| Interview on ABC 774 with Jon Faine
Subjects: Federal Election, Kyoto, Adani
EO&E…………………………………………………………
JON FAINE:
Simon Birmingham is the Liberal Party’s official spokesperson for the election 2019. That’s now getting under way. He’s also Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment in the Morrison led Coalition Government. Last week we heard from Labor Deputy Leader Tanya Plibersek, this morning the official campaign spokesperson for the Liberal Party Senator Birmingham good morning to you.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Hello, John good to be with you.
JON FAINE:
Yesterday we went out to Higgins and opposite Malvern town hall we held a forum we spoke to the various candidates. We heard time and time again the same message from people who told us they’d voted Liberal all their lives but they felt the party had left them, they hadn’t changed, but the Liberal Party had and they were expecting not to vote for your party for the first time what do you say to them?
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Well I urge them to reconsider and to think carefully about the choices they will face at this election.
JON FAINE:
But they’ve already done that. That’s why they’re thinking of changing.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
There are nearly five weeks still until polling day. And I would urge people to think carefully about that choice.
JON FAINE:
Well that’s kind of meaningless. Well what do you say to them might change their mind.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Well thank you. I would say to them that they probably voted for the Liberal Party to deliver a strong economy, to balance the budget, to lower taxes and they are all of the things that our Government has achieved over this period of time
JON FAINE:
But they feel the party’s changed, over and again they said I haven’t changed but the party’s left me.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
I’d urge them to think back about what are the core reasons as to why they support the Liberal Party over the Labor Party, the party of entrepreneurialism, free enterprise, support for the individual and ultimately it is about managing a strong economy, creating jobs and opportunities for them, their children, their grandchildren and that’s what we’ve done and we’ve done it in spades in terms of delivering nearly 1.3 million jobs across Australia that have been created under our watch and clear plans for a further 1.25 million jobs into the future.
JON FAINE:
A recent survey of voters in those conservative seats showed that 66.7% said that their highest priority was action on climate change and they don’t think your party can do it?
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
My party can and we have a track record of doing so. Australia has a very proud history in terms of being one of the few countries to meet and exceed all of our climate change reductions targets. We did so with the first Kyoto commitment period, the second Kyoto commitment period will end in 2020. And Australia is well and truly on track to meet and exceed our emissions reductions targets there, large part of that would be due to the policies that our Government has delivered, the Emissions Reduction Fund and abatement that we have gone out to the market and procured to meet those targets.
JON FAINE:
Are you asking us to completely forget and ignore six years of internal fighting over meaningful change on climate?
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Well I’m outlining the fact that Australia made targets to meet by 2020 and we will exceed them and our main target to meet in relation to the Paris Agreement
JON FAINE:
Federal approval for Adani coal mine in Queensland.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
I’ll come to that but I’ll talk about Paris first. The Paris commitment targets of a 26 to 28 per cent reduction, which in terms of the commitments made by countries around the world on a GDP basis or a per capita basis are amongst the largest commitments that any country has made. And they were made by the Liberal-National Government here and we’ve done that and we’ve outlined very detailed plans as to how we will meet that abatement challenge to see those 2030 targets realized. It’s a $3 billion plus Climate Solutions Fund in the budget fully paid for. That will see us meet those 2030 targets. Now in relation to the Carmichael mine up in Queensland that is subject to some of the strictest environmental rules in the world.
JON FAINE:
Why call it the Carmichael mine when everyone else calls it the Adani mine?
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Call it whatever you like the Adani mine up in Queensland.
JON FAINE:
You’ve been trying to avoid saying the word Adani
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Well I just said it John, I’m not going to play semantics on those things with you. The Adani mine and the Carmichael mine used in different names. It is something that has been subject to the same environmental laws of any project that comes up in Australia. It still has environmental hurdles to clear. So it hasn’t gone through all of those pathways yet but in terms of it as a coal exporter from Australia, we do need to remember that Australian coal when it is used to have generated into energy in countries like India or elsewhere around the world, is more efficient in terms of the production of energy and therefore has lower emissions than coal from many other countries. So we could not export coal as a country we would be poorer for it.
JON FAINE:
No one’s talking about that
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
People would substitute our coal for other coal and emissions would be higher.
JON FAINE:
Was it beyond parody for Michaela Cash to be saying that we’re going to save tradies and their Utes while speaking in front of a new electric vehicle on the hoist immediately behind her.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
In relation to electric vehicles we support the development of electric vehicles in Australia. But what we’re not going to do is put in place new laws that force people to change or force people to change in a way that sees the price of an average new car purchase in Australia rise by about $5000.
