Ben Fordham's interview with Scott Morrison
- Written by Ben Fordam
BEN FORDHAM: Good morning to you, PM.
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Ben, and congratulations, Sydney's number one.
FORDHAM: Thank you very much. Did you have time to watch yesterday?
PRIME MINISTER: Not really, Ben, to be honest, I've been a bit busy. I saw a few grabs of it last night. It was pretty robust.
FORDHAM: Is that what Scomo and Albo is going to look like in 18 months?
PRIME MINISTER: I'd be surprised. I think our debates are a little less shouty than that, I suspect. Bu that said one thing I know they both agree on, as the United States, as always, is the importance of Australia to the relationship with them and the partnership that we have that has been enduring now for a century in so many different ways from when we first fought together all those years ago. So that's one thing they certainly agree one and that is it will always be in Australia's interests.
FORDHAM: Hear, hear. Now, there's many things to talk about. So let's talk first of all about the wharfies. The Maritime Union couldn't reach an agreement in the Fair Work Commission so they're going back there today. You have not held back here. You've said this is extortion.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, that's right, and particularly in a Coronavirus recession. And you've got 17 days waiting times for ships in Port Botany at Sydney. There's 90,000 containers, I understand, that are being delayed. There's 30 ships off, 38 ships, off the coast of Australia and then that backs up into the whole distribution system. And there are Medicines Australia who are concerned about the delays that that can mean for medicines coming through that have still yet to leave port. So this is a very serious issue and this is something that needs to get sorted out and so we're watching that very closely. We want those parties to sort it out. But it's what's being sought, particularly the initial claim that was put in. I mean, six per cent every year at a time like this when everyone else is either taking no increases at all or even worse than that.
FORDHAM: Are you prepared to do a John Howard when he broke up the union stronghold on the wharves?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I don't speculate on what our next step might be, and I don't think that is constructive. What I am saying is get back to work. The country needs our wharves open and operating at peak capacity at a time like this. That's what is in Australia's interests. And they're not picking a fight with employers. They're picking a fight with farmers, they’re picking a fight with people who need medicines, they're picking a fight with Australians whose jobs depend on what comes through those ports. And that's what's critically important right now.
FORDHAM: You're going to review the curfew at Sydney Airport, we're being told. At the moment no flights can come in or out from 11:00pm to 6:00am. Would you like to see that change?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I wouldn't. The Productivity Commission has called for this review. We're following through on this review. The slot management system is something… they’ll look at all the issues, but that has to come back to the government and the government has always had a very clear view on the curfew and on the cap. That's why we're building Western Sydney International Airport. That's why we're moving on those sorts of issues. So, I mean, I have always had a pretty clear view on that. They'll do their review. But when it comes to the cap and the curfew, well, the government's always had a very consistent position.
FORDHAM: Six years away, the new airport. So you're happy to wait until 2026?
PRIME MINISTER: The view will come back, Ben, but I mean, the cap and the curfew has been a consistent part of the Government's policy for many years.
FORDHAM: You don't want to put people through that extra aircraft noise?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Ben, that's the policy.
FORDHAM: Have you spoken to the New South Wales Environment and Energy Minister Matt Kean? Because we know that Santos is wanting to put billions of dollars into a new gas project in New South Wales. But when he was asked about it, Matt Kean said it was a big gamble by Santos. So is that telling them to take their billions somewhere else?
PRIME MINISTER: No, but I spoke to the Premier. I didn’t talk to the Minister, and the Premier actually agrees with the Government strongly. And the policy that the New South Wales Government has is that gas is an essential part of the energy mix. And this is 1,300 jobs, $12 billion worth of investment and it is absolutely critical. The other thing I'm talking about today, and that is to support our manufacturing industry. So if you're not for gas, you're not for manufacturing jobs. And so I'm afraid the Minister is a bit out of step with his own Government, their own policy, his Premier and, indeed, the deal that he struck with the federal government. You've got to stick to deals and stick to your word.
