Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
TRANSCRIPT
2GB Mornings with Mark Levy
Topics: Sydney rail strike, Federal election
19 February 2025
E&OE
Mark Levy
The NSW government will today be in the Fair Work Commission and will be hoping to stop any more industrial action from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union and the combined rail unions. Now I know the Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has entered the fray. He’s calling on the Prime Minister to show some guts against the union. In his first comments about the industrial chaos holding commuters to ransom, Mr. Dutton said that Mr. Albanese must stand up to militant unions holding the public to ransom. Now, for those people who aren’t aware, the person who can put an end to all of this now is the Industrial Relations Minister Murray Watt, because he has the power to act under the Fair Worked Act to terminate the Rail, Tram and Bus Union’s industrial action. And Mr. Dutton is saying that Minister Watt has the power to sort this mess out and get the trains back running on time and without disruption. The Prime Minister should have the guts to use the power. Well, let’s bring in the Shadow industrial relations minister and Workplace Relations minister, Senator Michaelia Cash, she’s on the line right now. Senator, good morning to you.
Senator Cash
Great to be with you, Mark, and good morning to you and you listeners.
Mark Levy
Well, Senator, this has been going on long enough. All the while the commuters of Sydney have been left frustrated and stranded on train platforms when they need to get to work to pay their bills in the midst of the cost of living crisis.
Senator Cash
This is utterly extraordinary. Australians need to wake up and understand this is Australia under Mr. Albanese. He has basically handed over power to the unions to run this country. You have Sydney in meltdown. The people of New South Wales have been held to ransom for way too long, and the Prime Minister is asked about this this morning, and he blames everybody else. I mean, seriously, Mark, when is he going to actually stand up and lead our country? Enough is enough. Stand up, get into the Fair Work Commission and bring this to an end. Because Mark, let me be clear to your listeners, when I was the Minister for industrial relations, and there were port strikes in Western Australia, I threatened to intervene. And you know what happened? They cleaned themselves up. This is our Prime Minister who is weak, and he should call his union mates today and tell them to end the strike, but we all know he won’t, because he’s now just a spectator while the New South Wales economy – well we are seeing literally an act of economic vandalism.
Mark Levy
I couldn’t agree more with you, Senator and well said. When it comes to Minister Watt, he could be ordered by the Prime Minister to take the action that you threatened to when you were the Minister. Can you just explain to the listeners what that means? Because under the Fair Work Act, the Minister has the power to put an end to industrial action. That’s right, isn’t it?
Senator Cash
Right, so section 431 of the Fair Work Act, the Federal act, gives the relevant Minister, in this case, Minister Watt, the power to step in and terminate industrial action that threatens public welfare or causes significant economic damage. Now Mark, I reckon, if we spoke to anyone in Sydney, they would say, if this dispute does not meet that threshold, then, quite frankly, what does? I mean can you imagine going and talking to small businesses – you know choking productivity. The New South Wales, struggling economy is now in turmoil. And again, it’s like the Prime Minister is just sitting back and watching our largest economy being thrown into disarray. And he sits back and he says, well, it’s everybody else’s fault, not mine. I mean, can you lead the country Prime Minister? But Mark, what’s worse is this. Can you imagine if Australia goes into a minority government. Anthony Albanese and the Australian Greens. If people think this is bad now, can you honestly imagine what will happen when Adam Bandt and the Greens are dictating to Mr. Albanese how to run this country?
Mark Levy
You’re so right. And I mean that’s the question now, isn’t it. The irony of the whole situation, Senator and I said it earlier is, you know, Anthony Albanese and the treasurer have been out there everywhere in the last 24 hours. Believe it or not, the Prime Minister even appeared on this radio station, 2GB, First time he’s been on in months, spruiking the interest rate decision from the Reserve Bank. The whole point is they’re standing there saying, Oh, we’ve done this. We’ve done that. We brought inflation under control, it’s going to be easier on people in the cost of living crisis, yet they won’t step in and do anything about these unions holding the people of New South Wales to ransom.
Senator Cash
Small businesses who are literally now being pushed to the wall because the Prime Minister is just too weak to do anything. You know, this is now as I said, this is a deliberate act of economic vandalism. I mean, can you make imagine of you are a tourist in Sydney, coming to the great state of New South Wales. Going to our capital city and being told, oh, we’re very sorry, but there were 4000 trains that didn’t run over the weekend. We hope you were inconvenienced. I mean, you’ve got to be kidding me. This Prime Minister is showing now he is weak, he is insipid. He is beholden to the unions. And quite frankly, it is time he went to Copacabana, enjoyed his new life. Go to your life there and let someone else run this country. Because Peter Dutton has made it very, very clear to me, if this is still going on and we are in power on day one, we will intervene and bring this to an end. We will not stand by and literally watch while Rome, in this case, Sydney burns, which is what the Prime Minister is doing. But Mark what’s worse is he is the Prime Minister of this country, but this is also, his home Statei. But as I said, Peter Dutton has made it clear to me, if we get in, if anything like this happens, you’re straight into the Fair Work Commission, and we will bring this type of action to an end. We will not have the people of New South Wales, the people of Sydney and the people of Australia held hostage because of the demand of a militant union?
Mark Levy
All right, quick one before you go. And I love the passion, Senator, I always have, and it dates back to that famous quote of yours, that famous comment curry for the country. I love that one. But I wanted to ask you this Senator, and I’ve made this point in recent weeks, when it comes to the election, it all boils down to seats, and it all boils down to numbers. You’ve got to win 21 seats. Can you do it?
Senator Cash
The answer is yes, there’s a long way to go. I’m not blind to the reality. However, as I travel around Australia and I talk to people, the first thing they say is this 1000 days of this government feels like 10,000. They are disappointed. But the simple question that you put to people, do you feel better off today? Do you feel safer today? Is Australia a more cohesive society today than it was when Mr. Albanese was elected? And they look at you, they roll their eyes, and they say no, 1000 days of the Albanese government feels like 10,000 it is time to move them on. Install as Prime Minister, Peter Dutton, you know who actually believes in the Australian people. You know who’s decisive, who’s principled, who will always put Australians first. But no, let’s just get Australia back on track, sooner rather than later.
Mark Levy
All right, big deep breath, go and have a carry and I’ll call catch up soon.
Senator Cash
Good on you, see you.
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