Interview with Sarah Abo, The Today Show, Channel Nine
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
SARAH ABO, HOST: Joining us to discuss today’s headlines is Minister for Employment Amanda Rishworth, and Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie. Good morning to you both. Firstly, Jacqui, welcome back.
JACQUI LAMBIE, TASMANIAN SENATOR: Thank you.
SARAH ABO: We’ve missed you. Have you missed us? How are you doing?
JACQUI LAMBIE: Absolutely. I’ve missed you, Sarah. I don’t know about the big boy that sits next to you, but absolutely you, Sarah.
SARAH ABO: Don’t worry about him. It’s good to see you back with us, Jacqui, back in Canberra where you belong. Now, a fair bit, of course, has happened since we last spoke, and there is a bit to get through this morning. Let’s start with today’s expected interest rate hike. Amanda, I’ll come to you for this. I think I can guess what you’re going to say. Labor has nothing to do with this, right?
AMANDA RISHWORTH, MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS: Well, what I would say is that it is an unwelcome uptick when it comes to inflation. And, of course, it will have an impact on families, and we do know that they're doing it tough. How we can contribute as a Government is in two ways. Firstly, is to make sure that we're making as much progress in repairing the budget, which we've been doing. In the last MYEFO that just came down in December, we had a $20 billion worth of savings. And over the course of our Government, we've improved the budget bottom line by $114 billion. But of course, we need to help people as well. And that's where our cost-of-living support has been. And where we will continue to focus on things like tax cuts to support people.
SARAH ABO: Jacqui, will this rate hike be a bit of a report card for the Government? I mean, we're likely to expect a second rate hike as soon as May. It feels like not that long ago the Treasurer was telling us the worst was behind us.
JACQUI LAMBIE: Yeah, I think there is a lot of uncertainty in the world and that's certainly not helping the issues that are going on down here. I have been reading recently there is- and like myself, I'm still paying a house off and I actually I'm able to pay a bit extra and have done that. As a matter of fact, that's probably what saved my last house that I had when I was out there politicising and trying to win my seat back after section 44, and I had about two and a half years’ worth of payments ahead and that would have saved my house back then, and I am hearing a lot of people do pay extra on their house loan and have been. Now, how long they can sustain that now, if those interest rates keep going up or start going up again this year, that's going to be difficult. But it's such uncertain times out there and it's really mucking around with everything, the whole economy right around the world, not just ours.
SARAH ABO: Yeah, a lot of people are going struggle certainly with this news. I guess one thing's for certain, Amanda, if Labor does get away with this, you'll have Sussan Ley and David Littleproud to thank.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, I don't know what's going on there. It's more dramatic than a soap opera. They're together, they're not together. But I don't think people like politicians that are focused on their own jobs and themselves, and that certainly seems to be what's happened. It seems very ego-driven. It seems very focused on saving each of their jobs, and I think Australians will mark them down for that.
SARAH ABO: Jacqui, it does seem like this saga just drags on, and the PM likened it to an episode of MAFS yesterday. What's your take on the latest coalition chaos?
JACQUI LAMBIE: Yeah, I have to be brutally honest with you. It is like MAFS or Love Island gone wrong. Bottom line is this, we need an opposition, and quite frankly I have been sitting on the sidelines watching this for the last three months and watching this play out over the last few weeks, and I tell you what, sitting back on those sidelines and watching this parliament operate, I tell you what, you get a very, very different feel of the behaviour that goes on up here. But I say this to the Liberal-National Party. This country needs an opposition. People voted you in, you did not win government. You're in opposition. And quite frankly, it is not helpful taking on the Government of the day when you are going through this and it is such a distraction. You should be ashamed of yourselves. So put it away, get back together and get moving as an opposition, because quite frankly, you're not going to win the next election. You need to do something. So fix it today. It's embarrassing. From where I'm sitting and millions of Australians, you're embarrassing yourselves. So for the sake of the country, for goodness sake, get it worked out, get back together and start moving things up there in those chambers.
SARAH ABO: You're fed up, Jacqui. I reckon a lot of Aussies probably are as well.
JACQUI LAMBIE: Yeah, they are.
SARAH ABO: And that's the problem. I mean, you talk about not being elected into government. I mean, they need to be a viable opposition first.
JACQUI LMABIE: Yeah, there's a lot more important things running around than worrying about a split between the National and Liberal Party. I wish they'd just get it over and done with so we can all move on. That would be very helpful for the country, if anything else.
SARAH ABO: What do you think about One Nation's surge? And, Jacqui, I want to ask you about this because I know you almost lost your spot in the Senate to Pauline Hanson's daughter at the last election. Would you say you saw this wave coming?
JACQUI LAMBIE: Yeah, first of all, I didn't nearly lose my seat. My seat was fine. And what I'll say is this.
SARAH ABO: It came close, Jacqui. Come on, you know.
JACQUI LAMBIE: Yeah, no, it depends on where your preferences and that go. That's where they lose out.
SARAH ABO: Yeah, true.
JACQUI LAMBIE: So, you know, you've got to have friends to get preferences. You've got to make sure that you're in both sides of the camp because you need those preferences. There's no doubt about that. But quite honestly, their biggest problem right now is the Liberal-National Party’s throwing it at them, because while they're fighting on the sidelines, they're losing more ground. I cannot believe they can't see this. This is just stupidity at its best. So I ask them to fix the marriage, throw away the divorce, let's get this fixed for the sake of the country once again.
SARAH ABO: Amanda, One Nation could be making inroads in your home state too. Former Liberal Cory Bernardi joining the team hoping to claim the party's first senate seat in South Australia. That would be quite something.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Oh, well, it would be an interesting development, but I think we've got to remember about Cory Bernardi. He hasn't recently defected from the Liberal Party. He's been separated for some time. And of course, he was kicked off the front bench by Tony Abbott, actually. So, look, we'll see. But I'm sure the state Labor government's focus is being continuing on doing more of what they're doing, which is building the economic confidence of South Australia as well as the services South Australians need.
SARAH ABO: Watch this space with One Nation, the way it's heading in the polls. Amanda, Jacqui, thanks so much for joining me. So good to see you again, Jacqui. We'll catch you again next week.