Transcript - Parliament House - 18 November 2009

SUBJECTS:Changes to Youth Allowance; Scientology; Sports in Australia; Asylum seekers

(greetings omitted)

Christopher PYNE: Last night in the Senate, the Senate decided to pass the Youth Allowance Bill of the Government. That Bill has been amended by the Opposition in conjunction with the Greens, Nick Xenophon and Steve Fielding to ensure the retrospective elements have been removed from it so that people half way there will not have the goalposts moved. We've also changed the Work Test relationship for people on the move away from home to go to University so that they'll be able to apply on the old rules. That 30 hour per week test, which is virtually impossible for a young country student to fulfil, will be removed and they'll apply on the old Gap Year rule. We've amended the Bill to make it fairer for rural students, regional students and those who planned their lives around the rules as they were before Julia Gillard decided to change them. We also introduced the savings measure, which the Government defeated. Therefore it's on the Government's head as to how they will fund the alterations. There is another important aspect of this which is the Commonwealth Scholarships due to start on January 1^st have been tied to this Bill in an act of political blackmail by the Minister who is trying to force the Opposition to vote for a Bill we find repugnant, by leaking Commonwealth Scholarships too. That will not work, the Opposition will not back down from this Bill. Commonwealth Scholarships will not flow from January the first unless the Government adopts the Opposition's amendments.

Journalist: And have you any indication on whether the Government will accept these changes?

PYNE: Well my experience in these things is that the Minister has never been wrong on anything and I'm sure that if she does back down, it will be in a way to appear she hasn't accepted our amendments. That's a matter for her. Her pride is of no interest to me, whatsoever. My interests are in rural and regional students having access to universities and those students currently in the gap year not having the goalposts moving on them. Commonwealth Scholarships, the Opposition would like them to flow on January the first but we will not be blackmailed into voting for a Bill we find repugnant.

Journalist: Do you share Senator Xenophon's comments about the Church of Scientology?

PYNE: Well I've never been a fan of the Church of Scientology. I've never closely studied it. It's like one of those things closing a door on somebody who is doorknocking and you don't really want to talk to. I'm not sure if I want to find out everything about the Church of Scientology. I have real concerns about the Church of Scientology's views on mental health. When I was in Government and responsible for mental health, the Church of Scientology cuts directly across the important messages we in our society think people need to hear. Which is that they should get access to psychiatrists, psychologists and treatment for mental health. The Church of Scientology seems to believe that psychiatry, psychology and the like is voodoo medicine.  I think that is very dangerous. I won't agree with Nick Xenophon's charges that's a matter for him, but I certainly don't have much trust in the Church of Scientology.

Journalist: Will this change their status?

PYNE: Well that's a matter for the Government to react to Senator Xenophon's speech. I have a lot of regard for Nick Xenophon, in fact he's an old law lecturer of mine, we've known each other for over 20 years. He's obviously considered what he wanted to say and put it down on the record. I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon today other to say I don't have any support or regard for the Church of Scientology.

Journalist: How about a broader question, with the tax exempt status for churches and this goes to whether there should be an enquiry into that broader issue.

PYNE: look, I don't support an enquiry into the tax exempt status of churches and charities. I believe if the Australian Taxation Office has decided to award a charity or church with tax exempt status they've done the work to ensure that is legitimate. It's justified and I'm not prepared to look behind that curtain to work out whether they've done the right job. It's not my job, I don't believe in opening up a Pandora's Box of the tax exempt status of the churches.

Journalist: Just on sport...whether the Coalition will consider a change on the sport...separate on the lower level of Olympic Games to settle (unclear) the people (unclear).

PYNE: I don't think there would be any enthusiasm of the Australian people to return to the embarrassing scene that was the Olympics in Montreal. Malcolm Fraser responded to that. We are a sporting nation and that means we need to support elite sports and all sports. I have four children, three of who are very active little sportspeople. They don't have any difficulty getting out to play T-Ball, rugby, football and I don't understand why the Government would want to recalibrate our sporting expenditure to the point where we would become a mediocre sporting country rather than the great sporting country which gives every Australian enormous pride whether we come third, fourth or fifth in the Olympics and far beyond what any country could expect.

Journalist: Very quickly on boat people. The rest of the asylum seekers are expected to come off the Oceanic Viking today, are you worried they will be also getting a special deal?

PYNE: Look, there's no doubt they've been given a special deal. The offer was to all 78 asylum seekers and not just the 22 that came off the boat first. The other 56 were offered the same deal. I find it embarrassing the Prime Minister can say that black is white and the rest of the country can see it's wrong. It's a big character flaw that he can't admit the mistake and there's been a special deal. Everyone in Australia knows there's been a special deal. This is a further green light to people smugglers, another string in their bow about how to sell and market their evil trade.

ENDS