NEIL MITCHELL:
Mr Abbott, good morning.
PRIME MINISTER:
Morning, Neil.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Confession time – what have you got wrong this year?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, you won’t be surprised Neil if I prefer to dwell on what we have got right; we have got three Free Trade Agreements negotiated, we repealed the carbon tax, we repealed the mining tax and, you know, we have just about stopped the boats.
NEIL MITCHELL:
That’s true but…
PRIME MINISTER:
These are all good things and we can be glass half full or glass half empty people and I would rather focus on the achievements because that is what people elected us to do.
NEIL MITCHELL:
I would suggest if you are going to improve the standing of the Government and relate better to the electorate than you need to recognise that the glass is in fact half empty and recognise your errors. What are they? What’s gone wrong?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we have been focussed at all times on delivering for the people of Australia, on trying to get more money in their pocket, trying to make their lives easier by getting on with things like the East West Link and so on. So, that is what we have been focussed on. Others have been focussed on obstructing and trying to block measures that the Government has put forward in the Senate. Now, that is democracy and I am not complaining, Neil, but people need to understand that Labor left us a mess and Labor is not owning up to that.
NEIL MITCHELL:
But there are a number of broken promises, you now concede that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, plainly, I did say on the night before the election that there would be no cuts to the ABC and there are some modest savings that we are seeking with the ABC but you know, Neil, when the former Government went into the election they said that the deficit would be $18 billion and it turned out to be $48 billion – that is a $30 billion black hole that Labor created and then tried to cover up. When you discover that circumstances have materially changed sometimes you have got to adjust what you do in response and that is what the Government is doing and frankly the public expect us to respond intelligently to the circumstances in which we find ourselves.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Well, look at it this way, are you going to change your approach, your style next year?
PRIME MINISTER:
You know I don’t really think it is about personalities and style and spin. It is more about cracking on with the job. Sure, when you have got a difficult Senate, when you have a feral Labor Party you have got to find the best way to put your economic plan into place and if one path is lost let’s find another path. We are absolutely determined to do the right thing by the people. We don’t want to see this intergenerational theft, borrowing from our kids and grandkids to pay for Labor’s spending spree and that is what we are determined to address.
NEIL MITCHELL:
So, you’re not going to change your method of communicating with the electorate? You’re not going to put, you know hit the reset button and start all over again next year and try to win back the trust of the people.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Neil I am happy to come on your programme more often if that is what you think is necessary because…
NEIL MITCHELL:
Well, of course I think that’s necessary but it is more than that. You have lost, I would put to you, you have lost the people at this stage. The polls all say that – what do you do to get them back?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I think we deliver. What we don’t do is run around like headless chooks and suddenly change the plan which is the only plan that can give us the kind of better future with stronger economic growth and more jobs that people have the right to expect.
NEIL MITCHELL:
You are still chipping away at the barnacles, is your paid parental leave scheme under review?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, obviously, when something is likely to face a difficult passage through the Parliament you look at what might be possible and I have extended the olive branch to the crossbench, to the Greens, even to the Labor Party on this and said look ‘We need a fair dinkum paid parental leave scheme’, the Greens in particular have always wanted a fair dinkum paid parental leave scheme, so I have extended the olive branch to them and I have said ‘you tell us what you would like to see and let’s talk about it’.
NEIL MITCHELL:
So, you are no longer locked in to your scheme?
PRIME MINISTER:
I am locked in to a fair dinkum paid parental leave scheme…
NEIL MITCHELL:
But not your scheme – you are no longer locked in to your scheme?
PRIME MINISTER:
I am locked in to getting as close as we can to the scheme that we took not to one election but to two elections and that is what I am locked into doing but I accept Neil, as all sensible politicians do, I accept that in the end if you need legislation you have got to get it through the Parliament.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Prime Minister, you have talked about changing circumstances being the reason for some broken promises and for some tougher measures. Circumstances continue to change; confidence is down, the standard of living is dropping – is there more pain ahead? Are there more cuts? Is there more pain ahead?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I don’t accept that things are quite as bad as that because retail sales are up six per cent on a year ago, consumer confidence is above its long term average. There has been the biggest jump in the business condition survey since 1998. So, look, I think there is a lot that is going right. Housing construction, housing starts are at new record levels. So, there is a lot that is going right and you are at the Prahran Markets at the moment and I hope that all consumers there, shoppers there, are out in force and feeling the Christmas spirit.
NEIL MITCHELL:
What do you mean? Spending?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, yeah, that is what people do when they go shopping…
NEIL MITCHELL:
But they haven’t got money, Prime Minister. Their bills have gone up. They haven’t got money. We were talking about this yesterday but that sort of avoids the point – is there more pain? You have got your mid-year statement coming. Is there more pain ahead for us?
PRIME MINISTER:
Neil, I think we have got the fundamentals right this year. Now, obviously we are going to have to make some adjustments to some things in the Senate but I think we have got the fundamentals right, I think the direction is clear. This is a Government with a clarity of purpose and a strength of character when it comes to addressing some of our most intractable problems like the boats and the Budget and I think we have done a lot of the hard work already and we will be building on that foundation. As for savings, well, we are always looking to make Government more efficient but are we looking for big cuts – that’s not how I would characterise it.
