WEBVTT - Credlin | 13 October 0:00:02.040 --> 0:00:07.130 Peter Credlin, live from News 24. 0:00:07.130 --> 0:00:09.490 Good evening. Great to have your company. Here's what's coming 0:00:09.530 --> 0:00:13.640 up tonight on Credlin. More tonight on that extraordinary snub 0:00:13.720 --> 0:00:16.060 I brought to you yesterday. The family of a brave 0:00:16.120 --> 0:00:21.300 veteran killed fighting for Australia... In Afghanistan, pressure now mounting 0:00:21.380 --> 0:00:24.620 on the Veterans Minister, Matt Keogh, who still refuses to 0:00:24.680 --> 0:00:29.050 take any responsibility. Last swift denials from the Islamic Centre 0:00:29.070 --> 0:00:32.720 in Melbourne with reported links to the fly-to-buy co-pilot, the 0:00:32.760 --> 0:00:37.370 alleged terrorist. But plenty more questions too about our counter-terrorism 0:00:37.430 --> 0:00:41.290 safeguards and is enough being done to prevent the pathway 0:00:41.409 --> 0:00:45.800 to radicalisation? Plenty of outrage too over plans to live 0:00:45.820 --> 0:00:49.520 stream the execution of a guilty Islamist mass shooter in 0:00:49.540 --> 0:00:53.180 the US. But why not the same level of outrage 0:00:53.240 --> 0:00:59.750 for innocent Iranians executed every single week under that brutal regime. 0:00:59.970 --> 0:01:03.610 More on that later. And the Frydenberg factor, plenty of 0:01:03.670 --> 0:01:07.730 opinions of the former Treasurer stepping back into the public spotlight, 0:01:08.090 --> 0:01:09.990 Barnaby Joyce among them. 0:01:10.850 --> 0:01:13.530 Josh, we've all played the game, mate. Like, we know 0:01:13.569 --> 0:01:16.250 what you're up to. You want to be the leader 0:01:16.290 --> 0:01:19.750 of the coalition. Come back and you're setting the groundwork 0:01:19.810 --> 0:01:22.610 up now. Let's cut the BS, mate. We can all 0:01:22.640 --> 0:01:23.110 see through this. 0:01:24.780 --> 0:01:27.020 We'll come back to that in a moment with Andrew Clennell. 0:01:27.040 --> 0:01:30.080 But first, last night I brought you that interview with 0:01:30.160 --> 0:01:34.360 David and Mary McCarthy, the parents of signaler Sean McCarthy, 0:01:34.900 --> 0:01:40.170 killed in action in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb in 2008. 0:01:40.170 --> 0:01:42.450 To say you were shocked and angry after learning that 0:01:42.490 --> 0:01:46.650 David and Mary were not invited to Sunday's national service 0:01:47.069 --> 0:01:51.890 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Australia's commitment to the war, well, 0:01:51.920 --> 0:01:56.250 that would be an understatement. But Australians would be shocked 0:01:56.290 --> 0:01:59.990 tonight to hear, David, that you were not even invited 0:02:00.450 --> 0:02:02.930 to yesterday's commemorative events, were you? 0:02:05.840 --> 0:02:11.440 That's true, Peter. This is the third event we've had 0:02:11.500 --> 0:02:16.060 with the authorities where lack of compassion, lack of empathy, 0:02:16.080 --> 0:02:21.190 and there appears to be no consequence for the whole thing. 0:02:23.100 --> 0:02:27.220 This email from a credulous viewer, John, was indicative of 0:02:27.310 --> 0:02:32.070 so many. It reads, Peter, I'm an 82-year-old, tough as nails, 0:02:32.230 --> 0:02:36.630 genuine Australian male. However, upon viewing your interview regarding the 0:02:36.669 --> 0:02:40.830 disgusting neglect of the McCarthy's, I find myself in tears. 0:02:41.430 --> 0:02:45.180 Thank you for bringing the matter to attention. But that 0:02:45.880 --> 0:02:49.960 wasn't the end of it. Justifiable outrage this morning on 0:02:49.980 --> 0:02:54.700 Talkback Radio across the country is Here's Mark Levy on 0:02:54.760 --> 0:02:56.480 Sydney's Radio 2GB. 0:02:57.680 --> 0:03:01.780 How the hell does this happen? It's unacceptable. It is unforgivable. 