Erin Molan
Cost of living will be a major headache for the federal government this year. State and territory finance ministers met with Treasurer Jim Chalmers today to thrash out a way to tackle rising power bills. The government has promised one-and-a-half billion in subsidies, but the cash won’t flow to households for months. Joining me now is Senator Michaelia Cash, the Shadow Employment and Workplace Relations Minister. Senator, great to see you. Thankyou for coming on.
Senator Cash
Great to be with you Erin.
Erin Molan
Can the government keep making excuses for the fact they’re failing to deliver on an election promise to relieve cost of living pressures?
Senator Cash
Absolutely not. The Australian public are sick and tired of the excuses being put forward by the Albanese government. Australian households are hurting now. The Albanese government, if you recall, went to the election of promising – in particular over 97 times to reduce energy bills by $275. Well, that promise is long gone and gone out the window.
Erin Molan
Alan Tudge announced his sudden resignation from politics yesterday – we all expected it. Do the Libs given what you’ve just said have any chance of retaining his seat of Aston?
Senator Cash
Look by-elections, as you know, across Australia are always tough and this by-election is no exception. But when you look at in particular, the profile of Aston, I think it’s referred to as a mortgage belt – the RBA’s saying, there are 800,000 households in Australia, that over the coming months will actually move from a fixed rate mortgage to a variable rate. As Peter Dutton says if you’re currently locked in at say 1.8%, you’re moving to 5.8%, where are you going to find this cash? So our focus in opposition under Peter Dutton is very much going to be on the issue that is actually hurting all Australian households – that is the rising cost of living.
Erin Molan
Senator, Simon Birmingham said today that a woman should replace Tudge. Now, I’m all for getting more women into politics. I know that all the aftermath of the election said that the Liberal Party had an issue with women, needs to attract more et cetera, et cetera. But, should that be a priority here or should it be the best person?
Senator Cash
I’m always a huge believer in the best person. There are some fantastic women though obviously in particular in Victoria – who would be great candidates. But ultimately, this is a decision for the Victorian division of the Liberal Party. But Erin, I will say, back in my home state of Western Australia, last week we elected an all female leadership team of myself as the Federal Leader, Libby Mettam as the WA Liberal Party leader, and Caroline Di Russo as the WA Liberal Party President. So I’m very pleased that not a quota in sight, the WA Liberal Party has an all female leadership team.
Erin Molan
The Indigenous Voice to Parliament – speaking of the Prime Minister, he’s seemingly softening his stance every day. He’s now promising to provide further detail, creating a bipartisan committee to maximise support with the Coalition for the referendum. Will this be enough to get the Liberal party’s support and what’s your stance on it?
Senator Cash
Well yet again, this is just well Mr Albanese’s signature policy. You would think that this being his signature policy, he would be able to answer every single question that the Australian people are asking. And instead what we have for Mr Albanese is trust me, it’ll be all right.
Erin Molan
What I don’t understand is he has said multiple times that he believes that every sensible Australian will vote yes for this, that the majority of sensible Australians will support this. What is he so afraid of then? Why is detail scary if he thinks that sensible Australians are going to support it?
Senator Cash
It’s a really good question. It’s a really good question. And I would say probably what reflects Mr. Albanese’s failure to date in particular is his fly-in fly-out visit to Alice Springs only to jump back on his plane and get taken over to the Australian Open where he was prepared to spend three days enjoying himself and watching the tennis. You see Erin, there are voices in Alice Springs that for months and months and months have been screaming out for action from Mr. Albanese and the Labor government. But you see Mr. Albanese does not listen to those voices.
Erin Molan
Eleven peak bodies sent Linda Burney an email, a letter in June saying that this would be a disaster and they weren’t listened to. No, I’m with you, we’re on the same page here.
Senator Cash
The Coalition has been telling Mr. Albanese this is an issue. But again, Mr. Albanese doesn’t listen to those voices. And then in my home state of Western Australia, you have an absolute tragedy playing out on the ground in the Goldfields towns of Laverton and Leonora directly attributable to a complete and total policy failure by the Albanese government. Erin you recall the we put in place the cashless debit card. That meant that you had quarantined income and it could not be spent on in particular alcohol and drugs. You saw a complete change in what was happening in these towns as Patrick Hill says, the President of the Shire of Laverton – the kids were getting fed, the domestic violence abuse was lessening. And yet the Albanese government in all of their wisdom, abolished the cashless debit card in these towns. And you know what’s happening at the moment Erin on the ground in those towns. Patrick Hill is President of the town has lived there for decades and decades and decades. He said to me, literally now, you know, people are lining up outside the local bottleshop because they now have the ability – the cash to buy the alcohol. They are literally drinking bottles, for example of Jim Beam as if they are coke. The kids are not getting fed, the antisocial behavior has returned, the fights on the streets are occurring. This is a direct result of a complete total and utter disastrous policy failure by the Albanese government.
Erin Molan
Yeah, you’re shedding a light on something that needs a lot more focus and attention. Senator Michaelia Cash, I’ve gottaleave it there but thanks for your time on such a busy week
Senator Cash
Great to be with you Erin. Thank you.
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