Michael Sukkar MP

Interview with Andrew Clennell – Afternoon Agenda, Sky News

THE HON MICHAEL SUKKAR MP – SHADOW MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, NDIS, HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS

TRANSCRIPT

 INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW CLENNELL – AFTERNOON AGENDA, SKY NEWS

Monday, 17 July 2023

TOPICS: The Voice, Fadden by-election, RBA, Newspoll

E&OE

Andrew Clennell: Let’s bring in the shadow minister for Housing and Social Services, Michael Sukkar. Michael Sukkar, thanks for joining us. Well, what did you what did you make some of the PM’s comments? He said it basically would be a short, sharp campaign for the voice. He won’t be announcing it at Garma. It sounds like he he wants it just to be 5 to 6 weeks. He claims it can still succeed. What do you think?

Michael Sukkar: Well, I think there was a few extraordinary admissions there, Andrew. I mean, firstly, you know, Anthony Albanese laying the blame for the current predicament of their campaign on at the so-called Yes campaign is pretty strange given that he is the Yes campaign. He should be looking at himself and his ministers. This is an Albanese Government proposal. It’s been pushed by the Government quite frankly, I’ve got a lot of people around the country saying to me that they’re very irritated that it seems that the Government’s focused more on the voice than they are on the cost of living pressures that they’re feeling. So I think it’s pretty strange that Anthony Albanese now is sort of trying to distance himself by in some way saying it’s, you know, that the Yes campaign has got to do more work. I think really the problems for their campaign start with Anthony Albanese and his government. They refuse to answer basic questions about this proposal. They throw invective and in insults at anybody that comes out and questions it. And even now in this interview, the Prime Minister saying that he believes Australians are in a sense good enough to support it. Well, what’s he saying about those people who don’t support it and who will end up voting no? And either way, a big proportion of Australians are going to vote no to this, either a majority or certainly a big proportion. So I think the ongoing insults that have been thrown around, whether it’s calling people Chicken Little, whether it’s calling people Judas, calling people racist if they don’t support the voice, hasn’t helped. And then finally, Andrew, people that Albanese has referred to as great leaders, including Thomas Mayo, who says this is the first step to compensation and reparations, or praising the members of the Communist Party of Australia. I think he really needs to look closer to home rather than somehow now trying to blame the so-called Yes campaign. Well, he should look at himself and his ministers.

Andrew Clennell: It’s also pretty clear from what he was saying, he’s not for turning when it comes to saying, okay, let’s just do constitutional recognition when it’s chips in on this. Isn’t it? Basically either the voice passes at referendum or that’s it for constitutional recognition it seems .

Michael Sukkar: And I think a lot of people have highlighted the dangers here. And that is that, you know, from our perspective as a Coalition, constitutional recognition should be a moment that unites the nation. That’s obviously something we support. We don’t support the very radical and very risky voice that Anthony Albanese’s attached to recognition. And he’s now seemingly determined and to make this a highly divisive and I think potentially very difficult thing for our country, come what may, and you know, I think it’s quite extraordinary. I know that many have suggested that he should scrap this proposal, focus on what unites Australians being recognition. But you’re right, Andrew, I think seemingly he is keen, I think, to in his mind, secure his own legacy, have his own Redfern moment, even if it’s at the expense of the cohesion of our nation.

Andrew Clennell: Now he said there that he basically implied that Peter Dutton was trying to wear his government down with negativity on every single issue and he said that won’t work. What do you make of that?

Michael Sukkar: Well, Andrew, you don’t sort of need to be someone who’s talking to hundreds and hundreds of people to realise that there are a lot of people in our community struggling and it’s not negative me to highlight their struggles, whether it’s those as forgotten people who are mortgage holders who are really struggling, who I think are now sadly Australia’s working poor. They work all week, they pay their mortgage, pay their rent or pay their grocery bills, pay their electricity bills, and there’s nothing left over at the end. Renters we’ve spoken a lot about. But people who are struggling throughout our economy now, us highlighting their struggles and asking the government to focus on some of their struggles as opposed to whether it’s all of the international forums or whether it’s the voice actually focusing on their struggles. I don’t think he’s being negative. That’s what Australians expect of their elected representatives to focus on, to some extent, the bread and butter issues that they’re focused on around their kitchen tables. And I can tell you right now, Andrew, when you speak to people, it’s the first, second, third, fourth, fifth issue because they are genuinely at the end of every week working out how on earth they’re going to pay the latest gas bill or the latest electricity bill. And many of them say to me, Andrew, well, I voted for that bloke because he promised me a $275 reduction and not only have I not seen that reduction, I’ve seen increases in some cases over $1,000. So us highlighting these issues, Andrew, the Prime Minister might call that negativity, I call it reality and most Australians are living in a world of reality. They’re not on jets flying around the world. They’re actually trying to deal with the reality of their day to day bills and I don’t think that’s negativity. That’s what we should be doing.

