Subjects: New National Party leadership, fuel prices
E&OE
Sally BRYANT
Michael, thanks for this.
Michael McCORMACK
Oh, no worries at all. Sally, how are you?
Sally BRYANT
I’m pretty good. Was that a surprise? Off the record?
Michael McCORMACK
Oh, on the record it was a surprise. Oh you mean David Littleproud resigning? Completely, I don’t think anybody saw that coming. You know that wasn’t on my bingo card that morning.
Sally BRYANT
All right I’ve just pressed record tape, can you tell me your name and official title?
Michael McCORMACK
Michael McCormack, Federal Member for Riverina.
Sally BRYANT
It sounds almost cynical to ask this, Michael, but is this it, at least for a while?
Michael McCORMACK
One hopes so Sally, because obviously we’ve still been talking about the issues and listening to people and their concerns about cost of living and all the rest, but it seems very much to the outsider, those people who listen and watch politics in Canberra very intently, and even those who just have only a vague interest, that always seem to be doing, is talking about ourselves. Well, we’re not, but let’s hope that we’ve put all this leadership behind us now and let’s see that we do present good leadership, true leadership. Indeed, in Matt Canavan and Angus Taylor, I think you’ve got two good regional people there who put not only country people’s interests at heart, but the nation’s.
Sally BRYANT
So new leadership in both Coalition parties. Is this still a hangover from that last election result?
Michael McCORMACK
Oh, quite possibly. The last election result, of course, was disastrous. I mean, but you look at even Labor’s result, it wasn’t what you’d call tremendous even with a 51-seat majority. You would argue that two thirds of Australians didn’t actually vote for the party that ultimately won Government. So there are there are obviously issues there for the Labor Party as well. I think it’s a paper-thin majority they really have. And people are wanting more and wanting better from their politicians. And unfortunately, one of the plans that Labor has in place at the moment is to actually increase the Parliament by as few as 24 politicians and potentially even more, and that is just the House of Representatives. There’s a policy or plan there to make it an additional 42 politicians across the two houses of the Federal Parliament. We don’t need more politicians. We just need better policy and better politicians.
Sally BRYANT
What do you say to concerns people are raising about the rise of One Nation, about the rise of hype politics, dog whistle politics? You know, people making racist statements and just it almost like a dive to the bottom.
Michael McCORMACK
Well, I watched with interest last night.
Sally BRYANT
You’re a conservative. But your whole platform has never sort of encapsulated that side of politics.
Michael McCORMACK
Well thank you. I’ve been very conscious of the changing face of Wagga Wagga. And indeed, it was a great pleasure and privilege to have the Yazidi community represented in Parliament last week. I sat down and had a very bipartisan meeting with Tony Burke. I think politics needs to be fairly centrist. I am of course, a little bit centre-right. There are others who are a bit centre-left, but I don’t think we can diverge too far to the left or lurch too far to the right. I think it is a concern. I think that Australians expect their MPs to be centred. That said, there’s a lot of angst out there at the moment. People are worried about paying their fuel bills or even getting fuel to begin with. Food security. There are a whole host of issues that people are concerned about. And of course, when you get MPs who are on the far right or wherever else, saying the sorts of things that get the media’s attention, the clickbait, it does present a few pressures to those traditional forms of politics, who aren’t probably getting their message through because there’s not room.
Sally BRYANT
We’re about to head into a by-election in the state of Farrah. What would you say to people who are feeling disaffected with, indeed, either the Liberal or the Labor or the National Party, and are looking toward One Nation?
Michael McCORMACK
Well, the Labor Party I don’t believe are running. I don’t think the Labor Party are running and the Liberal Party haven’t selected their candidate yet. The Nationals preselected a fine representative in Brad Robertson last week. He is in fact, a former retired army colonel. He’s looked after veterans affairs since leaving the Australian Defence Force. He’s looked after the Cancer Care Trust Centre in Albury Wodonga. He’s been involved in border manufacturing. He’s been a fine, outstanding person in the community, who has put community at the front and centre of everything he does. So I would say keep the faith to those people who are wavering. Please keep the faith. Trust us, as a Party of Government. What you’ve got to remember is that The Nationals and Liberals to and dare I say, Labor, they are Parties of Government. They are parties that have had the experience, have had the depth of knowledge and the strength to run Australia since 1901. I would just say, keep the belief, because in Brad Robertson and no doubt whoever the Liberal Party preselect, you’ll get people there who put the interests of regional Australians first, but they’ll also have a voice within the Shadow Cabinet. Given the fact that Labor’s not running, that’s an issue. I don’t think we need a parliament full of independents. Somebody texted me the other day and said, we don’t need Australia to end up like Italy and be changing Prime Ministers and changing political parties every five minutes, because we’ve got a parliament run by independents. And unfortunately, that’s what happens when you do.
Sally BRYANT
So just quickly before I let you go, regarding fuel supply, we’re hearing from communities around the Riverina, Batlow is without fuel at the moment. How do you manage this, and what would you ask Angus Taylor to do, given last time he was in a position to do something about it he left our fuel reserves in America?
Michael McCORMACK
Well, last time The Coalition were in government, we implemented a comprehensive fuel security package to strengthen, in fact, our energy resilience. Yes, we did have storages in the United States, but that was at a time when Covid was just starting to bite. And that was at a time when we were actually looking at fuel reserves in Toowoomba, in Parkes, on the East-West-North-South intersection of the rail lines. Certainly in WA at Exmouth or somewhere in the Wheat Belt. And I remember I was in Cabinet at that time and those discussions were taking place. And then of course, we had the worldwide lockdown with Covid. So these were difficult times, and we made sure that we actually had a storage of fuel, even if it was offshore. What needs to happen now? Supply and distribution need to be absolutely looked at. The ACCC need to investigate any situation where there is price gouging and collusion. People in and around the Riverina, please don’t panic buy, and please don’t horde petrol. I’ve heard reports also Sally, of petrol theft, and if anybody hears of it or sees it, they should call Crime Stoppers to report it. We can’t afford to get into a situation like we did with Covid with the toilet paper, because let me tell you, storage of petrol is far more dangerous than hoarding toilet rolls.
Sally BRYANT
Michael McCormack. Thanks for your time this morning.
Michael McCORMACK
Always a pleasure. Thank you, Sally.
ENDS