Penny Wong - Insiders

8/13/2019 Penny Wong - Insiders

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SENATOR THE HON PENNY WONGLABOR SENATOR FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA

LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN THE SENATE

1 December 2013

TRANSCRIPT: INSIDERS WITH BARRIE CASSIDY

SUBJECTS: GRAINCORP; QANTAS; TRADE; EDUCATION REFORM; DEBT

CEILING

E & OE PROOF ONLY

CASSIDY: Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Penny Wong, good morning.

WONG: Good morning, good to be ith yo!.

CASSIDY: Let"s #!st start ith Grain$orp. Do yo! accept the Go%ernment"sdecision on this, the re#ection of the foreign in%estment, is broad&y pop!&ar and itcertain&y de&ighted those c&osest to the iss!e and that" is the grain groersthemse&%es'

WONG: We&& it(s certain&y de&ighted the )ationa& Party and *arnaby +oyce. mean, thin- this is the &atest insta&&ment of the episodes in the bbottGo%ernment demonstrating that they are not the Go%ernment they said they"d be./hey said they"d be open for b!siness. t is !ite apparent from the decision thatthe footnote to the "We are open for b!siness" sign as "On&y if *arnaby +oyceand the )ationa& Party agree".

thin- it(s a %ery prob&ematic position for the /reas!rer. don"t -no abo!t yo!b!t read his transcript, &istened to his press conference, it as a %ery conf!sedsigna& to the co!ntry and to foreign in%estors and it is a decision hich rea&&y f&iesin the face of the sorts of promises hich ere made prior to the e&ection.

CASSIDY: *!t do go%ernments ha%e to accept e%ery foreign in%estmentproposa& to be in some ay p!re'


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WONG: )o. What a go%ernment sho!&d do, is to consider %ery caref!&&y and onthe basis of the nationa& interest, proposa&s that come across their des-. Whatgo%ernments sho!&dn"t do is ha%e the Dep!ty Prime inister of !stra&ia comeon nsiders, notithstanding the fact it as a good inter%ie for yo!r program,

and p!b&ic&y demand that the /reas!rer ma-e a certain decision.What go%ernments sho!&dn"t do is ha%e someone in go%ernment &ea-ing to thepress that the Prime inister had made it c&ear to the /reas!rer that this proposa&sho!&dn"t get !p, hich is hat happened a co!p&e of ee-s ago. mean, that isnot the ay to gi%e a sense of certainty, a sense of ca&m management toin%estors ho !stra&ia i&& a&ays need no and into the f!t!re.

CASSIDY: What /ony bbott and +oe oc-ey ha%e both pointed o!t, tho!gh,there ha%e been 131 app&ications, this is the on&y one they"%e -noc-ed bac- sofar'

WONG: /his is probab&y the on&y one *arnaby and the )ationa&s had a prob&emith, that"s the rea&ity.

CASSIDY: *!t here is the prob&em anyay, hen yo! get those ho are c&oseto the ind!stry saying that the benefits are o%erstated and, in fact, they orryabo!t the imp&ications'

WONG: go bac- to the stated reasons. s !nderstand the /reas!rer, hisstated reason for -noc-ing this bac- as the ind!stry is in transition and,basica&&y, it as !npop!&ar. We&&, don"t thin- they(re cogent reasons. f there arecogent reasons, he sho!&d p!t them o!t there, b!t he hasn"t. /he rea&ity is and

thin- yo! -no this the cogent reasons are interna& $oa&ition po&itics. We had/r!ss on this program, e had *arnaby p!b&ic&y indicating his opposition andpri%ate&y indicating his preparedness to resign. /hat is hat has dri%en thisdecision4 the )ationa&s" interests. )ationa&s ith a capita& ), the po&itica& party,not the nationa& interest.

CASSIDY: /he ne5t decision no is on 6antas. s it important as Labor sees it to&imit o%erseas onership to &ess than 70 per cent'

WONG: ha%e to say, tho!ght it as interesting this ee- that the debate, theso8ca&&ed debate on 6antas seemed to be triggered by +oe oc-ey gi%ing a fecomments at a pri%ate &!ncheon on hat is c&ear&y a mar-et sensiti%e matter. pretty strange ay for the /reas!rer of the $ommonea&th to beha%e.

We aait hat the Go%ernment says it i&& do on this and e i&& e5amine thatcaref!&&y. nd thin- !stra&ians are entit&ed to a more sensib&e ay to ha%e thisdisc!ssion than the one +oe oc-ey has decided to embar- on, hich as tof&oat the idea at a pri%ate &!ncheon.


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CASSIDY: *!t as a starting point, tho!gh, o!&d Labor be opposed to theGo%ernment ta-ing !p any e!ity'

WONG: Loo-, "m not going to get into hat the Go%ernment might or might notpropose. We i&& consider it if and hen they do. /he rea&ity is, as yo! -no,

there has been a bipartisan position since the sa&e of 6antas thin- in the ear&y1990s, 1992, hich is ref&ected in the ct, it has been bipartisan. f theGo%ernment ishes to change that, in good faith e i&& sit don and considerhat they(%e propose. thin- that"s the sensib&e ay to go abo!t it.

CASSIDY: +!st more broad&y on trade and the position the Go%ernment hasta-en o%er the :ast $hina Sea, ob#ecting to $hina e5pending the ir Defence;one. Do yo! thin- there i&& be potentia&&y trade imp&ications and does thatmatter anyay, sho!&d that interfere ith the broader princip&e'

WONG: Loo-, these are sensiti%e matters and don"t propose to #!mp into those

dip&omatic matters. thin- it is ob%io!s&y a sensiti%e iss!e and the $hineseGo%ernment has made its position c&ear. do thin- on trade, my concern hen itcomes to some of ho the Go%ernment"s approaching the trade agreements, thin- it(s prob&ematic hen a go%ernment says, f&ags to the other party a dead&ineor a time&ine on a dea&. mean, if yo! are se&&ing a ho!se, yo! don"t ant to te&&prospecti%e b!yers " ant to se&& by the end of the year". /hat !s!a&&y is ared!ction in yo!r negotiating position. thin- the approach that ndre


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CASSIDY: Penny Wong, than-s for yo!r time this morning.

WONG: Good to spea- ith yo!.

ENDS

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Penny Wong - Insiders