Transcript - Sky News Interview with Tom Connell
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
SKY NEWS WITH TOM CONNELL
THURSDAY, 2 JULY 2020
SUBJECTS: John Barilaro; Eden Monaro by-election; GST reform.
TOM CONNELL, HOST: Let's go next to my pollie panel for the day, Liberal MP Jason Falinkski, from the Labor Party, Patrick Gorman. Gentlemen thanks both for your time as ever. Fascinated to hear John Barilaro take some questions today, Jason Falinski, on how he voted at the 2019 election, whether or not even he preferenced the Labor Party over the Liberal Party. He wouldn't answer; he said it's a private matter. Did that strike you as odd at all?
JASON FALINSKI, LIBERAL MP: Oh no. John is mercurial at the best of times so it doesn't surprise me that he won't answer those sorts of questions. He likes to keep the media guessing.
CONNELL: Just going to keep everyone guessing though, isn't it? When there are reports today that he's unofficially, quietly, whatever you want to say, telling people to vote the Nationals then Labor and Liberal Party to clear the way for him to get the seat maybe at the next federal election.
FALINSKI: Yeah listen, Tom. But I mean, you know, this is a bit of a distraction. You've had him on this morning; he's told you that it's untrue. The article says there's no evidence to that effect. It just seems to me likes sort of more smear and fear, because whoever is running on the other side of John wants to make sure that the people of Eden Monaro are distracted from the real issues, which is what party is going to deliver better services better infrastructure, more opportunity for the people of Eden Monaro after the by election. And I think that's the key question that is facing people not a question about whether John Barilaro didn't say something that he's denied he didn't say. So you know, really let's get back to the issues, I think.
CONNELL: All right, well just to just to clarify he was holding a news conference. So we brought that to our viewers in the interest of showing people what was going on, but is John Barilaro himself still a distraction in this campaign?
FALINSKI: I don't think he's a distraction. I think that he's a distraction for the media. He's not a distraction for the people of Eden Monaro and he's not a distraction for us.
CONNELL: Interested in your thoughts, Patrick Gorman, on some very low expectation setting from Anthony Albanese. The Labor Party the bookies favourite. We've got 100 years of history in terms of a government not taking a seat off the opposition in a by election and yet he still thinks, well remember Scott Morrison was ahead. Is he worried about losing this seat?
PATRICK GORMAN, FEDERAL MEMBER FOR PERTH: Well the result is a question for the people of Eden Monaro to decide on Saturday evening. But this is the most extraordinary by-election that we have seen in recent history. It is in the middle of a pandemic. We have a states of emergency declared across the country. People are unable to campaign in their traditional ways. That includes the Liberal Party and we're now seeing in the last hours of this campaign, it kind of going back to what it started, which is this weird John Barilaro sideshow, and the sideshow that keeps on giving, where he can't even tell us who he preferenced. Look, I'll tell you that, yeah I voted for the Labor Party and I followed the Labor Party ticket which is normal thing most members of political parties do.
FALINSKI: Were you the candidate that you voted for, Pat?
GORMAN: Yes I do live in my electorate, Jason. I did vote for myself.
CONNELL: I'm sure Patrick Gorman would reveal what he did in a state election, though too.
GORMAN: I'm a very disciplined person. I follow the party ticket and I'm surprised that the leader of the National Party in New South Wales won't even say whether he followed his own party's how to vote card. That is extraordinary.
CONNELL: Do you follow your party’s ticket, Jason Falinski?
FALINSKI: Yes I do. Tom I do. Yes. Sorry.
GORMAN: See, it's easy. Even Jason can answer that question. I mean surely John Barilaro could have as well.
FALINSKI: Yeah look, John's one of those guys who likes to keep the media interested and throws a bit of red meat out there. I mean this is just part of his, you know -
GORMAN: Is this really helping? Is this really helping on the edge of a by-election? Is this what you call help helping out the Coalition just 48 hours from polls opening?
FALINSKI: Well look, I mean you know, it's distracted the media. The fact of the matter is that we're continuing to focus on the issues that matter to the people of Eden Monaro. In the last 24 hours, how long have we actually got now, 48 hours? Last 48 hours and we'll just, you know, we'll keep doing that until Election Day.
CONNELL: Let's just walk through this, Jason Falinski. You're saying he's distracting the media, people watch the media, they consume it for better or worse, and the media's talking about John Barilaro instead of the issues you say you're focusing on. So do you think he's doing the right thing by the Coalition?
FALINSKI: No I think the media is talking about John Barilaro. I don't think that the people of Eden Monaro are. They're more concerned -
CONNELL: I mean he didn't give an emphatic denial today about the story in terms of exactly what he's had to say. He said he'll be voting in one Trevor Hicks, then the Coalition second. When he was asked about whether he encouraged anyone else he said there are going to be members on the ground they'll say and do as they please. He didn't exactly knock it on the head.
FALINSKI: Well look, but this is what he does. So you're still talking about John, the people leave Monaro want to talk about who's going to give them better services. I think, you know, this is the problem with modern politics, with all due respect to everyone involved in modern politics, which is we just love talking about ourselves so much when people want us to talk about them. You know the electorate wants us to serve them. And I think, you know, we've already this morning we've spent more time with John Barilaro than on the issues that are concerning ordinary Australians and definitely the people of Eden Monaro.
