RADIO 2HD WITH RICHARD KING AND SHANNA BULL

E&OE TRANSCRIPT | SUBJECTS: AFL; energy; Visit to Newcastle; Aged Care RC, historic allegations of sexual assault; Vaccine rollout. 

RICHARD KING, HOST: Not stumbling in but he will be visiting our neck of the woods today- and it gives us great pleasure to actually say very good morning to the Deputy Opposition Leader who will be visiting our neck of the woods. Richard Marles, who’s on the line. Good morning, Richard.

SHANNA BULL, HOST: Good morning.

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Good morning Richard and Shanna. How are you?

KING: Very well, indeed. And look, just having a little look at your background, I suddenly realised that your dad was the principal of the school that I went to as a young tacker. Trinity Grammar.

MARLES: Wow. What vintage are you, Richard?

KING: Oh, well, we’re going back to the sixties. And in fact, I bordered there for a couple of terms.

MARLES: There you go.

KING: Yeah.

BULL: Something in common.

KING: We have a connection. But I’m a Demon’s supporter, I’m not a Geelong supporter, Richard.

MARLES: Well, I am sorry to hear that. Well, dad would have been there a bit after you. But there you go. It reminds us all how small the world we’re living in.

KING: Too right. It certainly does.

BULL: Okay, Minister, firstly, what’s the purpose of your visit to the region today?

MARLES: Well, one of the real challenges we have as a, as a country, actually, is turning science into jobs. It’s something that ,that we do as badly as any country in the OECD. And what – I’m going to be visiting University of Newcastle today and having a look at what’s going on there, really from the, from the view of how this challenge is being met in Newcastle. Because I think one of the great stories of Newcastle is that it’s, you know, a city which has a history in heavy industry, but has also been able to remake itself. And today, Newcastle really is known around the country for being a centre of innovation and technology. And it’s really looking at the way in which companies in Newcastle- the University of Newcastle- is fundamentally doing that challenge of turning science into jobs. So I’m very excited about it, actually. I think there’s a lot to learn from that which we can apply to the whole nation.

KING: Our government seems to have this obsession at the moment with building a gas fuelled generator here at Kurri Kurri. Your thoughts on that? I mean, the big question for me is where the hell the gas is going to come from in the first place, but as to whether or not we need it. And I know, several people in Opposition have said – well including a former Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull reckons the government’s bonkers heading down this track.

MARLES: I mean, I think ultimately, the question of power generation is one which needs to be, in a sense dealt with by the private sector- it’s a question of what stacks up commercially. So the only point we’ve really been making all along is not one about being when it comes to power generation in favour of one form of energy or another, it’s just letting the market go in the direction that it has. And where the market has gone around the country is to be looking at new forms of power generation. And what doesn’t make sense is for the government to be subsidising you know, particular forms of power generation in the context of a gas fired power station. So, I think that’s our issue. Our issue is about the idea that public money is going to go in there kind of distorting what would be a market decision. Fundamentally this is a question for the, for the market.

KING: You don’t think the government should be spending ratepayers money on building new generators?

MARLES: Well, that is right. And in this instance, the proposition is to spend that money on building a new gas fired power generator. If it looks and stacks up commercially, that’s fine. But at the end of the day, it should be a matter for the private sector.

BULL: Now, the Hunter has a long history of manufacturing. But over the years, sadly, we know it has disappeared. Do you think it’s imperative we continue to try to push to make manufacturing a priority here in this region, once again?

MARLES: Definitely. And in a way, I think the story of the Hunter and Newcastle is the story of the nation. You’re right; there was more manufacturing in Newcastle as there was more manufacturing in Australia, going back ten years, but going back 30 years. But one of the things that you look at when you, when you see the most modern and prosperous countries and economies in the world is they’ve all managed to hang on to manufacturing. And the way they’ve done that is to be doing it at the high value end- high-tech manufacturing, climbing the technological ladder. Which comes back to the point I made earlier; it’s the ability to turn our science into jobs. And it’s something- we do science okay, but that next step of turning it into a commercial venture we do as badly as any country in the developed world. But having said that, it’s not, you know, there are examples around the country where you can find people that have done it- it’s not a complete desert. And one of the things I’m really looking forward to today, in coming to Newcastle and the Hunter is to look at the ways in which that’s happening. And I think there actually is a bright future for manufacturing, for high-tech manufacturing in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley, for cities which have a history of manufacturing, but doing it in a new way. But what’s really critical, and this kind of a link, it’s going to be the University of Newcastle and organisation’s like that which are the key to unlocking a manufacturing future of a place like Newcastle. And that’s why I’m really keen to have that conversation and go to the university and see what they’re doing.

