CHRIS UHLMANN:
Well as we heard there the Government can count on one hand the number of crossbench senators backing it’s industrial laws and that’s simply not enough. The Prime Minister is with me now, Malcolm Turnbull welcome.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yeah good evening.
CHRIS UHLMANN:
Does this mean that we’re heading for an election on July the 2nd?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we may be Chris, but our focus in this sitting of Parliament is on jobs. Today we were out there with our colleagues, Barnaby Joyce and I with our colleagues, defending the jobs of those truck drivers. Those owner-drivers who have been put out of business by a Labor tribunal that was set up in order to drive membership for the Transport Workers Union. Bob Day was just talking about all of the self-employed people, the small businesses, the tradies, whose jobs are threatened in the construction sector by industrial lawlessness, driven by the CFMEU.
CHRIS UHLMANN:
Prime Minister is that threatened if you go to an election now? Because you’ve been on the slide for most of this year.
PRIME MINISTER:
I'm not interested in protecting any politicians' jobs, let me tell you, Chris.
CHRIS UHLMANN:
This year heading to an election?
PRIME MINISTER:
Our future, depends upon maintaining the strong economic growth we have at the moment and that is why every lever of our policy is pulling in the direction of jobs and growth. Whether it’s the foreign trade opportunities, big export opportunities in China, where I was for the last few days, or ensuring that small businesses get a fair go and that they can work and that their jobs will be protected back home.
CHRIS UHLMANN:
What's the evidence though that this government has the right to be returned, given that on the economic argument this year you've been following the Labor Party and aren’t able to hold a position sometimes from Lateline to lunchtime yourselves?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well last year 300,000 jobs were created. That's the greatest number since 2006.
CHRIS UHLMANN:
That's down to the Government?
PRIME MINISTER:
This is strong economic growth, 3% real GDP growth. Last month alone we had the unemployment rate come down, 26,000 more jobs created. So if you measure our economic leadership by economic performance, we're not doing too bad a job, Chris, you've got to give us that. Business confidence is up, consumer confidence is strong and what we need is more of that. What we can't do is put at risk our successful economic transition from the mining construction boom to a new, more diverse economy. We can't put that at risk by putting Bill Shorten into the job as Prime Minister, because we know what his policies will do, just like they did, just like we're seeing them now. They'll destroy jobs.
CHRIS UHLMANN:
What sign is there that you'll be any different from Bill Shorten? The Labor Party delivered unstable government and you have delivered unstable Government and, as yet, you haven't made an economic argument on what you're going to do about tax?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the Budget is on the 3rd of May and the tax changes will be in the budget on the 3rd of May and that's when they normally are every year, so you’ll just have to wait, only a couple of weeks to wait.
But let me say to you, our policies, every single one of them - innovation, Defence White Paper, opening up new markets in China, think about this, Chris, we are seeing thousands of new jobs created and billions of dollars of exports into that big China market that our Government opened up, that Andrew Robb opened up in his negotiations for the China Free Trade Agreement...
CHRIS UHLMANN:
That Tony Abbott opened up.
PRIME MINISTER:
It was opened during the Coalition Government and yet it was opposed by the Labor Party. The unions campaigned against it. They campaigned against it and finally we prevailed and under my Government the Free Trade Agreement was legislated for in the Parliament.
CHRIS UHLMANN:
But haven't most of those ideas that you talk about, aren’t most of those ideas down to the government that preceded yours, that's Tony Abbott's Government?
PRIME MINISTER:
We have a lot of ideas in our Coalition Government and a lot of changes. In terms of my leadership we've reformed the Senate. We've changed the competition laws, we're giving small business a real chance there against big business. We've brought down the Defence White Paper and we are investing in Australian industry, right around the country. Now, those are big changes that are big policy developments that have occurred under my leadership and there'll be much more.
CHRIS UHLMANN:
The Labor Party is talking about a Royal Commission into the banks. Have you been in conversation, or the Treasurer been in conversation, with the banks about holding an inquiry of your own led by the corporate watchdog?
PRIME MINISTER:
We talk to the banks all the time. I gave a speech to the banks..
CHRIS UHLMANN:
I understand that but have you been talking to them in private about this issue.
PRIME MINISTER:
I gave a speech to the whole banking world about the need to have a culture in the banking sector that is relentlessly focused on the customer and that is a critically important thing.
CHRIS UHLMANN:
That's understood, Prime Minister. But have you been speaking to the banks about holding an inquiry led by the corporate watchdog and if so, what have you spoken about?
PRIME MINISTER:
I have not been but I’m sure the Treasurer is in conversation with the banks all the time as he should be.
CHRIS UHLMANN:
About that issue?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well you’d have to ask him but can I tell you our job is on, is to focus on action. Bill Shorten wants to have three years and hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees spent on an inquiry, a Royal Commission into the banks. He hasn’t even detailed what the terms of reference would be. We recognise there have been problems in the banking sector, that's what ASIC is investigating. That’s why ASIC is laying charges, that’s why ASIC is banning people and what we will deliver is action.
CHRIS UHLMANN:
Will you be holding an inquiry of your own led by the corporate watchdog?
PRIME MINISTER:
Any inquiries headed by ASIC will be a decision between ASIC, or ASIC will make that decision and the responsible minister is the Treasurer.
CHRIS UHLMANN:
Prime Minister thank you.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you.
[Ends]