JON FAINE:
Who’s talking of forcing people to change?
Simon Birmingham: Well that is seemingly what the Labor Party’s policy is now.
JON FAINE:
No it’s not.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Well if it’s not then they’re making a big hoo ha about nothing if nothing’s different. Under Labor’s policy. I’m not sure what it is.
JON FAINE:
It’s not about forcing people to do anything.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Well Labor are saying that there will be and this is, you tell me if you think their policy is different. But they’re saying their policy will require Australian vehicles to meet different emission standards in the future.
JON FAINE:
As is the rest of the world.
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
That will force a change in terms of what cars can be purchased in Australia.
JON FAINE:
The industry globally is making that change, has the Liberal Party not noticed?
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Well and we will of course back Australians to purchase the cars they choose to purchase, electric vehicles, lower emissions vehicles and if that change is happening anyway as you’re arguing, then Labor’s policy is meaningless and doesn’t make any difference. You can’t have it both ways. The policy either forces a change or indeed it is market conditions as normal in which case the same things would happen under our Government. But the analysis from the industry the motor vehicle industry indicates that it will see the average price of a new car in Australia go up to the tune of around $5000. And that’s something that would be a concern to many, many tradies and others.
JON FAINE:
Is the repackaging and relaunching of your proposal for personal tax cuts. Does that suggest that it’s not in any way resonated the first time. It was announced, it didn’t work with the budget announcement, it didn’t work with the relaunch. Now a third time repackaged?
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Well no we’re in an election campaign John. We’re going to continue to talk about the benefits of tax cuts to Australians
JON FAINE:
So re-announcing them?
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
We’re not we’re not re announcing them we’re continuing to explain the benefits. The policy remains exactly the same but we will continue to explain the benefits, the fact that a nurse working in a Victorian hospital would be around $1000 better off under our income tax cuts relative to what the Labor Party said they would do.
JON FAINE:
All right the Labor Party have lost a number of candidates in recent days because they’ve criticized the Government of Israel, is criticizing Benjamin Netanyahu and his policies is that being anti-Semitic?
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Well it depends how you do it, doesn’t it? It depends what you’re saying, whether or not you’re speaking the truth. Now for the Labor Party to determine whether or not they keep people as candidates or otherwise. I do note there appears to be a degree of double standards there that one candidate went by the wayside another one who said virtually the same thing appears to have been left untouched. But that’s for the Labor Party. Our Government’s position in relation to Israel and the Israeli Palestinian issues is clear. We support a two state solution. We have been consistent supporters of the security of Israel but also of humanitarian issues as they relate to the Palestinian peoples and we would like to see and will continue to work for policies towards a two state solution to that conflict.
JON FAINE:
All right. Just finally out in Chisholm, Box Hill area, the seat vacated by Julia Banks the Liberal Party’s Gladys Liu accused the media of fake news over some remarks that she made about the LGBTIQ community and then a tape was uncovered which showed there was no such fake news in fact the fake news claim was itself fake news. Should the Liberal Party apologise?
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
My understanding is that those comments were her commenting on the views of others not expressing her own view and that they were comments about her understanding of what the Chinese Australian community in general want or believe rather than expressing a personal opinion. Now they were a number of years ago.
JON FAINE:
But then she accused the media of getting it wrong and in fact when the tape appeared the media got it absolutely right. Should the Liberal Party apologise?
SIMON BIRMINGHAM:
Well I’m not, I’m suggesting that perhaps the suggestion that these were her comments as media allegations had made, her words, her views or opinions was wrong and this is taking a quote of her explaining what she believed others to believe and somehow attributing that to be her beliefs. Now it’s for Gladys Liu to speak to her beliefs but in relation to LGBTI Australians I am thrilled that over the last few years we have come so far to see the legalisation of same sex marriage in Australia to see community attitudes I think shift so far as well with the 62 per cent endorsement of the yes vote in the postal vote that was heard and which I think speaks volumes for the fact that right across every part of the Australian community, including many multicultural communities, we’ve seen those views, those values change and that is something that I warmly, warmly welcome.
JON FAINE:
Thank you indeed. We’ve given equal time to the Deputy Leader of the Labor Party last week Tanya Plibersek and now Senator Simon Birmingham Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment an official spokesperson on the Liberal campaign. Thank you for your time this morning.
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