Television interview - ABC Afternoon Briefing

The Voice date announcement, Julie Bishop's support for the Voice to Parliament, the No Campaign's arrogance regarding Western Australia, Tax Reform, the Remuneration Tribunal.

STEPHANIE BORYS, HOST: Staying with the Voice now. And the political focus has been on Western Australia this week with Federal Cabinet holding their meeting in Perth. But as we've just heard, tomorrow all eyes will be on Adelaide when the official Voice to Parliament referendum campaign is launched. So, to talk about that more Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Patrick Gorman joins us from Perth. Thank you so much for your time this afternoon on Afternoon Briefing. Run us through what you see the benefits to be of holding the Yes campaign launch in Adelaide and announcing the date there. 

PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: Well, of course, it has to be launched somewhere and Adelaide will provide a beautiful venue to announce the date for the referendum. And obviously, when it comes to South Australia and Adelaide in particular, it has an important part of our national history, in that it was indeed in Adelaide that the Aboriginal flag was flown for the first time. So, it's an exciting moment. That we are going to see from the Prime Minister and in front of the community at large, announce the date for a referendum, the first referendum this century for Australia. So, it is an historic moment. I actually have just come from meeting with Amar Singh, who's the Local Australian Hero of the Year. He's about to fly over to Adelaide for it. It's bringing a whole group of our nation together for this announcement. But then everyone needs to hit the ground to actually get out there and have conversations in the community about; what is this change, what does it mean? And how will it get us those better results? which we know that we get when we properly listen to people who are affected by decisions.

BORYS: The Prime Minister has mentioned that this campaign, he believes, will be a grassroots campaign. But what role specifically will the politicians be taking? Will politicians be a step back and letting communities discuss it? Do you see your role as pivotal in trying to convince people to vote Yes?

GORMAN: Well, I'd say for all politicians, whether they be on the side of Yes or indeed the side of No, one of the things we all have a responsibility to do is to ensure that people understand how our Constitution works and how they get to decide what goes into our Constitution. But also to make sure that we keep the quality of the debate high. That we all make sure we're focused on what is the actual question. Not feed misinformation, not feed fear, but actually make sure the Australians get to make their decision from an informed basis. For myself, I'm actively engaged. I was out with Foreign Minister Penny Wong and former Foreign Minister Julie Bishop yesterday, walking through the streets of Perth, talking
to people about the referendum and why we all support the cause for Yes and for constitutional recognition. I think I'll be joining Kate Chaney tomorrow down at the Cottesloe Beach where we'll have some volunteers, then going out doorknocking across Western Australia I think, as members of our community, we all have a role to play. I know for myself whether I was in Parliament or not, I'd be out there doorknocking and volunteering my time, because I think this is something above politics. And the time has well and truly come, after 122 years, to recognise the first Australians in our Constitution.

BORYS: Now, in Western Australia, the No side would claim that it has the vote in the bag. The Yes side believes that there's a number of people that are just yet to decide which way they'll vote. Being someone that lives there in WA, how are you reading the rooms, so to speak?

GORMAN: There's a fair bit of arrogance from the No campaign. They're sort of out there claiming a victory before the starting gun's even been fired. I think that's quite an extraordinary thing that the No campaign seem to be acting as if they've won, when indeed what I hear when I'm out doorknocking is people want to hear more. They're really engaged in the conversation. There are people who are undecided. And I want to see Western Australia have a big strong Yes, and I know that the way you do that is get out and talk to people. Here in WA, I haven't seen the No campaign knock on a single door. I can't really understand the arrogance. They think they've got something in the bag when they're actually doing nothing. And it's a bizarre campaign. When I look at the No campaign from afar, whereas the Yes campaign is community. People out in Dianella, in my electorate having pizza on the weekend after a doorknock. It's a lot of fun. It's pretty wholesome. And it's in terms of what I've been involved in a pretty respectful conversation with people as they make up their mind.

BORYS: Patrick Gorman, if I can take you to another topic, tax. So, a number of crossbenchers say that there needs to be a conversation, a hard conversation held about making changes to the current tax system. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has all but ruled that out. What's wrong with a conversation, given that changes in the future will need to be made. The current system doesn't appear to be working 100%?

GORMAN: Well, what I'd say to the crossbenchers who are coming up with a range of ideas or proposals, or headlines in the papers, is actually there is a tax reform agenda in the Parliament right now. You've got our plans to make sure that multinationals pay their fair share of tax. We've got the reform sense reforms to the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax that will get more revenue for the Commonwealth. And you've got changes to superannuation taxation arrangements to make sure that the superannuation taxation arrangements more accurately reflect the true purpose of superannuation, that is, to fund retirement. And so they're all in the Parliament, all being worked on now. They're in our Budgets. We're putting that forward. That's the agenda that we've put into the Parliament. The other thing we're doing, of course, is our action to make sure we get wages moving, trying to make sure that people get a little bit more in their pay packet. We know that makes a difference as well in terms of tax revenues. But these are complex conversations. If there are people in the independents and the teals who want to put forward concrete proposals, I think that would be a higher quality conversation than the sort of conversation that's been sort of half-kickstarted by them this week. And again, I'd say the Government has clear proposals in the Parliament now and they are our priority when it comes to taxation reform.

BORYS: Just briefly, before I let you go news today that federal politicians will receive a 4% increase on their salary from next month. Now, I appreciate this is a decision made by an independent body, but are you comfortable receiving that increase when so many people are struggling with cost of living pressures?

GORMAN: I'm really proud of the work that our Government's done over just the last year and a bit to make sure that we get wages moving for working Australians. That was one of our clear priorities coming in with the minimum wage, with the work that we're doing on closing labour hire loopholes. We've had for a long time, I think, almost coming on almost 50 years, an independent tribunal that is responsible for deciding the wages of not just Members of Parliament, but for senior members of the public service, senior bureaucrats, people who serve on committees and other things. While I recognise that some of these things are never going to be popular, I think we're best served it by an independent body making those decisions, rather than politicians or Parliamentary committees having decisions on such matters.

BORYS: Fair enough. Patrick Gorman, thank you so much for your time this afternoon on Afternoon Briefing.

GORMAN: Thank you, Stephanie.