FORDHAM: You're bringing back Aussie manufacturing in six key areas, resources and minerals, as we've just talked about, food and beverages, medical products, recycling, clean energy, defence and space technology is the last one. So we’ve had Australians involved in space missions but none have been to the moon. Is that the next step?
PRIME MINISTER: It is an exciting part of our advanced manufacturing future. And we've got the National Space Agency, which we set up as a Government, and that's working on everything from satellite launch technology through the construction of componentries of satellites and other important parts of the space sector, which is growing. That's going to be an enormously large part of the global economy in the years to come. And we've got some amazing people working as part of our National Space Agency, something Karen Andrews, the Minister, has been highly focused on and that has benefits for all around the country. The space agency is based down in Adelaide, and that's connected up with other space agencies around the world. But it's not just there. I mean, it's the defence industry as well, which is a key sector where we're now got up over two per cent of our GDP back being spent on defence industries, on defence manufacturing and components and that's exciting. But the food and beverage sector, which is the biggest part of our manufacturing industry. Medical products we've seen what we can do there through the course of the COVID crisis and, in particular, $1.7 billion we're putting into actually making the vaccine here, two of them here in Australia, and get them to every single Australian subject to those medical trials. So we’ve got a lot of capacity here. We’ve got to focus on areas of strength. There are many jobs in this, a lot of investment in this, and it's a key part of our economic recovery plan.
FORDHAM: The Liberal Senator Claire Chandler is being dragged before the Anti-Discrimination Commission in Tasmania because she said women's toilets are designed for people of the female sex and should remain that way. Is there anything wrong with what she said?
PRIME MINISTER: No, that's commonsense. And I would urge a more commonsense approach on how some of these agencies operate. I mean, the Tasmanian one has had form on other issues in the past. I think people just expect commonsense in these areas.
FORDHAM: Let me ask you about the ABC staff at the national broadcaster who voted to give themselves a pay rise at a time everyone else is tightening their belts. Should they read the room?
PRIME MINISTER: I think so. I mean, there's 112 Commonwealth government agencies that elected to take the freeze, and had to have the freeze put in place. Commonwealth public servants are the same Commonwealth politicians are the same. And in particular in the media sectors, as you would know Ben, I mean, we've got other parts of the media industry and the private media industry who are taking big pay cuts. And so I was quite surprised that they took that view. It was a six month delay and so both to their fellow public servants and those in the media industry, in particular, I was surprised.
FORDHAM: Michael McCormack, the National Party leader, reckons eventually it'll be seen as a bargain that taxpayers spent $33 million on a parcel of land in Western Sydney valued at $3 million. Really?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I had a bit to say about this the other day. While I agree that Western Sydney Airport is an absolute jobs machine for Western Sydney, it is going to transform our city. It's a tremendously exciting project well underway. But at the same time, I wasn't happy with that outcome. It happened several years ago. The department is doing a review and I suspect, I have no doubt there'll be some strong action taken in relation to that matter. And the Ministers at the time felt exactly the same way. There's been a real breakdown in the process there within the department. The Government obviously has to take responsibility for that and ensure it doesn't happen again.
FORDHAM: Michael McCormack says young Aussies should go bush for work as fruit pickers. He says, and I'll play you this, they might find romance.
AUDIO, MICHAEL MCCORMACK: You might find the love of your life out in regional Australia.
FORDHAM: So PM, is that the message? Pick fruit and find love?
PRIME MINISTER: If it gets people picking fruit and getting a harvest in, then absolutely. That's a classic Big Mac comment. That's the sort of thing we hear from him quite a bit behind closed doors as well. It's the lighter side of it. But the truth is we need to get this harvest in and we're extending the backpacker arrangements, we’re extending the seasonal worker programmes. But also those who are on JobSeeker can earn up to 300 bucks a fortnight and not have it affect the JobSeeker payment. I mean, there's jobs out there in the bush. There's jobs out there in the Riverina. There's jobs out there for people to be able to support our farmers, get this harvest in. And so it's really important that people take up those opportunities.
FORDHAM: I'm sure we'll speak next week about the Budget. Good luck with it all and thank you so much for coming on.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks a lot, Ben, good to chat.
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