WEBVTT - Sharri | 22 May 0:00:01.520 --> 0:00:05.439 Live on Sky News. This is Shari. 0:00:06.640 --> 0:00:08.039 Good Evening. I'm Caleb Bond. 0:00:08.119 --> 0:00:13.600 Tonight the shortest divorce in history, Nationals and Liberals reenter negotiations, 0:00:13.640 --> 0:00:16.960 which has me asking why was this public blow up 0:00:17.079 --> 0:00:20.680 necessary at all? To israel embassy staff as a dead 0:00:20.720 --> 0:00:23.440 in the United States after they were shot allegedly by 0:00:23.480 --> 0:00:27.000 a man yelling free Palestine. Alex Ruftan joins me in 0:00:27.040 --> 0:00:29.560 a moment for his reaction, and we'll get the latest 0:00:29.600 --> 0:00:32.800 on the terrible floods in northern New South Wales, including 0:00:32.840 --> 0:00:35.400 what is likely to happen in the coming days. 0:00:35.680 --> 0:00:35.960 Now. 0:00:36.080 --> 0:00:39.519 I've been in some on again, off again relationships before, 0:00:39.560 --> 0:00:43.680 but live Charlie, you don't usually start talking about getting 0:00:43.720 --> 0:00:47.559 back together after two days, but that is what has 0:00:47.600 --> 0:00:50.680 happened today. The Liberals and the Nationals could be back 0:00:50.720 --> 0:00:54.640 on as a coalition. Susan Lee had been working on 0:00:54.800 --> 0:00:58.920 the phones this morning overnight talking to Nats who opposed 0:00:59.000 --> 0:01:01.440 breaking up the coal to see if there was a 0:01:01.440 --> 0:01:04.600 way she could broke her a truce. They were Barnaby Joyce, 0:01:04.800 --> 0:01:09.160 Darren Chester, sam Byrell and Michael McCormack. Now Michael will 0:01:09.240 --> 0:01:11.240 join me a little later in the show, and in 0:01:11.280 --> 0:01:13.959 the meantime, David Little Proud had been working up a 0:01:14.000 --> 0:01:17.720 list of shadow spokesmen and women for various portfolios so 0:01:17.800 --> 0:01:21.119 that the Nationals could present like they were themselves an 0:01:21.120 --> 0:01:24.240 opposition party, and Lee was meant to announce her shadow 0:01:24.280 --> 0:01:28.080 ministry today two So Little Proud was having a meeting 0:01:28.160 --> 0:01:31.160 with his people in Canberra this morning, but then Lee 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:33.399 got in touch with him and struck a deal to 0:01:33.480 --> 0:01:35.440 quote unquote pause the separation. 0:01:36.520 --> 0:01:39.959 I had a brief meeting with Susan Lee and she 0:01:40.319 --> 0:01:44.039 made an offer to reconvene her party room to discuss 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:48.200 the four policy areas that the National Party demand as 0:01:48.280 --> 0:01:51.200 part of a coalition agreement, and I thank her for that, 0:01:51.600 --> 0:01:54.920 and as a consequence, I have decided to send those 0:01:55.560 --> 0:01:58.960 spokespeople home as a sign of good faith, and Susan 0:01:59.040 --> 0:02:02.160 is a sign of good faith, will not be announcing 0:02:02.240 --> 0:02:05.840 should I come. This is a positive step forward, one 0:02:05.880 --> 0:02:09.440 in which we've always said we'd be productive and constructive. 0:02:10.760 --> 0:02:14.800 Fantastic they've found a potential way forward. But all I 0:02:14.840 --> 0:02:18.320 could think today was why didn't you do this earlier? 0:02:18.680 --> 0:02:22.920 I mean, why did you wait until this point, until 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:26.040 after the coalition had split and all this blood had 0:02:26.080 --> 0:02:28.800 been spilt and people getting angry at each other and 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:31.480 all the rest of it. Why did you wait until 0:02:31.639 --> 0:02:35.240 now to come up with a compromise deal. I mean, 0:02:35.480 --> 0:02:38.240 what they've come up with here seems quite sensible. The 0:02:38.320 --> 0:02:41.920 Nationals said very clearly that they had four policies that 0:02:42.000 --> 0:02:46.440 were non negotiable for the coalition to continue, supporting nuclear energy, 0:02:46.800 --> 0:02:51.840 divestiture of supermarkets, the