abbot too?

RICK:

Well they are, I am, I certainly am.

JOURNALIST:

Are you a witch?

RICK:

I am, I'm a pagan and I practice witchcraft and I find it offensive that the word is used as a derogatory term.

JOURNALIST:

Chris Pyne I don't know if there is a response to that?

PYNE:

I think the response is some mothers do 'ave em.

JOURNALIST:

Christopher Pyne, Federal Liberal MP for Sturt, thank you.

[Ends]