JIM CHALMERS MP
SHADOW TREASURER
MEMBER FOR RANKIN
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
TODAY SHOW
SUNDAY, 30 JANUARY 2022
SUBJECTS: China / Australia relations; NSW Liberal Treasurer calls out the Morrison Government for leaving NSW workers and small businesses behind; Morrison and Frydenberg going missing again.
CHARLES CROUCHER, HOST: This week of course China becomes the focus of the sporting world as the eyes turn to the Winter Olympics, but China is also the focus of domestic politics in Australia. Senior members of the Morrison Government saying that Anthony Albanese, the Labor Leader, doesn't have the ticker to stand up to China. Joining us to discuss is Finance Minister Simon Birmingham and Shadow Treasurer, Labor MP Jim Chalmers. Gentlemen, good morning to you both from China. Simon, I'll start with you. You're a former Trade Minister, you know the importance of unity when it comes to foreign policy. Given all the rhetoric going on in this election year, can these accusations be taken seriously about Anthony Albanese?
SIMON BIRMINGHAM, FINANCE MINISTER: Charles, it's Anthony Albanese's own words, where he seemed to indicate he was only interested in standing up for some Australian industries in dealings with China. Now, China has been terribly unfair in terms of the punitive, coercive approach it's taken to a number of Australian industries and we don't want to leave any of them behind. We're not going to leave behind Queensland's beef producers who are doing a tough in terms of getting approvals for abattoirs to actually send products to China. We're not going to leave behind the barley industry or the wine industry facing punitive tariffs and sanctions there. We're not going to leave behind the seafood sector, who face challenges there. All of these industries and others deserve to have a government who is 110% committed to standing up for them, their right to have all of their opportunities to trade with China defended, and of course those opportunities should be upheld in accordance with the trade deals that Australia has done with China. We've been very clear, very consistent with China in that. We've taken action to the World Trade Organisation in response to that and we will maintain that sort of strong line, as well as the type of investments in Australia's national security that are so essential to protect Australia in the years ahead.
CROUCHER: So Jim, is Labor soft on China?
JIM CHALMERS, SHADOW TREASURER: Of course not, and Simon should be better than repeating the kind of rubbish that we heard and read in The Australian yesterday. Anthony Albanese was asked about this during the week, he answered it as a real Prime Minister should. He said China's becoming more aggressive and more assertive, we want to see those trade sanctions withdrawn, and we don't want to play politics with such an important relationship when our national economic interest is at stake here and at risk here. That's how a real leader deals with this issue. What we're seeing - and we'll see more of it between now and the election - more of these ridiculous scare campaigns.
This is what happens when a government can't run on its economic record, because for almost a decade now, stagnant wages and record debt with not enough to show for it. They can't run on the economy now because of skyrocketing costs of living at the same time as real wages are going backwards. They can't run on their management of the pandemic because they didn't order enough tests and created this summer from hell and they forgot that a healthy economy relies on having healthy people. So, we'll see more and more of this focus on Anthony. You'd think after almost a decade in office the Government would have something positive to say. They don't have a plan for the future and so we'll hear more of it. I think most Australians see it for what it is, which is a pretty shoddy attempt to distract from the Government's own failures.
JAYNE AZZOPARDI, HOST: Hi, guys, it's Jayne here. I want to get to some of the domestic issues at the moment. One of the stories we’re following is the New South Wales Government support package for business. Simon, the State's Treasurer absolutely slamming you guys and your Government for not chipping in this morning. Here's what he said to us.
MATT KEAN, NSW TREASURER: Well, I'm very disappointed. I'd like to be making this announcement today with Treasurer Frydenberg and Prime Minister Morrison, because these are not just New South Wales businesses they're Australian businesses. So the national government is the one that is best placed to step in and help out, and in their absence we're having to step-up to the plate and do our bit to preserve those businesses and help our national economy.
AZZOPARDI: Simon, those aren't the words of a Labor state Treasurer, that is a Liberal Party state Treasurer. Why is the federal government leaving the States to do all the heavy lifting?
BIRMINGHAM: Well, I completely reject that part of the question there, we're definitely not. We've provided more than $300 billion in support for the economy to get businesses through COVID-19. More than $63 billion has gone into New South Wales alone. $63 billion of federal government support for New South Wales. Now, I welcome the fact that states and territories want to play catch up, want to help out, and want to do their bit. That is absolutely welcome and I encourage them to do that. I note that the South Australian Government announced a package yesterday, they did so coming to the party, doing their bit, without calling or criticising on the federal government, because they know that what we're doing to support the economy right across the country is in providing greater support for businesses through the loss carry back arrangements there in the tax system, greater support in terms of driving business investment, record investment in our construction sector that's fuelling jobs across the country, including in New South Wales. They know we're providing billions of dollars in assistance, flowing into Australian households in pandemic leave disaster assistance payments and the like. So this idea that somehow there's not federal government support is rubbish. Now, the Labor Party - I'm sure Jim will say yes, they should be chipping in - they of course, at every instance, said we should spend even more. It's not unusual for a state to say they want more federal money but the Commonwealth and the federal government is firmly at the table, providing $300 billion plus of assistance into Australian businesses and households, which has helped our economy to have one of the best outcomes globally in getting through COVID-19. It sees us with an unemployment rate standing at 4.2%, some of the lowest we've ever seen.
AZZOPARDI: Okay Jim, if you were in charge, would you be adding federal government money to the state pool?
CHALMERS: Clearly, the workers and small businesses of this country need support and when the workers and small businesses of New South Wales, in this case, needed the Prime Minister and the Treasurer to step-up, instead, as usual, Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg have slunk away.
This is a Government that doesn't take responsibility.
In this case, there's so much pressure on workers and employers right around Australia - and particularly, I think, in Sydney and New South Wales - because of the mistakes made by the Morrison Government.
You'd think having made this mess, they'd at least be part of a conversation about fixing it up. Whenever there is a suggestion that the Government should step in and help clean up the mess that they've made, you hear - like Simon just said then - that it would be somehow wasteful spending. I'll tell you what's wasteful spending - spraying around all this money on sports rorts, and carpark rorts, and all the rest of it, giving JobKeeper to businesses that didn't need it, denying businesses and workers that still need government support that crucial support. So the state governments, once again - whether it's Labor or Liberal - right around Australia, we see state governments having to step-up because Scott Morrison always goes missing.
AZZOPARDI: Well, we had plenty more questions for both of you, but we have run out of time. So thank you for your time this morning.
ENDS