Andrew Clennell: Now you were a former assistant treasurer. What do you make of the appointment of Michelle Bullock?

Michael Sukkar: Look, I think it seems like a sensible appointment and I, you know, join my colleague Angus Taylor, and our leader Peter Dutton. I think it it certainly has some continuity. She’s from my perspective, appears to be very well credentialed for the role. And what I want to see from the government is, is both in word and in action, ensuring that they do what they can to help the Reserve Bank achieve what they’re trying to achieve, which is a stronger economy for Australia, because what we’ve seen to date is the Government spending money which is working counter to what the Reserve Bank is trying to do and as a result Australians are suffering with higher inflation and persistently sticky inflation.

Andrew Clennell: But they did deliver a surplus, I might point that out.

Michael Sukkar: Well, they delivered a surplus on the fumes of the former Coalition government and what we put in place. I should say, Andrew, there’s very good analysis in the Fin Review that highlights that if the Labor government hadn’t have gone on holiday for 12 months, there would have been a bigger surplus than the one they delivered because of the very strong economy that they inherited.

Andrew Clennell: Alright. Are you expecting or do you believe the economy needs more rate rises this year?

Michael Sukkar: Well, look, I think the answer to that is pretty simple. If the government, as I said, doesn’t support their new appointment in the RBA in putting downward pressure on inflation, then there will inevitably be increases. If they do their job and help the RBA reduce inflation, then then the chances of that happening will be lower. But what we’ve seen to date, sadly from the Labor Government is that they’ve been working counter to the Reserve Bank, which I think means that rates will be higher for longer. I hope that they have learnt their lesson, but you know, seeing that very self-satisfied interview you just had with the Prime Minister, it doesn’t seem that they have learnt much. The Prime Minister seems to think it’s all very rosy for everybody out there and he’s riding high, so that doesn’t give me great confidence that they’re likely to reflect on what they need to do to get downward pressure on inflation.

Andrew Clennell: Alright. You’re in one of the toughest seats to hang on to at the next election in Deakin. Did you take any comfort out of the Fadden result?

Michael Sukkar: Well, I think we always over analyze these sorts of results. I think that what surprise me was just how determine the government has been to say nothing to see here, no message. We’re not taking any message from it. I think by-elections are always a bit strange in different ways. But I would have thought a responsible government and a government that wasn’t so arrogant would actually say and would level with the public and say, look, we are we appreciate you, your suffering, we appreciate the cost of living or housing crisis that is being felt by millions of Australians out there. And you know, we’ll redouble our efforts. Instead, what you see is including from the Prime Minister just now, Andrew, just completely ignoring the message that voters sent on Saturday. So, look, from my perspective of Andrew, politics, this is very fluid and you know, at the next federal election, we’ll be fighting hard in my seat and in dozens of seats around our country to either hold or win back. And we never take those for granted. And in the end, I think the government will be judged on. So many of the very poor decisions that they’re putting in place now because as I think they will bear sadly, negatively for our country at the time of the next election. And it won’t be negative for us to highlight why those poor economic decisions have led Australians to suffer.

Andrew Clennell: Just finally and briefly, do you think, Peter Dutton is someone Australians can get to like?

Michael Sukkar: Of course, but I’ve always, ever since a young man studying John Howard – being liked is important, but being respected is the most important and anybody who has seen Peter Dutton’s work, whether it’s in the myriad of portfolios he had in government or now in opposition, respect his work, respect his standards, respect his ethics and respect his values. I personally do obviously working very closely with him and I think in the end, what will guide people’s decisions when they vote is who they respect and who they think they can get the job done. And I have no doubt that Australians, when the time comes, will will answer in the affirmative with respect to Peter Dutton.

Andrew Clennell: Shadow Housing and Social Services Minister Michael Sukkar, thanks so much for your time this afternoon.

Michael Sukkar: Good on you, Andrew. Thank you.

Ends