Topics: Power prices, renewable energy transition, stage three tax cuts, misogyny speech reflection
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Power bills are expected to go up 35 per cent next year that’s on top of the already increasing cost of living. The Government has so far ruled out providing more temporary relief in the Budget, but the Coalition is demanding cost of living assistance.
Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley is our guest now. Welcome to the program.
SUSSAN LEY:
Good morning, Patricia. Good to be on the program.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
That’s a pretty substantial increase, it will drive up inflation. But so would any broad based financial assistance to help households even though people obviously want it because they’re struggling, there’s no doubt about it. If you did it, inflation would get worse, wouldn’t it?
SUSSAN LEY:
We have to think about the effect of a 35 per cent power increase for struggling families. I represent a lot of people on low and fixed incomes. I am in Rockhampton with about 20 members of the Shadow Cabinet and we’re meeting those small family business members and their communities. And my thoughts Patricia are with those who actually will have to make a choice this winter between heating or eating. And that unfortunately is the reality.
We don’t want Australia to go down this path. But it’s the pathway Labor is taking us down now. They promised they had a plan on cost of living. Where is it? We haven’t seen it, and today, unfortunately, the warning bells on power are getting louder. 97 times during the election campaign Anthony Albanese mentioned that you would have $275 of relief in your power bill. That number has not been mentioned once.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Well actually Chris Bowen I’ve quoted as actually sticking to that election promise. But either way bills are going up regardless even if that was to happen. There is an increase right in how much people are paying there’s no doubt about it. Slow transmission lines and a slow take up of renewable energy have contributed to this, Labor has blamed the former government for dragging its feet on the transition to renewables. Surely you take some responsibility. I mean, obviously you want to blame the government, but you have to take some responsibility for the lead up to this.
SUSSAN LEY:
Well, it’s interesting that they blame us for a transition to renewables, a transition that they haven’t even been able to map out with confidence that gives families confidence that their energy bills won’t escalate.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Well, you had to have done the detailed planning work before didn’t you too?
SUSSAN LEY:
We did Patricia, we introduced legislation requiring energy companies to put their customers first. We invested in new energy generation. We made sure that domestic gas supplies including the Beetaloo Basin, were ready, we were building Snow 2.0, we talked about Kurri Kurri, Chris Bowen visited there soon after the election and said this is going to be hydrogen by 2030, something so unrealistic most energy companies laughed at him. Our plan was detailed, and most importantly, that prices would not go up by for example the 35 per cent that we’re hearing today and this really matters to Australians. You know, I can’t emphasise enough when you travel the country as many of my colleagues are at the moment, you’re talking to people who are not investing in their businesses, not adding that extra production line, not confident about the future and meanwhile what have we got we’ve got a government that saying we want to tax you more.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Well they’re not saying that. They haven’t said that.
SUSSAN LEY:
Well, they’re crab walking away from the stage three tax cuts that they absolutely signed up to during the election campaign and this is something that we have to call out, and I have to call out.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
No for sure they definitely did. They’re on the record 100 per cent. You are correct that they are committed to them. Now they’re telling us they’re not going to make changes to stage three, but there is a revenue issue, a structural deficit in the budget. So what do you do when where you’re gonna get the money from?
SUSSAN LEY:
They haven’t guaranteed that they’re not going to make stage changes to stage three. They said in the current budget, they’re not going to, and they’ve used the word ‘yet’. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said their position hasn’t changed ‘yet’. So, they are crab walking away from this. And you know, we do say this when they run out of money, they come after yours, you cannot tax your way out of a spending problem.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Okay so where are you going to get the revenue from?
SUSSAN LEY:
Well, these are priorities that the government has to give us.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
What do you think should happen because you are saying individual taxpayers shouldn’t pay. Okay, so accepting that where should the money come from?
SUSSAN LEY:
Well, I think they should do their numbers, today we’ve seen a $500 million black hole in their cost of living policies. It shows that they actually haven’t done the hard work to prepare a budget that [interrupted]
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
But you need to raise revenue in another way. Do you support an increase to the GST for instance? A different way of getting income?
SUSSAN LEY:
Of course not Patricia we’re a party that is always focused on lowering taxes and our stage three tax relief came after stage one and stage two that gave more of the money that people earn back to them for aspiration, for investment and for business creation. That has always been the Coalition’s approach, whereas Labor is looking around, casting around getting the numbers wrong. I mean, a $500 million dollar black hole, they said that this policy to increase competition and consumer penalties over the next four years would raise over $500 million. In fact, it will actually only raise $63 million. So maybe that’s why they’re breaking their promise to support legislated tax relief. Legislated tax relief, something that’s actually passed the Parliament. We would have new legislation introduced to unwind it.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
To be clear there hasn’t been a breaking of the promise, yet, as we say. Just to be accurate.
SUSSAN LEY:
I think perhaps you in your incisive questioning of government members need to ask what are you guarantees for the future?
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
I’ve been very incisive on the tax question.
SUSSAN LEY:
You have!
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Let me take you, can I just take you to another thing before I let you go? Because it is the anniversary week of the Julia Gillard misogyny speech, which really has been quite a sort of lightning rod moment for many women around the world. What are your reflections on that speech now?
SUSSAN LEY:
I was in the Parliament, and I think back the context in which it was given was highly politically charged. Obviously, Labor was hanging on to the tainted speakership of Peter Slipper who himself had been involved in text message conversations that were pretty horrible. I don’t want to go back there and remind people. But it was a very tough political contest that we were facing around what I considered was Labor behaving quite appallingly and hanging on to a tainted vote.
However, I do acknowledge Patricia but since that day that speech has lifted beyond its immediate context and it has encouraged and inspired many young women, and if it’s helped them, consider how they might stand up for themselves or speak up with a voice that they may not have been able to find before then I think that’s a good thing.
But I do not step away from the fact that the government of Julia Gillard, while I respect her and recognise her as the first female prime minister, her government was incompetent and chaotic.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
But on the substantive questions she was responding to the misogyny she had faced as well. You know, those posters, ditch the witch and some of those comments that some of your MPs align themselves with. Do you think that was the wrong thing to do?
SUSSAN LEY:
Well she wasn’t actually responding to those comments, She may have referred to them in the speech but she was actually responding to a suspension motion in parliament that related to the specific of the occasion [interrupted]
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Politely, but do you denounce all of that all of that misogyny that she faced?
SUSSAN LEY:
All sexist, language and all treatment of women that emphasises negatives around gender, not just women, but anyone of course I denounce, and Patricia you know me well, I always have.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Yeah I do, but do you regret not being more outspoken at the time?
SUSSAN LEY:
In the parliament, on that day, we cannot forget that that the speaker who Labor attracted so that they could hang on to power had demonstrated [interrupted].
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
He was in your party.
SUSSAN LEY:
Had demonstrated appallingly sexist language. So, he stepped out of our party went effectively to the Labor side by assuming the speakership and then the Government, the Labor Government, tried to hang on to him and that was not good enough.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
We’re out of time. Thanks for coming on.
SUSSAN LEY:
Always a pleasure.