Transcript - ABC 891 - Two Chrisses - 8 Feb 2010

SUBJECTS:New candidate for seat of Sturt; Advertiser poll; State election

(greetings omitted)

Christopher PYNE: It's nice that the former Labor Senator's describing the Liberal candidate for Sturt as a genius. I'm sure that won't be lost on the voters of Sturt at election time...

Christopher SCHACHT: ...I suppose it's going to be quoted in your next leaflet...

PYNE: ...well you never know!

David BEVAN: We might have to dump you and have "The Two Esses: Rick Sarre and Christoper Schacht".

Matthew ABRAHAM: We're ruthless, Christopher Pyne...

PYNE: But then you'd have two Labor members, which wouldn't be very good ratings, I would think...

ABRAHAM: ...that's true...are you worried about Rick Sarre?

PYNE: As you know it's not my practise to comment on the Labor candidate for Sturt, that's a matter for the Labor party and in fact Professor Sarre isn't even the candidate for Sturt! It's been speculated about in the 'Tiser this morning and I understand that he's confirmed on your radio programme that he's interested in a bid for Federal office. So if they end up choosing Professor Sarre, well good luck to him! I don't take the seat of Sturt for granted. I notice the Labor Party is already chalking it up as a victory at the next Federal election. This will be my eighth election campaign. I ran when I was 21 in Ross Smith against John Bannon and this will now be my seventh campaign in Sturt and I'm more than happy to put my record up against anybody else for the purposes of the voters for Sturt, who I feel know me pretty well. I'm very happy to have an election. I love an election, I love a campaign and I think my voters recognize that. It's all part of the wonderful, democratic process so...bring it on!

ABRAHAM: Well you'll keep your job for another three years if you win!

PYNE: Well of course if you win...

BEVAN: ...the other option is...not so cheery...

PYNE: ...well, I've got a record of looking after other individuals in Sturt, got a record of working for community projects...

ABRAHAM: ...I think we'll just start off with Chris Schacht calling you a genius! Now, Chris Schacht...should he be worried about Rick Sarre?

SCHACHT: If you've got a lead of 1% then in any seat you should always be worried and cautious. Pyne's indicated that he's not taking anything for granted and neither should he. Sarre is going to be a very good candidate, I've known Rick for 25, 30 years and he grew up in the area, or the eastern suburbs. All the time I've known him he's been a very active member of the Norwood sub-branch and a quality person in the community so I think, apart from his qualifications, which I think are very good, he'd be a very quality candidate if he was elected. I want to say that it is always hard for the Labor Party to win Sturt with the present boundaries. You have that big, big block of Liberal voters south of Magill Road who, in a good year swing 2% to Labor and in a bad year swing 2% back but they usually vote Two-Party-Preferred for the Liberal Party and that has always been the basis as Chris has said on this programme, that he was getting swings against him of 7, 8, 9% in the northern part of the electorate and in the more middle-class areas of course, in Beaumont, Wattle Park, Burnside...it was only 1 or 2%. That was his margin...

ABRAHAM: So you'd have to hoover up almost all of those and also a good percentage of the 20%...?

SCHACHT: You've gotta do really well. Sarre is a quality candidate, as we had last time in Mia Handshin...you never have an idea how a candidate turns out but I have no doubt Rick will be the best candidate...

BEVAN: ...what I don't understand is and this is something the Liberal Party's done in Mount Gambier with Peter Gandolfi who pushed Rory McEwen to the absolute brink and then dumped him for somebody who joined the Liberal Party that morning, effectively, at the preselection...

SCHACHT: ...they got spooked about whether the bloke they selected might have stood as an independent...

BEVAN: ...well why didn't they just go for Peter Gandolfi?

SCHACHT: They got spooked and thought he might run as an independent as Rory McEwen did and win as an independent...when you start that train...tram...you can't get off and it only encourages other independents...

ABRAHAM: ...why didn't the Labor Party, having Mia Handshin, got very well known, you spent a lot of money on the Federal campaign. Resources went into that and her profile went up but she decided, I suppose, she didn't want to run again?

