E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
TODAY
TUESDAY, 26 MAY 2020

SUBJECTS: Job Maker package announcement; JobKeeper shortfalls; Economic recovery; Royal Commission into Black Summer bushfires; Charities holding on to Black Summer donations; Relationships in lockdown.

ALLISON LANGDON, HOST: Thanks for your company this morning. Five years of pain, that's the grim warning from the PM when he unveils his Coronavirus recovery plan later today. In a speech to the Press Club, he'll explain his new Job Maker package to boost skills and training, while declaring at some point we've got to get your economy out of ICU. To discuss, I'm joined by Shadow Minister for Government Services, Bill Shorten and Stellar magazine’s Sarah Le Marquand, thanks for joining both of you this morning. Bill, I'm gonna go straight to you because the PM has warned unemployment and debt will rise before they fall and he wants tradies and skilled workers to be at the heart of our recovery, are you onboard?

BILL SHORTEN, MEMBER FOR MARIBYRNONG: Well it sounds fair enough, we do have to work together, just because some of the isolation restrictions are diminishing, now the focus in part moves to the economy and that's going to be very tough. Working together makes sense, but I would say that as we move to talking about JobMaker, we've got the ongoing issues, with JobKeeper. There's still three million Australians, casuals, people who work in the entertainment industry, for example, people who work at the Dnata airline company. These are all people who haven't even got JobKeeper, much less being able to talk about JobMaker, so I think in order to move the patient from the ICU, we've got to make sure that we don't leave any patients behind.

LANGDON: He's also talking about industrial relations reform being at the heart of this, a good move?

SHORTEN: Sure it’s a great idea to work with the workers, every worker needs an employer to be profitable, to make a profit, and most companies need their workers to be switched on and engaged so cooperation is the best way to have a workplace. But of course, if you're going to do that, maybe the government needs to shelve some of its union-bashing legislation and it'll be really good if they could look after some of those three million of our fellow Australian casuals who I think are getting overlooked in the current debate.

LANGDON: Yeah there have been too many people fall through the cracks, haven't there? I mean, Sarah, just listening to these comments, were you shocked to hear the PM saying it could take us five years to recover?

LE MARQUAND, STELLAR MAGAZINE: No, not shocked at all, Ali, I mean, we've got a national debt of tens of billions of dollars. I think it's been great that we as a country have collectively stepped up to take care of our mates, and we've made sure that there's been a really strong safety net in place this last two months. But someone's got to pay for it and it's all of us. So, I think at least five years and you'd be kidding yourself to deny it. I mean, really, who would be Prime Minister right now? And, you know, for most of us, that's a rhetorical question, but for you, Bill, you must have had days in the last two months where you thought, oh, better him than me?

SHORTEN: Yeah I might have had some other days, too [all laugh].

LANGDON: Good point there Sarah, now there's also plenty to talk about this morning from the first day of the Royal Commission into the summer's devastating bushfires. A warning that the worst fire emergency in the nation's history could happen again, and serious questions about delays and mistakes in getting charitable donations to the communities most in need. I mean, Bill, we saw 33 people die, more than 3000 homes were destroyed and a warning of further black summers to come.

SHORTEN: There are the two big points I've seen out of that sort of initial hearings, one is that some of those charities, there was a tremendous outpouring of generosity from Australians, not the least was Celeste Barber great initiative. But then we saw reports that the charities were sitting on the money, in a stingy fashion, rather than getting it out to the people who need it. There's a lot of great charities out there, but I think Australians if they give, they'll want to see the people who have been distressed get it. The other thing, of course, is the actual bushfires themselves. You know, there's a big argument between those people who want land clearing and blame the greenies and those who blame climate change. I actually think it's a bit of both, isn't it? So you've got to clear the land, but the seasons are getting hotter and longer and more dangerous.

LANGDON: Yeah, that's it. I mean, there's a lot of changes coming ahead of us, but Sarah, well, what Bill was just talking about there. There is going to be this issue, us Aussies, we were so generous, but we may not be so generous next time knowing that money didn't get to where it needed to be quickly, some of those charities are still sitting on millions of dollars.

LE MARQUAND: I think that's what's really concerning about this, it would just be so devastating that Australians had second thoughts next time, the fact that people were so generous and Bill mentioned Celeste Barber, and just yesterday the Supreme Court in New South Wales ruled that the more than 50 million dollars that she inspired in donations cannot be divided amongst other charities, because a lot of people thought, oh, I want that to go towards saving the Australian wildlife. I mean, she obviously has a huge following overseas and a lot of people from America, for instance, were moved to donate to save the koalas and then, of course, when it comes down to it, that's not where the money's actually going. And I think that was very, very concerning then to hear what was said in the Royal Commission. I think all of us have to remember that we cannot punish those in need because of bureaucratic red tape, I hope that the charities take this on board. I hope that we see them acting more quickly and that we make sure then that that great generosity of spirit that Australians have is not another casualty of the awful summer that we had.

LANGDON: Well if they don't listen to that message, we won't give next time. Now, look, a change in tone now because many of us may relate to this one, the extra pressure the lockdown has put on our relationships with couples forced to actually spend time together. Now writing in today's Sydney Morning Herald, Jenna Guillaume has compiled a long list of things she suddenly finds irritating about her husband of 19 years, tapping on the table, eating her chocolate and breathing loudly. I mean, the list goes on... and on, but you get the gist. Sarah, I mean, when you're complaining about someone's breathing, Sarah, you're in trouble.

LE MARQUAND: [Laughs] The honeymoon is definitely over, isn't it? You know, it's very much like travelling, I actually am married to an Irishman, so we had to travel quite early on in our relationship to meet the family and, you know, nothing sorts out the dramas in a relationship than, you know, the long haul flight overseas and then driving across a cold, rainy country together. Everything starts to irritate you, and I think anyone that's ever travelled with a loved one would be very familiar with that. But the good side is that if you can get through that, you can get you anything, so I would say to this writer, Jenna, if you can get through lockdown with your husband’s annoying breathing and chocolate habits and all, then you will be able to make it another 19 years of very happy marriage I’m sure.

LANGDON: You'll be stronger for it, Bill are you getting on Chloe's nerves yet?

SHORTEN: Probably, but I don't think that was a lockdown phenomena [all laugh], I think one strategy I've developed is unite against the common enemy, the kids. You know our Year Twelve's going back to school, she's been great, but I don’t know, we get the PE homework for our 10-year-old, like that's impossible. But the other thing I found though and maybe it’s because I've spent so much time on the campaign trails, so I've been forced to have new eyes see what goes on. Every time I sit down and turn my back to the kitchen, the kids have smuggled out like contraband dishes, and the laundry, like you don't use a towel just once, and there is nothing wrong with turning off the electricity when you're not in the room [laughter]. I reckon there's a thousand people living in our house and they just go around flicking the switches on. But anyway, Chloe has been magnificent [Langdon: That is such a dad comment], and to Chloe that just proves to her how out of touch I've been. But no, I've enjoyed parts of isolation, I know it's terrible, it’s going to take five years and people lost their jobs, but if you've still got a job, the isolation probably I suspect, has meant you spend more time with the family and on balance as someone who's been campaigning, I admit, that's been a positive in all the other tough things.

LANGDON: Yeah, we've got to look for the positives, don't we? Sarah, Bill, thanks for joining us this morning, I appreciate it.

LE MARQUAND: Thanks Ali.

SHORTEN: See you guys.