E&OE TRANSCRIPT

TELEVISION INTERVIEW
KISS 106.5

KYLE AND JACKIE O SHOW

WEDNESDAY, 27 MAY 2015

 

SUBJECT/S: Marriage Equality.

 

KYLE: Bill, hi – welcome to the show first Mr Shorten, how are you?

 

JACKIE: Hi.

 

BILL SHORTEN, LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION: Hi good morning, great to talk to you guys.

 

KYLE: Nice to talk to you. Now you’ve gone and done what we can only describe as a remarkable, brave and long overdue thing. You have put a little note together, what’s it called - you’ve probably got a special term for it. I would have said a post-it, if it was done here and in the suggestion box at the Government there to say –

 

JACKIE: It’s a Bill to legalise same sex marriage.

 

SHORTEN: Yes.

 

KYLE: Yeah, yeah whatever you call it. So that’s a great thing.

 

JACKIE: Tell us what happens from here though.

 

SHORTEN: Well late yesterday afternoon, under the rules of the Parliament, I have to notify the Parliament that I want to present a bill for an act to amend the Marriage Act to establish marriage equality and for related purposes. So that will go on the notice paper today and then next Monday, I will be able to propose a Bill that will finally allow marriage equality in Australia, and that’ll then be debated over the coming days and weeks. It won’t get voted on, on Monday – but I just think the time is right for marriage equality in Australia.

 

KYLE: I think you’re right.

 

JACKIE: Do you think Australians, or the majority of Australians feel the same? I know here in Sydney, I think we’re a bit more liberal and I’m sure, you know, I would say it would definitely be the majority, but there are other states that might not be the same. What’s your feeling on that?

 

SHORTEN: I think most people probably think it is time, and what we can do is some people – part of what’s prompted this is that I’ve believed for a long time in marriage equality, as have my colleagues, many of them. But I think when we all woke up Sunday morning and saw that Ireland, which is a very religious country, had overwhelmingly decided in a referendum to say yep we can live with marriage equality – I just thought, well this is the time, the time’s right, we’ve got to have this debate again here in Australia.

 

KYLE: I think you’re right, because like it’s far too many people have just sat around doing nothing about it got a long time.

 

JACKIE: It’s embarrassing that we’re the last English speaking country left on the list. What happens though Mr Shorten, so you propose this, but I think you need the backing of the Prime Minister for this to work?

 

SHORTEN: Yes, well Labor on its own wouldn’t have enough votes to get it through the Parliament, we’re the Opposition. We have a free vote in our party, but by far and away the vast majority of our Members of Parliament of the Labor team support marriage equality. What I would like to do, is to see Tony Abbott give a free vote to his people – there’s a lot more Liberal MPs – and give them a free vote, and then I think we could just about get there to have marriage equality Australia.

 

JACKIE: So it all hinges on Mr Abbott allowing that.

 

KYLE: Is that a secret vote, where no one knows who’s voted what?

 

SHORTEN: For the law to actually be passed it would be done in the Parliament, so everyone would see how everyone else voted.

 

KYLE: Oh right. Do you reckon that might stop some people, because you know some people have secret lives, and some people they think one thing but they represent people that think another.

 

SHORTEN: I think when it comes to voting in Parliament on this matter, by the time that we get to a vote, that’s why I’m not rushing it for Monday, but I’m the leader of one of the two major political parties in Australia. I think it’s time that we had the debate at that level, I think that most of the MPs by the time we get to a vote will have made up their mind. My concern is if the conservatives or Tony Abbott’s party force people to vote one way, then if we don’t get a free vote, then marriage equality can’t happen.

 

KYLE: Right.

 

JACKIE: Do you think it’s likely he’ll do that?

 

SHORTEN: I don’t know, I’m in the business of persuasion not trying to put them off, I hope that by the leader of one of two major political parties in Australia, the alternative prime minister saying hey I think we should have marriage equality, that that’ll be a sufficient trigger for Tony Abbott’s party and his MPs to say hey it’s probably time now Tony for us to have a free vote on this question.

 

JACKIE: Well let’s hope it happens, good luck with it.

 

KYLE: Have you been watching all the stuff about Bruce Jenner doing the crossing – doing the transgendering? Different story I know but –

 

SHORTEN: Yeah it has gone onto my radar yes.

 

JACKIE: Did you watch it?

 

KYLE: It’s fascinating.

 

SHORTEN: No I didn’t, but –

 

KYLE: You’ve got to get on E channel, Keeping up with the Kardashians, it’s all about the Bruce bit. It’s great, it’s a two part series, very emotional. I thought it was a bit of a joke right, at first, but then I sat down and watched it, and I have a whole new understanding about what other people who think different to me are going through, and I think what you’re starting with here is great, a great start.

 

JACKIE: It’s a step in the right direction.

 

SHORTEN: Yes I just think at the end of the day, where we’ve got laws which excludes some people, the case can’t be made, and I think marriage equality – the time’s right now and I’m certainly going to push with every capacity I have to make sure that we make marriage equality a reality in Australia.

 

JACKIE: Good on you.

 

KYLE: Bill before you go, all the gays and the lesbians here on the phones.

 

PRODUCERS: Yay, go Bill, go Bill, go Bill! Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill!

 

KYLE: Now you know what you’ve gone and done, you’ve gone and ruined it now, because now Bill just thinks it’s just one big piss up party with you lot.

 

Laughter

 

PRODUCER: Love you Bill!

 

SHORTEN: We’ve got a bit of a way to go yet, but we’ll get there. I really believe it, the idea is right.

 

KYLE: You’ll get your own float in Mardi Gras Bill if you pull this off, I’ll tell you. I’ll be up there with you holding your hand. Well side by side let’s say.

 

SHORTEN: Okay thanks, just another incentive.

 

KYLE: You’re welcome back here whenever you want.

 

SHORTEN: Great lovely, I look forward to that. Cheers.


ENDS

 

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