CONNELL: Well I'm pleased to let our viewers know as well he will be on our panel on election night coverage on Saturday. So if unlike Jason Falinski, if you like it when John Barilaro has a bit to say and makes the whole political scene a little bit more colourful tune in on Saturday evening. He'll be there.
CONNELL: Patrick Gorman, I'm not letting you escape on Anthony Albanese. Surely if amidst all the consternation around the bushfire response in this electorate and the history on Labor's side if this seat is lost there have to be conversations, don't there, about Labor's approach right now and whether that's getting through to voters?
GORMAN: I think what you just outlined is true, which is this electorate, we're not talking about the outcomes across the entire country, we're talking about the outcomes in this particular electorate which has had drought, bushfire, now the coronavirus pandemic, it is a pretty unique situation. And I think people on all sides of politics, even in some sort of convoluted defence of John Barilaro that Jason had in there, recognise that this is an election about the people of Eden Monaro. And of course we know that by-elections don't always reflect the outcome of the next general election and that's what I'm focused on, winning the next general election. But I was on the phones for Kristy McBain last night talking to people in Eden Monaro. I walked out of doing two hours of phone banking feeling incredibly optimistic about Labor's chances. It is a tough election but people have heard her. Based on the calls I made last night, people recognise that she is a local who has stood up for her community time and time again -
FALINSKI: When she put their rates up by 8 per cent. I mean this is what we get from Labor candidates all the time, and even you know, in the middle, in the middle of a pandemic, in the middle of a drought, in the middle of bushfires her contribution was to put up rates by 8 per cent.
GORMAN: If you want to talk about putting up taxes let’s talk about the fact that yet again, and we've debated this on this program before. Yet again the Liberal Party are looking to increase the GST to 15 per cent. Every time there's an economic challenge in this country, the Liberal Party says "oh well, the obvious solution is to increase the GST". And now you're looking at putting a Knowledge Tax on people in Eden Monaro by putting a GST on their education, so if you want to talk about who's got a plan for higher taxes at this election, it's the New South Wales Liberal Party. And we know that where the New South Wales Liberal Party goes the economic policies of the Federal Coalition follow.
CONNELL: Yeah. I'll just get you each on this topic now we've moved onto it so seamlessly. Jason Falinski, this idea pushed out by the New South Wales Government, I should urge but you know it's one that economists like, it's a good tax that's hard to avoid, it's efficient and so on. Is there any appetite for listening to that clamour from people that say this would be a good idea for tax reform. Do you have any boldness to go up against the scare campaign it's ready and waiting there on Patrick Gorman's side.
FALINSKI: Well Tom, the fact of the matter is that Australia has some long term issues around creating economic hope and opportunity for our people. Primarily this can be summarised in the issue of productivity. One of the biggest drivers of productivity is having an efficient and fair tax system. Australia's tax system is neither fair nor efficient. What the New South Wales Government through Dominic Perrottet has proposed is not increasing taxes as Patrick is putting forward it is proposing changing our tax mix so that it is fairer and more efficient. What Kirstie McBain did in Bega was simply put up taxes with no reform attached to it, an inefficient tax to spend, to spend on more wasteful services that do no good for anyone. The difference between what Dominic Perrottet is proposing is reforming our tax system, not increasing taxes, but making it more efficient.
CONNELL: It's a big reform package, as part of that GST, land tax, stamp duty. All these types of things to be looked at. It doesn't seem that the federal government wants to have that conversation.
FALINSKI: Oh Tom, we're up for this conversation more than you would believe because if the one thing pandemic has demonstrated is that we cannot afford to be second best anymore.
CONNELL: Yeah, I mean are you up for that conversation including trying to drive a discussion or an increase in the GST. Of course helping out lower income earners but increasing the GST. You're up for that discussion?
FALINSKI: Well look, the Treasurer and the Prime Minister have made it clear that they are not inclined to increase the rate of the GST. That doesn't mean that there isn't a lot of scope for reform within the GST. I do however, the two most inefficient taxes in Australia's tax mix at the moment that do more damage and more harm than any others are stamp duty especially on land transfers and payroll tax. Reform of those two taxes are critical and is something that the federal government, look you know that we need to pursue. And I would hope quite frankly in the interest of fairness if nothing else that that would happen.
CONNELL: I'm going to jump in because we're nearly out of time. Patrick Gorman this is it. You can do holistic tax reform that compensates those lower income earners for example on the GST. It gets rid of things that reduces payroll taxes, Labor up for that discussion at all.
GORMAN: Well the taxes that Jason just outlined are state taxes. So if Jason wants to jump into state politics with John Barilaro then I'm sure that he'd be very welcome because he too is a very entertaining character and it seems to be the prerequisite for entering politics in New South Wales. But on the question of the GST what Jason just said there with some pretty, very clever words - John Howard would be proud of how Jason just handled that interview - which is some pretty clever words arounds saying -
FALINSKI: Stop with the compliments!
GORMAN: That is a compliment!
GORMAN: They might start looking at the GST on fresh fruit; they might start looking at the GST on education. That's what Jason just said. That is for me a red light. You cannot increase the GST on essentials like education and fresh fruit.
CONNELL: All right well I've hit the red line, I'm getting a hard wrap. As you guys know it's cold in the business. We'll talk in a couple of weeks. Jason, Patrick, thank you.
GORMAN: Thank you.
FALINSKI: Thank you, Tom.
ENDS