Transcript - Sky News Panel with Jason Falinski

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
SKY NEWS - NEWSDAY
THURSDAY, 30 MAY 2019
 
SUBJECTS: Shadow ministry, religious freedoms, First Nations’ Voice to Parliament

TOM CONNELL, HOST: Let’s go to our panel here in Canberra, Labor MP, Patrick Gorman, from Sydney Liberal MP, Jason Falinski. Gentlemen thanks both for your time. Let’s start with you first of all Patrick Gorman because all the mail this morning was that Matt Keogh was going to be elevated, but surely we put you on the map at Newsday. You must be outraged if you are not getting all the way into cabinet while all this factional stuff is being sorted out.

PATRICK GORMAN, MEMBER FOR PERTH: Obviously that eight week break that I took really damaged my chances. Look, we’ll find out the outcome once the Labor Caucus meets at midday but we’ve got a great West Australian team and no matter how we cut this up, it’s been a difficult couple of weeks for the Labor Party. So this is sort of one of many steps in the rebuild.

HOST: Albanese made it pretty clear he is flexing his muscle on this because he said it was a decision by Don Farrell to step aside for Kristina Keneally but also that he, that is, Albanese made his view clear on this. Is this fair enough for a new leader to put his imprint on how his leadership team is going to look?

GORMAN: I think that Anthony’s style is that he does say what he thinks and he does have a view on matters that he believes are important. When it comes to the leadership team in the Senate obviously we want to put our best foot forward, it is going to be a more difficult Senate for Labor to negotiate with given some of the strong results, frankly for the Liberal Party. I think it is entirely appropriate that he makes his final views known. And again I don’t want to pre judge my colleague’s final decision in an hour or so’s time, but I think we will put forward a very strong team.

HOST: Would Kristina be a good choice? Would she kind of cut through a bit more than Don Farrell for example?

GORMAN: Look I don’t think this is a time where we sort of pick between whether one person would cut through and one person wouldn’t.

HOST: What are you saying then if it is not that?

GORMAN: All I am saying is that everybody’s got a role to play. Kristina has an important role to play. She has given up a lot, she gave up her beloved Sky News to come and join us in Canberra. So I hope she gets to play a frontline role, and it is going to be a tough three years for the Senate team so we need to put our best foot forward, Don will have a role to play in that, Kristina will have a role and of course Penny Wong, our leader in the Senate.

HOST: Jason Falinski, maybe Newsday is failing to get anybody on the map because you were left out when everybody headed to Government House yesterday, and even your good mate Tim Wilson as well, talk about whether he would get elevated on franking credits maybe the biggest issue that drove the result, what do you make of that?

JASON FALINSKI, LIBERAL MP: Well I think that is really unfair to besmirch Tim Wilson by describing him as a mate of mine Tom. But what I do want to say is that I personally, even though Pat won’t support her, I think it is important that every party have as one of its Deputy Leaders a former commentator from Sky News, so my question to you is which party are you picking?

HOST: Mate you know me, very much a centrist, straight down the middle. I think the issue is with the Liberal Party is it needs a former Sky commentator on it will need to … maybe they will need to bring back Christopher Pyne, who knows? What about the other decisions made by Scott Morrison yesterday the eyebrow raiser perhaps, Stuart Robert, he must be on a short leash?

FALINSKI: Stuart? No, Stuart is a good guy. He understands service delivery, he used to have a business, a very successful business in systems design and implementation. NDIS is ultimately one of the hardest systems implementation programs going on in Australia at the moment, and the most critical one frankly, so I think having a Minister there who has a background in that area is a really good idea so look I think Stuart will do a great job and I hope for the sake of all those people who are relying on the NDIS that we can get on and get that program implemented as quickly as possible.

HOST: I think everyone will agree with that I guess it’s the other headlines he has been getting, as one of your colleagues called him in a non-attributed sense, the ‘self-opening piñata’ . Patrick Gorman, I do want to move on, you can take that as a comment if you like. The headline today on the Folau’s law – Israel Folau getting a lot of headlines during the Election campaign, religious protections coming up as a bit of an issue, what do you make of this push to exempt any ability for someone, a company to have a contract which essentially impinges your religious views or expressing them.

GORMAN: Well first thing we should say is whenever you have the intersection of politics and religion we should move very carefully, very slowly and with consultation. I know that the Australian law reform commission is doing some work on these matters, and that report is due next year. I think we are going to have to work slowly through them, when it comes to, and I will confess when things have a sporting tinge I am not much of a sports fan, so these things happen in the Eastern States …

HOST: But it is still just essentially a private contract, but the MPs pushing this say this can be separate from what is being considered by the Australian law commission. Where do you sit broadly on that principle, that a company shouldn’t be able to make someone sign a contract and that stopped him from quoting the bible.