BULL: Look, I must ask you the findings of the Royal Commission into the Aged Care report that was released earlier this week. Do you think we need to see action taken straight away by the government in regards to implementing all of these recommendations?

MARLES: Yeah, we do, Shanna. And it’s just appalling reading. And it ultimately is an indictment on all of us – the way in which we are treating our aged is, is what’s described in the Royal Commission. And, you know, we’ve seen this government cut billions of dollars out of aged care, obviously, that doesn’t help. What we need to do, though, is get to a point where we look at this Royal Commission as a shock and a wake-up call for the entire nation, and the steps are taken immediately to rectify matters so that Australians can look forward to their old age as a time where their dignity is preserved. And right now, that is not something which we can say is happening in Australia, given what is detailed in the Royal Commission. So, this is is not an optional extra. This is not something we can think about next month or next year. It’s something that must happen and it must happen today.

KING: Right now to the red hot topic of conversation; Attorney General Christian Porter revealed he is the Cabinet Minister at the centre of an historical rape allegation. Do you think he’s continued role as Australia’s Attorney General is untenable?

MARLES: Firstly, it’s another issue where, you know, that was very difficult viewing yesterday, and I can’t help but feel for the family of the victim, this just must be terrible for them. Looking at the attention that’s going to this and watching this all play out on our screens. And so, you know, I’m really today thinking mostly about them, firstly, about them, and, you know, remembering their daughter. I think there are a couple of issues and the first starts there really, that the allegations that are being made by victims generally, and in this case, this this person, have to be taken seriously. And I think there is a question at the moment about, to what extent has there been a process which has allowed those allegations to be looked at and taken seriously in that way? And then I think you get to the question you just asked Richard, which is, you know, that it’s obviously a very difficult situation, actually, for the nation, that this is, this is hanging over the first law officer of the country- over the nation’s Attorney General, and it’s hard for me to see how this – the matter just lies here. And so I think from both perspectives, it’s now a matter for the Prime Minister to look at both those issues- and the balls really in his court to come up with some solution which resolves that.

BULL: On a lighter note, have you had the COVID-19 jab yet?

MARLES: I have not. And I’m not exactly sure when that’s going to occur. My boss, Anthony Albanese has had the first of his two- as has been widely publicised. I can report that he got through that, okay. He was complaining the next day that his shoulder was a bit sore, but he’s still looking alright, when I saw him last night. And he’s got a second one coming up in a couple of weeks. But yeah, look, I’m not, I mean, I think that in all seriousness, I think that was an important step for both him and the Prime Minister and our national leaders to take the jab to give a sense of confidence that, that people should be vaccinated. I think for the rest of us in politics, you know, we need to take our turn in the queue, and I’m not sure when that, that will happen. But it really matters obviously, for the nation that this rollout happens, obviously as safely but as quickly as possible.

KING: And you’re obviously as a mad keen Geelong Cats supporter, hoping that your team goes one better than they did last year.

MARLES: This is true. And we, you know, there’s a lot of hope. I think for your listeners, there’s some, there’s a little bit of affinity, I think between Geelong and Newcastle. So we probably- the Cats probably play into the AFL a bit like the Knights do into the NRL, and, and so I think all your listeners will understand the fanaticism that goes with supporting a football club, particularly when you’re from a region like Newcastle. And we are, you know, March is an optimistic time. Every March I know we’re going to win the flag. The rest of the winter kind of disillusions me. But on this day, nothing bad yet has happened. So, I’m full of hope!

BULL: Yes.

KING: Go the Cats, go the Knights. And thank you very much for having a chat with us this morning.

BULL: Thank you.

MARLES: It’s a pleasure.

KING: And enjoy your stay in our neck of the woods. Richard Marles Deputy Opposition Leader on 2HD.

ENDS

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