SCHACHT: Well she had a baby.

ABRAHAM: That hasn't stopped Chloe Fox!

SCHACHT: Well she was already the incumbent when she had the baby. I had a talk last year with Mia and she made it pretty clear she's just had a baby, family etcetera. If she'd wanted to run, she would have been the candidate but she didn't for personal reasons...

PYNE: ...so, Mr Sarre is the second choice? That's what you're saying!

SCHACHT: No, no...

PYNE: ...you inferred after Grace Portelisi because the respect you can't afford...that Portelisi was going to be the candidate.

SCHACHT: That was speculation...made by you?

ABRAHAM: Yeah, right! Ahaha!

SCHACHT: Well you've even made it...somebody from AlQaeda would run in the poll...everybody from here to the North Pole is a candidate.

PYNE: For the Labor Party, that might be true.

ABRAHAM: Muhammed Ali was going to run at one stage!

SCHACHT: All I've got to say....if the Liberal Party had a candidate the quality of Mia Handshin, you would try to convince that candidate to run again. Have you got a candidate yet in the marginal seat of Kingston? Which is a seat you would have to win to have any chance of winning abck Government?

ABRAHAM: Good question. Have you got a candidate in the marginal seat of Kingston?

PYNE: Well I'll tell you what my priority is and that is winning Sturt and I'm very happy to put my record up against anybody else's. it's not like I'm dragging my feet over here in Canberra. I'm the fourth most senior person in the Opposition in the House of Representatives...out of a hundred.

SCHACHT: Well hopefully you'll be in Opposition for a long time to come...

PYNE: ...well I think that what's going on in Kingston is not a matter for me, it's a matter for the Liberal party on Greenhill Road, so I won't answer those questions...it's not my job to choose candidates! There will be sensational candidates in Makin and Wakefield and in Kingston but the one candidate that I want to get across the line is Christopher Pyne in Sturt.

BEVAN: Gentlemen, the poll which came out in 'The Advertiser' on Friday showed that there is a swing towards the Liberals. It's not enough to win Government but clearly things are narrowing and they've narrowed very quickly. We're still 4, 5, 6 weeks to go and 52/48% is the Two-Party Preferred but really interestingly, the people don't appear to trust Mike Rann. Reading from the paper..."in a major blow, only 34% of people polled said they trusted Mr Rann. 51% said they trusted Liberal Leader Isobel Redmond." On the weekend, yesterday, the Premier tried to get a press release flying...much frustration in his office that it wasn't picked up by the media. That is, accusing Isobel Redmond of trying to derail the Roxby Downs project. She came on this program this morning, the Premier couldn't, we were told he was too busy, but she came on and said 'Well dah, dah, dah'. But if people don't trust Mike Rann, if they've stopped listening he's in big trouble isn't he Chris Schacht?

SCHACHT: Well I wouldn't say he's in big trouble at all. I mean the interesting thing is despite asking a question...and in The Advertiser poll I take caution but I take their voting intention. When they get down to asking questions about trust there's a lot of ways you can ask that question...

ABRAHAM: ...I think it's a pretty straightforward question...

SCHACHT: ...hang on...the next question they asked is he still has a very high approval rating. So I think you've got to take all of this carefully with the straws in the wind about it. Certainly my own view is I don't think it's a bad thing that the polls have tightened as I always expected they would, to show the Labor Party people and Labor voters that it is not a walk up start to win an election and I think that is probably pretty good for the Premier and for the Labor Party...the Ministers and everybody to know it's another tough election to win and it's not going to be like 2006 and there are a few issues rolling around after eight years that you've got to deal with and so on. I have to say it's the same with that poll at the national levels. Things are tightening up and I think that is actually in one sense a reality check for the Labor Party after the last 12 months when the Liberal Party have been absolutely dysfunctional.

ABRAHAM: Chris Pyne, on this issue of trust?

