Subjects: Coalition break-up
E&OE
STARTS 11.00am
ENDS 11.11am
RACHEL HOLDSWORTH
Alright, just recording now. I’ll just grab your first name last name and position please.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Michael McCormack, Federal Member for Riverina.
RACHEL HOLDSWORTH
Now, Michael, were talking about something that was brought up on Friday by Barnaby Joyce, he’s backing you to be the Leader of the Nationals, I mean, what was your reaction hearing that?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Oh, a bit of surprise, but look, I understand there’s a bit of angst about the whole messy situation that occurred last week, but look, I think it’s important now that we all move on. Hopefully negotiations between the Liberals and The Nationals can be sorted out this week, hopefully within days and hopefully we can all get back on board with making sure that we form a credible Opposition to what is a very bad Government. I think the important thing to understand is that there are people in northern New South Waled, it’s a tragic situation continuing to unfold with the weather up there and the flooding, people have lost their lives, people have lost their homes and people are returning to homes with inches and inches, if not feet, of mud through them. And of course, here in the south of the State, we’ve got a situation where, despite a bit of drizzle over Friday and Saturday, there are ongoing drought issues, there’s no subsoil moisture and they’re the people I’m concerned about. I’m not concerned about position or power in Canberra. I’m concerned about the people in my electorate who send me to Canberra to do a job and that’s all I’ve ever been interested in.
RACHEL HOLDSWORTH
So, why do you think Barnaby Joyce told media the other day that he was backing you? Do you think that he’s spoken to other people, or is he just randomly …
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Look, that’d be a question for Barnaby. Look, I know he is upset at the situation, as was I. I was prepared to go with the party, it took a majority decision about going back to the Liberals and saying that we weren’t happy at all, so much so that we were going to have a temporary split. I was against that position, I spoke stridently in the party room against the position, but once the majority had their say and it was obvious that where the majority of the party wanted to go, well, I accepted that as you do, that’s the majority, that’s democracy. But as the week unfolded it did become messy. We operate best and governed best of course, when we’re in a Coalition Government, we can’t govern without the Liberals and for all the benefits that it does bring, I appreciate there are many people who say yes, you should go out on your own, but you just don’t want to be a protest party. I mean, we’ve got protest parties in Australia and that just doesn’t all go well for the responsible role that we’ve taken over decades of being able to govern Australia, and when you can be in a position to do that, you can bring about enormous benefits for the people you represent, the people in regional Australia who all too often get left behind. And they’re certainly being left behind at the moment, there were no Budget money for infrastructure, for roads, for bridges, for anything else in Jim Chalmers’ recent Budget. And nobody’s seemed to arc up about that enough, and it’s just going to now be put in place. The fact that the Growing Regions Fund and the Local Roads and Infrastructure Community Infrastructure Fund, they’re all gone now unless Labor does a bit of a u-turn and decides that well, regional Australia does deserve the respect because it keeps the lights on and keeps the balance of payments going, keeps food on the table, then that situation will just continue for at least for another three years.
RACHEL HOLDSWORTH
Do you think David Littleproud handled the situation very well in the last week or two?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
It could have been handled a lot better to be perfectly honest, and I think the fact that what, why operate in such haste? I just didn’t see the need to be so quick about forming the Shadow Ministry. And that wasn’t David doing that, but there was, I was told, the expectation that a Shadow Ministry would be stood up, but I didn’t see the need, I mean, goodness, we’re not going back to Parliament, well at that stage until July 28th, it’s now July 22nd, but even so, it’s still late July and it was still only May at the time, I just didn’t see the need to be rushing to form those people. I understand that they need to get briefings and get their feet under the desk and get all the all the all the proper portfolio information ahead of them, shadow portfolio information in front of them, but I just didn’t see the need to do that. And also Sussan Ley’s mother was dying, and then in fact passed away, very, very sadly, and I just thought we might have just taken a bit of a pause to pay our due respects in that respect, in that regard.
RACHEL HOLDSWORTH
What was your reaction when there were discussions about getting back together? I mean, did it kind of prove to you that your feelings were kind of valid and your concerns were valid about this?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Well, I’ve been doing my electorate work as you would expect. I’ve been going out to Tony Clough’s farm to talk about the drought, to listen to him and other farmers and stock and station agents about how bad the drought is. I’ve been lobbying Government for all manner of things, including Barton Highway duplications and drought assistance, and attending events, I would normally do in the course of my work. But I also was taking part very much with Sussan Ley, and to be fair, David Littleproud and others, to try to form some sort of resolution to broker some arrangement whereby we could put the split behind us and get on board with forming a credible Coalition. Now I was working very hard on that, making a lot of phone calls, making a lot of inroads in that and thankfully that work has led to where we are now and that is, I would really like to think, in the next 48 hours that we could reach some sort of peace agreement where we get back together and get on with the job.
RACHEL HOLDSWORTH
And as you said, the past week or two have been messy and it could have been handled differently. Do you still back David Littleproud as Leader of The Nationals?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Oh look, I do, he’s got the support in the majority support in the party room. He was recently re-elected as the leader when that position was contested Matt Canavan the Senator from the LNP from Queensland had put his hat in the ring, but it wasn’t successful. David got the majority vote, I supported him then, I support him now.
RACHEL HOLDSWORTH
But if that changes in the next few days and people start supporting you, would you say yes to that role?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Well, that’s hypothetical and I don’t think it’s likely to happen. Look, I think we need to just concentrate on what’s important, that’s getting the Coalition back together. I know Alison Penfold has been working so hard with the flood recovery efforts and doing what she needs to do as a good local Member, and I think we all need to take a pause, get back to work in our electorates. That’s what I’ve been doing. I know all that’s going on with leadership speculation is grist for the media mill. But seriously, I’m just making sure that the people of the Riverina get looked after. It’s a big —boundaries have changed — a big electorate. There’s a lot of things to see and do, and that’s what I’ll be doing.
RACHEL HOLDSWORTH
I know you just said hypothetically, but would you be ready for a role like that, to be Leader of The Nationals, if it does come to that?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Oh look, you never say never because the moment you put your red line through your name that’s when the radio and the TV networks then bring that broadcast and audio up back at you when something actually happens. Now I can’t see what’s going to happen in the future, I don’t know what’s going to happen. But look at the moment, David Littleproud is the Leader, we’ve got three years to convince the public that we are ready for government, and it’s going to be a long three years. A week is a long time in politics, let alone let alone three years. So, we’ve got a lot of work to do to earn the respect of the people. We did very well as Nationals, and we did very well under David Littleproud’s leadership, as Nationals retaining all our 15 Lower House seats, I think other political parties could learn a thing or three from us in that regard, and the Liberals are one of those parties that could do that. Now they’ll go away, they’ll have their review as Liberals, and we will too. We didn’t get everything right, but in six elections in a row now, we’ve won all of our seats under Warren Truss, under myself, Barnaby Joyce and David Littleproud. So that’s something I think that we should take great comfort in but also reminding ourselves of the great duty and honour that we’ve got, to go to Canberra and represent the people who sent us there to do a job and I think over the last week there’s been a lot of talk and a lot of things said that, quite frankly, really the public must just genuinely, look on and think what on Earth is going on there? They need to get back to their job and I’m sure this week we will.
RACHEL HOLDSWORTH
Thanks, that was great.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Thanks, Rachel.
RACHEL HOLDSWORTH
Anything else you’d like to add?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
No, no, all good, alright.
RACHEL HOLDSWORTH
That was really good, I appreciate it.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Anytime at all. Ok, bye now.