Regional Future Fund, and mobile coverage 0:02:52.160 --> 0:02:55.480 in the bush. Fair enough, But Susan Lee said the 0:02:55.520 --> 0:02:58.679 Liberal Party hadn't committed to any policies and it wasn't 0:02:58.720 --> 0:03:02.360 about to because absolutely everything was on the table and 0:03:02.400 --> 0:03:04.760 they'd have to duke it out before they knew what 0:03:04.800 --> 0:03:07.880 they were going to do. Fair Enough, that's the decision 0:03:08.080 --> 0:03:11.080 she'd made. But if it's good enough now for the 0:03:11.120 --> 0:03:14.120 Liberal Party to say, okay, we'll make an exception to 0:03:14.160 --> 0:03:17.240 the process and we can meet and discuss these four 0:03:17.280 --> 0:03:20.680 specific policies, then why couldn't they have come to that 0:03:20.760 --> 0:03:24.240 agreement just a few days ago? This was what Lee 0:03:24.280 --> 0:03:25.200 said on Tuesday. 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:32.000 Now, the Nationals sought specific commitments on certain policies and 0:03:32.120 --> 0:03:32.840 they've talked. 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:33.600 About that this morning. 0:03:34.800 --> 0:03:40.600 And our perspective is not about the individual policies themselves. 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:44.040 But the approach that we said we would take to 0:03:44.120 --> 0:03:49.680 our party room about policies, nothing adopted and nothing abandoned. 0:03:50.040 --> 0:03:53.200 So at this point in time I asked the Nationals 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:56.120 to respect those party room processes. 0:03:56.560 --> 0:03:59.119 And they did respect those processes. 0:03:59.160 --> 0:04:01.800 They walked away and said, well, we'll talk later on, 0:04:02.240 --> 0:04:04.440 and now you've gone back to them. I mean, she 0:04:04.480 --> 0:04:07.400 said at that presser that she proposed that they come 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:10.440 up with a shadow ministry together and then both parties 0:04:10.480 --> 0:04:13.720 go away and come up with their policy positions and then. 0:04:13.600 --> 0:04:16.000 They'll come back and they'll work it all out. 0:04:16.240 --> 0:04:20.159 And the National said, no, we want assurance on these 0:04:20.600 --> 0:04:25.360 four policies before we move forward. Lee refused, and then 0:04:25.360 --> 0:04:28.719 Ats walked away. I mean, for three days now we 0:04:28.839 --> 0:04:31.159 have been talking about this and how it's bad for 0:04:31.240 --> 0:04:34.440 conservative politics in the long run, and how the coalition 0:04:34.520 --> 0:04:37.080 has to eventually get back together, and as much as 0:04:37.160 --> 0:04:39.080 I've said that it will be for the best if 0:04:39.080 --> 0:04:41.800 it pulls the Liberal Party in the right direction, there 0:04:41.880 --> 0:04:43.960 is no getting around the fact that what we have 0:04:44.080 --> 0:04:48.960 witnessed this week has been unfortunate and unsavory and unedifying. 0:04:49.640 --> 0:04:53.280 But this could have been so simple to avoid we've 0:04:53.320 --> 0:04:56.760 seen that today. All that needed to happen was for 0:04:56.760 --> 0:04:59.600 a little Proud to drop his ridiculous request for Nationals 0:04:59.640 --> 0:05:02.720 to not have to abide by cabinet solidarity, and for 0:05:02.839 --> 0:05:05.680 Lee to call a party room meeting to discuss these 0:05:05.839 --> 0:05:09.480 four policies just get it done. And they're all pretty 0:05:09.520 --> 0:05:13.400 straightforward policies anyway. I honestly can't see a position in 0:05:13.440 --> 0:05:16.080 which the Libs don't back all these policies in again, 0:05:16.560 --> 0:05:19.120 so why couldn't they have just sorted it out before that? 0:05:19.160 --> 0:05:22.479 You know what hit the fan? Now again, I'll say 0:05:22.520 --> 0:05:25.200 I think this can ultimately be a good thing because 0:05:25.200 --> 0:05:27.720 it sent a strong message to the Liberal Party, But 0:05:27.839 --> 0:05:30.760 you cannot get away from