JOHN MCGLUE:
Prime Minister, welcome to drive.
PRIME MINISTER:
John, thank you for having me on the programme.
JOHN MCGLUE:
The Senate campaign is nearing a close, Prime Minister, you’ve promoted the repeal of the carbon tax and the mining tax as your key issues but you are still under threat of missing out on that crucial third Senate seat. If the case for repeal is so strong and so good why is it that you are still in danger of missing out on that third seat?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, look, I think the case for getting rid of the carbon tax and getting rid of the mining tax is overwhelming because these are anti-Western Australia taxes and the principle benefit that the Commonwealth Government can give to Western Australia right now is to get rid of these bad taxes. We have already delivered record school funding and record road funding but there is an overwhelming case for this. But, John, there are always many distractions in an election campaign and that is why I am here in Perth trying to ensure that people stay focussed on getting rid of these bad taxes which particularly hurt Western Australia – as the energy capital of our country and as the iron ore capital of our country.
JOHN MCGLUE:
But, Prime Minister, perhaps the biggest distraction and the biggest threat to a third Senate seat for the Liberal Party is coming from the Palmer United Party. Like it or not they are resonating with chunks of the electorate. Why is that do you think? What is the attraction of Clive Palmer?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think there is a certain novelty value and obviously there has been a massive, massive, massive advertising spend. So far the gentleman in question has spent, presumably from his own money, far more than the combined spending from both the Liberal Party and the Labor Party.
JOHN MCGLUE:
Yes, and he hasn’t exactly stumped up with his main candidate here Dio Wang and in fact along with Joe Bullock who is the lead candidate for the Labor Party – the number one candidate – we haven’t seen much of those two people on the election trail. We have tried to have them on the programme – Joe Bullock and Dio Wang – what does it mean for democracy, Prime Minister, when the main candidates, like that, stay silent?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I think that is a very fair question, John. What does it mean for democracy when candidates are on the Senate ballot paper but they are basically there as proxies for the Labor Party in Canberra – that is saying one thing in Perth and doing the opposite in Canberra? And, of course, a proxy for a minor party which basically is a personality cult for one person. So, look, I think it is an interesting question John, but it is something for the voters to ponder in the lead-up to Saturday.
JOHN MCGLUE:
The Prime Minister Tony Abbott is my guest. He is in Perth campaigning for the Senate re-run election on behalf of the Liberal Party, trying to get that third Senate seat for the Liberal Party. Prime Minister, you are also spending a lot of time here with the search crews and the people coordinating the search for the missing flight 370, the Malaysian airways flight. The Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is on his way to Perth to be updated on the search. What is the impact of this search on Australia’s reputation in the region?
PRIME MINISTER:
Provided we continue to conduct this search and recovery exercise with the kind of professionalism, dedication and intensity that we have had over the last three weeks or so, I think it has got to be good for our reputation. We have had four RAAF Orion aircraft involved; we have now got four Australian Naval ships involved and the fact that we have been prepared to put so much into this, I think, has demonstrated particularly to Malaysia and to China that we value the relationships with those two important countries and that we are a good international citizen, as we have always been, but good international citizenship can’t be taken for granted it has got to be demonstrated whenever the opportunity arises.
JOHN MCGLUE:
Well, it does come at a cost. Can you say how much it is costing and will there be a point where we do have to stop?
PRIME MINISTER:
Obviously, at some point we would to decide that we have recovered whatever we are going to recover from the ocean but that point is, as yet, quite a long way off because we really do owe it to the families who are grieving who are baffled at best and absolutely devastated in most cases. We owe it to them, we owe it to the countries that are anxious on their behalf. We owe it on behalf of international travellers who are in the air all the time and want to know what has happened to this flight. We owe it to all of these people to do everything we can to get to the bottom of the mystery.
JOHN MCGLUE:
The Prime Minister Tony Abbott is my guest talking about the search for the Malaysian Airline flight that has tragically gotten lost in the Indian Ocean. We’re also talking about the Senate election. Prime Minister is has been confirmed that the former WA Treasurer Troy Buswell is facing 11 charges relating to that late night driving incidents in Perth – due in court later this month. What impact do you think this will have on the Liberals showing at the polls on Saturday?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don’t think it will have any impact. It is a personal tragedy. Obviously it is a real pity for the state government if Troy Buswell is no longer on the frontbench. But look, it is a personal tragedy for him. It is a loss for the state but I don’t think it will have any impact on this Senate by-election.
JOHN MCGLUE:
What has Premier Colin Barnett told you about the incident and how the Government is managing it politically?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, nothing really because it is really something which is a private matter. I mean, obviously, the Premier is very disappointed to lose a close colleague – obviously. This is very much, John , a personal tragedy for Troy Buswell who is a capable and charismatic individual and I think it is sad that at least for the time being his services are no longer available to the state.
JOHN MCGLUE:
Prime Minister, final question and again on the Senate election and your friend Clive Palmer, he is making a big deal about the GST distribution – as did Colin Barnett last year to be fair. He said, the Premier, that, “a vote for the Liberal Party would ensure that WA had a strong voice in Canberra,” but in the carve-up WA is still getting reduced GST pay-outs and they are getting worse. Why is WA getting such a raw deal on this front?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, it is the operation of the Commonwealth Grants Commission process and that is hardly transparent. I can understand the frustration that Premier Barnett has, but at the end of the day this national government cannot and will not change the GST without the universal agreement of the states and territories and that is hardly likely to be forthcoming because whatever one state gains another state or states loses. The interesting thing about Mr Palmer, I suppose, is he saying the same thing in Tasmania that he is saying in Perth?
JOHN MCGLUE:
Prime Minister, thank you for your time. Thank you for spending some time with us on Drive.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you so much.
[ends]