E&OE TRANSCRIPT

DOORSTOP INTERVIEW
CANBERRA

TUESDAY, 23 JUNE 2015

 

SUBJECT/S: Citizenship; Tony Abbott’s Royal Commission

 

JOURNALIST: Just quickly, your response on the reported deaths of Khaled Sharrouf and Mohammed Elomar, and so whether you think that Khaled Sharrouf’s wife and children should be able to come back into the country?

 

BILL SHORTEN, LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION: First of all we’ll wait for the Government to give us final details about what’s happened, but I certainly state clearly on behalf of the Labor Party if you go overseas and join a terrorist organisation, you will probably die. I shed no tears if in fact this is what’s happened in this case.

 

JOURNALIST: Kathy Jackson says you’re one of the evil forces within the Labor party that have conspired against her. Do you deny those claims?

 

SHORTEN:  We all know that the Royal Commission is a political exercise. I’ve always, every day that I’ve got up worked for the best interest of workers and done so in a manner which has delivered, I believe, good outcomes for workers, and their employers. Last question thanks.

 

JOURNALIST: Do you think Sharrouf’s wife should come home, just back to that first question?

 

SHORTEN: It’s a pretty complex situation, I feel very much for the children. For me the well-being of the children is what’s important. In terms of the wife, we need to get a briefing from the Government on what’s happening and again let me just stress again, when it comes to national security and making the long-term interests, we will work with the Government. Thanks everyone, see you later.

 

ENDS

 

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