what a side show this 0:05:30.839 --> 0:05:33.359 has been and what a free kick it was to 0:05:33.440 --> 0:05:36.160 the Labor Party, particularly now that they're going to try 0:05:36.200 --> 0:05:40.240 and patch things up so quickly. On this basis, you'd 0:05:40.279 --> 0:05:42.880 have to say it didn't need to happen. I mean, 0:05:42.920 --> 0:05:45.880 what did Lee think she was going to achieve? Whatever 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:48.560 it was, it seemingly hasn't worked. I mean, we read 0:05:48.600 --> 0:05:51.120 in The Australian yesterday that she was keen for the 0:05:51.160 --> 0:05:53.960 coalition not to get back together before the next election. 0:05:54.440 --> 0:05:56.640 And keep all the shadow positions for Liberals. 0:05:57.040 --> 0:05:59.640 Now, maybe that was a view born out of anger, 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:03.400 and I can kind of understand that, But clearly overnight 0:06:03.800 --> 0:06:06.800 she's seen some sense. Now it's of course possible that 0:06:06.839 --> 0:06:09.760 the Liberal Party doesn't back those four policies. 0:06:09.760 --> 0:06:11.080 I mean that have rocks in. 0:06:11.080 --> 0:06:13.559 Their heads if they did that, and it does seem 0:06:13.640 --> 0:06:17.120 quite unlikely. So why did we have to go through 0:06:17.160 --> 0:06:23.320 this whole plava in the first place. Now, let's not 0:06:23.560 --> 0:06:27.120 mince words here. What we saw today in Washington, d C. 0:06:27.680 --> 0:06:30.640 Was a terror attack. A lone man with a gun 0:06:31.000 --> 0:06:34.440 outside the Capitol Jewish Museum approaches a group of people 0:06:34.839 --> 0:06:38.440 and shoots dead a man and a woman Israeli embassy staff, 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:41.239 and they were about to get engaged next week. 0:06:42.520 --> 0:06:45.840 The young man purchased a ring this week with the 0:06:45.839 --> 0:06:50.760 intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem. 0:06:51.279 --> 0:06:52.560 They were a beautiful couple. 0:06:54.040 --> 0:06:56.960 Now I don't often get emotional. I've been to some 0:06:57.040 --> 0:07:00.839 pretty gruesome scenes as a reporter into view the families 0:07:00.880 --> 0:07:03.839 of murder victims while they're still trying to register what's happened. 0:07:04.320 --> 0:07:07.880 But thinking about two young people who've done nothing wrong, 0:07:08.279 --> 0:07:10.040 their lives together ahead of them. 0:07:10.240 --> 0:07:12.360 He's just bought the ring being. 0:07:12.280 --> 0:07:15.360 Killed in a country far away from the war that 0:07:15.440 --> 0:07:17.960 has triggered all of this. It did get to me, 0:07:18.160 --> 0:07:20.240 you know, I'm a young man. I can see myself 0:07:20.240 --> 0:07:21.200 in that position too. 0:07:21.920 --> 0:07:24.840 This was terrorism, anti. 0:07:24.360 --> 0:07:28.400 Semitic terrorism, And I know it hasn't been formally declared 0:07:28.520 --> 0:07:30.800 a terror attack, but I think we can all see 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:34.640 what's going on here. Man goes to Jewish museum, shoots 0:07:34.640 --> 0:07:39.400 dead too, Jews shouts free, Free Palestine. The intention is 0:07:39.600 --> 0:07:43.040 very clear. It's meant to scare Jewish Americans and Jews 0:07:43.080 --> 0:07:46.160 anywhere else for that matter, because you'd be worried now 0:07:46.160 --> 0:07:50.800 about copycat attacks. And it's no coincidence that it happened now. 0:07:51.280 --> 0:07:55.600 The pro Palestinian demonstrations and protests have largely died down. 0:07:55.920 --> 0:07:57.960 It's not in the news every day in the same 0:07:58.000 --> 0:08:00.800 way that it was a year ago. Has of course 0:08:00.920 --> 0:08:03.920 ended its aid blockade, and the war may well be 0:08:04.080 --> 0:08:04.960 nearing an end too. 0:08:05.600 --> 0:08:08.400 So the point of today's attack was very clear. 