PYNE: Indeed. The Liberal Party remains the underdog in this election and the Labor Party are firm favourites, that's still clear. But what's interesting is that Mike Rann has always been the very much front figure for the Government. He's always been the so called popular choice, at one stage he was the most popular Premier in South Australia and behind Mike Rann the Government hasn't been very popular...hang on Schatty...Kevin Foley's not exactly popular, he's seen to be arrogant. Tom Koutsantonis is seen to be quite incompetent in terms of the declaring his traffic offences et cetera. Mike Atkinson in the last week has proved to be, you know, slightly eccentric. But Mike Rann was always pushed out there as the number one. Of course the shine is coming off Mike Rann I think as people start to look more at the last eight years of Government and what Labor's actually achieved and looking behind Mike Rann the public is seeing not very much that they like. I think that's the reason why people are thinking it's time to send the Labor Government a message and vote for the Liberal Party because at the moment the majority in the House of Assembly for Labor is so overwhelmingly in favour of the Labor Party they're a very arrogant Government and they need to be cut down to size a bit.

ABRAHAM: So we talked to Isobel Redmond because she was the focus of a media release from the Premier which we picked up. He's saying that she can't be trusted to back the Roxby expansion. Chris Pyne, she made comments and she admitted she'd said that in part, she says it was not in context, at a meeting of shack owners. Now, does she have to be a little bit careful, is this a trap for young players, for a new political leader to remember that you're never really off the record?

PYNE: Well of course you're never really off the record but I don't know exactly the comments that Isobel Redmond has made, I don't know exactly what Mike Rann has said in response...I haven't seen this media release.

ABRAHAM: You would know though that you go to many meetings and as an experienced politician..."the microphone's always on" as we say in radio stations. There's no such thing as an off switch...

PYNE: Well it is certainly true today because of the Internet. But what Mike Rann needs to answer is what he's saying to the Federal Government about a resources rent tax which the Henry Tax Review has slated to have said should be increased and would put the whole Roxby Downs expansion by BHP at very serious risk. Because if a resources rent tax increased it might not any more be profitable for BHP to go ahead. That's ... a much more substantive point and Mike Rann needs to answer that question. What has he said to Wayne Swan about not proceeding with an increase in the resources rent tax?

ABRAHAM: Chris Schacht, this question of having a consistent message which we often will complain about that that's seen as spin but there is a discipline there, you reduce your error rate. Is that a fair call?

SCHACHT: Absolutely and I heard Isobel being interviewed today...as you asked her about the Premier's press statement and she said she'd been at this meeting of shack owners in Port Augusta talking to them about their concerns and clearly she said...as the way she came across in a chatty way, made comments et cetera which just gives...opens a chink in the door and it just shows maybe, I'm not going to accuse her of inexperience, but it just shows when you're running in an election campaign both sides look at everything you say to the last comma, last full stop.

BEVAN: But I really wonder whether this would hurt Isobel Redmond because there'd be a lot of people out there thinking 'That expansion's going to go ahead, of course it will, but I kind of like the idea that you've got a leader who says 'Well, I don't trust everything that BHP Billiton throws my way'.

SCHACHT: ...well then she named some BHP person that she didn't particularly like whom she said was a former staffer to a Labor State Minister. Well I think that's a bit esoteric to say the least. BHP is the second biggest mining company in the world and I don't think any one person - but the issue here is this gets back to what is the real issue in this state coming election? It is the economy. The big advantage...

PYNE: No, it's water.

SCHACHT: Stop butting in.

PYNE: Well you said on this show 6 months ago and 2 months ago that water was the key issue for the State election! You're parroting the Rann Government's lines...

SCHACHT: No, no, no. I'm going to say the same about the problem your leader has at the federal level is on the running of the economy in South Australia and nationally we've missed the silver bullet or the dum-dum bullet of the international recession. And South Australia's figures in the economy for the first time since the Second World War or before we are not the worst in the economy, we are now better than the Australian average on any number of indicators. That is the issue that Rann is going to be able to run on.

