Transcript - Sky News with Tom Connell - Thursday, 15 April 2021
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
SKY NEWS NEWSDAY WITH TOM CONNELL
THURSDAY, 15 APRIL 2021
SUBJECTS: Liberal attacks on superannuation; housing affordability.
TOM CONNELL, HOST: Let's go to our panel now, Liberal MP Jason Falinski, from the Labor Party, Patrick Gorman. Gentlemen, thanks both for your time. I might just start with you, actually, Jason. No, I'm going to start with Patrick, just having a slight issue there with Jason. I might start on superannuation. We're seeing reports today the Government won't make any changes to either the rate or access to it. So are you going to cancel the bunting saying save our super or are you just going to run the campaign anyway or à la Medicare?
GORMAN: Well, we've had hundreds and hundreds of articles, speeches and opinion pieces by Liberal Party politicians saying they want to can the super increase. We now have one story in The Australian saying that they don't want to do it. I'll wait to see what they do on budget night. I know that even in that article in The Australian today, there were unnamed Liberal Party MPs saying that the treasurer just needed a little bit more courage because apparently the politics and the policy all lines up on this. So, I don't think that this is dead within the Liberal Party. There's clearly division internally on this issue. I'm sure when some Liberal MPs, including Jason, who we know wants to cut super when he saw that article, I bet he was on the phone to Josh Frydenberg saying, “you've sold us out, you've let down the Aussie squad, we've been out there campaigning for years”. I'm not convinced that this is the end of their campaign to cut super.
CONNELL: Jason is with us now, Jason are you disappointed?
FALINKSI: Look, Tom, I'm just disappointed for Australians. I mean, you know, ACOSS has come out. ACOSS, the Grattan Institute, Treasury, Ken Henry, they've all said the same thing, that increasing the super guarantee does not do ordinary Australians any good. But look, you know, it's legislated. The Prime Minister's made it clear that that legislation will ensure that the increases go forward.
CONNELL: Is it a lack of courage from your Government?
FALINKSI: No, I don't think so. I think it's the misuse of money by industry super. That are basically taking members money to run a political campaign. I just think that, you know, if Patrick and the Labor Party were sincere about this, they'd be criticizing the Industry Super Association for running a million dollar or millions of dollar campaign against Federal Parliament using other people's money. And over and over again, we see industry super when they have to pay fines.
CONNELL: But you were scared off by it, apparently, your Government was?
FALINKSI: Were we? I don't know that we were. I think that the Prime Minister made it very clear that these were things that we took to the legislation.
CONNELL: I said it was a lack of courage with the ad campaigns and you were scared off by it?
FALINKSI: No, I'm saying that because, you know, this, there are real and genuine problems in the superannuation sector where the industry super is allowed to use ordinary Australians money, hard-working Australians money to run political campaigns that are not in their interests, but in the interests of the millionaire fund managers that donate and support the Labor Party over and over again.
CONNELL: But, Pat, I want to get to the nub of the issue that you alluded to. Jason wanted access to super, a few of his colleagues as well, for affordability for housing for first home buyers. The problem there right now, is Labor going to take a substantial policy to the election on this?
FALINKSI: I can answer that, no.
GORMAN: Well, first, let's be clear. The Liberal Party, every couple of months has a new idea of what they want to spend your superannuation on. They want to spend it on people's redundancy payments when they lose their job during the pandemic. They wanted to spend it on people escaping domestic violence. They want to spend on aged care. They want to spend on housing. They are the ones who are raiding superannuation to get your money, to pay for their crazy ideas. So, let's be clear about who's actually spending superannuation money.
CONNELL: What about you? What about your party?
FALINKSI: What an outrageous idea to allow people have access to their money!
GORMAN: And when it comes to housing policy and housing affordability, Labor is the only party who's come out with a proper plan …
FALINKSI: This is the problem right here, the Labor party believes that it's their money.
CONNELL: Jason, I'll come to you in a moment. Patrick, will Labor have a policy on housing affordability? A major one, a substantial one.
FALINKSI: No they don't! They only have a policy about how to take more people’s money away from them.
CONNELL: Jason. Give Patrick a go here.
GORMAN: I think Jason's getting all his anger out at Josh Frydenberg through this interview. I think that's what's going on there. He came in angry, and now he's taking it out on me and you, Tom.
FALINKSI: Yes, I've often seen these sessions as therapeutic, that's quite true.
GORMAN: Here to help, Jason.
GORMAN: Labor is the only party who's come out with a substantive plan, a $500 million commitment to social housing. We know that that is the best thing we can do.
CONNELL: But that's is not getting people into their first home, Patrick.
FALINKSI: No, it's not. It's a make-work scheme for their mates!
GORMAN: It deals with some of the big pressures for low income and essential workers.
FALINKSI: When will Labor stand up for Australian's instead of their donors?
GORMAN: Jason. There's a plan to help low income and essential workers get into public housing. Now, I hope, I know there'll be more policies publicised about housing affordability
CONNELL: 30 seconds left for you Patrick. There's more on the way is there, is that the answer to that?
GORMAN: I think Labor's shown time and time again through the National Rental Affordability Scheme and other initiatives, we're committed to affordable housing.
CONNELL: All right, still looking at that first homebuyers …
FALINKSI: Am I allowed to speak? Can I say something now?
CONNELL: You may, but I'm going to give you some context first of all, that's how the panel goes. What about your party? Are you hoping for substantial housing affordability plan, a new one between now and the election?
FALINKSI: Look, Tom, absolutely. I mean, what we need is more housing for more Australians so they, too, can have their part of the Australian dream. I mean, let's not sugar coat this. There is a whole generation of Australians who can't afford to get into the Australian property market. We live on the least densely populated continent in the world with housing prices that are equivalent to the most densely populated city states in the world. It is unreasonable, it is unfair, and it is unjust.
FALINKSI: And Labor's answer to this is to give more money to their millionaire fund manager donors and social housing ...
GORMAN: What are you talking about? Social housing is run by the states.
FALINKSI: ... which has not, which has not actually solved any problem whatsoever, except created and exacerbated the problem. If we are serious about this, then we should be saying to the state governments very clearly, that they need to refine their planning laws. We have seen in Tokyo, we have seen in other parts of the world that if you want to substantially, materially reduce homelessness, and I thought the regressive woke left, we're all about, we're all about helping the most marginal and vulnerable in our society. Well, you don't get much more marginal and vulnerable than the homeless. When the Tokyo government reformed their planning laws, they reduced homelessness by 80 per cent. But Labor's answer to this is to take more of your money, give more of your money to their donors in industry super.
CONNELL: All right, we're actually out of time Patrick, I'll give you more time next week.
GORMAN: That's good, because I didn't follow a thing of what Jason just said.
CONNELL: I think we've answered the question …
FALINKSI: I know! That's the problem.
CONNELL: whether or not Jason was disappointed. We'll leave it there. Wild ride as ever. Gentlemen, talk next week.
ENDS