E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
TODAY SHOW
TUESDAY, 24 NOVEMBER 2020

SUBJECTS: Qantas no jab, no fly policy; domestic border debates; Gladys Berejiklian breaches isolation rules; pay increase for quarantine workers; family reunions at Sydney airport; PM Kekovich.

KARL STEFANOVIC, HOST: Welcome back to the show. It's great to have your company this morning, well, no jab, no fly. That is the message from Qantas boss Alan Joyce, saying all Aussies who want to fly overseas when international travel resumes will have to prove they've been vaccinated against COVID-19. For more we’re joined by Shadow Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten and Triple M's Gus Worland, good morning, lads. Bill makes sense, right?

BILL SHORTEN, MEMBER FOR MARIBYRNONG: Yeah, it does, and I mean, part of the reason we should set that standard is I would expect anyone coming into Australia is going to have to demonstrate to us that they're COVID Safe. I mean, Qantas has lost two billion dollars during the shutdown and why wouldn't they want to make sure that in those crowded metal tubes where we’re rubbing shoulders with each other and eating the meals and using the same restrooms, I'd like to know that the passenger next to me was at least vaccinated.

STEFANOVIC: What about if a company wants to force workers to do it and a worker doesn't want to do it.

SHORTEN: Well, it depends what job they're doing. Yeah, you know, if they're walking your dog, I don't think you need it. But if you're an international flight attendant, you know, common sense rule, isn't it?

STEFANOVIC: Yep. Gus, will Aussies get on board, you reckon with this?

GUS WORLAND, TRIPLE M: I think a majority of us will, but there'll be plenty of people that'll be firing up, I’ve heard it this morning. Anti-vaxxers are right up against it and saying it's against the law and they're going to be challenging it and stuff. But me and my family and all our travellers, we’ll be doing it.

STEFANOVIC: Yeah. If you don't like it, don't travel. And while we can dream about flying overseas, it’s domestic travel which is causing plenty of political turbulence. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk under huge pressure to reopen her border with New South Wales, a poll in today's Courier Mail showing eighty five per cent support for the move. Now, Bill, your leader Albo says Ms. Palaszczuk should stick to her guns. I just need to remind everyone, though, she just won power with an increased majority and it was only two XXXX Golds ago. She can do what she wants can’t she?

SHORTEN: I reckon to be fair to Annastacia, she's done a good job so far, keeping Queenslanders safe. I mean, I've got my wife's family all living in Queensland. We're keen for the borders to open, but we've gone this far. I'm sure we'll get an answer soon enough. I mean, living in Melbourne, some people wanted it all opened up straight away. And Dan Andrews got us here. So I'm okay. I’m okay with this.

STEFANOVIC: Maybe she's going to see how the Melbourne people coming into Sydney, how that all goes and then she'll make a decision soon. And Gladys Berejiklian, meantime, is facing her own COVID pressure this morning over whether she breached her own protocols by attending parliament, holding meetings while seeking a coronavirus test. Gus, what do you think?

WORLAND: I think we've got to leave her alone just to do a job. She said not time in the last few weeks she's done a brilliant job. Apparently, the situation was worse for a couple of hours. She took the test as a little bit of a just in case, she knew she had no symptoms. So as far as I'm concerned, if she was sick, she would have isolated. She wasn't, so sweet, play on and just let her do her job.

STEFANOVIC: I think the issue is, though, if you have had a test and you're waiting for results, I think you have to abide by those laws. What do you think, Bill?

SHORTEN: Yeah, listen, and this isn't about everything else that Gladys has done, but people hate it when politicians think there's one rule for them and one rule for everyone else. It's only a couple of hours. I mean, I just wonder what meeting did she have, which was so earth-shatteringly important you couldn't wait a couple of hours. She got the fast track test results in. So probably an error of judgement there.

STEFANOVIC: OK, Bill, we just heard from ACTU Secretary Sally McManus, who is calling for the pay of quarantine workers to be increased so they're not forced to take other jobs. Would you have an issue with that or do you support that idea?