PYNE: I think there's a lot of cynicism, C1. I'll give you one example about this. Suddenly Kevin Foley has hundreds of millions of dollars to give people back in land tax relief. Well, why has he been collecting this land tax for the last four or five years and increasing it so dramatically and causing so much pain when suddenly he has it to give back? I think that's why the Government's facing a trust issue. The public has discounted Labor's announcement about land tax because they've said to themselves 'Well, if they've got all this money why have they been collecting it in the first place?'

ABRAHAM: Chris from Clarendon, hello Kris.

Caller Kris: Thank you so much...the most important issue at the election is water, Chris Schacht. But that's not what I rang for...on one of the TV news last night they talked to Mr Rann at Mt Lofty and then they said that he and his wife went to the Carnivale at the Showgrounds but whilst he and his wife were there press were not allowed in. Now, how come?

BEVAN: Kris, the report I saw and that struck me as well, attributed that blocking out of the media to the organisers of Carnivale not to the Premier's people. In fact there was a quote from the Premier's office saying that they didn't know why that was done.

Caller KRIS: Does that mean anyone can do it? Ahaha.

ABRAHAM: ...is the Premier now having to duck and weave around the Chantelois factor? I think that's the code there, let's call a spade a spade.

SCHACHT: Well obviously you can't ignore the fact that clearly Ms Chantelois is going to turn up from time to time at functions. My own view about it is ignore it, just go ahead and do it, turn up. If she turns up and tries to make a point of herself or whatever, well that's her problem.

BEVAN: How can you ignore that? Look at the front page of 'The Sunday Mail', it's all over it...it goes to half a million people.

SCHACHT: Yes but what do you want the Premier to do, burn the paper down?

ABRAHAM: Don't tempt him. Ahaha!

SCHACHT: I'm just saying is the way to deal with this is just get on with. You know that from time to time the media or someone is going to inspire Ms Chantelois to turn up somewhere to try to be photographed with the Premier. That is what the stunt is and so on. I think Miss Chantelois and her supporters have to be a little careful that they don't overdo it and so on but it is certainly a distraction, you can't argue with that. It would be stupid to say when you get a Sunday Mail running a big story as though it's the biggest thing since Watergate or something, well that's what the media are going to do because they think it's a very useful story...

PYNE: ...I was at the Carnivale yesterday as well and it's true the Premier and Sasha were there. And now that you mention it of course it is a bit strange that there were no media there because it was a very public event. There were thousands of South Australians in the Showgrounds so it wasn't exactly the sort of event where you would keep the press away but I have no idea who organised the press not to be there. Certainly the whole issue of Michelle Chantelois is a distraction for the Rann Government and a Government that's very used to controlling the media cycle incredibly ruthlessly is now in a situation where the media cycle is slightly out of control and I think that is probably playing very much on the Labor Government's planning for the election campaign.

BEVAN: I love your pronunciation there, you sound like you're going for a job interview with SBS...

ABRAHAM: Let's stay in the hills, let's go to Tim.

Caller TIM: I'm just curious. Mike Rann's forgotten about 20,000 voters that support drag racing? The Liberals have got in their policy that they're going to support a motor-plex and we can't even get anybody to talk about it from Labor.

ABRAHAM: ...is it going to be a vote changer though?

Pyne: Interestingly enough...with the hoon driving issue. Remember that horrendous accident on Magill Road about a year or so ago where there were lives lost and legs severed and it very much dominated the news. The point is actually a serious one because Adelaide is one of the very few major cities in Australia that doesn't have an off street drag racing circuit and I support and the State Liberals support a facility probably at somewhere like Gilman, being built that would mean that people who wanted to drive normal cars fast would do so under supervised situations where the police could be present. Where they'd meet other people who were also enthusiasts of this kind of sport and they wouldn't be largely or hopefully not on our suburban streets at night. So it's actually a very serious point and he's right, it is a vote changer amongst a lot of people that the Labor Party won't even talk to them.

