ABC News Radio with Marius Benson

Subjects: Carbon tax legislation, John Alexander on penalty rates, Craig Thomson, John Kerin, opinion poll.

Transcript, E&OE

15 August 2011

GLEN BARTHOLOMEW: Well, there's some marginally better news for Labor in a new opinion poll today, which shows the Government's fortunes improving slightly. But the party's still facing a crushing defeat.

But there are problems on other fronts for Labor, with the scandal that hit New South Wales MP Craig Thomson, accused of bullying a charity worker at a weekend meeting. And Labor veteran John Kerin, who was a minister in the Hawke Government, announced he was quitting the party in disgust.

For a Government reaction, Marius Benson spoke to the Trade Minister Craig Emerson.

MARIUS BENSON: Craig Emerson, Parliament resumes tomorrow – it looks like a fairly tough time for the Government. The carbon tax is central. What are the chances, do you think, of getting the carbon tax into law by say, November, as the Government is hoping?

CRAIG EMERSON: Oh, we have an agreement with the minor parties and the Independents to proceed with putting a price on carbon. That's very important not only environmentally, but economically. We have trenchant opposition from Mr Abbott, but that's not a surprise. He's opposed to just about everything that this Government does. So we'll use the Parliamentary processes to get the right outcome for the nation.

BENSON: So you've got the numbers that'll get there by November?

EMERSON: Well, we'll proceed to introduce the legislation into the Parliament. We have an agreement, so that's the basis on which we're proceeding. And Mr Abbott will do everything he can to oppose putting a price on carbon, having on many occasions supported putting a price on carbon, on a number of occasions having supported a carbon tax, having on a number of occasions supported an emissions trading scheme, and on a number of occasions describing climate change science as 'absolute crap'. So, who knows, next week Mr Abbott will probably have a different position.

BENSON: Craig Emerson, there are a few political stories in the papers this morning. One is John Alexander, the New South Wales Liberal backbencher, who is talking about penalty rates. Now the Opposition has said they're not going to be touching industrial relations, but they are at least talking about it.

EMERSON: Well, yet another Coalition member is supporting bringing back the worst elements of WorkChoices. Under WorkChoices, penalty rates were stripped away. We have had a senior Coalition member, Deputy Leader Julie Bishop, saying that penalty rates will be reconsidered. And now John Alexander, a new chum but friend of Mr Abbott from New South Wales, is saying that penalty rates shouldn't be part of the normal entitlements of working people. The truth is, Mr Alexander's position has a very good chance of getting up, and people would lose their penalty rates under an Abbot-led Coalition Government.

BENSON: John Alexander is a Liberal member who's in the news this morning. There's also a Labor member who's on the front page of the Daily Telegraph this morning, Craig Thomson, your colleague from New South Wales. He's under fire already previously for authorising union funds to pay for prostitution. But he's accused on the front page today of an angry outburst at a meeting on poker machines, and it's said that he reduced a charity worker to tears. Is that the Craig Thomson you know?

EMERSON: Well, I do know Craig Thomson, and I also know that the particular charity worker has wanted the matter to rest. Mr Thomson has said that he did have an exchange. He believed that this particular young lady was given unfair coverage in a debate. He learned subsequently, according to reports, that she wasn't in control of that. He apologised, she accepted the apology, she wants to move on.

BENSON: Craig Emerson, you are the Trade Minister. John Kerin was the Trade Minister in a former Labor Government under Bob Hawke. He is in the papers as well this morning, saying he's quitting the Labor Party in disgust because it's run by factional heavies, and the rank and file have nothing to do but to hand out How To Vote cards. Is he right?

EMERSON: Well, I think John Kerin is a great Australian. That's the truth of it. And I'll actually be meeting John Kerin this evening, and delivering the Sir John Crawford Memorial Address on the controversial issue of food security in this country. Mr Kerin has a perfect entitlement to have a view about factionalism in the Labor Party. But the really big issues are the issues such as food security, and John Kerin has kindly asked me to deliver that address.

BENSON: If, as you say, you've got respect for John Kerin, are you concerned that he's quitting the Labor Party in disgust?

EMERSON: I would like Mr Kerin to remain in the Labor Party. But if he doesn't, I'm sure that he'll continue to make a marvellous contribution to policy development in this country, as he did as Primary Industries Minister.

BENSON: Just quickly, there's a new opinion poll out today – a bit of an uptick for the Government but still catastrophically bad, particularly in Queensland and WA. You're a Queenslander: why is Labor so hated in Queensland?

EMERSON: I think Labor has adopted a number of policies, such as in the pricing of carbon, in general economic reform, that are not especially popular. Well, that's our job, not particularly to embrace policies that are unpopular, but to embrace policies that are in the long-term interests of the nation. That's what we're doing. We're doing it in the national interest, and we're going to press ahead with our reform program.

BENSON: Craig Emerson, thank you very much.

EMERSON: Thanks very much, Marius.

BARTHOLOMEW: Trade Minister in the Labor Government, Craig Emerson.

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