SHORTEN: Well, I think it makes sense because if you've got people doing valuable work like aged care or looking after disabled people or indeed working in the hotels themselves, if you're not earning enough money that you've got to actually go and get a second and third job, it sort of defeats the purpose of your first job, doesn't it? I mean, Australians can't have it both ways. We can't ask these people to do tough, important work and then say, by the way, we'll treat you like a fruit picker. And, you know, once you've done this shift, off you go to your next job. It doesn't make sense, does it?

STEFANOVIC: The problem is that if you work in an essential services and in any of the states, you struggle to get any kind of pay rise, let alone this idea.

SHORTEN: But I think the first point I would make, and that's fair and I like our essential service workers, is that for a lot of these workers I mentioned, they don't even have full time work. So if you're only getting 15 hours a week in one job and its minimum wage, then in order just to put food on the table, look after the family, you've got to get your second and your third job. And we can't rely on a casualised underbelly of the workforce when they don't even have full time work. So I think that people should realise that a lot of these people were told, but they don't earn very much money at all. And if they have to get a second job just to make ends meet, we've got to work out what's more important to us, our health, or letting these people go off and do two or three jobs.

STEFANOVIC: Yep. Yesterday we did, through it all, see some of the most beautiful moments live on this show that we've ever seen. Families, friends, partners reunited as Victoria, New South Wales borders came down. Gus, we saw some stunning drag queens that were welcoming the first arrivals into Sydney. Who would be your dream pick to meet you off the plane?

WORLAND: Oh, I want Jennifer Aniston to run up to the door. Oh my goodness, I’m not sure if I could cope. How good was it?

STEFANOVIC: Well well, you got some explaining to do. Bill, what about you?

SHORTEN: I want to sit next to Gus on the plane.

STEFANOVIC: You're both into it. Hey, fellas, just before we go, what about this? I noticed ScoMo yesterday, very important press conference last night, with six hundred flags behind him in isolation, making a big announcement on China, check this out.

VIDEO PACKAGE, SCOTT MORRISON: At all times, we must be true to our own values and the protection of our own sovereignty. These are our Australian national interests pursuing these interests.

STEFANOVIC: Good morning Prime Minister, he does watch the program. It did remind me, though, of another very well-known leader from a few years ago selling something very different.

VIDEO PACKAGE, SAM KEKOVICH: There's nothing worse than being unAustralian, I should know, I've been Australian all my life and I'm sickened by the creeping tide of unAustralianism eroding our a great traditions, like our custom of eating lamb on Australia Day. UnAustralianism is everywhere.

STEFANOVIC: Does sound Prime Ministerial. What happens if we mix them together, though? Can we do that?

VIDEO PACKAGE, SAM KEKOVICH WITH SCOTT MORRISON V/O: And at all times, we must be true to our own values and the protection of our own sorry, our Australian national interests, pursuing these interests in the midst of strategic competition between the United States and China. It is not straightforward.

STEFANOVIC: Hey, hey, hey. I had some spare time on my hands last night. Bill, what do you think?

SHORTEN: I'm glad I wasn't running against Sam Kekovich, he might have really done well in the election.

STEFANOVIC: That’s a good response, Gussy, just before we go?

WORLAND: Yeah. Gotta get some mint sauce onto that. That was absolute gold. Beautiful Karl, well played mate.

VIDEO PACKAGE, SCOTT MORRISON WITH SAM KEKOVICH V/O: I've been Australian all my life and I'm sickened by the creeping tide of unAustralianism eroding our a great traditions, like our custom of eating lamb on Australia Day. UnAustralianism is everywhere. [All laugh]

SHORTEN: He's got a lot of flags at home.

STEFANOVIC: A lot of flags.

SHORTEN: Must be a flag collector.

STEFANOVIC: A lot of flags, a lot of flags. Thank you, guys. Have a great week.