Interview with Karl Stefanovic – Channel Nine, Today Show
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
KARL STEFANOVIC, HOST: Joining us to discuss today’s headlines is Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth, and 3AW’s Heidi Murphy. To you, Heidi, first up, thanks for joining us. Two separate incidents, both incredibly worrying. Those people who intervened deserve a medal.
HEIDI MURPHY, 3AW: Absolutely. I mean, it’s hard to think, would you jump in? Would you step in? Whenever stories like this come up I think, God, what would I do in this particular situation? Extraordinary effort by those bystanders. This part of Melbourne I know quite well. It’s one of my local shopping strips, and to think this is happening, to think these scenes, middle of a Monday afternoon, are unfolding as people are having a coffee or wandering about doing their shopping. Quite extraordinary. I agree, those bystanders stopped possibly something far worse from happening.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Knife crime across the country right now. Meantime, the architect of your hate speech laws in Melbourne, Jaclyn Symes, says she still can’t work out whether death to the IDF is a criminal offence. Does that help things?
HEIDI MURPHY: Not really, no. This is legislation that was very carefully worked through over a long period of time when Jaclyn Symes was attorney-general. It was introduced and passed the parliament earlier this year. She’s now the Treasurer, and she is this week the Acting Premier, and we’re still in complete- it’s still a complete mystery. We’re still in the dark over whether these chants will be captured by that legislation when it comes into effect September of this year. How is it that we still don’t know that we can’t get a definitive answer? Perhaps the laws need a rewrite.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Amanda, you got any thoughts on that?
AMANDA RISHWORTH, MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS: We need a respectful dialogue. We need to make sure that we are bringing the temperature down, and any laws, any actions that we can do to do that are really important.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Okay, and we're sticking to the planned politics now to buy Darwin Port back. Anthony Albanese in China, big meetings today. This is all despite Chinese pressure to do otherwise.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: We've been really clear, and it shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone, we were clear in the election that this is what we wanted to see happen the Port of Darwin being put back into Australian hands. So, you know, we will have, of course, important meetings, some very successful meetings with business leaders, but we're not going to stray from our national interest, and that is to return the Port of Darwin into Australian hands. And, as I said, it shouldn't come as a surprise to people, whether they're in China or anywhere, that we made this commitment in the election, and we’re going to methodically get on and do it.
HEIDI MURPHY: But can't China just say no? What if China just says no, you can’t do that?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, we will have a range of different possibilities. Obviously, we're hoping for a sale and for a sale to a company, but we've got a range of different options at our disposal.
KARL STEFANOVIC: What are those options if China says no, as Heidi points out?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, our first step is to try and look at a private sale. We will be methodically working through this, but, of course, we've got legislation, we've got the parliament, there's a lot of options.
HEIDI MURPHY: How much is it going to cost us?
KARL STEFANOVIC: What new taxes are coming our way?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Karl, I think people have got a little bit ahead of themselves in terms of trying to pick specific taxes.
KARL STEFANOVIC: But some new taxes are coming.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: What the Treasurer has clearly said is that to have a conversation about productivity and economic resilience and making sure that we have budget sustainability, of course we've got to be discussing taxes as well as other measures that we can take to boost productivity in particular. Of course, we've already made significant tax reform. We've reduced income tax for every single taxpayer. But we've also made changes to the PRRT, as an example, making multinational pay their fair share. There’s a lot we've been getting on with, but of course we'll have a conversation and make a serious consideration of all proposals.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Heidi, it kind of reminds me of something - this is a throwback - there will be no new taxes under a government I lead.
HEIDI MURPHY: Well, look, is it the Treasurer's fault? I mean, the Department's told him, can't afford it, have to put some taxes up and stop talking about unachievable things. Treasury boffins are pretty clear about it. Things have to change and there will have to be more taxes.
KARL STEFANOVIC: All right, we mentioned this before the break and Amanda, it's no slight on you. You've made an appearance here every week without question, without fail. But what are the other pollies doing at the moment?
HEIDI MURPHY: Well, the PM's in China.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Apart from him.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: A lot of people are doing a lot of hard work preparing for this parliamentary sitting week, getting our legislation ready, including a 20 per cent discount on people's HECS debts. I know that'll be welcomed from a lot of people, but we'll be back in Parliament. But MPs have been out in their communities, connecting with their communities, advocating on behalf of their communities. But it'll all be back on next week, Karl.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Game on. Thank you so much, ladies. Appreciate it.