AL DOBIE:
Good morning Prime Minister and thank you for talking to us and having time to talk to us.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well thank you for having me on Bridge and Spida, it’s great to be with you.
AL DOBIE:
You were very keen to talk to us this morning, I mean, is there a particular thing that’s happening on the Gold Coast that’s got you a little riled up?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well you know, you have one of the biggest projects in Queensland, the work for the Commonwealth Games and that project which is a key piece of infrastructure in your community, it will add value for decades to come, long after the Games are over. It has been constantly disrupted by the CFMEU. You’ve seen the video of the threats, the foul mouthed threats - that is why we are seeking to restore the rule of law to the construction sector on the Gold Coast and right around Australia and we’re calling on the Senate, now that the ABCC Bill has passed the House of Representatives and we’re calling on the Senate now to support it because once we can restore the rule of law, these projects will be completed faster, more economically, and above all people won’t be threatened and bullied by thugs like we’ve seen in that video.
SPIDA EVERETT:
Exactly.
BRIDGET DALEY:
Prime Minister, you say that Queensland is really the heart of this union thuggery at the moment. Here is a little bit of this worker rage that you did release, have a listen.
UNION MEMBER - EXCERPT:
What are you going to do? Do you want your job shut down for another two days? You know what? I know your phone number, I know where you live, (BLEEP).
BRIDGET DAVEY:
And here’s Dave Noonan from the CFMEU.
DAVE NOONAN - EXCERPT:
Obviously some of those things he said we don’t like, they shouldn’t have been said.
BRIDGET DALEY:
Prime Minister, apparently this video was two years ago, this particular gentleman was not an official representative as well. So, is it too much to say that union thuggery is rife?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well if you look at the way judgements in Queensland – that is judgements by justices of the Federal Court sitting on this, and some of these are in The Courier Mail today.
You know, Judge Michael Jarrett said just recently: “Choosing unlawful means to further its industrial objectives, appears to be the business model of the CFMEU.” Justice Vasta said: “The CFMEU seems to treat being caught conducting such breaches as occupational hazards in the way they conduct their business.”
There’s no question what the CFMEU is doing, if you get – the problem is, finding developers that are not so intimidated that they would be prepared to speak about it, but when you talk to people in the building industry in Queensland, particularly in Brisbane, the intimidation by the CFMEU is extraordinary and you – they cannot get contractors to work on their sites unless they are approved by the unions.
SPIDA EVERETT:
And that’s the hardest thing Prime Minister, the fact that – I gave them a spray the CMFEU months ago and I had that many people come up and say ‘you know what, they just bully us and we cannot do anything else or else we can’t work anywhere.’
PRIME MINISTER:
That’s right and you know – we talk about – we’re proud to be Australians, we talk about our commitment to democracy and the rule of law. And what the rule of law means is that the law applies to everyone, it applies to the Government, it applies to citizens, it applies to big business, it applies to unions but it’s not applying in this sector at the moment because the CFMEU treats the law as a joke. There’s 115 officials of the union up before the courts at the moment, that’s extraordinary.
BRIDGET DALEY:
Well Prime Minister, this isn’t an easy fix for you. You admitted you don’t have majority in the Senate, you’re seeking Senate support including Liberal David Leyonhjelm. This is hard because Bill Shorten gave you a spray yesterday because David Leyonhjelm wants to lift the ban on action shotguns, so this is what Bill Shorten has to say.
BILL SHORTEN - EXCERPT:
The Prime Minister is willing to risk more guns on the streets for one vote in the Senate.
PRIME MINISTER – EXCERPT:
Trying to use this as a distraction is a disgrace.
BRIDGET DALEY:
And this is David Leyonhjelm as well.
DAVID LEYONHJELM - EXCERPT:
I feel deceived. They’ve made it more difficult to get my support.
BRIDGET DALEY:
What do you think about that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well let me be very clear about this. There is no proposal or contemplation or possibility of any weakening of John Howard’s gun laws.
BRIDGET DALEY:
That’s good.
SPIDA EVERITT:
Good.
PRIME MINISTER:
The National Firearms Agreement is set in stone. Now, under the National Firearms Agreement different types of guns are classified. The lever action shotgun, the Adler shotgun currently is a Category A weapon, right?
SPIDA EVERITT:
Yep.