GORMAN: Well I guess we will see what proposals the Government actually puts forward, we have got a range of backbench Government members sort of asserting various things, some of that is to stir trouble, some people who are stirring this are people who did not get what they wanted out of the latest carve up in Scott Morrison’s ministry. I think we need to see what the actual proposals are, I am really cautious about commenting on how you sort of deal with these intersections of politics and religion when there is not actually a proposal on the table.

HOST: Where do you sit on what’s been outlined in terms of a principle Jason Falinski?

FALINSKI: Look absolutely, we have had protections in all sorts of employment contracts at the moment, for example if you are a union official you can’t be discriminated against on that basis, I agree with Patrick though, this is something that we need to deal with very cautiously, because where there is that intersection one persons’ rights is another persons’ obligations, so It’s how you balance that in law. That is often why I think these things are best sorted out between individuals and organisations without the involvement of Governments, but look this particular incident and situation with Israel Folau has thrown up a whole bunch of really difficult issues for us to work out, and I think it is incumbent on all members of parliament to come to the debate with open mind on that and find a resolution that works for everyone.

HOST: Sounds like both sides are willing to consider what happens there. Another potential interesting and complicated legal issue, Jason Falinski, an Indigenous voice to parliament, this was basically said from Malcolm Turnbull he said no to this, he considered it a third chamber, proponents say well hang on this doesn’t actually mean that it’s any sort of binding element on parliament, it is simply another group to represent First Australians. Where do you sit on that?

FALINSKI: So I guess my view on this is that this will be a situation that Ken Wyatt has to examine and come to a view on. I suppose my overall view though is that we are all Australians, and it is important for us to come together on these important issues. I am not sure that reserving chambers for different groups of people is in the best interests of our nation as a whole and in terms of unity and in terms how our nation deals with issues.

HOST: It’s not actually a chamber it’s a body, if you like, rather than a chamber, they are calling this a strawman argument .

FALINSKI: So like an advisory body?

HOST: Essentially.

FALINSKI: Well we have lots of advisory bodies, is that what they mean?

HOST: One that would be elected as well so it is giving Indigenous Australians a bit more carriage if you like

FALINSKI: Well we have a lot of elected advisory boards as well around the Commonwealth Government if that’s what we are talking about

GORMAN: Can you name one that involves Indigenous Australians?

FALINSKI: I can’t name one, well, all the Land Councils for example, elected bodies that deal with Indigenous issues in those particular areas. Are we talking about a unified or one single land council body is that what they mean?

HOST: Look there is detail on that proposal and even Ken Wyatt has said that, this could come back to the principle Patrick Gorman on whether there is going to be bipartisanship on this whether, speaking to James Patterson yesterday he basically said he doesn’t want something set up that all Australians aren’t voting for if you like.

GORMAN:  In that spirit of bipartisanship can I start by congratulating Ken Wyatt on his appointment, he is a West Australian it was quite moving seeing the images of him being sworn in yesterday, I congratulate him and I want him to do well. This is an incredibly difficult challenge that he has, we have seen moments of bipartisanship, the Apology was a bipartisan moment for the parliament and it was something that took a long time to get to that point, while it was done very early in the term of the Rudd Government it had been discussed for some 10 or so years before it actually happened, probably longer. I believe we can get to the point where we there is a proper Indigenous voice to the parliament, what shape that takes is not for me to decide, it is for Indigenous people to sort of say here is what would work for us, because it is so much more than land, it’s more than just commenting on the bills of the day it’s actually about feeling like they are heard in the country that they have been in for some 40,000 years.

HOST: See where that gets to in its infancy, but certainly Ken Wyatt saying that for now detail has to come and getting a referendum passed , and we are talking about broadly about recognition in our constitution never easy, so everyone would hope there is some agreement on that. Just want to touch on a couple more issues before we go, the income tax cuts the Government took to the election , I mean Labor said it didn’t have a mandate for much and this is one of few things, you’d have to really consider just passing this on the floor and moving on, wouldn’t you?

GORMAN:  Look, I’ve always been open that I have concerns about tax cuts for people on very high incomes. That’s a concern that I took to the election and I was elected so I will continue to raise that concern. The Government does say that they cannot split the Bill, I don’t know why they seem to have no technical reason that seems to be a very determined push on their part. Labor will continue to discuss this, as I said we have our Caucus meeting in a few minutes time, we will continue to discuss how we approach these issues but I agree with you, the Government doesn’t have a mandate for much, they didn’t take much to the election and it is going to be an interesting three years to see what else actually comes forward.

HOST: Alright we call that selective agreement.

FALINSKI:  What have we become where we are verballing commentators on Sky News. This is appalling.

HOST: It is clearly outrageous. Look we’re going to have to close because we do have Brendan O’Connor beginning, but good to have you back Jason Falinski and Patrick Gorman, sparring partners again, we will chat soon.