NEIL MITCHELL:
The Temporary Protection Visas went through the Parliament early this morning, children will be allowed out of detention as part of your deal with the crossbenchers on Christmas Island. Where will they go?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, they will be going into the community and…
NEIL MITCHELL:
On mainland Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, indeed, and they will be on Temporary Protection Visas because of the success that I think Australia had in the Senate last night. Yes, the Government won something which we had taken to the election, we had to fight hard but this is a win for Australia what happened in the Senate last night.
NEIL MITCHELL:
You have been accused of using them as a bargaining tool. You are accused of being a sociopath.
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, lots of people say lots of very harsh things in these debates but the most compassionate thing you can do is stop the boats and that is what we have done.
We have stopped the boats. Labor talked about it but more than 50,000 came illegally by boat on Labor’s watch. Nothing they did worked and, you know, the sad thing Neil, even last night they were still fighting furiously against the policies that they know in their hearts are necessary to fix this terrible, terrible problem.
So, look, we have done what is necessary and we got the last piece of our policy in place last night and that means that if you do get to Australia illegally by boat you can’t expect to stay here. This will help us very much in dealing with the 30,000 people caseload that Labor left us with.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Prime Minister, one of your own state members of Parliament here yesterday said Joe Hockey couldn’t sell hash cookies at a Greens convention. Is Joe Hockey safe as Treasurer indefinitely?
PRIME MINISTER:
Again, Neil, I think the important thing is to look at the policy, not the personality…
NEIL MITCHELL:
Well, your own people are looking at the personality when they say that.
PRIME MINISTER:
And look, that’s what the former government did. You know, they spent years fighting over the politics of personality and I’d much rather get on with the politics of making a difference to people’s lives.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Fair enough. Is Joe Hockey safe as Treasurer indefinitely?
PRIME MINISTER:
Of course.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Indefinitely?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, look, Joe has the toughest job in the country. He is a man of remarkable resilience, focus, grit and I can’t think of any one of my colleagues who would be more single-minded when it comes to delivering for the Australian people.
NEIL MITCHELL:
What about your Defence Minister. He likes a glass of wine; he’s been a little indiscrete in some of his comments. His office is in disarray. Could he be shuffled out?
PRIME MINISTER:
Again, let’s not forget the mess that he inherited, just to take one example…
NEIL MITCHELL:
But he’s created a bit of a mess himself in the past few weeks.
PRIME MINISTER:
Again, you shouldn’t confuse the occasional misspeak with failure to deliver on substantial policy.
NEIL MITCHELL:
So, he’s safe as well is he?
PRIME MINISTER:
He’s doing a good job and he deserves my confidence which he absolutely has. And he should have the confidence of the Australian people because if you take the Air Warfare Destroyer, this project was $300 million over budget, 21 months behind schedule and that’s the best you can say of it. Now, he’s sorting this out. Take the future submarines – Labor should have made a decision on this six years ago. We will be making decisions on this in the next few months and so again, we are cleaning up the mess that we inherited from a monumentally incompetent government.
NEIL MITCHELL:
And Julie Bishop’s a bit grumpy with you for sending Andrew Robb to hold her hand? Maybe she didn’t go bananas but she’s not too happy, is she? I mean she’s arguably the most popular performer in you Cabinet.
PRIME MINISTER:
And Neil, she’s done a truly, truly impressive job.
NEIL MITCHELL:
She a bit grumpy?
PRIME MINISTER:
We have all sorts of discussions all of the time, but the important thing is that we are very strongly represented at the Lima conference in a week or so time. The Warsaw conference we were criticised for not sending a minister. At the Lima conference, it seems we’re in trouble for sending two Ministers. Well, as people who are serious about climate change know, Australia should send a strong delegation to this conference. We should talking about our own strong and effective policies to deal with climate change. We should be encouraging others to do likewise.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Just very quickly to wrap up – could Victoria still get the $3 billion earmarked for the East West Link if it comes up with shovel ready projects?
PRIME MINISTER:
They’ll have to be argued on their merits. I want East West Link to go ahead. Just before I came on the phone to you, Neil, I was on Hoddle Street and Alexandra Parade and these are traffic canyons that need to go back to being city boulevards and the only way that’ll happen is if we actually get cracking and build East West Link.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Yeah, but the Government’s ruled that out. Is the money still there for something else?
PRIME MINISTER:
The Commonwealth money is there for East West Link and I wouldn’t be at all surprised when the new government sits down with its lawyers if it doesn’t decide that cancelling East West Link is more trouble than it’s worth. There’s going to be 7,000 jobs in this project, there’s already 250 jobs in this project – why sack those people just before Christmas when this is a project that Bill Shorten and half the Labor frontbench know is absolutely necessary.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Prime Minister, thank you for your time. Have you thought about how long you might stay around as Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, I will outlast the critics. That’s my absolute determination.
NEIL MITCHELL:
So, I just wondered I’ve watched you for a long time, you get to the middle of next year, things aren’t going well, the Party’s not popular, you’re not popular, would you consider jumping on your sword?
PRIME MINISTER:
Neil, the worst thing for Australia would be to have another unstable short term government. What Australia needs right now is a return to the kind of stability that we had in the Hawke and the Howard years and that’s what I aim to deliver, that kind of stability and continuity.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Prime Minister, thank you for your time and all the best for the holiday season.
Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you so much, and all the best for you and your listeners. And hopefully I might come on again sometime between now and Christmas.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Thank you very much.
[ends]