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:04.560 How many more strikes do you need before you're out 0:03:04.580 --> 0:03:06.639 of the game? Matt Keogh should walk into the Prime 0:03:06.660 --> 0:03:10.000 Minister's office today and tender his resignation. This isn't just 0:03:10.060 --> 0:03:13.690 an administrative oversight. It's an insult to two parents who 0:03:13.710 --> 0:03:16.750 gave up their son for this country and then dedicated 0:03:16.790 --> 0:03:20.210 their lives to honouring every other family who lost a child. 0:03:20.470 --> 0:03:23.010 A letter sent to a dead soldier. while his grieving 0:03:23.070 --> 0:03:25.010 parents are left in the cold, tells you everything you 0:03:25.050 --> 0:03:27.530 need to know about the rot inside the Department of 0:03:27.550 --> 0:03:31.919 Veterans Affairs under this insipid politician, Matt Keogh. Anthony Albanese 0:03:31.940 --> 0:03:34.500 can't ignore this any longer. If Matt Keogh won't do 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:37.120 the honourable thing and resign today, the Prime Minister needs 0:03:37.140 --> 0:03:38.860 to sow some backbone and sack him. 0:03:40.260 --> 0:03:44.310 Leave it in my city. But it did not stop there. Today, 0:03:44.370 --> 0:03:47.810 during question time, the Veterans Minister was asked to explain 0:03:48.250 --> 0:03:51.050 how he got it so wrong yet again. 0:03:52.000 --> 0:03:54.090 My question is to the Minister for Veterans Affairs and 0:03:54.100 --> 0:03:58.090 Defence Personnel. Brave soldier Sean McCarthy was killed by a 0:03:58.130 --> 0:04:03.010 roadside bomb in Uruzgan province in July 2008. Following his death, 0:04:03.050 --> 0:04:07.270 signal of McCarthy's parents, David and Mary, attended ramp ceremonies 0:04:07.330 --> 0:04:10.510 at Aldermen Head Air Base, so fallen Australians would not 0:04:10.550 --> 0:04:15.170 begin their journey home without family present. Inexplicably, David and 0:04:15.190 --> 0:04:18.570 Mary were not invited to Sunday's Afghanistan commemoration at the 0:04:18.630 --> 0:04:23.140 Australian War Memorial, but Sean was. 18 years after his 0:04:23.200 --> 0:04:27.480 tragic death. How did the Minister get this so horribly wrong? 0:04:28.880 --> 0:04:30.350 And this was his response. 0:04:31.310 --> 0:04:35.770 Communication was done through the War Memorial to all next 0:04:35.810 --> 0:04:39.230 of kin to reach out to them to invite them 0:04:39.270 --> 0:04:43.050 to participate in those commemorations. As part of that what 0:04:43.710 --> 0:04:46.910 transpired is that some of those contact details were clearly 0:04:46.950 --> 0:04:49.170 out of date and there was two attempts at trying 0:04:49.190 --> 0:04:52.960 to contact Mr and Mrs McCarthy. because of that. I 0:04:52.980 --> 0:04:56.750 have spoken to David and Mary to pass on my 0:04:56.790 --> 0:05:00.969 apologies that there was clearly a deficiency in contact details 0:05:01.010 --> 0:05:03.630 and that they weren't reached out to. I've made sure 0:05:03.670 --> 0:05:06.690 we now have their contact details. I've also asked that 0:05:06.710 --> 0:05:09.150 an audit be performed by the War Memorial to make 0:05:09.210 --> 0:05:12.300 sure that it has up-to-date next-of-kin details where it can 0:05:12.310 --> 0:05:14.060 acquire those and to make sure we do that so 0:05:14.080 --> 0:05:16.500 that we don't have anything like this happen again with 0:05:16.560 --> 0:05:19.260 future commemorative services because it's not acceptable. 