10-March-2009
Portfolio Media Releases, Workplace Relations, Emissions Trading Scheme
Topics: Industrial Relations, ETS, Polls.
MARIUS BENSON: Andrew Robb, the Opposition has had a range of opinions on the Industrial Relations legislation of the Government. Last night the Shadow Cabinet debated it. Is there now a settled view that you will take to the Parliament and put in the Senate?
ANDREW ROBB: Well we have an important Party Room meeting this morning. As you know our position on legislation is always a matter ultimately determined by the Party Room so that will be settled and we will have a position coming out of that meeting this morning.
MARIUS BENSON: Is there a united Shadow Cabinet position?
ANDREW ROBB: Yes, Cabinet will put its disposition to the Party Room this morning and I am sure will come up with a sensible outcome.
MARIUS BENSON: And are you opposing significant parts of the legislation or just tweaking at the edges, technical changes?
ANDREW ROBB: Well I would rather leave where we finish up as a matter for the Party Room and not speculate.
MARIUS BENSON: Can you say whether it’s closer to the Malcolm Turnbull view of not opposing or the Peter Costello harder line?
ANDREW ROBB: No, I’d rather just leave it to the Party Room Marius and we will take decisions which are very much in the interests of jobs.
MARIUS BENSON: And do you think there will be agreement out of the Party Room today?
ANDREW ROBB: Oh, I have no doubt we will arrive at a sensible outcome today.
MARIUS BENSON: The other issue is the Emissions Trading Scheme, the Government’s going to be introducing its draft legislation there, are you clear on what position the Opposition will be taking on that or are you just waiting to see what the Government’s bill in detail says?
ANDREW ROBB: Well what we have done yesterday in agreement with the Greens is, subject to our Coalition Senate Party Room today reaching a final decision, but we will move in the Senate later today with the Greens to set up a two month inquiry. The fact of the matter is the government scheme as we know it is deeply flawed and there needs to be an opportunity to revisit many of the key elements of the Government’s scheme.
MARIUS BENSON: One of the loudest Liberal voices on both the industrial relations legislation and the ETS, Emissions Trading Scheme, over the past week or so has been Peter Costello. Of course he is not a voice in the Shadow Cabinet room.
ANDREW ROBB: No, he’s not, but he’s an important backbencher, a mountain of experience and it is important that he make contributions.
MARIUS BENSON: And according to Newspoll today, people would rather see him leading the Liberal Party than Malcolm Turnbull.
ANDREW ROBB: Well, look Marius, this is not something we are concerning ourselves with, we are just getting on with the job. Malcolm has been performing very strongly; I think the team has been performing strongly. We have some critical legislation in front of us and the Parliament.
MARIUS BENSON: Are you surprised to see Peter Costello preferred to Malcolm Turnbull?
ANDREW ROBB: Oh, look, I don’t want to get into those sorts of issues. Peter has been a prominent figure for decades really, so it is not surprising that he would perform well against anybody on any basis, but in terms of polling, but the fact of the matter is, that Peter is a backbencher and has chosen to be that, Malcolm Turnbull has really taken to the leadership in my view and is helping set a very strong team.
MARIUS BENSON: The voters according to the poll don’t seem to be approving of the job you are doing. You are saying Malcolm Turnbull has taken to the leadership, but in fact he is getting nowhere in the polls.
ANDREW ROBB: Look, Marius, we are just still 16 or 17 months since the last election, we are not going to be poll driven on all this.
MARIUS BENSON: Well you say you are not poll driven but the polls were obviously critical in the decision to get rid of Brendan Nelson and install Malcolm Turnbull.
ANDREW ROBB: Well, not necessarily, it was Brendan Nelson who put his leadership on the line ultimately, it was his decision and the fact of the matter is that the polls will look after themselves if we do the job.
MARIUS BENSON: Are you surprised you are going backwards at this stage in the polls?
ANDREW ROBB: Look, I don’t want to discuss polls any further. Honestly, we do not have this obsession with the polls. There are a lot of important issues on our plate.
MARIUS BENSON: Can I ask you a final question on Peter Costello because there are a lot of people reporting today that it’s not a matter of if he goes for the leadership just when, maybe a year hence but when?
ANDREW ROBB: Look, again, I don’t want to .. Peter has said that he is not interested..
MARIUS BENSON: At the moment..
ANDREW ROBB: He hasn’t said at the moment, he has said he is not interested and I take him at his word and again if we do the job, if everyone does their job, then we will see an effective Opposition and a competitive Opposition coming into the next election.
MARIUS BENSON: Andrew Robb, Thank you very much.
Media Contact: Stuart Eaton, 0433 298 620