IR Legislation; Tax cuts; Van Nguyen; Infrastructure Blueprint
 Kim Beazley |
TV Interview
Interview with Tracy Grimshaw, Today Show - 24th November 2005
E & O E - PROOF ONLY
GRIMSHAW: With the latest opinion polls showing a big
increase in support for Kim Beazley, the Opposition Leader has stepped
up his attacks on Prime Minister, John Howard, on a number of fronts
including workplace reforms; efforts to free Van Nguyen. And the
next focus may be on tax cuts with Treasury officials now predicting a
$14 billion budget surplus. Lots to talk with Mr Beazley about
this morning and he joins us now, good morning.
BEAZLEY: Good to be with again.
GRIMSHAW: Good to see you. The Prime Minster
concedes that this latest opinion poll drop for the Government is a
reaction to the workplace legislation. Do you agree?
BEAZLEY: Look, Australians don't want to see their
jobs Americanised. They don't want to see their work conditions
Americanised - the Prime Minister does. There is now fundamental
disagreement between what Australians believe about their future and
the security they want for it and the rewards they want for it than
what the Prime Minister believes. Whilst-ever he is persisting
with this attack on their living standards they're going to persist
with an attack on him.
GRIMSHAW: We're hearing that Queensland National MP's
are going to ask that their Senators block the legislation
outright. Can you see that happening?
BEAZLEY: Well we'll give them every
opportunity. We will oppose this legislation - we are utterly
opposed to it. And if it gets through we'll rip it up after we're
elected at the next election and put something fair in place. But
we'll be there for anyone who wants to block it. There's
absolutely no question about that.
GRIMSHAW: But the Nationals are reportedly throwing
their weight around. The union movement has committed $20 million
to maintain the campaign for the next two years against this
legislation. Are you personally, is Labor getting enough traction
in this debate?
BEAZLEY: The union movement of course is putting its
own money into it. The Government is putting taxpayers' dollars
into it - $50 million worth so far which could be better spent on
things this nation really needs removing some of our infrastructure
bottlenecks for example. I mean, the Government is outrageous on
this. This is completely unnecessary legislation - completely
unnecessary. Our people don't deserve this. And that's why
the public doesn't like it - it's why we don't like.
If John Howard backs off on this there'll be a lot of relieved people
around the place but I wonder if they'll ever trust him again.
Now, are we getting traction from this? That's not the
point. The point is people are being threatened here and they
need to have that burden removed from them.
GRIMSHAW: It looks like Treasury will have a bigger
surplus next budget - we're hearing figures of around $14
billion. If he delivers Malcolm Turnbull style tax cuts will that
take the heat out of the opposition to the IR reforms?
BEAZLEY: Whenever this Government gets into trouble
it talks about a tax cut. The Opposition wants them to do a tax
cut and do it fairly. I mean they've given weak tax cuts so far
repeatedly. What they've not done is given a tax cut to the
ordinary taxpayer - the ordinary Australian. So, we would like to
see tax cuts, we would like to see tax reform. We want to see
fair tax reform - we want to see ordinary Australians benefit.
Now, this is the highest taxing Government in Australian history.
Time it sought to lose that mantle.
GRIMSHAW: So, you would support tax cuts if there's a $14 billion surplus?
BEAZLEY: Absolutely. We'd support tax
reform. We want to see people encouraged to participate in the
workforce. We want to see people in middle Australia start to
shed some of the burdens of the cost increases under the Howard
Government have imposed on them.
GRIMSHAW: I want to talk to about infrastructure in
moment because you're about to make some big announcements on your
policy on infrastructure. But, let's talk about Van Nguyen for a
moment. The argument keeps circling about whether Australia can
force an International Court ruling on Singapore. What is your
advice on what exactly Australia can do in terms of the International
Court?
BEAZLEY: We should do everything of that character
that we can do. I'm going to write to the Prime Minister today
and suggest that next week our Foreign Minister and our Foreign Affairs
spokesman, Kevin Rudd, should jointly go to Singapore for a last minute
plea to the Singaporean authorities not to hang this man. I think
in that sense we've got to try everything. A court case, an
international court case, or at least the manoeuvres towards one would
again show the Singaporean authorities how serious we are on
this. And it would be a good move too.
GRIMSHAW: Do we have any muscle to flex here though Mr Beazley or is it about pleading?
BEAZLEY: It is about pleading a case. It's not
about bullying people - we're not about bullying Singaporeans.
What we're about is saying: "Look, you're going down the wrong track,
this is not the right way to go with this young man. For starters
you shouldn't hang people but this young man anyway has something to
contribute in our search for Mr Bigs. We want to put behind bars
the people who are really behind this drug trafficking, not just the
small players".
GRIMSHAW: Let's talk about your Infrastructure
Blueprint. How are you going to overcome the various
federal/state jurisdictional stumbling blocks, if you like, that seem
to stand in the way of a national infrastructure plan?
BEAZLEY: You've got to get priorities right, you've
got to get a bit of national leadership. You've got to get the
structure to remove the discussion about infrastructure, about building
roads, bridges, telecommunications, out of the political bear pit, or
play pit if you like, where basically it's all about pork barrelling at
the moment and into the business of seriously improving our national
economy. Now, we need priorities first. We need national
leadership to establish those priorities and then we can talk to the
states about who's responsible for approvals at what level. You
know, there's so many glitches - so many bottlenecks. And if
you've got to manage the economy responsibly now, one of the things you
have to is to remove the bottlenecks for our creaking infrastructure.
BEAZLEY: And you're talking about the Federal
Government though in your policy. You're talking about the
Federal Government taking control from the states?
BEALZEY: In some things, in other things the Federal
Government getting out of the states' hair. At the moment now
there is too much blame shifting going on and finger pointing between
levels - and people just hate that. Well, sooner or later someone
has got to solve it and say: "okay, for these things, these roads,
states only - these roads, federals only". That's just one
example, you can do it in many other areas too. But just
establish clear-cut lines of authority and you should, in establishing
clear-cut lines of authority, you actually know what you've got to do -
and we don't at the moment.
GRIMSHAW: Alright. Thank you for your time.
BEAZLEY: Good to be with you.
