E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
SKY NEWS
THURSDAY, 2 DECEMBER 2021
 
SUBJECTS: Rachelle Miller statements re: Alan Tudge; Jenkins Report recommendations; Christian Porter decision not to run; Labor’s chances at the next election, climate policy; Morrison Government response to COVID; lockdowns.
 
TOM CONNELL, HOST: Welcome back, we've got more dramatic allegations here in Parliament House today, joining me live, the Shadow Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten. Thanks for your time. So, claims made by Rachelle Miller, a former staffer for Alan Tudge, which we've covered extensively. What do you think should happen from here?
 
BILL SHORTEN, MEMBER FOR MARIBYRNONG: Well, I don't know the complainant, Rachelle Miller, and I don't know Mr Tudge at all very well so I can't comment on the individual matters. But it does come as the Jenkins Report has been handed down, and quite frankly, I haven't seen yet a good argument against the recommendations in Jenkins Report. So, I think the sooner that - Labor is going to consult, the sooner we can get on with implementing it so that there can be no doubt that this is a safe workplace, then I think the better the nation and the standard of our democracy will be.
 
CONNELL: So, you want Labor to have a really quick formal position on this, then go to the Government and then have something when we reconvene next year, essentially?
 
SHORTEN: Well, Labor's been thinking about the equal treatment of women for a very long time. And so, we've got a lot of very strong-minded advocates in our ranks. Obviously, we've got a report, you've got to consult about it. But you know, I, for one, haven't seen a lot of very good arguments against us fully implementing it, and some of Kate Jenkins recommendations shouldn't really be a surprise for anyone who has thought about how you create safe workplaces.
 
CONNELL: Okay. What about the process in this situation, though? What should happen? Is it a separate inquiry?
 
SHORTEN: Which situation?
 
CONNELL: For the allegations made against Alan Tudge?
 
SHORTEN: Oh listen, they're just breaking now. I don't know where that goes next. It's pretty disturbing, but I don't want to comment on the individual matter because I just don't know.
 
CONNELL: Is it the sort of thing you think the PM needs to - is it a parliamentary inquiry or is it a police matter, though? I mean, we sort of need a process totally for this sort of stuff.
 
SHORTEN: Well, that's going to be a matter for Mr Tudge and for the Government. And you know, it's something obviously, it's very serious, but I really don't want to comment about that. But within the framework that we've - this week had Commissioner Jenkins provide, I think, a pretty clear blueprint. I think the sooner we get down to work that, you know, it doesn't make up for the problems of the past, but it certainly shows that the parliament is committed to making sure that whatever hasn't gone right in the past doesn't happen again.
 
CONNELL: We also heard from Rachelle Miller, she said there's things are quite just as bad on the other side, skeletons in the closet. Are you aware of any of them?
 
SHORTEN: No.
 
CONNELL: No?
 
SHORTEN: No.
 
CONNELL: So that's just a comment that doesn't read true at all to you?
 
SHORTEN: Well, you know, if whoever's saying whatever, they've got whatever reason for saying it, but I think that the parliament as a whole needs to make sure that this workplace is safe. The vast bulk of people who work in parliament do the right thing, but if it happens once, it's unacceptable.
 
CONNELL: And a final one on this area if you like, Christian Porter quitting, do you have any sympathy considering the claims against him given their nature, including being historical, they were never going to be able to be entirely - he was never going to be able to emphatically clear his name if you like?
 
SHORTEN: Well, Mr Porter has to - he's given his reasons why he's going. I think it's been a very difficult time for everyone. But I don't understand why he didn't disclose where his million dollars came from.
 
CONNELL: That remains the killer issue for you?
 
SHORTEN: I just don't understand. That's… you know, that's very clear. You can't get a million dollars and say, I don't know where that came from. That's - I don't know. I don't know why he wouldn't do that.
 
CONNELL: Alright, let's turn to the election. Anthony Albanese said Labor would be kicking with the wind in the last quarter. I think the siren’s just blown to recommence play. Does it feel like the wind is behind your back?
 
SHORTEN: Labor's competitive. We are competitive. This is a government where the wheels are just falling off. I mean, I don't think they expected to win the last election. They didn't have an agenda. Their only agenda was that they weren't Labor. And now, three years on, Mr Morrison's lost lots of his ministers. I mean, they're now planning – he’s sufficiently unambitious for Australia that to sit only 10 days between of parliament between when we finished today and August of next year. Like, if you're on Centrelink, you're unemployed and you would only turn up to 10 job interviews in the next eight months, you'd be breached, you’d be kicked off Centrelink. Mr Morrison, his work-shy ethic is giving Australian politics a bad name.
 
CONNELL: What about, you said there's a small, you know, policy framework on the other side. What about Labor's, its small target. Is it too small?
 
SHORTEN: No, we're putting forward policies. We'll roll them out closer to the election. We've already put out strong policies, some of which I thought the government could have accepted now. And it doesn't make sense that they haven't put forward an Anti-Corruption Commission, does it? They've had over 1000 days.
 
CONNELL: It was an election promise. But I mean, Labor's been very critical of the handling of the pandemic, and it's dominated our lives. But what are the big policy changes people would vote Labor in for this election? You're actually going to change in the future?
 