0:08:08.920 --> 0:08:11.560 Even if this is falling by the wayside as an 0:08:11.600 --> 0:08:15.240 issue of public discussion, even if the war may be 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:18.920 reaching something of a conclusion, if you are Jewish, you 0:08:18.960 --> 0:08:22.520 should still be worried, and you should still feel unsafe. 0:08:22.880 --> 0:08:26.480 And that is the obvious consequence. This is the obvious 0:08:26.520 --> 0:08:30.840 consequence of not clamping down on anti semitism much earlier. 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:34.240 I mean here in Australia, ever since October nine, when 0:08:34.320 --> 0:08:35.560 gangs of men gathered on. 0:08:35.559 --> 0:08:43.320 The steps of the opera house. Where's the Jews? 0:08:43.360 --> 0:08:45.720 Gas the Jews? It doesn't really matter. But since that 0:08:45.960 --> 0:08:49.920 moment you've had people who might have been quiet anti Semites, 0:08:49.960 --> 0:08:52.640 if you want to call them that, who became loud 0:08:52.720 --> 0:08:56.080 anti Semites because they figured, well, my views are okay, 0:08:56.240 --> 0:08:59.800 now I have strength in numbers. And we've seen examples 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:02.960 that before. And I'll repeat the words that I've said 0:09:03.000 --> 0:09:06.839 before in this situation. This shows just how complacent we 0:09:06.920 --> 0:09:10.520 have become about the scourge of anti Semitism. We all 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:13.360 know there are racist people in the world, but even 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:17.480 most people who are racist don't feel comfortable talking publicly 0:09:17.520 --> 0:09:20.760 about how they really feel because they fear the consequences 0:09:20.800 --> 0:09:24.720 of their speech. And by not enforcing those consequences, we've 0:09:24.720 --> 0:09:28.840 created a situation where someone in a Western country thinks 0:09:28.880 --> 0:09:32.680 it's justified to shoot Jews dead for no other reason 0:09:33.120 --> 0:09:35.959 than the fact that they are Jewish. It's nearly two 0:09:36.080 --> 0:09:39.000 years since the Israel Garza War started, and I think 0:09:39.080 --> 0:09:42.480 many of us feared something like this would happen, and 0:09:42.520 --> 0:09:48.600 now it has. All right, let's jump straight into the 0:09:48.640 --> 0:09:50.719 news of the day with my panel tonight, w WAY 0:09:50.720 --> 0:09:55.720 opposition leader Basil Zimplas and DPG Advisory Solutions founder David Gazzard. 0:09:55.840 --> 0:09:56.559 Welcome gents. 0:09:56.600 --> 0:09:59.120 Now that the Nationals and the Liberals, as I said before, 0:09:59.360 --> 0:10:01.440 it looks like they're about to patch things up. 0:10:01.640 --> 0:10:03.480 He was David Little Proud today. 0:10:04.840 --> 0:10:07.319 I can trust Susan and that's why she took a 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:10.320 leap of faith today and took a step forward and 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:14.440 said that she's prepared to go back and to bring 0:10:14.480 --> 0:10:15.320 her party room back. 0:10:16.120 --> 0:10:16.280 Now. 0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:19.599 Little Proud was adamant that the NATS weren't going anywhere, 0:10:19.640 --> 0:10:22.720 of course, until the four policy demands were meant nuclear 0:10:22.840 --> 0:10:26.760 energy and new off budget regional fund, the divestiture powers, 0:10:26.840 --> 0:10:29.640 improved regional telecommunications. 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:31.920 And I can't see. 0:10:31.720 --> 0:10:34.960 A position Basle in which the Liberal Party won't back 0:10:35.000 --> 0:10:35.560 all of this in. 0:10:35.800 --> 0:10:37.119 But as I said before. 0:10:36.880 --> 0:10:40.560 I mean my question is if Susan Lee woke up 0:10:40.559 --> 0:10:44.200 this morning and thought, okay, I feel comfortable that I 0:10:44.200 --> 0:10:46.920 could call a party room meeting and we can deal 0:10:46.960 --> 0:10:49.400 with this stuff. Why couldn't she have come to that 0:10:49.480 --> 0:10:52.840 conclusion earlier in the week and avoided all of this mess? 0:10:54.440 --> 0:10:55.680 Well, Caleb, good evening. 