Interview with Tom Steinfort, The Today Show, Channel Nine
TOM STEINFORT, HOST: Well, after months of stark denial, Anthony Albanese has finally conceded his sewerage claim for a $6 million grant at Marrickville Golf Club in his own electorate is a load of you-know-what. The Prime Minister instead admitting the New South Wales government stepped in to cover any sewerage-related repairs. So, where did that six mil go to? We're not quite sure. Joining us to discuss today's headlines, we have Minister for Employment Amanda Rishworth and Nationals leader Matt Canavan. Amanda, I'll start with you, because first it was the melons denial from the Prime Minister, weeks there before he issued an apology. Then refuting claims his office spread a dirt file on Helen Haines when we could all see it. And now this, the Prime Minister again having to clarify that he'd been misleading people. Does the Prime Minister have a problem with the truth?
AMANDA RISHWORTH, MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS: Well, I don't accept your characterisation. Let's be very clear about this project that we're talking about. When the announcement was made and the original proposal was put forward, it involved works on the sewerage. Subsequent to that, the New South Wales government took action because it was very urgent, and now the works will include complementary parts of that redevelopment. So that is an important clarification. And quite frankly, with community infrastructure around Australia, there is a lot that is ageing really significantly. And many councils right around Australia ask for support in this. I know in my own electorate, the Commonwealth has been able to provide support for a pool that would be otherwise closed and not available to the community. So it is important that the Commonwealth steps in and supports community projects.
TOM STEINFORT: [Talks over] 75 per cent of the funds in this program went to Labor-held seats. I mean, that's the whole accusation here, that of course it went to your electorate because it was looking after Labor-held seats.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: No, let's be really clear. When I talk about the pool in my electorate, that was through the Thriving Suburbs grants. There's a range of different grants. But election commitments are made by all sides of parliament. To suggest that election commitments can't be made is really- I doubt Matt will say that, because he makes election commitments, as do other members of parliament. They're very transparent, they're announced before an election, and people get to vote.
But get back to the principle – investing in community infrastructure right around Australia is really important. Councils, of course, often look to the Commonwealth, and in many of these ageing projects, the Commonwealth does support them.
TOM STEINFORT: Matt, what do you make of this?
MATT CANAVAN, NATIONALS LEADER: Well, look, it's not just that the Prime Minister has a clear, loose relationship with the truth. It’s that he takes so long to come clean. Every time, as you've just gone through, Tom, and there's plenty of other examples like falling off a stage, like his lies he told at the election last year about taxes, it just takes so long for him to come clean. He has to be caught red-handed before he does so. And that raises the question of what else is he not telling the truth about to us? If he only tells the truth when he's exposed, what's he saying the other half the time when we don't know the details behind the scenes?
And for Amanda to say there that election commitments are made by all and used as a cover, well, yes, they are, Amanda, but it's not very often that you make election commitments for $6 million for a place just down the road from your house. The Prime Minister should have recused himself. And he was a member of this club that he didn’t disclose as well, by the way. So he hasn't recused himself from this, and there’s a lot of questions about this. Well, Amanda, I'm not going to cop any lectures on this.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: [Talks over] well, if you don’t live close to your electorate
MATT CANAVAN: It's totally different when it's down the road from your house.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: People live in their electorates.
MATT CANAVAN: It’s totally different.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: I live in my electorate.
MATT CANAVAN: Yes, of course.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: People live in their electorates. To somehow suggest that if you …
MATT CANAVAN: [Talks over] Well, this stinks.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: … if you are promising commitments within your electorate, somehow there's a conflict.
MATT CANAVAN: Amanda, when you exposed these issues when we were in government, minister Bridget McKenzie, my colleague, resigned. She resigned. She did the honourable thing. But obviously the Prime Minister can't do that.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: [Talks over] That is not an equivalent …
MATT CANAVAN: He lies and lies and lies, and won't hold himself to account for the same standards we did.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: [Talks over] That is not an equivalent example.
MATT CANAVAN: It's exactly the same.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: It is not.
MATT CANAVAN: In fact, it’s not as bad …
AMANDA RISHWORTH: It is not the same.
MATT CANAVAN: … this one's much worse.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Women's sporting facilities were being sent to men's only clubs, Matt, if you recall.
MATT CANAVAN: No, Bridget resigned because she was a member of a club that got a grant. It's exactly the same situation here. In fact, it's worse, as I say, because this place is just down the road from the PM's own house.
TOM STEINFORT: Amanda, I might focus back on what I put to you at the start and Matt mentioned there. The Prime Minister's relationship with the truth is what keeps coming up here, and these really delayed apologies that, as I said, seven weeks on the melons front and now, what's this, months after first making the claims about the sewerage at the Marrickville Golf Club. Again, there just does seem to start to be a pattern here, and people are noticing.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: I do not accept that characterisation. I need to be very clear that the Prime Minister, it was very clear in Senate estimates, very clear, the original proposal included sewerage works. The New South Wales government saw it as very urgent, and now it's been clear about what the new works will be. So I don't accept the characterisation. And quite frankly, my focus, and I know the Prime Minister's focus, is focused on matters that make a difference to everyday Australians. Whether it's cost of living, whether it is focus on healthcare or ensuring that people get opportunities for jobs, that's what we're focused on. The Opposition can sit there and throw mud all they want, but that's what we're focused on, making a difference for Australians.
TOM STEINFORT: A quick response, Matt.
MATT CANAVAN: Well, look, misleading parliament is a very, very serious problem. And this has happened…
AMANDA RISHWORTH: [Talks over] I don't accept that.
MATT CANAVAN: Well, he did mislead parliament. He's admitted it now. The problem is, when you do mislead parliament, you're meant to correct the record as soon as you're aware. And again, the issue here is the Prime Minister waits to be caught rather than just being up front with the Australian people in the first place.
TOM STEINFORT: All right, I suspect this will be bubbling along throughout today and for the rest of the week. A big issue here. Matt, Amanda, appreciate you both joining us on the program this morning.