Subjects: Ministerial reshuffle a test of the Prime Minister’s leadership; Labor’s cost of living crisis; Labor’s energy policy shambles; the Prime Minister’s broken promise of a $275 power price reduction; the Coalition’s plan to deliver cheaper, cleaner and consistent energy; nuclear power; iconic Olympic moments.
E&OE
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Well, a major shake-up is on the way to the Government this morning with the Prime Minister to announce a new Cabinet after the retirement of Linda Burney and Brendan O’Connor.
SARAH ABO:
Joining us now is Bill Shorten, who’s from Melbourne and Opposition Leader from Sydney, Peter Dutton – good to see you both.
PETER DUTTON:
‘Morning.
SARAH ABO:
Bill, let’s start with you. The feeling of change is in the winds. Tell us a bit more about what to expect.
BILL SHORTEN:
Well, congratulations to Brendan O’Connor and Linda Burney on their great service to the Labor movement, and more importantly, the people of Australia. The Prime Minister will go through due processes and on Monday swear in two new Ministers. I’m looking forward to it.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Alright. But is there going to be a greater change – a reshuffle? Let’s face it, if Andrew Giles can survive under Albo, anyone can, right?
BILL SHORTEN:
Oh, let’s just wait and see what happens with the reshuffle. We’ll find out by Monday. We’ve been a Government with a great deal of stability. I mean normally in a first term of a Coalition Government they lose six or seven of their Ministers. So really, Albo set a record for stability.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Alright, so no big changes then?
BILL SHORTEN:
Well, we’ll have to wait to see. I’m not expecting a lot, but having said that, I guess we’ll wait and see. We’ll find out soon enough. Only three more sleeps.
SARAH ABO:
Only three more sleeps – there’s a bit more exciting stuff happening in three more sleeps.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
If you’re going to do a change, do it during the Olympics…
SARAH ABO:
That’s right.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Anyway.
BILL SHORTEN:
Yeah, yeah bonjour.
SARAH ABO:
I mean Pete, would you change anything, if you were in his position? I mean loyalty should be rewarded, right? That’s what happens in politics.
BILL SHORTEN:
Loyalty’s not always rewarded, but I think merit should be and…
PETER DUTTON:
Oh look Sarah, I just think while the…
BILL SHORTEN:
Oh..
SARAH ABO:
That question was to Pete, Bill, but anyway.
PETER DUTTON:
Sarah, look, I think whilst the…
BILL SHORTEN:
Sorry I beg your pardon. Yeah, sorry.
PETER DUTTON:
…whilst the Labor Party’s at war with itself, it’s not concentrating on you at home. People have got huge power bills and the economy is really in a precarious position. As Karl rightly points out, I mean if Andrew Giles doesn’t get the flick, I just don’t know who does because he’s released 150 criminals unnecessarily from jail, and there’s no price to pay for it. I mean it’s just unbelievable.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Alright. Now, moving on to no surprises here to anyone, the cost of power has surged 20 per cent in the past quarter. Bill, Australians can’t afford to heat their homes – it’s the reality. The rebates are more than likely gone for most. What are you going to do? I mean, keep giving handouts until your wind farms are built?
BILL SHORTEN:
Well, first of all, we inherited a complete debacle from our predecessors and it is hard at the moment. Let’s just be straight with people, it is bloody hard at the moment with energy prices. But what we’ve done is put the rebates – and I wouldn’t dismiss $300 as nothing and $325 for small business.
We are using gas as our main sort of energy going forward and while we build our renewables. It’s like, unfortunately, you just can’t do these things overnight and that’s the truth. But we’ve got the right plan. I mean Peter’s got a nuclear fantasy where, in 2050, he’s got a plan for 4 per cent of the energy grid costing $600 billion. We’re the only people with a plan, so we’re just going to get on with it.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Peter, at best, it’s going to take you 10 years to build your nuclear power plants, right? In the meantime, you can’t possibly guarantee bills are going to go down under a Coalition Government?
PETER DUTTON:
Well Karl, the drama is that when Australians listened to their Prime Minister before the last election, Anthony Albanese was telling them he was going to reduce power prices by $275 each year and instead the power prices have gone up by $1,000.
The renewables only approach of the Government it just not working. When the PM says, you know, ‘it’s free to have wind and solar’, it’s not. You’ve got huge distribution costs, they’re undermining the 24/7 power and our argument is yes, gas is incredibly important, renewables are important, but you need to have that 24/7 full-time power.
That’s what nuclear is doing for France where you are. It’s doing it for many other countries across Europe. I just don’t think Australia can turn our eye in the opposite direction and pretend that we don’t need to have 24/7 baseload power. So it needs a tough decision, it’s a big investment, but as we see in Ontario and elsewhere, electricity is cheaper with nuclear in the system.
At the moment the Government’s only got a plan to drive prices higher and for people who are struggling to pay their bills at the moment, the Government’s only got bad news for them.
SARAH ABO:
Alright. Well, Paris certainly is shining bright, so let’s bring it back to Paris and to these Olympics. All eyes will be on this very city that we’re in right now, very fortunate to be in right now. Do we have a favourite Olympic moment? Bill, let’s start with you.
BILL SHORTEN:
I was very lucky to be in Sydney when Cathy Freeman ran her 400m in 2000. That was electric – 100,000 people at Homebush and everyone had goose bumps upon goose bumps. That young woman athlete running for Australia, and when she won – I’m getting goosebumps now thinking about it. I’m also a big fan of Kurt Fearnley. You know, I’ve watched him win the 3000m at Beijing. He’s just a great athlete, too. But Cathy Freeman, that would be my first choice.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Yeah. Beautifully said. Peter, for you?
PETER DUTTON:
Mate, again I’ll show my age, but I think Kieren Perkins in ’96 – pretty spectacular. A lot of the swimming – I just think those efforts – it’s the personal efforts across any discipline. It’s an amazing sacrifice they make. But my favourite moment’s going to be in the 2024 Paris Olympics when Karl does that nude run down the track celebrating our bag of gold. So Karlos, don’t let us down.
SARAH ABO:
He’s been working out Pete. I reckon you’ve got him.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Do you know what? I’m not doing a nude run, I’m doing a nude swim in the Seine.
SARAH ABO:
Well, we can’t see anything, so go for it.
PETER DUTTON:
He’s thought about it. He’s thought about it, don’t worry.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
I have, I have. You guys know me.
BILL SHORTEN:
Karl’s an influencer, you gotta give it a whirl.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Well, you know, it’s distracting.
Thank you guys. Enjoy the Olympics, we certainly are.
SARAH ABO:
Thank you guys.
[ends]