0:10:56.720 --> 0:10:58.800 Maybe it is the old adage you don't know what 0:10:58.840 --> 0:11:04.960 you've lost until it's gone, and perhaps that's applicable both ways. Look, 0:11:04.960 --> 0:11:08.240 I do feel comfortable enough to say that the Libs 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:11.000 and the Nats are at their most effective when they 0:11:11.000 --> 0:11:13.080 are working together. Certainly that's what we're doing here in 0:11:13.120 --> 0:11:15.880 Western Australia with a very strong alliance with the Nationals 0:11:15.960 --> 0:11:18.920 WA and the Liberals WA. After the last state election, 0:11:19.720 --> 0:11:22.560 I realized that how it's done in Canberra is a 0:11:23.040 --> 0:11:26.520 prerogative for our leaders in Canberra to decide. 0:11:26.600 --> 0:11:28.200 But I think this is very encouraging. 0:11:28.200 --> 0:11:31.040 I wouldn't say it's one big, happy family quite yet, 0:11:31.360 --> 0:11:34.000 but it is encouraging for everyone. I think it's encouraging 0:11:34.040 --> 0:11:38.280 too for good governance and good government because the most 0:11:38.280 --> 0:11:41.520 effective opposition is what we need. That's what the country 0:11:41.559 --> 0:11:44.080 needs to hold the alban Easy government to account. And 0:11:44.120 --> 0:11:47.680 I think the most effective opposition brings the Nats and 0:11:48.200 --> 0:11:53.120 the Liberal Party into one party room. So this is encouraging, 0:11:53.360 --> 0:11:54.880 but it's not quite there yet. 0:11:54.960 --> 0:11:59.600 Caleb, indeed and David Lee apparently reached out to the Nats, 0:11:59.600 --> 0:12:02.679 who were reportedly against the split. I said before Barnaby, Joyce, 0:12:02.960 --> 0:12:06.240 Michael McCormick, Darren Chester, Michael will join me shortly and 0:12:06.240 --> 0:12:10.040 I'll ask him about those conversations that he had. But 0:12:10.679 --> 0:12:13.800 how much do you think that played into it that 0:12:14.559 --> 0:12:16.440 Lee was willing to get on the phone. This morning 0:12:16.480 --> 0:12:19.800 they both said the door was open, But yesterday it 0:12:19.960 --> 0:12:23.120 sounded like from both sides, Lee wasn't all that keen 0:12:23.160 --> 0:12:26.800 to get the coalition back together. Little Proud was talking about, 0:12:26.840 --> 0:12:29.920 you know maybe after the next election, if they're in 0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:33.280 a position where they need us to form government, will 0:12:33.360 --> 0:12:33.959 talk to them. 0:12:34.000 --> 0:12:35.920 Then. Very different story today. 0:12:37.440 --> 0:12:40.640 Look, I'm with you on this. I mean, why did 0:12:40.679 --> 0:12:43.520 this happen have to happen in the first place. I 0:12:43.520 --> 0:12:48.240 don't think really anyone understands that the National Party, in 0:12:48.360 --> 0:12:51.400 seeking to kind of blaze their own trail with those 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:54.280 four policies, have had those for a while and they've 0:12:54.280 --> 0:12:56.840 retained all their seats, so they can't look to an 0:12:56.880 --> 0:13:01.440 electoral loss to say, well, we need to campaign harder 0:13:01.480 --> 0:13:03.160 on these to hold our seats. 0:13:03.200 --> 0:13:04.160 They held all their seats. 0:13:05.640 --> 0:13:09.800 I have some sympathy for Susan because the parliament is now, 0:13:10.280 --> 0:13:14.160 you know, roughly a third and two thirds two thirds 0:13:16.040 --> 0:13:20.640 for progressives and I hate that term, but left of 0:13:20.720 --> 0:13:26.160 center MPs with one third b conservatives. The problem that 0:13:26.200 --> 0:13:30.559 Susan has an existential one where she is leaking votes 0:13:30.679 --> 0:13:32.160 on the left, not the right. 0:13:32.640 --> 0:13:33.720 So while it's good. 0:13:33.559 --> 0:13:36.160 They've come back together and it will be a coalition, 0:13:36.200 --> 0:13:40.360 it looks like going on into the future, and this 0:13:40.600 --> 0:13:44.600 is the time you want to repair these sort of fractures. 