Transcript - Sky News Interview with Tom Connell
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
SKY NEWS AM AGENDA
THURSDAY, 7 MAY 2020
SUBJECTS: Eden-Monaro by-election; Labor policy, Western Australia borders
TOM CONNELL, HOST: Let's go to our next guest on the program - our political panel. Joining me Liberal MP Jason Falinski and Labor MP Patrick Gorman. Gentlemen thanks both for your time this morning. Look we better begin on Andrew Constance. He was in and then apparently he read a naughty word in a newspaper about him and he was out. Jason Falinski is that really a reason not to enter federal politics?
JASON FALINSKI, LIBERAL MP: Look Tom, I think I've talked about state ministers running for federal seats enough this week. Pat can have my five minutes.
CONNELL: I don't think Pat wants all of you five minutes. I'm not going to let you go yet, Patrick Gorman. What about that reason that he gave that he read the front page of the newspaper he thought, well no I'm not going in for any of this.
FALINSKI: Tom look at it's all ... it's all ... it's very mysterious and very difficult to understand.
CONNELL: So you find it difficult to understand Andrew Constance pulling out 24 hours later and the reasons he gave they didn't stack up to you?
FALINSKI: Look, no they didn't to be honest, they didn't. But look we have a one in 100 year opportunity to win a seat from the opposition. Hasn't happened since the late 1920s. We have some very strong local candidates. We're pretty excited that they'll make a real difference if they get a chance to represent their community in Canberra. That's what we're focused on and you know the Prime Minister's standing in the community at the moment, it's never been higher. So we're pretty we're pretty hopeful about running a successful campaign but we're not unawares that it's a very difficult task for a government to win a seat off an opposition in a by election. It hasn't happened in 100 years. So we understand the challenge in front of us and that's what we're focused on.
CONNELL: So has Andrew Constance, amidst all of that and that hope you have there, has he let the party down?
FALINSKI: Look it wasn't ideal what he did. But then having said that I think we'll probably end up with, there are a couple of people who are standing for preselection at the moment whose local attributes are really good and I think there's something that we can actually put a campaign around. So you know the task is a very difficult one. Labor is starting a long way ahead but hopefully with the standing of the Prime Minister and the quality of the candidates we can come up with we can we can get there. But look, you know it's very tough to win a seat off an opposition at a by-election and it hasn't happened in 100 years.
CONNELL: Well we can disperse with the expectation management surely for Labor now, Patrick Gorman, given what's happened on the other side you've got to win this seat now don't you?
PATRICK GORMAN, MEMBER FOR PERTH: Well I think step one, Jason said he thinks it's going to be a good campaign for the Liberal Party because of the Prime Minister's standing. Well step one is to actually have a candidate. My experience with the Liberal Party and by-elections was I came into at a by-election here in Perth. The Liberal Party didn't even field a candidate. After weeks of "should we, shouldn't we, umming, ahhing". I don't even know if the Liberal Party's going to stand a candidate at this time but I think Anthony Albanese has made it very clear we don't take this for granted. This community has been through an incredibly tough time throughout the course of 2020. I would like to see the Liberal Party at least put forward a candidate and allow the people of Eden Monaro to decide what they think is in their best interests.
CONNELL: Was that just a humble brag, Patrick Gorman? That they wouldn't dare run a candidate against you?
FALINSKI: Tom, can I just intercede at this point and say if the Labor Party doesn't want to run a candidate against me at the next election I won't complain. That would be OK with me. I'm sorry Patrick's disappointed we didn't run a candidate against him at the by-election. We won't make that mistake again.
GORMAN: But look it is, what's happening on the Liberal Party side and in the National Party, it does seem particularly horrible. We've got leaked text messages, you've got what sound like abusive phone calls. Jason's in the New South Wales Liberal Party. I just hope they're being nice to Jason because he's a good guy and I hope no one is giving him horrible phone calls that would discourage him from contesting the next election.
FALINSKI: People could always be nicer to me frankly.
CONNELL: Patrick Gorman endorsing Jason Falinski sounds like the kiss of death to me. So we'll see what that means for the good burghers of Mackellar next time around. You mentioned leaks there Patrick Gorman, what about the leak out of Shadow Cabinet suggesting Anthony Albanese will ditch big spending increases promises on health and education because of coronavirus and realities of the budget. Would you agree with that approach?
GORMAN: Well what we've said for almost a year now is of course we're going to have a comprehensive review of our policies. Remember that the Coalition still has to deliver two more budgets before we get to the next federal election. It's entirely reasonable that Labor would review its policies and then we would look at where spending is most needed in the new economic and health realities and national security realities we find ourselves in following the coronavirus pandemic. It's a statement of pure logic that we would have to review every policy.
CONNELL: So would that new reality though dictate every policy what we're hearing out of this out of this leak and a new, I suppose it is not a formal policy position just yet, but saying look those past promises particularly after Covid-19 just won't make any sense.
GORMAN: We've been really clear that we would announce our policies far closer to the election in the context of the coronavirus pandemic that is of course what we should be doing because as I said the Government has to deliver two more budgets before we even get to the point of having another Federal Election. So you're not going to see any rush on the Labor side for policies into the future until we know what the Government is planning to do in the budget in October and the subsequent budget currently due in May 2021. But of course I acknowledge that the Government may choose to reallocate the timeline for that budget as well.
CONNELL: I was hoping for a bit more out of you there, but I tried. Jason Falinski are you cheering on from the sidelines that will be perhaps a ticket of unity on...
FALINSKI: Can I tell you a big story. You missed the big story out of Shadow Cabinet which was everyone having a fight with Kristina Keneally over immigration policy. Health, health and health and schools were not the big issue at Shadow Cabinet. It was Kristina versus the rest. I mean I understand that Penny Wong actually threw a jug of water at Kristina. Is this true, Pat?
GORMAN: Jason, I think that's a really colourful way of reminding people that I am not in Shadow Cabinet, so I've got nothing to add on that. It does seem like you've been reading a little bit too much fiction so I know what ...
FALINSKI: What, you mean Twitter? Well can I say I'm going to return the compliment and endorse you for shadow cabinet.
CONNELL: I like the way that you two think you can just boost each other all the way. There'll be two prime ministers at the end of the show.
GORMAN: I think this is what they call mutually assured destruction.
CONNELL: Yes. I think that's more accurate I would ask you something just finally Patrick Gorman and get your views on this. WA is taking a very hardline stance on borders. It looks like it won't let, for example AFL clubs fly in fly out. Other states seem to be letting the AFL do that. Do you agree with McGowan's stance on this?
GORMAN: What I have heard loud and clear from my community in Perth is that people think Mark McGowan is doing a fabulous job. I completely agree with that and that means taking a hard line on protecting the health of Western Australians. The hard border closure has been successful. There are clear exemptions for people who do need to travel but when it comes to AFL teams, I noticed that the AFL has said that the Fremantle Dockers, of which I have been a member for 25, 26 years, will have the choice of where they locate in that sort of east coast-based competition for the rest of 2020. It seems like people are taking this in a quite a mature fashion. I would love to see the AFL get up and running again. But in terms of having teams fly back and forward - who knows it might actually be a good thing for the Dockers and the Eagles to not be doing those long flights every couple of weeks. You might see that it changes the competition and does very well for my beloved Fremantle Dockers.
CONNELL: There you go, you've heard it first. If they don't start the season with a few wins, Patrick Gorman will take responsibility. Patrick Gorman, Jason Falinski always good to talk. Thank you.
FALINSKI: Thanks, Tom.
GORMAN: Good to talk to you, Tom.
ENDS