E&OE TRANSCRIPT

DOORSTOP INTERVIEW

CANBERRA

MONDAY, 9 FEBRUARY 2015

 

SUBJECT/S: Liberal Government in chaos; Abbott Government’s unfair Budget.

 

JOURNALIST: Your party has been here before [inaudible]?

 

BILL SHORTEN, LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION: The Labor Party has learnt its lesson. What we're seeing today in Canberra with the Liberal Party ripping itself apart can't happen anymore in the Labor Party we’ve just changed our rules. We understand that Australians want to have some say in the leadership of the nation, but I think today’s chaos and dysfunction no matter who the Liberal Party pick is not the real issue. It is not the identity of the salesman that matters here it is what they are selling. What this Government needs to do if it's to regain the broken trust of Australian people, is drop its unfair budget; no GP Tax, no $100,000 degrees, no cuts to pensions. The Government has broken the trust of the Australian people and changing leaders doesn't do anything to address that problem.

 

JOURNALIST: But the polls are showing that if they do turn to Malcolm Turnbull that means they’ll be stealing votes off Labor and potentially win the next election if they decide [inaudible]?

 

SHORTEN: Politics in Australia needs to be fixed. What matters here is not the identity of the Liberal Prime Minister, what matters here is keeping trust with the Australian people. The Australian people were not told before the last election about $100,000 university degrees, cuts to pensions or a GP Tax on the sick. What needs to happen to rebuild and restore faith and confidence between the Australian people and the Australian Government, is the Government needs to keep its promises. Politics can be sometimes made out to be more complicated than what it is. It’s all about keeping your promises.

 

JOURNALIST: So you’ve got tactics just in case Turnbull does win?

 

SHORTEN: Well again, it’s not about the tactics and the debate in Parliament. The role of the Parliament is to add to the greater Commonwealth of Australia. What the Parliament needs to do and Labor’s up for it, is reverse this unfair Budget. The nation of Australia has lost 18 months going down a rabbit hole of unfairness. Dump the GP Tax, dump the cut to pensions, dump their $100,000 university degrees, build the subs in Australia. These are the measures that matter not breaking promises. Last question thanks.

 

JOURNALIST: In regards to submarines, do you welcome that decision, that move?

 

SHORTEN: Labor has stood shoulder to shoulder with the Australian submarine industry, our defence forces and the people of South Australia. We have been relentless and determined to prevail that subs should be built in Australia. The Liberal Government should just keep the promise it made at the last election. It’s a sorry state for the Liberal Government in Australia that when they look like they are going to keep a promise, everyone is pleasantly surprised. It’s about keeping promises. Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Julie Bishop, it’s about repudiating the unfairness of the Budget. Thanks everyone.

 

 

ENDS

 

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