JIM CHALMERS MP
SHADOW TREASURER
MEMBER FOR RANKIN
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
7NEWS THE LATEST
MONDAY, 11 APRIL 2022
SUBJECTS: Anthony Albanese takes responsibility, Scott Morrison never does; Scott Morrison’s lies about spending and the economy; The most wasteful government since federation; The road to a better future under Labor runs through Queensland; Scott Morrison goes missing when Queenslanders need him most; Labor’s plan for a better future.
ANGELA COX, HOST: Let's go now to Labor's Treasury Spokesperson, Jim Chalmers. Jim, as the man who wants to be Treasurer, were you embarrassed to hear your leader stumble over those economic figures today?
JIM CHALMERS, SHADOW TREASURER: Of course not Angela, I think people get numbers wrong from time to time. The election won't hinge on whether or not the leaders can recite numbers, the election will hinge on whether or not Australia can look forward to a better future under Labor - with cleaner and cheaper energy, and cheaper child care, getting real wages moving again, making things here, a future made in Australia. Or whether we have to risk another three years of a Prime Minister who goes missing when we need him, never takes responsibility, and who presides over a situation where everything is going up except people's wages and we've got a trillion dollars in debt and not enough to show for it. Those are the choices at this election. The reason why Simon Birmingham, and Scott Morrison, and others, only want to talk about Labor is because they have absolutely no idea of the future. They've got no plans to deliver a better future. They've only got a plan for an election campaign.
COX: The Coalition's narrative is that Labor can't manage the economy and aren't trustworthy when it comes to looking after our money. So, isn't the fact that Anthony Albanese can't remember the basic most important figure at the moment, isn't that a concern?
CHALMERS: No, I think Anthony did what people expect of him, when he didn't get the number right he put his hand up and said he made a mistake. He took responsibility for it, that's the difference between him and Scott Morrison. If Anthony Albanese makes a mistake he takes responsibility for it and takes responsibility for fixing it, and moves on. Scott Morrison has spent his whole Prime Ministership blaming others and trying to avoid and evade responsibility. I think that those are crucial issues when it comes to this election. You're asking me about responsible economic management. I mean, give me a break: Simon Birmingham and Josh Frydenberg are taking to this election more debt and bigger deficits than any government has ever taken to an election. They spent $39 billion in the Budget without any talk of offsets. They committed to $70 billion in new spending between December and March just gone. So we're not going to be taking lectures about responsible economic management from the most wasteful government since Federation, which has sprayed money around on rorts, and waste, and mismanagement, so that we've got that trillion dollars in debt and nowhere near enough to show for it.
COX: Okay, so what's your plan?
CHALMERS: Our plan is for a better future based on cleaner and cheaper energy, cheaper and more accessible child care, fee-free TAFE to deal with skills shortages and provide more opportunities in our economy, a future made in Australia by revitalising advanced manufacturing and the care economy. That's our plan. It's a responsible plan. It's all about growing the economy the right way into the future, so there are more opportunities for more people. Again, the reason why the Government wants to talk about Labor is because they don't have a plan like that for the economy beyond the election. We've got big, serious challenges in the economy. The legacy of this government after almost a decade in office is falling real wages, skyrocketing costs of living, a trillion dollars of debt and not enough to show for it. So there are some big challenges in the economy. We're up for dealing with them. We've got a plan to do that, to deliver a better future, and the Government doesn't
COX: You represent the seat of Rankin, south of Brisbane. Queensland will be a major battleground this election. Anthony Albanese thinks Labor can secure nine seats there, is that realistic?
CHALMERS: I'm not going to get into predicting how many seats we might win in Queensland. It's been traditionally difficult for us here and we know that we need to work twice as hard for every vote. I'm in my electorate now, but I've been in Lilley and Longman already over the weekend, I'll be in Flynn before the week is out. We know we've got a big challenge ahead of us, we need to do better in Queensland. The road to a better future for Australia goes through Queensland, that's as it should be. We are doing the work, we welcome the challenge. We've got a good plan for a better future for Queenslanders. You compare that once again with a Prime Minister who has gone missing when Queenslanders need him the most. Whether it's during the pandemic or during the floods, he always turns his back on Queensland, and I think that will be a factor in this election as well.
COX: Okay, Jim Chalmers. Thanks so much for your time.
CHALMERS: Thanks, Angela.
ENDS