0:13:44.080 --> 0:13:45.440 And paper over the. 0:13:47.120 --> 0:13:50.360 Wounds that remained and hopefully go forward in a stable 0:13:50.400 --> 0:13:51.200 and sensible way. 0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:52.880 You would want to do that now. 0:13:53.400 --> 0:13:56.520 But there still has to be for the Liberal Party 0:13:57.240 --> 0:14:00.800 a way of reaching into the cities, not the regions, 0:14:01.920 --> 0:14:05.240 and that is still the great unanswered question that Susan 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:08.160 Lee has to has to ask and the party has 0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:08.800 to respond to. 0:14:09.400 --> 0:14:11.720 Yeah, and I think it's worth noting that the seats 0:14:11.760 --> 0:14:15.040 they lost at this election, apart from maybe Bradfield, which 0:14:15.040 --> 0:14:19.160 we'll find out on the recount, were not teel style seats. 0:14:19.200 --> 0:14:22.040 They were mostly out of suburban seats, which I think 0:14:22.240 --> 0:14:24.200 might go some way to what they need to be 0:14:24.280 --> 0:14:27.360 looking at. But because part of this pause is that 0:14:27.440 --> 0:14:30.720 Susan Lee delayed announcing her shadow cabinet, which we were 0:14:30.760 --> 0:14:32.840 meant to get today, Basil. 0:14:33.600 --> 0:14:35.040 And again it's one of those things. 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:37.160 I mean, she stood up on Tuesday and said I 0:14:37.240 --> 0:14:40.320 will be announcing the shadow cabinet on Thursday, which of 0:14:40.320 --> 0:14:43.280 course would have included no Nationals, so the entire thing 0:14:43.320 --> 0:14:45.200 goes to the Liberals. And if she had done that, 0:14:45.640 --> 0:14:48.200 it would have made the possibility of the coalition getting 0:14:48.200 --> 0:14:51.160 back together that much harder because of course then she'd 0:14:51.200 --> 0:14:53.560 have to take rolls away from Libs to give them 0:14:53.800 --> 0:14:57.360 to Nats. So it very much seems like in every 0:14:57.440 --> 0:15:01.120 way she was determined not to get the band back 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:04.560 together until this morning, because what was the rush. I mean, 0:15:04.880 --> 0:15:08.200 Parliament's not sitting until July. She didn't have to announce 0:15:08.200 --> 0:15:09.400 a shadow cabinet today. 0:15:11.400 --> 0:15:12.440 Well, didn't have to. 0:15:12.560 --> 0:15:15.080 But then again, I suppose the opposition leader does want 0:15:15.080 --> 0:15:18.160 to get on with it, wants to put her people 0:15:18.480 --> 0:15:20.720 in their positions and start to form the nucleus of 0:15:20.760 --> 0:15:23.680 that team that you're going to start to mold and 0:15:23.720 --> 0:15:25.960 shape towards the next election. 0:15:26.360 --> 0:15:28.000 What I would say is I appreciate that. 0:15:28.720 --> 0:15:32.560 This is not absolutely perfect, it's not ideal execution of 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:35.360 whatever the new arrangement might be. But we are so 0:15:35.560 --> 0:15:38.840 close to the last federal election, the one that's just gone. 0:15:39.040 --> 0:15:41.200 If you're going to do these things, this is when 0:15:41.240 --> 0:15:43.480 it gets done. And has it been done ideally? 0:15:43.680 --> 0:15:45.040 No? I think that's a fair comment. 0:15:45.320 --> 0:15:47.280 Might have been better to do it in another way, 0:15:47.360 --> 0:15:51.720 or have these discussions before. Sure, However, in a couple 0:15:51.760 --> 0:15:55.200 of days, in a week, it'll get sorted. It'll be sorted, 0:15:55.440 --> 0:15:57.960 and in a month nobody will be talking about what 0:15:57.960 --> 0:15:58.600 we're talking about. 0:15:58.640 --> 0:16:00.280 Right now, no one will talk about it. I get 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:02.440 it fixed, That'll be it. We're a long way away 0:16:02.480 --> 0:16:03.240 from the next election. 