E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
TODAY SHOW
TUESDAY, 13 OCTOBER 2020

SUBJECTS: Gladys Berejiklian’s relationship uncovered at ICAC hearing; senior Victorian public servant resigns over hotel quarantine; post-COVID holidays

KARL STEFANOVIC, HOST: Well, it was certainly an astonishing day for our state leaders, wasn't it? Gladys Berejiklian facing calls to resign over that secret five year relationship. Daniel Andrews’ government in crisis after the resignation of the state's most senior public servant over the hotel quarantine debacle, plenty to discuss. Shadow Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten and Triple M’s Gus Worland join me now. Good morning, you guys. Bill, you first up. Should Gladys Berejiklian, who's done an incredible job so far this year, she's enormously popular. Should she survive? And how does she muscle through it?

BILL SHORTEN, MEMBER FOR MARIBYRNONG: Well, I don't know what ICAC will find and obviously that's relevant. But can I take off my political hat, my Labor hat for a moment and just say I was surprised, but I don’t know, it's all pretty human, isn't it? And I don't hold that against Gladys. I mean, she's a very dignified person, I and Chloe met with her on many of occasions. And as a result, you know, I think she would have been embarrassed by listening to the phone tapes of her conversation. But she's a smart lady who I think's been punching below her weight with a perhaps much more average guy. But I've got I've got sympathy for Gladys at the human level.

STEFANOVIC: Bill, you've summed it up perfectly. I mean, everyone in Australia wanted to say it

SHORTEN: Listen, people make mistakes. But, you know, I guess there's a political angle and that's got to play through and it is serious or ICAC wouldn’t be checking it all out. But just speaking as a human being.

STEFANOVIC: Yeah. And if anyone deserves a break here and anyone deserves to at least try and get through this and not have her personal life thrust in front of the world, it's her given what she's done and how she's helped her, her people get through this crisis, a number of crises this year. Gus, you?

GUS WORLAND, TRIPLE M: Yeah, totally. And Bill, brilliant. That's exactly what I was going to say. So I'm glad you said it. She is punching well below there. But no, she’s done a fantastic job. She deserves her private life to be in the private life. Of course, she understands there's going to be all sorts of drama now that comes out of it. But she's been open and honest enough. Let's give her the benefit of the doubt.

STEFANOVIC: I've only ever had great dealings with her, and I know that the ICAC investigation is ongoing and we'll wait and see what happens later in the week. But she's a terrific lady, one on one. Bill, you know what these things are like, though, with politics, they can be death by a thousand cuts.

SHORTEN: Yeah. Let me be clear. I'm a Labor supporter. I support Jodi McKay. But, you know, I think she's been put in an unfortunate position by someone else. ICAC will prove that, or not.

STEFANOVIC: Yep. Jodi McKay is on the show after eight, so I'm sure to replay that grab of yours to see what she thinks. I like your straight up these days, Bill. I love it. Well, now to Victoria's political turmoil. The state's top bureaucrat, Chris Eccles, falling on his sword after admitting he gave misleading information on the hotel quarantine scandal. Now, Bill, this all comes back to a phone call with then Police Commissioner Graham Ashton, who clearly didn't want any part in the cops being on patrol and quarantine buildings. What happened after that call basically led to the decisions that eventually led to the outbreak, right?

SHORTEN: Well, the inquiry will tell us that. There was always going to be aftershocks once we had the hotel quarantine debacle. Two senior people, Jenny Mikakos the Health Minister and a senior public servant have gone, heads were always going to roll. As a Victorian we’re still in restrictions. I mean, I’m in Canberra, on 14 days lockdown, can't leave the house. For me, you know, the inquiry will go its path and direction. You're right, it seems like the police didn't want to do the job. But you know, small business is suffering. I just want us to move on as quick as we can.

STEFANOVIC: Okay. Gus, hard to believe so many key people involved still appear to have collective amnesia about this.

WORLAND: Exactly right. I mean, just tell the truth. Yeah, that's what everyone wants to hear, the truth. It's going to come out anyway. I mean, all these phone records now, it’s so easy to find them, so tell the truth. Fall on your sword or stand up for actually what the truth is. At the moment it's just an absolute debacle down there. And as Bill said, he's been in lockdown forever. A lot of friends of ours have been in lockdown forever. The mental fitness issues of Victorians at the moment, we've just got to get this right. Tell the truth and move on.

STEFANOVIC: I reckon Dan Andrews is slowly moving towards that. Bill, do you have faith that the contact tracing and everything is ready for the system to open up?

SHORTEN: I certainly hope so. I just want to give a shout out to Gigi, who's doing her last week of school this week. We just want to move on with life.

STEFANOVIC: Yes. She's an absolute superstar. She is moving, she is on the way up and we'll talk to her hopefully at the end of her exams because she's a terrific young lady. Just before we go, the Tourism Minister was on plugging holidays. This is a terrific campaign, as we've said, ‘holiday here this year’ by Tourism Australia. Brilliant. Bill, where will you go first?

SHORTEN: Oh mate, at the moment, I can't go beyond the front of the house where I am in Canberra, so I was hoping for a nice trip down to the milk bar and a cup of coffee in Melbourne.

STEFANOVIC: What about you Gus?

WORLAND: Look, I'm in Griffith at the moment with New South Wales Blues and Freddy Fittler, so this will do me nicely. But the south coast of New South Wales is also awesome. So, you know, anywhere in New South Wales, Queensland, anywhere will do for me. As long as you're away with a few beers and some mates and family, you can't go wrong.

STEFANOVIC: And let me tell you, just before we move on, Gus is in Griffith and tackling some incredibly important mental issues there amongst young people. And it's an absolute travesty what's happening with our young people amongst this COVID crisis. Griffith is one of those places. Gus, you’re to be congratulated, you and Freddy and the entire team who are down there trying to tackle that issue. Well done. And keep charging forward. They need you. Thank you, guys.