PRIME MINISTER:
Which means that it can be widely bought by people who have the appropriate registration. What has been proposed by police ministers and justice ministers is that this classification be changed so that it made more, its availability be more restricted. The police ministers have not been able to reach agreement on that and that is why, and they need to because it is state legislation, and that is why a year ago we stepped in and said: ‘Right, until you agree on the reclassification of this particular weapon, there will be an import ban on it.’ And that import ban will remain until such time as the state ministers come to a landing on the reclassification. But there is no proposal, not by David Leyonhjelm or anybody else as far as I am aware for any weakening of the gun laws – the question is how do you strengthen them and the manner in which you do that? But this is the real question for Bill Shorten, this is the real question –
SPIDA EVERITT:
Yes.
PRIME MINISTER:
Labor has twice voted against legislation of ours which would impose a mandatory penalty of five years imprisonment for gun smuggling. Most of the gun crime in Australia is done, the vast majority in fact is done with unregistered weapons, illegally imported or obtained weapons.
SPIDA EVERITT:
Yep.
PRIME MINISTER:
And we are seeking to stamp that out and Bill Shorten is not helping. He is opposing the imposition of tough, tough mandatory penalties on gun smugglers. He should get serious about gun crime and he should back the Government to make it tougher on the gun smugglers.
SPIDA EVERITT:
One other thing we do have to touch on very very quickly, and you know Queensland, a very important state, the growth, the Commonwealth Games and this part of South East Queensland is of course the M1. Now we won’t get the unions to build it but is there any chance of actually getting it upgraded? The funding?
PRIME MINISTER:
The money is there – we have a $215 million election commitment to widen the M1 between Mudgeeraba and Varsity Lakes and upgrade it at the point where it intersects Gateway Motorway. So we are strongly committed to that. We have offered to fund half of the cost of these critical projects and we call on Annastacia Palaszczuk and the Queensland Government to fund their share so that all of those people that are listening now who are stuck in traffic on the M1 will be able to get to work and school on time. So our half of the money is there and Annastacia Palaszczuk should put up her half and get on with it.
SPIDA EVERITT:
Can we have a crack with that $215 million over the Melbourne Spring Carnival – maybe get it up to the 80 per cent that we need?
[Laughter]
PRIME MINISTER:
Ok, well I think that’s probably a bit risky for us.
[Laughter]
But I wouldn’t want to discourage you from having a punt yourself.
BRIDGET DALEY:
I do want to see if you have any spare money in your back pocket just to extend it to Tugun. It’s just a little bit further along. Just a little bit further along. But Prime Minister I must say I’m getting in first to say Happy Birthday for Monday.
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh, thanks very much, thank you. That’s very sweet of you. You’re the first person to wish me a Happy Birthday.
BRIDGET DALEY:
I am the first! 62 years of age. No – that’s okay. I’m 40 and my last partner was your age so it is okay.
SPIDA EVERITT:
[Laughter] You don’t need to get into that.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well they say 60 is the new 40 so there you go.
BRIDGET DALEY:
It is. It is.
SPIDA EVERITT:
I do have to say Prime Minister –
PRIME MINISTER:
That’s what you say, that’s what people say when they are 60.
[Laughter]
AL DOBIE:
Prime Minister I know you do have to go but just quickly Bridge has done very well talking to you, she didn’t get too flustered –
BRIDGET DALEY:
Oh don’t. Don’t.
AL DOBIE:
She does have a little bit of a crush on you.
BRIDGET DALEY:
Don’t.
AL DOBIE:
I wonder how you go with that sort of stuff?
SPIDA EVERITT:
You’re talking to the Prime Minister here.
AL DOBIE:
No, no, no but yeah – are you okay with that? For me to reveal that about Bridge?
BRIDGET DALEY:
Oh my god.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think, I don’t think Bridge will ever forgive you but I look forward to seeing you guys in the studio soon.
SPIDA EVERITT:
Well Happy Birthday for Monday and thank you again.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thanks very much.
BRIDGET DALEY:
Just quickly, what aftershave do you have on today? Just one little question.
AL DOBIE:
Burberry.
PRIME MINISTER:
I don’t have any aftershave on actually.
SPIDA EVERITT:
Oh el naturale!
PRIME MINISTER:
Yeah, there you go. I’m just –
AL DOBIE:
Palmolive gold kind of guy.
BRIDGET DALEY:
Just a pheromone kind of guy.
PRIME MINISTER:
Pretty low key, pretty low tech when it comes to the shaving department.
SPIDA EVERITT:
Thanks again Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thanks a lot – bye.
BRIDGET DALEY:
Your birthday card is in the mail!
[ENDS]