0:16:03.560 --> 0:16:06.840 Well, can I ask you, Basil? Of course, as opposition 0:16:06.920 --> 0:16:10.480 leader in WA if you were in a position like this, 0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:13.240 what would you have done the Nats come to you 0:16:13.280 --> 0:16:15.600 as the liberal leader and say we want to split 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:18.200 up because I need an assurance on these four policies. 0:16:18.400 --> 0:16:20.680 What would you have done? 0:16:21.080 --> 0:16:24.240 Well, I'm going to talk hypotheticals here. I mean, how 0:16:24.320 --> 0:16:28.720 Susan enters into negotiations with David is entirely their business. 0:16:28.760 --> 0:16:31.280 I absolutely respect that, and I am not in the 0:16:31.320 --> 0:16:34.920 federal space. But what I will say is that my 0:16:35.080 --> 0:16:37.600 view is, and certainly the people of Western Australia that 0:16:37.640 --> 0:16:39.960 I've spoken to coming off the back of an election loss, 0:16:40.240 --> 0:16:42.040 is that we are better when we are together, the 0:16:42.120 --> 0:16:45.080 Libs and the Nats working together in government, it's been 0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:48.360 very effective. We're better in opposition that way as well. 0:16:48.680 --> 0:16:53.560 But as Liberal leader, I wouldn't be giving into demands necessarily. 0:16:54.040 --> 0:16:57.480 I think everything is a negotiation. Everything has to be 0:16:57.600 --> 0:17:00.880 with the other side's perspective considered. But if there were 0:17:00.960 --> 0:17:05.399 positions that I'm not entirely comfortable with on behalf of 0:17:05.440 --> 0:17:07.800 the team that I am working with the Liberal team, 0:17:08.080 --> 0:17:10.359 it's not a case of just fold because a certain 0:17:10.400 --> 0:17:14.240 outcome is required or requested. You have to be true 0:17:14.240 --> 0:17:16.919 to your values and true to your party's principles. 0:17:17.200 --> 0:17:20.280 So that, Caleb is how I would. 0:17:20.160 --> 0:17:24.280 Enter into any hypothetical negotiations should they ever come my way. 0:17:24.320 --> 0:17:26.040 But I've got to say that NAT's and the Libs 0:17:26.040 --> 0:17:30.080 in WA we're working magnificently together in a very effective 0:17:30.160 --> 0:17:31.440 opposition alliance. 0:17:31.920 --> 0:17:33.200 Good to hear, David. 0:17:33.440 --> 0:17:35.760 I wonder if this clip here of Alban Easy talking 0:17:35.760 --> 0:17:37.960 about the resources that would have been given to the 0:17:38.040 --> 0:17:41.600 Nationals if there was a coalition breakup played any role 0:17:41.640 --> 0:17:42.760 in the renegotiations. 0:17:42.800 --> 0:17:50.360 Take a look, but clearly it is not reasonable that 0:17:50.440 --> 0:17:54.600 there be more staff or a reward if you like, 0:17:55.400 --> 0:17:58.440 for the fact that you had this division has occurred. 0:17:59.280 --> 0:18:02.200 I mean it, then that's in a very difficult position, David, 0:18:03.560 --> 0:18:04.160 no doubt about. 0:18:04.280 --> 0:18:06.600 You need every staff member you can get when you're 0:18:06.640 --> 0:18:09.840 in opposition, and that would have put them under tremendous pressure. 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:13.320 I still think they would have been sitting in policy purity, 0:18:13.400 --> 0:18:17.200 up on the back bench, unable to affect any change 0:18:17.200 --> 0:18:19.320 to any policy anyway, which would have been a miserable 0:18:19.320 --> 0:18:23.160 place with or without staff. Look, I think Basil is right. 0:18:23.680 --> 0:18:26.800 The coalition works better when it is in conjunction. My 0:18:26.920 --> 0:18:31.359 first week working in politics was with John Howard and 0:18:31.600 --> 0:18:35.879 Port Arthur occurred and that put the coalition under enormous strain. 