Subjects: The Coalition spilt
E&OE
Michael McCORMACK
Thanks, Connor.
Connor LA FRENAIS
Thank you for taking the time. Appreciate it. Can I just grab, your name and title?
Michael McCORMACK
Sure. It’s Michael McCormack. Federal Member for the Riverina.
Connor LA FRENAIS
Thank you, Michael. Now walking out of the party room at the end of last week, I thought that it was quite united. What was your read on the room last week?
Michael McCORMACK
Well, the National Party’s always united, and there was a view that the legislation, the hate speech legislation in particular, but as well the gun reform legislation, had been very much rushed and we weren’t entirely satisfied with that. The gun reform bill, by the time one of the party meetings had finished, one of the many party meetings had finished, had already been put to the Parliament and voted against by the Nationals, but it was already off to the Senate. We had a special meeting to determine where we would stand on the hate speech legislation. Colin Boyce was very much against the hate speech legislation. In the room, there was differing views on that. But what we had agreed to do was that the senators would try and push through amendments that evening, when the bill reached the Senate and was debated there. But it was all very rushed. The Labor Party did not give The Coalition time to consider the bills properly, time to speak on the bills properly, and indeed then had prevented committee members from, in fact, speaking on the bill. So, it was a very unconventional week as such. And it was all very messy.
Connor LA FRENAIS
Yes. Did Colin’s announcement of a spill take you by surprise yesterday?
Michael McCORMACK
Oh, Colin was unhappy with what happened last week. Colin is a Coalitionist. His belief that we shouldn’t have been splitting up the two parties, for the second time for eight months. He’d expressed that view to me. And look, I appreciate that he is a member of the National Party. He is entitled to put his hand up and say that he wants a change. He will do that on Monday when we meet, in the afternoon before resuming Parliament on the Tuesday. So, it remains to be seen how that spill will go, but he brings a wealth of experience to the party room. I was impressed when he first put his hand up to run for a federal seat, having served in the State Parliament in Queensland, having served on local government. A boilermaker by trade, he’s done a lot of things over the course of his life, in central Queensland in Gladstone, and certainly he brings that experience to the Parliament and to the National Party.
Connor LA FRENAIS
Do you think he has the support?
Michael McCORMACK
I think David Littleproud has the support to remain the leader of the National Party.
Connor LA FRENAIS
Do you share Colin’s views that you can’t return to The Coalition with David as the leader?
Michael McCORMACK
Look, David has the numbers in the room, but I do think we do need to return to The Coalition, irrespective of who the leader is after next Monday. I do believe we need to get back with the Liberal Party. The Australian people are always governed best when they’re governed by a Coalition Government. The Liberal and the National parties working together, united, to ensure that all those things that people hold dear and certainly the economy is one of them. Certainly regional Australia always operates better under a Liberal and Nationals’ Government.
Connor LA FRENAIS
You spoke this morning on Sky about this great political theorist, Katy Perry. Is this now turning into a great political theorist Taylor Swift? You are constantly breaking up with The Coalition
Michael McCORMACK
Never, ever, ever getting back together again? I won’t quite go down that far. I mean, Katy Perry has a little bit of political form. She’s now dating Justin Trudeau, the former Canadian Prime Minister. I’m not quite sure the fact that Taylor Swift is going out with an NFL player quite cuts the political sphere. But there’s many songs that you could look to, and they’re both great singers and I admire them both very much. Look, I just hope, all jokes aside, and all songs aside, that we can get back with the Liberal Party because it’s too important not to. And we can do it next week. I think cool heads need to prevail, and that needs to happen very much sooner rather than later. Certainly sooner rather than later, because we can’t afford those Shadow Ministry positions to be filled by the Liberal Party, because once they do, it’s going to be very difficult to put the two parties back together in the short term.
Connor LA FRENAIS
Are you worried that Australians are just going to continue to think that it’s the Nationals just throwing a tantrum? Any time they can’t get their way, they’re just going to, you know, threaten or even go as far as leaving The Coalition? Is this just going to keep happening?
Michael McCORMACK
It’s just not the Nationals. People have a very dim view of politicians, per se, unfortunately. I want people to be assured that certainly The Nationals are working for them and on behalf of their interests. I and always do, and I know Colin always does. We’ve got the best interests of Queenslanders and the best interests of Australians, particularly those who live in the regions, at heart. But it’s been a bit messy of late. I appreciate that. Certainly, we need to get the parties back united. The Coalition has governed for the best part of the last 80 years, and we’ve done a good job. Australia’s a very good country in which to live. It’s the best nation on earth, in fact. But it is difficult at the moment. We saw the inflation rate yesterday. We’ve got another interest announcement next week. It’s getting tougher and tougher to put a roof over your head. It’s getting tougher and tougher to find a rental place, to pay the bills as household budgets rise, with rising energy costs, rising grocery costs, it’s very difficult. And people aren’t feeling the safety and security that they should in Australia right now. This is all on Labor’s watch. And so for people out there, those bread and butter issues are important to them. And while we’re talking about ourselves, we’re not talking or moreover listening to the people who sent us to Canberra to do a job. And so I think it’s important that we get all this out of the way, get back with the Liberal Party as Nationals and make sure we focus on the things that really matter to Mr. and Mrs. Average ad in real Australia. Whether that’s Hervey Bay, or whether that’s Wagga Wagga, that matters not. That’s not the important thing.
Connor LA FRENAIS
Yeah. Great. Anything else?
Michael McCORMACK
No, that’ll cover it off nicely.
Connor LA FRENAIS
All right. Thank you.
Michael McCORMACK
Thanks, Connor.
ENDS