Subjects: Parliamentary Sitting Fortnight, Net-Zero, US tariffs
E&OE
STARTS: 9.33am
ENDS: 9.41am
SALLY BRYANT
And it is 27 away from 10. Now, the 48th Federal Parliament opened this week, yesterday, and Michael McCormack, the Member for Riverina, was seen struggling with the Speaker on Tuesday. What was happening there? Mr McCormack, good morning.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Well, good morning, Sally. Well, in Westminster tradition, often the Speaker’s role was the unenviable one because what happened was the Speaker had to be dragged to the chair because if the Speaker didn’t go with the Government of the day, or the order of the day, sometimes they lost their head. And so, it’s a bit of pomp and ceremony. They pretend these days to struggle to the chair, and I was honoured to be asked to second the nomination for the Speaker, and I’m told it’s only about the fourth time since 1901, since Federation, that somebody from the other side has actually nominated or seconded the nomination for the Speaker. And Milton Dick and I get on very well. He’s a very good Speaker, make no mistake, he’s impartial, he’s balanced, he is a very, very good Speaker, and I think what he’s doing with civics education with schoolchildren, with promoting the national flag, are very good things outside the Parliament. But inside the Parliament, he runs a good show, he keeps the lid on Question Time, he allows robust and free debate, but he keeps a check on people’s emotions, and I think that’s the sign of a good Speaker. Following on, of course, from Tony Smith, who was also a very good Speaker, and who was also nominated at the time, the second time around, by a Labor person.
SALLY BRYANT
Yes, now, climate policy has become a key point of tension between the members of the Coalition in the wake of the big election defeat. Some people believe it’s played a role in them losing inner city seats. What is your position on that at the moment?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
I think there are a number of reasons why we lost the election, why we lost inner city seats. The Nationals retained all our 15 House of Representatives seats, but obviously there are reviews taking place within the Liberal Party as to what they need to do and how they need to promote themselves better. But I have, very much, in the last 48 hours spoken up on behalf of the farmers of my electorate who are very concerned about the rollout, the rush to renewables and whether it’s Binalong or Bowning or Crookwell or Gregadoo, Bookham, Mangoplah, Maxwell, there’s a whole proliferation of wind towers, of solar factories, of indeed, Battery Energy Storage Systems, which are causing a lot of hurt and concern by the community. We’ve got Rural Fire Service volunteers who say that they won’t go out and put out fires with these battery systems because of the toxicity of the flames. There are a number of concerns about the number of towers and the height of the towers right in their backyard and it’s dividing communities. It’s upsetting families.
SALLY BRYANT
And we are hearing that here, but we are also hearing that at the coalface of the issue of climate change and the need for us to be more responsible about emissions, will be farmers, because if the climate becomes more variable, they’re at the pointy end of all of that. So how do you balance those competing issues?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Coalface is an interesting word to use in that sentence …
SALLY BRYANT
… Well, do you want me to use a different one? It’s a sensible question, sorry.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
No, I appreciate that. And certainly farmers, but they’re doing also the heavy lift with making sure that, carbon sequestration in their soil, making sure that they don’t burn their stubble at the end of the season, at the start of the sowing time. Farmers are doing the heavy lift, and I just think that regional Australia is now starting to push back against this proliferation of solar factories. I mean, we had one proposed for Yass the other day, which was actually bigger than the township itself. Now, if your land value is devaluing by a third, whether you’re a farmer or whether you’re a resident of one of these little villages, you’re going to push back. You’re going to be upset. And when you get 200 people crammed into a town hall at Bowning, that’s not an isolated event. It’s time for action …
SALLY BRYANT
… And we are hearing it right across the Riverina. So, what’s the solution? I mean, it’s a very difficult balancing act, isn’t it?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
It is, and I think the Coalition is certainly having a review at the moment as to what needs to be done with renewables, with net zero, with our policies. We’re having all those sorts of discussions. And I think one of the things that hasn’t been discussed is affordable energy. Now, if we’re going to produce things in Australia, if we’re going to manufacture, if we’re going to have our factories viable, if we’re going to have our farmers viable, and indeed people are going to be able to afford their power bills, then we have to have cheap, reliable power and we don’t have that at the moment, Sally.
SALLY BRYANT
Okay now we’ve heard this morning Labor frontbencher Amanda Rishworth says a decision to lift restrictions on US beef imports is not linked to the trade tariff negotiations. The Federal Government is going to expand access to include beef sourced from cattle born in Canada or Mexico which is legally imported and slaughtered in the US. What’s your response to this?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
I tell you what, if they tinker with our biosecurity restrictions and we end up with a mad cow situation or with our very strict biosecurity provisions in any way tampered with, in any way in jeopardy, then this is a folly. Now, Amanda Rishworth, if she reckons that they’re not related, well, she’s kidding herself, quite frankly. Look, what the Prime Minister should do is have a meeting face-to-face with the American President, Donald Trump. We can’t just tinker around the edges. We can’t just say, “oh, yes, let’s let the US beef in”. We produce enough beef for ourselves. We don’t need American beef. And let me tell you …
SALLY BRYANT
.. We do have trade arrangements, though, with the US, and we are exporting beef into there. So, the balance of trade is…
MICHAEL McCORMACK
… people eat more …
SALLY BRYANT
… There is a balance of trade. So, for us to maintain a balance of trade with the US, we have to negotiate. I mean, that’s the nature of the trade, isn’t it?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
I appreciate that too, but it hasn’t been the case in the past with the US beef coming into Australia. And quite frankly, they eat more burgers than we would ever hope to eat. And when you look at the size of their burgers that they eat for breakfast, Sally, you and I, I don’t think, could stomach one …
SALLY BRYANT
… Mr McCormack, if you look at the size of many of the people, you probably couldn’t stomach it either, to be honest.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
I’m glad you said that, not me. But yes, I won’t disagree with you, Sally.
SALLY BRYANT
Now, you’ve also been, well, not singled out, but Energy Minister Chris Bowen has called you and Barnaby Joyce the new dream couple, eager to tear down Mr Littleproud’s leadership. What do you say to those comments from Chris Bowen?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
I’m not tearing down David Littleproud’s leadership, but he also accused me of
using it as my Tinder profile picture. Well, let me tell you, Sally, I don’t have a Tinder account, never have had, never will have. But if I did have, I tell you what, my profile would have a lot more interest in Chris Bowen’s.
SALLY BRYANT
Can I just suggest to you, if you don’t have a Tinder profile, be very careful about having the Fires Near Me app on your phone because they look very, very similar, Mr McCormack.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
I wouldn’t know. I’ll go with that again, I’m glad you said that, not me.
SALLY BRYANT
Go and have a look at the Fires Near Me app because a member of staff here was questioned by one of his kids as to why he was on Tinder, and it turns out he wasn’t, he was on Fires Near Me. Very funny.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Fires Near Me is a very important app to have on your phone. Absolutely.
SALLY BRYANT
No, exactly. Mr McCormack, thanks so much for your time this morning. Michael McCormack there, the Member for Riverina. And a lively conversation about the first day of Parliament and some of the stuff that is happening.