0:05:20.560 --> 0:05:23.000 Now, note there Matt Keogh's attempt to make this shocking 0:05:23.120 --> 0:05:27.330 omission the War Memorial's fault. Well, I don't cop that. 0:05:27.850 --> 0:05:30.370 I know how it works. And while the War Memorial 0:05:30.510 --> 0:05:33.930 might have issued the invitations, trust me, the list of 0:05:33.990 --> 0:05:36.290 names of veterans and next of kin would have been 0:05:36.330 --> 0:05:40.000 provided to them by the Department of Veterans Affairs. That's 0:05:40.180 --> 0:05:43.550 how it works. After all, what reason would the War 0:05:43.570 --> 0:05:47.570 Memorial have to keep updated a whole database of military 0:05:47.650 --> 0:05:51.550 contact details, tens of thousands, when it's the job of 0:05:51.570 --> 0:05:54.469 the DBA to do that, given it's supposed to be 0:05:54.830 --> 0:05:58.670 the home department for our veterans? Similarly, the War Memorial 0:05:58.690 --> 0:06:01.270 would have gone to the Department of Defence for all 0:06:01.310 --> 0:06:05.380 the updated contact details for senior military brass that were 0:06:05.420 --> 0:06:09.120 all there on Sunday. Also, it would have gone to 0:06:09.140 --> 0:06:12.849 the ceremonial branch. It's known as SERHOS. inside the Prime 0:06:12.870 --> 0:06:16.410 Minister's own Department of PM & C for the details 0:06:16.450 --> 0:06:20.500 of all the VIPs and other politicians invited on Sunday 0:06:20.560 --> 0:06:22.640 as well. It would have gone to the Department of 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:27.300 Foreign Affairs for ambassadors and other foreign dignitaries. You get it? 0:06:27.779 --> 0:06:32.630 They go to the relevant departments. Like the PM, this 0:06:32.710 --> 0:06:37.110 is yet another Labor Minister that would rather blame someone 0:06:37.190 --> 0:06:41.360 else then take responsibility. The Libs might have had their 0:06:41.380 --> 0:06:44.180 Scott Morrison moment, but this is a whole bloody frontbench 0:06:44.540 --> 0:06:47.720 who doesn't hold a hose. Tomorrow I want to see 0:06:47.860 --> 0:06:52.620 Minister Matt Keogh take responsibility for this stuff up by 0:06:52.700 --> 0:06:57.279 his own department rather than shift blame to the war memorial. 0:06:57.900 --> 0:07:02.060 But also I want this comment from David McCarthy last 0:07:02.140 --> 0:07:05.250 night pursued because it is telling. 0:07:06.520 --> 0:07:09.140 We had a phone call from the Chief of Army 0:07:09.460 --> 0:07:13.300 on Saturday morning who had read the article and the 0:07:13.340 --> 0:07:17.580 paper and was absolutely shocked. She rung us apologising for 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:21.960 the whole thing and it wasn't her responsibility but she 0:07:22.000 --> 0:07:23.340 was taking ownership of it. 0:07:25.120 --> 0:07:28.000 Okay, well if the Chief of Army contacted the McCarthy's 0:07:28.260 --> 0:07:32.520 on Saturday to apologise for the oversight, I have no 0:07:32.560 --> 0:07:35.380 doubt she got off the phone and made the government 0:07:35.460 --> 0:07:39.230 aware of the problem. And so who did she contact? 0:07:39.810 --> 0:07:43.680 Her minister, Richard Miles, or his office? The veterans minister, 0:07:43.720 --> 0:07:47.180 Matt Keogh, or his office? Maybe she even called the 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:51.700 prime minister's office direct. And if any of them were contacted, 0:07:52.360 --> 0:07:56.110 where was their intervention on Saturday to get the McCarthy's 0:07:56.140 --> 0:07:59.390 to the service the next day that honoured their dead 0:07:59.530 --> 0:08:04.010 son and 40 others? Now, I don't believe for one 0:08:04.130 --> 0:08:08.210 minute the chief of army called the McCarthy's apologised for 0:08:08.230 --> 0:08:11.440 the pain and hurt caused by this shocking oversight and 0:08:11.450 --> 0:08:15.240 then did nothing. I don't believe that. And in any event, 0:08:15.320 --> 0:08:18.500 as the Chief of Army said to the McCarthy's, she 0:08:18.520 --> 0:08:22.440 had learnt about this snub from a newspaper report that morning. 