SHORTEN: Well, let's start with the pandemic, it's still a giant issue. I don't know why we don't have purpose-built quarantine facilities.
 
CONNELL: Well, it’s being built. The difference at the next election -
 
SHORTEN: How long has the pandemic been around for Tom?
 
CONNELL: Sure. But I'm asking,
 
SHORTEN: I mean, this is an amazing government that, sure, basically, the government argues we've done two fifths of bugger all for a thousand days, and can we please have another thousand days to do two fifths of bugger all again? For us, we've announced social housing. We've announced rewiring the nation. We've announced that in my portfolio of NDIS that we would make sure that it's run in the interests of the participants and not government cost cutting.
 
CONNELL: So overall, when you look at that and perhaps what's to come, which you might have more insight than I do on, is there enough there? Is it too small target?
 
SHORTEN: I'm sure there's enough there. I mean, and also, Mr Morrison, you know, it is a competition. Labor's articulating policies, I guess Mr Morrison's argument is what? What is the reason to be for the Morrison government? Sorry, I didn't mean to ask the hard questions, that’s your job
 
CONNELL: Broadly, though, Anthony Albanese kicking with the wind in the last quarter. Has he managed this whole thing well, because it's sort of being big enough to get imagination, I suppose, and get people voting for you, but maybe not too big, as critics said your overall approach was last election?
 
SHORTEN: Well, I accept that at the last election we put out a lot of policies, but that also provided the ground for the government to run scare campaigns and scare people. So…
 
SpCeaker1: So, is the mix right this time?
 
SHORTEN: I think we have got it right. It's competitive. Anyone can win an election. But I do think that the other thing is that for the opposition, it's been tough during COVID to get airtime. People have been legitimately just worried about getting through COVID.
 
CONNELL: Tough for Anthony Albanese to cut through, maybe?
 
SHORTEN: Maybe. Well, no. It's hard for oppositions and I think of oppositions around the country. We've done better than most state oppositions so far.
 
CONNELL: The party also about to decide its overall target on climate. You took 45 per cent at the last election. The government said it was a wrecking ball. You've got more support for this if you want to take something similar. The Business Council of Australia has had a walk to, a road to Damascus moment. Perhaps we'll call it on.
 
SHORTEN: I love the Business Council because, you know, they know a lot about climate change. They've held every position on it.
 
CONNELL: Does Labor need to keep that target though, to show its seriousness?
 
SHORTEN: The Business Council - just for a moment because I think they would like to wave a magic wand and make everyone forget what they said three years ago. The Business Council said three years ago, 45 per cent was a wrecking ball. Now they say it should be 45 to 50 per cent.
 
CONNELL: And is that cover though, for Labor to take something similar to this election?
 
SHORTEN: Well, we'll wait and see in the next few days and weeks.
 
CONNELL: But what's your view? Do you need something above the government's projection to show you're serious about this?
 
SHORTEN: I think most fair-minded people recognise that the government is amazingly unambitious for taking meaningful action on climate, and if you take action on climate, you'll generate new jobs and you put downward pressure on energy costs. So, it's good cost of living, it's good jobs and it's good for the environment.
 
CONNELL: So, if the government is so unambitious, you couldn't possibly just take their projections. And that's it. Is that a fair enough statement?
 
SHORTEN: You could say that.
 
CONNELL: What’s your view? Would you agree with that?
 
SHORTEN: We'll wait and see in the next few days.
 
CONNELL: But you must have a view.
 
SHORTEN: I've got a track record of wanting to take action on climate, so I think the principles of taking action on climate are well based and we see Biden and the Europeans
 
CONNELL: You’ve got an electric car now I understand, so embracing the - 
 
SHORTEN: Yeah, yeah. And as a result of me getting an electric car. It's saving taxpayers about $4000 a year in the petrol, which as an MP you'd otherwise be paying for in a petrol car. So that's nice.
 
CONNELL: Just finally, the dominant issue for Melburnians has been lockdowns. Do you hope that there's a very strong resistance to any lockdown by Daniel Andrews, even if there's variants and we get upticks in cases, whatever it might be, that that really is a genuine last resort now?
 
SHORTEN: I think that the steps that the states have made, and Australians have made actually and most credit, goes to Australians. We're now at north of 90 per cent vaccinations. I don't think any Australian wants to go back into the lockdown, certainly not any Melburnians. So, I think the challenge is the sooner the Feds can tick off on a vaccine for five- to 11-year-olds, the sooner that we can have purpose built quarantine, the sooner that we roll out third booster shots, and also, I think that COVID anywhere is a threat to COVID to all people. So, I think we need to be manufacturing more vaccines to help with Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and the Pacific islands, and we should be making vaccines in Australia.
 
CONNELL: All right. Well, a lot of those are government plans, if you like.
 
SHORTEN: Well, they’re plans….
 
CONNELL: Should lockdowns really be really a last resort?
 
SHORTEN: Of course. Of course, we don't want to do that. But it's not just Daniel Andrews, it's - the federal government can show leadership here. And that's not just Liberal versus Labor tit for tat.
 
CONNELL: Okay. Got to leave it there, Bill Shorten, thanks for your time.
 
ENDS