E&OE TRANSCRIPT 
TELEVSION INTERVIEW
SUNRISE
MONDAY, 6 MAY 2019  

Subjects: Polls; Labor launch; Case for change; Labor’s policies to boost healthcare, childcare and pensioner dental care. 

DAVID KOCH: Opposition Leader Bill Shorten joins me from Sydney this morning after last night’s ALP launch. Bill Shorten thanks for joining us.  

BILL SHORTEN, LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION: Good morning David. 

KOCH: Look you've splashed billions on promises. You have won- been judged to win the last two debates. Why don't people like you in terms of the preferred Prime Minister vote?

SHORTEN: I don't accept that people don't like me or our policies. But I've made a rule for over 2,000 days while I've led a stable and united Labor Party that I am not going to comment about polls. I've only got another 13 days to go so I'm not about to break that now. But I think when you look at the key issues in the election David, the issue is do you want more of the same or is it time for real change? Do we want more chaos, more cuts to services or do we want to see real action on wages, cost of living and of course climate change by a united team?

KOCH: Alright. You can say that, you can say you ignore it. But look, it seems as though the more people see you the more they don't like you. What don't people get about you? What are the areas that they're missing? Last night Chloe Shorten, Mr Shorten was a real star of the show having to explain what a nice bloke you are. 

SHORTEN: Well I think Chloe was excellent yesterday-

KOCH: Yeah, I agree.

SHORTEN: And I was really pleased that she spoke. She doesn't seek the political limelight but I thought that was – I was just wrapped.

KOCH: Is that a reflection though that you need her to come out and convince the Australian public that that you are a decent bloke, that you're not able to do it yourself.

SHORTEN: Well David, when you do appearances with Libby I don't think that you're not a decent person. But I think Libby presents another side of you. I think there's nothing wrong at all. And let's go to the heart of the matter, what you're getting at. Labor's leading on the policy debate in this country. You know, we have put forward policies on how we pay for our promises. This country cannot go on with more of the same. You and I both know that the economy is in the freezer, wages are stagnating, the cost of childcare- there will be plenty of people watching the show this morning, you know two income families where the second person, generally the mum, is practically just working to pay for the childcare. Did you know David, that we're proposing a $2,000 subsidy per child per year? We can do this because we're winding back unsustainable loopholes. I think I’ve got the right message for the times. 

KOCH: Another big question is how are you going to pay for it all? Come on give us the facts and figures. I've done a bit on the back of an envelope, you're going to save $5 billion on stopping the franking credit cash rebates. That's not quite enough. Where's the rest of the money coming from?

SHORTEN: Well we've said that we want multinationals to pay their fair share. I announced yesterday- actually- a new scheme to stop some multinationals treating the Australian tax system as a doormat which they wipe their boots on coming in and out of Australia. We've also said that we want to wind back unsustainable negative gearing where we're giving taxpayer money to property investors who make a loss on their fifth and sixth investment property. So we can explain it. The other thing which we're not going to do is – it's a matter of priorities – Mr Morrison is proposing to spend $77 billion out of the Budget to give a tax cut to the top end of town. We know he's got his personal pet passion project which is giving $80 billion to big corporations. So by me not spending money on the very top end I can help fund the emergency wards around New South Wales for example. I can help fund pensioner dental. No one ever talks about pensioners in elections.  

KOCH: That's fair enough. All right Bill Shorten thanks for joining us. 

SHORTEN: Thank you.

ENDS