E&OE TRANSCRIPT
SARAH ABO, HOST: The Northern Territory will reinstate alcohol bans in town camps and remote Aboriginal communities, the restrictions being announced to curb the crime wave plaguing Alice Springs. For more, let's bring in Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten in Canberra and 3AW’s Neil Mitchell in Melbourne. Good morning to you both. Good to see you.
BILL SHORTEN, MINISTER FOR NDIS AND GOVERNMENT SERVICES: Good morning.
ABO: Now, Bill, this is a blanket approach to solving incredibly complex issues. It's something that you've been calling for some time, there really has been an issue there for six months. Do you think this is actually going to see the results that we want?
SHORTEN: These are long term problems, so anyone who thinks you can just solve a long term problem overnight is not being realistic. But I know that for the Albanese Government the first priority has to be community safety. I think the - in fact I'm sure that the alcohol bans will assist, at least in the short term, the challenges in the longer term - so that keeps women safe - the challenge in the longer term is what are we going to do for the kids? How do we make sure they stay at school? How do we make sure they've got a trade or they've got jobs to go to? So that's the longer term plan. Community safety, tackle the alcohol, but then we've got to make sure this generation of young people have got some opportunities.
ABO: And sure, I guess change needs to be incremental. But Neil, obviously, we saw that the Chief Minister was very resistant to imposing these alcohol bans. She's now backflipped and thinks that they are probably the best solution right now. Is it too little too late, though?
NEIL MITCHELL, 3AW: Oh no, it's not. It’s a start, Bill’s right. It's a start. And obviously we all want the best possible result here. It's horrendous what's been happening there. Humanitarian disaster. I'm a bit disappointed it's taken the federal government six or seven months to actually get around to it, however they've done it, and that's a good thing. I agree with Bill on the kids. People I've spoken to talk there about children being abused and wanting to remove them from their families, but because of the sort of spectre of the Stolen Generation, it's a difficult thing to do. If those sort of interventions are necessary, they'll need to be led by the Black community, by the Indigenous people. I hope they're not necessary, but people on the ground are telling me increasingly in some areas they are.
ABO: It seems as though the government was didn't want to intervene. Do you think they should have, would that have solved this a bit faster?
SHORTEN: I don't think it’s -
MITCHELL: I think they could have intervenes earlier, yes. It could have been earlier. I mean, you have had seven months, Bill.
SHORTEN: I don't think it's not wanting to intervene. Actually, all governments have had about 25 years Neil. This problem didn't, you know, come down three months ago. I was speaking to a friend of mine who's a medical locum up in Alice Springs for one week every month. There's no doubt that we've got to - the immediate, really nasty crisis with the lifting of the alcohol bans that emerged is violence against women. So, the alcohol bans do make sense and we've got to go back to them, no question. This longer question, though, of jobs in Alice Springs and bush communities, that's been around for a lot longer and we're just going to have to do better.
ABO: Let's go, because today is a big news day and we've obviously got cash rates being a massive issue today. Some economists expecting a 0.25% increase today, which would be a massive blow to homeowners and businesses across the country. Bill, we're already in dire straits and things seem to just keep getting worse. How are we going to cope?
SHORTEN: Well, it'll be incredibly painful for mortgage holders if the rates go up again. We know that the Reserve Bank's independent, they set the official sort of cash rate -
ABO: But do you need to step in as the government, do you think?
SHORTEN: Well, I'm coming to this. The point is, though, even though the bank is independent, I hope that their mindful of the effect that this has, what they're trying to do is to restrain inflation. But the inflation last quarter was very high, and that's for a range of international factors. But the point is, I think inflation is coming down as it is. So, the Reserve Bank, I hope, and some of the commentators who are urging them on to keep lifting the rates, they just need to take a deep breath. You don't want to cause bigger problems to Australians who are paying mortgages when the inflation problem is beginning to recede anyway. The Federal Government, there are other things we can do separately to the Reserve Bank, and that's why we're lowering the cost of childcare, making medicines cheaper, we're tackling energy prices and we're also creating a system where wages can move modestly.
ABO: I guess the reality is that it's hurting businesses right now. Neil, I know this is a story that you're following, for example, with those small businesses that Mr. and Mrs. Pizza in suburban Melbourne really outlining just how dire it is. A pizza box, the cheese on that in 1997 have cost them $47. The latest in October is now that is $153. I mean, if that doesn't typify the struggles that small businesses are experiencing right now, I don't know what does.
MITCHELL: Yeah, and it surged. It went up $35 and 23 years has gone up $59 in the past two years. That's what they're putting up with. I don't know, Bill. You promised cost of living relief and you've gone through what you're doing. It's not working yet. I mean, you promised this before the election. When do we feel it? When do we feel that cost of living relief? People have stopped buying coffees, you know, the micro treat is going people have stopped buying coffees. Before the election, we wouldn't talk about the economy. Now we are thankfully in - spending signs, signs of spending is dropping. I agree. I think maybe we still are getting on top of inflation. But you promised this cost of living relief, electricity prices. I'm waiting to see it. People are waiting to see it. When is it?
ABO: Very quickly, Bill.
SHORTEN: Well Neil, just before we go, the wages system takes a little while to turn around, but we are seeing wages improved, not as high as inflation, but some modest improvement there. The childcare relief comes in this year, so I don't know, probably that's not of immediate use to yourself, Neil. But you know, the point about it is some of these measures are coming in now.
MITCHELL: A lot of people haven't got kids.
SHORTEN: Well, okay. That’s not my fault, sorry Neil.
ABO: Look, it's a tough time regardless of families or small businesses at the moment.
MITCHELL: No, but you offer that as, you offer that as a cost of living relief - if you've got kids, terrific. Where’s the big plan?
SHORTEN: Yeah but Neil, wages are moving.
MITCHELL: That’s gonna help the pizza shop.
SHORTEN: But be careful of dismissing childcare, that’s going to help a lot of people.
ABO: I think it'll take a lot longer to solve all of these problems than we have right now, sadly.
SHORTEN: Neil, I can't believe you just can't believe you just handpassed childcare and said not my issue. I don't have a kid, so you know, that's it.
MITCHELL: No, well you know I didn’t do that at all.
ABO: Well, you know, you two could go all day. I’m, going to leave it right there
MITCHELL: Sarah wants to wrap up.
SHORTEN: See ya, Neil.
ABO: Sadly, we do have to wrap up, but thank you both for your time. It's always a fiery exchange. I love having you both on. Thank you both for your time. We'll pick it up again soon.
