Bridget McKenzie grilled over cost of Coalition’s nuclear plan
Dan Jervis-Bardy
The shadow transport minister, Bridget McKenzie, is up next on Sky News and she’s immediately pushed on the cost of the Coalition’s nuclear plan.
As many of her colleagues have done in recent weeks, McKenzie refuses to give a straight answer before retreating to the line that it will cost 44% cheaper than Labor’s renewables-focused approach (that figure is based on Frontier Economics’ modelling of the two scenarios).
That will mean that when you look at the laws of economics, if it’s cheaper to produce something, it’s going to be cheaper to sell.
Clennell doesn’t appear to be buying it.
So this is probably the problem, isn’t it? You can’t tell me … and our viewers how much it’s actually going to cost to build these nuclear power plants?
Key events
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Greens taking ‘nothing for granted’ in campaign to retain seats, says Bandt
Adam Bandt was then pushed on whether he still thinks Australia – under prime minister Anthony Albanese – is complicit in a genocide in Gaza.
“I think Australia is engaging in a two-way arms trade with Israel,” he replied. (For the record: the government denies this.)
Bandt was asked again if the Greens have “dropped” the line about the government being complicit in genocide.
When you see a genocide occurring, as Amnesty International as the experts are saying, then you want the Australian government to actually do something, to speak out for peace.
Finally, Bandt was asked about the Greens’ prospects on 3 May and whether he’s confident of holding the three Brisbane seats it won in 2022 (Brisbane, Griffith and Ryan).
Having been through this myself (defending the seat of Melbourne for the first time), I know the first time around, you take nothing for granted. You have to work incredibly hard.
This time we’ve got Labor, Liberal and (rightwing campaign group) Advance and the billionaires all coming after us. We accept that.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Bandt defends Greens’ campaign stunts
Adam Bandt was asked about the Greens’ approach to the campaign generally, which has been filled with stunts – including DJ sets and regular appearances from a large red toothbrush to promote the party’s push for dental into Medicare.
Far less prevalent has been discussion of the conflict in Gaza and push for Palestinian recognition, which consumed much of the Greens’ focus last year.
Speaking with the ABC, Bandt was asked if the shift is in response to the Greens’ poor showing at last year’s Queensland state election. He replied:
No, it is not.
A lot of people at the moment are turning away from the major parties, we make no apologies for trying to get people’s attention. If that involves going to a nightclub with a big toothbrush to advance our push to get dental into Medicare, then I am happy to do it, because a lot of people do not see politicians tackling the big issues.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Bandt asked about housing and gas
Staying with the ABC where Adam Bandt was asked whether the Greens would be prepared to phase out the concessions over a longer period of time to prevent a mass sell-off of investment properties, which could send rents spiralling.
The Greens leader said:
We are willing to consider any ideas. This is part of the reason it would be good for the public service to start work on this now.
The interview turns to Peter Dutton’s plans for an east coast gas reservation, a policy that has drawn praise in progressive circles (a rarity for a Coalition idea).
Bandt said Dutton’s policy was a “pretty stunning admission”, but argued there was a better option to shore up domestic gas supply.
But there is a much simpler solution than what Peter Dutton is proposing, which is just stop the corporations like Santos from dipping into the domestic markets to fulfil future contracts. Do that and you do not need to open new gas fields, which is what Peter Dutton wants to do.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Bandt says government should prepare a ‘green book’ in anticipation of hung parliament
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, is now in the hot seat on ABC’s Insiders.
The party this morning revealed Bandt had written to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet asking it to prepare a “green book” to help prepare for a hung parliament.
For some background, ahead of each election, public servants prepare “red books” (for a potential Labor government) and “blue books” (for a potential Coalition government) detailing the parties’ respective policies and how they could be implemented.
Bandt is asked about the Greens’ push to wind back negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions and whether it would curtail supply.
So what we’re saying is that we need to ensure that younger generations have the same chance at owning a home as previous generations have.
How would we do it? We’ve got to really, I guess, defuse this timebomb in a way that is fair because there would be a lot of people who have one investment property.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Sukkar quizzed on NDIS
Rejoining Michael Sukkar on ABC’s Insiders, the interview turned to Sukkar’s other portfolio, the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
The NDIS hasn’t featured much during the election campaign. Sukkar explains why:
One of the reasons why that is the case … is that what I’ve tried to do as shadow minister is not have the NDIS as a political football. I think even my biggest critics would agree that we’ve tried to work in a really cohesive way with the government, push them where we need to, criticise them where we need to …
Sukkar confirms he received a departmental briefing last week about ongoing negotiations with the states and territories on foundational support – a new tier of support for disabled people outside the NDIS.
There is some sort of impasse between the commonwealth and the states, and I think in the end asking the states to step up and to try and assist those children is important because what we won’t accept in the Coalition is a cohort of young children with ASD or developmental delay being thrown off the NDIS.
Sukkar is asked to “honestly rate” the Coalition’s election campaign so far, with opinion polls pointing to a significant drop in support for Peter Dutton’s opposition in recent weeks.
We are in it to win it, David, absolutely. We are in it to win it. I can assure you there is no one on our side waving a white flag.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
McKenzie accuses Watt of ‘lying to the camera’ over Medicare claims
Looping back to Bridget McKenzie’s Sky News interview for a moment, where the shadow transport minister was asked about her comments last week that Russia and China wanted Labor to win the election, which she later admitted were wrong.
Look, I made a mistake – I’ve owned it. [I] corrected the record on becoming aware of that and I think that’s the right thing to do in politics.