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:39.200 The gun buy back put massive pressure on the National 0:18:39.240 --> 0:18:42.479 Party and gave rise to One Nation, but Tim Fisher 0:18:42.520 --> 0:18:46.160 at the time did not buckle under the pressure from 0:18:46.200 --> 0:18:49.720 the Bush kept it all together. The cities responded well 0:18:50.520 --> 0:18:52.080 and over time. 0:18:52.280 --> 0:18:53.480 Basily was quite right. 0:18:53.800 --> 0:18:57.000 The two parties worked better together and saw off the 0:18:58.359 --> 0:19:00.879 sort of forces on the extreme right together and it 0:19:00.960 --> 0:19:05.159 was a very very successful coalition twelve for twelve years. 0:19:06.000 --> 0:19:07.560 The time to do this is now. 0:19:07.920 --> 0:19:11.040 The time to have a full scale policy review in 0:19:11.320 --> 0:19:13.879 both the National Party and the Liberal Party is now. 0:19:14.119 --> 0:19:16.800 They've just gone through an election loss. They need to 0:19:16.800 --> 0:19:20.159 come to grips with as you say, Caleb, what happened 0:19:20.200 --> 0:19:22.639 in our of metro seats, What is happening in the 0:19:22.680 --> 0:19:23.440 city seats? 0:19:23.760 --> 0:19:26.480 How can we respond? What kind of people. 0:19:26.760 --> 0:19:30.520 Are we going to appoint to shadow ministry positions. I 0:19:30.520 --> 0:19:33.919 think Susan has a great opportunity with some of the 0:19:33.960 --> 0:19:38.520 crop of really new, young, gifted talent that is waiting 0:19:38.560 --> 0:19:41.719 to be given a go. So it's better to let 0:19:41.720 --> 0:19:44.399 the blood letting occur now, get the thing fixed and 0:19:44.400 --> 0:19:46.679 then move on united after that. 0:19:47.040 --> 0:19:47.920 Let's hope so well. 0:19:47.960 --> 0:19:50.440 We haven't even talked about that letters that Bridget McKenzie 0:19:50.480 --> 0:19:52.960 sent to mcgally cash. There is so much going on here, 0:19:53.040 --> 0:19:55.320 David Basil, thank you so much for joining me. Now 0:19:55.400 --> 0:19:57.560 let's talk to someone who was apparently involved in the 0:19:57.560 --> 0:20:00.320 talks to get the Liberals and Nationals back together joined 0:20:00.320 --> 0:20:04.640 again by National ZMP, Michael Mccormickmichael we spoke to each 0:20:04.680 --> 0:20:07.760 other on Tuesday. I don't think we were expecting to 0:20:07.760 --> 0:20:11.359 speak to each other in these circumstances again on Thursday. 0:20:11.600 --> 0:20:13.800 But you must have been pleased with the news today. 0:20:16.520 --> 0:20:19.440 Well it is that great political philosopher Mariah Carey said, 0:20:19.880 --> 0:20:25.159 we've belonged together and along together, and it seems as 0:20:25.280 --> 0:20:28.720 though there's been, as one Liberal insider told me today, 0:20:28.840 --> 0:20:32.959 great momentum, good discussions, productive work done at the Liberal 0:20:32.960 --> 0:20:39.119 Party meeting tonight evening five o'clock. A lengthy meeting, i'm told, 0:20:39.440 --> 0:20:42.120 but a good meeting. And the Liberals know that they 0:20:42.119 --> 0:20:44.600 can't govern without us, We know that we can't govern 0:20:44.720 --> 0:20:47.560 without them. It's John Howard has always said we're much 0:20:47.560 --> 0:20:51.760 better together and hopefully that will happen and happen soon. 0:20:52.240 --> 0:20:55.560 Well, thank you for the window into your musical taste, Michael. Now, 0:20:56.359 --> 0:20:59.560 Susan we reportedly reached out to several Gnats that she 0:20:59.760 --> 0:21:02.200 heard were against the split. You were one of them, 0:21:02.480 --> 0:21:06.399 Barnaby Joyce, Darren Chester, can you tell us about the 0:21:06.440 --> 0:21:09.560 conversation you had with Susan Lee. 0:21:10.480 --> 0:21:13.400 Look, it was an earnest discussion. It was an honest discussions. 0:21:13.440 --> 0:21:17.520 Susan and I have been neighbors since twenty ten when 0:21:17.520 --> 0:21:22.560 I took over from k Hal. We are both coalitionists 0:21:22.600 --> 0:21:27.600 and we're both regional MPs. We've got everything in common 0:21:28.080 --> 0:21:32.040 and I remember Malcolm Turnbull once saying he was surprised 0:21:32.040 --> 0:21:35.600 at how close we were on policy and a lot 0:21:35.600 --> 0:21:44.439