Radio Interview - 6PR Perth with Oliver Peterson

Subjects: Clive Palmer pouring millions of dollars into the No Campaign; the Yes Campaign's grassroots support; the final report of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability; the phase-out of live sheep exports; the Perth Royal Show.
 
OLIVER PETERSON, HOST: Well, let's bring in Patrick Gorman, the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, who joins me live on 6PR this afternoon, the Member for Perth, why aren't you here at the Show? Good afternoon.

PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER AND ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE:  I was at the show with my five year old, Leo, and my two year old, Ruby, and my wife, Jess yesterday. We are well and truly Royal Show-ed out. So I'm not there for a second day. But I am jealous of you being able to spend not just each day, every day there, but I guess you get a few days without the kids, which is also a bonus.

PETERSON: Yeah, but they've been bugging me as well, my five year old in particular, he wants to come back. So there's still another day to go. So you might make another appearance. Are you going to do the Slingshot yourself, did you try the Slingshot? Gary Adshead and I launched into the sky yesterday, Patrick, would you be up for that?

GORMAN: I'll save my acts of bravery for political bravery. That is probably a little bit too far for me, the Slingshot.

PETERSON: Fair enough. Now, what do you think of Clive Palmer deciding to spend $2 million to promote the No vote? 

GORMAN: Well, look, personally I'm actually not at all surprised that Clive is splashing his cash around for another election. We know that at the Federal Election, he spent $117 million. So some might even say that Clive Palmer has actually gone a bit cheap for this one, but I'm not surprised he's spending the money. What I do think is a bit interesting, though, for your listeners is; why has he left it so late to tell everyone? Clive's normally running around for months and months telling everyone what to do. And on this one, we're just two weeks out from the vote and all of a sudden, he's come with the moneybags to chip in, which I think is a bit strange.

PETERSON: Do you think it will help the Yes Campaign?

GORMAN: Look, Clive Palmer and his political activities are very hard to predict what they will do. I've got no idea what sort of ads he's going to run. I'm sure we'll, in a week's time, see him reveal his hand even more. What I think really does help the Yes campaign is that it is a people powered campaign. I know in my electorate of Perth alone, we've got some 640 volunteers who are out there knocking on doors, I'll be out knocking on the doors with them tomorrow. That's what makes the difference is, you know, in a democracy, people actually talking to one another. But Clive chipping in money, it's not the first time but it is leaving a strange way to do it. Even by Clive's standards.

PETERSON: The polls are indicating the No vote is going to succeed in two weeks time.  Is there a last minute change of heart, you imagine by Australians, Patrick, or even a thought that you pull the Referendum and we do it, I don't know, in six or twelve months time?

GORMAN: Obviously, the Referendum happens in two weeks time. So it's important that everyone make sure they get the information to help them make up their mind and have their say. From the Prime Minister down, we've always been realistic, that it's a very tough thing to change the Constitution and the history on this is very clear that most referendums aren't successful. However, on this one, I remain - from all of the door knocking and conversations I've had across WA, and I was in Albany earlier this week - I remain really optimistic that the Australian people, when they look at this, it's a very safe, very simple proposition. It's a proposition for constitutional recognition to an advisory committee. And we've all served on advisory committees in things. Be it P&Cs or other things. Advisory committees help, because you're listening to people. And so I'm very optimistic that when we all gather on the evening of the 14th of October, that we will have a proud additional story to tell as Western Australians and as Australians.

PETERSON: We heard earlier today from your colleague Bill Shorten, the NDIS Minister, that the Government will be taking a little bit more time in regards to the Final Report from the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. There's obviously a massive 222 recommendations in this. You're going to set up a particular task force to report to Government early next year. This is very detailed. This is very complicated, Patrick, but already ending segregated or special schooling by 2051, including removing disability only access classes in schools is one of the key recommendations of the report. Is there anything already you're able to share with our listeners about what the priorities of the Government will be in assessing this very detailed report?

GORMAN: First, I'd say to all of your listeners that we've heard the message loud and clear, and that message is: that Government needs to do better. It's very clear. I haven't even been able to get through the entirety of the executive summary, which alone is 356 pages, but it's clear we've got to do better. And I think the thing that we get, whether you go to the specifics that you've just talked about, or generally in terms of how we best support people with disability is: there's this overarching goal of a safer, more inclusive, more empowered society, for people with disability. And I think that's the overarching vision that the Royal Commission sets out. It's something that we want to see. But I think it would be, it would be actually for the 10,000 people who put submissions in, for the four and a half years of work, obviously, is going to take us time to work through all of those recommendations, as you said, 222 of them. But this is a step in the right direction, a bit of telling the truth about what's not working. It's a bit of telling the truth about what needs to happen. And it's giving us the guidance to do that detailed work, in large part led by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

PETERSON: Live exports as well, Patrick, is there gonna be a little bit more certainty coming from the Federal Government in regards to the future of the trade? And if it needs to be phased out, what sort of a timeline that might look like?

GORMAN: Yeah, so we've, obviously as your listeners would know, I know, you follow this closely, as do I and many Western Australians, we've been to the last two elections of the Labor Party committing to this phase out. But we've also been really clear, it won't happen in this term of Parliament. We want to do this in a careful and considered way. We've got the four person independent panel due to give its report to Government later this year, that's due at the end of October. But we don't want to rush this. That's why we're saying we'll do the phase out not during this term of Parliament. And we're going to do all of the consultation that people would expect. And we're talking very closely with people who are in the industry, the Cook Labor Government here in WA, we recognise that there's a lot of strongly-held views. And we want to make sure that those transitions for people who are shifting potentially to domestic meat processing or potentially to other doing other things to their land, we want to make sure that's a transition, and one that makes sure everyone can still have a great business in agriculture here in Western Australia. And obviously, that's what we're celebrating at the Royal Show right now.

PETERSON: Patrick, appreciate your time. Who wins the footy tomorrow - Collingwood or Brisbane?

GORMAN: Brisbane.

PETERSON: Yeah, I think everybody's behind Brisbane. That's Patrick Gorman, the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister joining us on 6PR this afternoon.