McKenzie then takes a swipe at Murray Watt, urging him to “own him to the fact he is lying to the camera” about the Coalition’s supposed plans to cut Medicare.
The Nationals frontbencher is asked how many Medicare urgent clinics would be on the chopping block.
Staring down the barrel of the camera, she says: “None.”
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Michael Sukkar defends negative gearing for people on high incomes
The shadow housing minister, Michael Sukkar, is now up on ABC’s Insiders.
He’s asked about his colleague Jane Hume’s comment, reported in the Nine papers on Sunday, that the Coalition’s now-aborted work-from-home policy wasn’t a bad idea – it just wasn’t the right time for it.
We’ve made very clear that we’ve left that policy behind.
He’s now asked about negative gearing and whether people on high incomes need such generous tax breaks. (After a bit of back-and-forth, Sukkar confirms he’s not negatively gearing the one-bedroom apartment he owns in Canberra.)
The point here is that it is a feature of our tax system. If you have an investment, you are entitled to offset losses from one investment into other forms of income that you’ve got.
Bridget McKenzie grilled over cost of Coalition’s nuclear plan
Dan Jervis-Bardy
The shadow transport minister, Bridget McKenzie, is up next on Sky News and she’s immediately pushed on the cost of the Coalition’s nuclear plan.
As many of her colleagues have done in recent weeks, McKenzie refuses to give a straight answer before retreating to the line that it will cost 44% cheaper than Labor’s renewables-focused approach (that figure is based on Frontier Economics’ modelling of the two scenarios).
That will mean that when you look at the laws of economics, if it’s cheaper to produce something, it’s going to be cheaper to sell.
Clennell doesn’t appear to be buying it.
So this is probably the problem, isn’t it? You can’t tell me … and our viewers how much it’s actually going to cost to build these nuclear power plants?
Murray Watt reiterates Medicare urgent clinics under threat if Coalition wins
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Murray Watt has been pushed on the “scare” campaigns Labor is running this election, including on the price tag for the Coalition’s nuclear reactors and the future of Medicare urgent clinics.
Labor has been quoting a $600bn figure for the cost of the nuclear reactors, which comes from analysis from the pro-renewables Smart Energy Council.
Sky News host Andrew Clennell notes the Smart Energy Council is a lobby group, not an official government agency.
Clennell also pushes Watt on Labor’s claim that the Coalition would shut Medicare urgent clinics if Dutton wins the election.
That’s a lie, isn’t it? That’s not true?
Watt responds:
Absolutely not, absolutely not. If you go back to look at what Peter Dutton had to say about our Medicare, urgent urgent care clinics … he has to find the money to pay for his $600bn in nuclear reactors. He’s got no choice but to cut Medicare, to cut the urgent care clinics.
For the record, the Coalition have matched Labor’s major election pledges on health and have made no announcements about shutting urgent care clinics.
Election campaign continues over Easter
Dan Jervis-Bardy
The frenetic pace of the federal election campaign has slowed a gear or two over the Easter weekend.
Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton will spend Easter Sunday in their respective hometowns of Sydney and Brisbane, after both attended Sydney’s Royal Easter Show on Saturday.
The Sunday morning political programs are running as usual, with employment minister, Murray Watt, up first on Sky News Agenda.
Watt is asked about Labor’s new pledge to enshrine penalty rates in law if the government wins on 3 May.
The Australian Retailers Association and others have asked the Fair Work Commission to vary the award, proposing some workers be given a 25% pay rise in return for giving up their penalty rates, overtime and other allowances.
We shouldn’t have a situation in Australia where big business can roll into the Fair Work Commission and demand that those penalty rates are removed.
The government passed multiple tranches of pro-worker industrial relations laws in the previous term, which business groups vehemently opposed.
Watt rejected suggestions Labor was “putting up barriers” to small businesses employing new staff.
We obviously support small businesses growing, and that’s why we’ve seen a record number of companies created over this term of office.
Easter’s Bluesfest: one of the festivals saved by lifeline funding
This long weekend’s Byron Bay Bluesfest is one of the New South Wales music festivals that received a lifeline from the Minns government after almost being felled by changes in ticket-buying behaviours, financial headwinds and insurance costs.
It is joined by Lost Paradise on the Central Coast, Your and Owls in Wollongong, Listen Out and Field Day in Sydney, which were collectively given $2.25m in emergency funding by the Contemporary Music Festival Viability Fund, the state government revealed this morning.
The funding of up to $500,000 per festival is hoped to deliver a boost to the regional economies that support the industry and comes after the cancellations of Splendour in the Grass, Falls festival, Spilt Milk and Groovin’ the Moo.
John Graham, the minister for music and the night-time economy said the post-Covid era had been a “financial nightmare” for music festivals in NSW.
The government needed to step in to save the furniture, and the feedback is that this fund has helped some of these festivals survive.
The festival circuit a vital part of the live music industry which employs almost 15,000 people. It’s too important to lose, that’s why we’re backing festivals with emergency funding and reforms that bring down their costs.
With the lockouts under the previous Liberal government, the pandemic and then the cost-of-living crisis it’s been a really tough time for the music industry. That’s why we’re backing it in any way we can.
Applications for the fund’s second round ahead of the next summer festival season open on 1 May.
Good Morning
Daisy Dumas
Good morning and Easter greetings, readers. Welcome to today’s live news blog as the election campaign continues at much the same pace as usual. Let’s get cracking …
