Topics: ADF in aged care; Labor’s secret cuts to manufacturing jobs; Labor’s attack on the ABCC; State of the Environment Report
PETER STEFANOVIC:
Let’s go to Canberra now. Now joining us live is the Deputy Opposition Leader and the Shadow Industry Minister Sussan Ley. Sussan, good to see you. Thanks for your time this morning. I will just start off with our top story this morning. This is the extra Defence Force personnel that’s going to be sent into aged care homes. Do you have any problem with that?
THE HON SUSSAN LEY MP, DEPUTY LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION:
Good morning Pete, no but we need to be careful that we keep track of vaccinations in aged care. Now the previous government set up the implementation of the ADF in aged care that was a good thing and it remains a good thing.
But what I’m concerned about is that the vaccination rates are falling. And I’m hearing anecdotally from aged care centres where residents have not had their fourth booster and that’s not good enough.
So where’s the government’s plan and explanation for exactly how many people have been vaccinated within our aged care system, and when are they going to finally get those fourth boosters if not already, that’s a key and critical issue when it comes to aged care at this point in time.
STEFANOVIC:
Okay $1.3 billion in manufacturing projects have stalled, pending a Labor review into cost effectiveness. What are your concerns about that?
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION:
Pete there’s alarm bells ringing across Australia about this because this is a jobs and manufacturing and critical industries issue. I’ve spoken to manufacturers who have within the $1.3 billion Modern Manufacturing Initiative in critical areas, such as food security, such as defence, such as vaccinations, not heard from this government about the commitments that were made to them.
Now these are multimillion dollar commitments, and these manufacturers have got skin in the game. they’re not sitting there waiting for a government grant they’re ready with apprentices with activities, with investments, some of it from overseas, and they’re just not hearing from the Industry Minister or the Prime Minister.
So we need to know and we need to know soon when these projects are going to be signed off. They weren’t in the caretaker, period. They were well before that. And there’s a strong expectation that they be delivered.
STEFANOVIC:
It doesn’t necessarily mean the projects are off, though, just that a new government is looking into whether it’s worth the expense. Wouldn’t you do the same if the roles were reversed?
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION:
Well, these are tried and tested initiatives in areas, like I said, of defence and food security. And no one would argue that coming out of COVID, these jobs aren’t critical. This investment is standing by and ready.
And yes, I’ve heard about a review, but how long is this review going to take? How long is it going to take this government to get their feet under the desk and actually get on with this, given that manufacturing and skills have been identified by them as a top priority?
And, you know, we need to know where these projects are up to and we need the proponents to have the confidence that all of that investment I mean, they’re ready to sign on apprentices. They’re ready to build new capital equipment, and they can’t do it because this government is sitting on its hands and not letting them know what’s going on.
STEFANOVIC:
Okay. Well, the government has put a line through the ABCC essentially taken its teeth out. Where do you think this leads?
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION:
Well, the last time this happened, the number of working days lost on job sites, more than tripled that was in 2011/12 under Bill Shorten. And I remember it well. I was in the Parliament. So, you know, at the very moment when the economy and the community is calling out for jobs coming out of COVID for the construction sector, which is critical to COVID recovery, to get back on its feet in the most effective way possible, the first week of parliament.
What does the Government do? They pull out the ABCC, the tough cop on the beat and there’s no real excuse or reason why. Although of course we know it’s strongly linked to their relationship with the CFMMEU.
STEFANOVIC:
The powers though will be shared between the Fair Work Ombudsman and the state based health and safety regulators. So won’t they just do the same job?
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION:
Well, they’re not set up to do that job. The ABCC is actually set up to be the tough cop on the beat and the evidence is there, when we put it in place. How productivity on building sites and within the construction industry actually was restored to where it should be and to lose that competitiveness is from a critical sector of manufacturing within the economy as we come out of COVID is absolutely crazy. It’s week one and the government is doing something that actually creates a handbrake on productivity within the Australian economy.
And by the way, anyone who’s read some of the detail of the attacks on women, on construction workplaces should absolutely want this independent cop to be there. Because women have been targeted and, you know, we really know that the government should not be accepting that. So the ABCC is vital, absolutely vital on our building sites.
STEFANOVIC:
Okay, Susan, last week a report into the state of the environment was released. Most sectors shown to be in deteriorating condition. As former environment minister, why did you sit on it and not release it before the election?
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION:
Well, that’s a Labor Party narrative. I received the report, I commissioned the report, appointed the authors, and it was well and truly within the statutory time frames and guidelines and not unusual at all in terms of the timing of its release, which was required 14 sitting days after being tabled. So had we been returned to government, I would similarly, or the new government would similarly have been releasing the report.
But I’m proud of our record on the environment and $1 billion to protect the reef, $100 million of ocean leadership, $200 million to recover from bushfires. All of the work we’ve done on threatened species, you know, I am very proud of our previous government’s record on the environment and it’s there for all to see.
And I’m interested as I watch the new Environment Minister repackage our old measures and call them this government’s. But they weren’t. And I’m not going to get into the politics of this, but I am going to say that we absolutely did what we needed to do to protect our beautiful, fragile Australian environment.
STEFANOVIC:
Well, the report says something completely different though, that as I said in the question, much of it is in deteriorating conditions. So how does that work with what you’re saying?
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION:
Well, it’s reflecting a long period of time over the period of European settlement and the effect that that’s had on our native wildlife.
But one of the key things we did was act on feral animals, because if you look at the number one threat to our Australian native mammals, it is of course ferals, whether it be cats or foxes or any of the hard hoofed animals that are damaging our environment. And if you check our record, you will see record investment on tackling those feral species.
STEFANOVIC:
Okay, Sussan Ley we’ll have to leave it there. Appreciate your time this morning. Talk to you again soon.