Caller SUE: ...I'm a swinging voter. I do like Isobel Redmond for the fact that she's truthful. I'm not saying she's the most polished politician...

ABRAHAM: ...Sue, thank you...Chris Schacht you're picking up on this thing with Michelle Chantelois. The letter was quite interesting...interesting story, I think many people would have read it in 'The Sunday Mail' so obviously a bit of a scoop for them. But the photo of her in a tree, was that just a casual shot? Ahaha, when she was sitting in a tree as a photographer went by? Do people start to factor this in? In other words have people made up their mind one way or another on this and it becomes, you know, it will be built in?

SCHACHT: I think it will be built in, I think people have made up their mind privately on what she said, what the Premier has said and that's that. And there will be more stories, there'll be more photographs of Miss Chantelois up a tree or somewhere else staged...that's fine...she's entitled to do that, the media's entitled to cover it, it's a free press, free country and so on and I have to agree that from time to time the story is a distraction but the Labor Party's just got to get on with their campaign and not worry about it.

ABRAHAM: David and I are interested in the disclosure of political donations for the state sphere...despite the Liberal Party crying poor and saying they haven't got any money they're both getting about the same, about two million bucks each. Would that be roughly right? You're loaded!

PYNE: Well we're certainly not loaded! I don't know what all the disclosure and finances of both parties are. I tend to focus on what's going on in Sturt and...

BEVAN: ...there's a theme going here...

PYNE: ...all I know is that the Labor Party gets an enormous boost from its union donations as well as getting about the same from business and that puts them well ahead of us at election time. And Labor will outspend the Liberal Party in this state election probably by anything up to three or four to one.

ABRAHAM: The political donations showed $2m each. I mean Rob Gerard was [unclear] his big biccies as usual for the Liberal Party.

SCHACHT: As usual and so on. Look, and in view of the fact that the polls have shown a narrowing of the margin I think there'll be a lot more normal Liberal supporters in the business community coming out, putting a bit more money in and I've actually heard indirectly that since Tony Abbott became the Leader one thing he has done is got the right wing base active back in the Liberal Party making money, putting donations in.

BEVAN: Well we must bid farewell to Christopher Pyne...but Christopher Schacht before you leave us, your old adversary Michael Atkinson didn't have a great week last week in the party. I say adversary, you're both in the same party but you're often clashing over things.

SCHACHT: Well it was an astonishing thing that happened last week and I think the only thing that Mick Atkinson's got in his favour is...why did the Liberal Party vote for it? Can't they read a bill? When it went through Vickie Chapman agreed to it and so did I think even the Greens in the Upper House. So Atkinson has a big defence that everyone voted for it, particularly the Liberal Party but to suddenly announce we're going to "As chief law officer I'm not going to...we're going to enforce the law" et cetera and then all the back down, the publicity it got, the belting he got in the media, over the Internet blogging I would have thought, and I'm one them, is that Mick you're a very good doorknocker in your electorate, well maybe go and stick to that or go and doorknock Innamincka for the rest of the campaign, just keep a low profile. Because I think he's a lightning rod for a lot of people who are antagonistic and thinking of an excuse to vote against the Government and I just think he keeps distracting the Government off the way, the media away from what is a very good message the Government has got, even including on water. I'm not moving away from that, water's a big issue...

ABRAHAM: ...you're drifting!

SCHACHT: I'm just saying the economy is the one that the Government has got to promote right. On the water issue there is a big debate about it and I've always said it's a potential vote changer. I listened very carefully to your interview up at Chaffey and the story in the Weekend Advertiser Magazine, the interview with Karlene.

ABRAHAM: That was hard hitting.

SCHACHT: Well the point is my feedback is that from a year or so ago, her position has improved for it.

ABRAHAM: Well it's improved with that sort of run.

SCHACHT: ...the economy and the water rare major issues, we don't want any distraction...

ABRAHAM: ...hurry it up!

SCHACHT: ...on other things like what happened in the middle of last week....

(ends)