0:08:22.940 --> 0:08:25.820 So what, political staff in the Miles office or the 0:08:25.860 --> 0:08:28.900 Keogh office or the PM's office, they no longer read 0:08:28.920 --> 0:08:32.160 the papers on the weekend? Give me a break. I 0:08:32.200 --> 0:08:36.599 know they all operate a weekend media roster. So cut 0:08:36.620 --> 0:08:40.059 the excuses, a lot of you. Let's see what Michael 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:43.540 McCormack or Phil Thompson can find out tomorrow. But as 0:08:43.580 --> 0:08:47.160 we know, Labor can't lie straight in bed. And when 0:08:47.179 --> 0:08:51.329 it comes to our veterans, they treat them all with contempt. 0:08:51.929 --> 0:08:55.230 And there's no greater contempt than sending a letter to 0:08:55.270 --> 0:08:59.189 a veteran, inviting him to a commemorative service about a 0:08:59.250 --> 0:09:03.080 battle in which he was killed 18 years earlier. 0:09:03.880 --> 0:09:07.770 We're advised that, yes, they had sent a letter. The 0:09:07.809 --> 0:09:13.090 idiots had sent it to Sean. The three families who 0:09:13.270 --> 0:09:18.330 appeared in the bravery and betrayal doco were the three 0:09:18.370 --> 0:09:20.410 that didn't get an invite. And we didn't get an 0:09:20.470 --> 0:09:24.100 invite to the opening of the Anzac, of the Afghanistan 0:09:24.700 --> 0:09:27.459 opening at the war memorial a few months prior. We 0:09:27.500 --> 0:09:28.959 were never invited to that one as well. 0:09:30.840 --> 0:09:38.590 Hang your head in shame, Labor. All right, let's get 0:09:38.610 --> 0:09:41.650 the headlines now out of Canberra with our political reporter, 0:09:41.830 --> 0:09:42.290 Cam Redden. 0:09:43.410 --> 0:09:46.740 News24 understands it is the government's preference for the ATO 0:09:46.800 --> 0:09:50.719 to continue accepting credit card payments. The difficulty arises in 0:09:50.780 --> 0:09:54.209 dealing with third parties to ensure it can happen. Multiple 0:09:54.250 --> 0:09:58.069 sources familiar with negotiations have told News24 the talks are 0:09:58.150 --> 0:10:01.460 currently centred around what's known as scheme fees, that is 0:10:01.540 --> 0:10:04.660 fees charged by Visa and Mastercard to cover the costs 0:10:04.820 --> 0:10:08.370 of accepting and processing card payments. Those fees make up 0:10:08.450 --> 0:10:11.729 a portion of the $ 200 million the ATO says it 0:10:11.790 --> 0:10:15.290 would cost to keep accepting credit cards. Lower fees would 0:10:15.350 --> 0:10:17.990 reduce that figure, not all the way down to zero, 0:10:18.090 --> 0:10:20.709 but low enough to a point the government feels it 0:10:20.790 --> 0:10:22.510 could justify footing the bill. 0:10:22.530 --> 0:10:25.469 I'm very hopeful that we will continue to see progress 0:10:25.510 --> 0:10:26.370 in those discussions. 0:10:26.890 --> 0:10:30.890 Elsewhere, negotiations between Labor and the Coalition are progressing on 0:10:30.950 --> 0:10:33.240 how to regulate artificial intelligence. 0:10:33.460 --> 0:10:36.240 This is an important issue. It brings the Parliament together. 0:10:36.970 --> 0:10:40.610 It certainly should not be an area of partisanship. It 0:10:40.670 --> 0:10:42.890 needs to be something in which we all engage as 0:10:42.970 --> 0:10:43.790 much as possible. 0:10:44.350 --> 0:10:45.410 At the end of the day, we have to get 0:10:45.450 --> 0:10:47.390 this right. We don't have much time. 0:10:47.490 --> 0:10:49.069 Cameron Redden, News24, Canberra. 0:10:49.650 --> 0:10:54.309 All right, let's jump into all of that out of 0:10:54.350 --> 0:10:58.760 Canberra today with our News24 political editor, Andrew Clennell. Well, righto, Andrew, 0:10:58.780 --> 0:11:00.200 we're going to start at the top with the elephant 0:11:00.240 --> 0:11:04.050 in the room. This is Josh Frydenberg and this PR 0:11:04.290 --> 0:11:07.030 extravaganza that's been going on for the last few days. 0:11:07.530 --> 0:11:11.370 At the book launch today in Sydney, even John Howard 0:11:11.570 --> 0:11:14.790 made mention of his love of PR. 0:11:16.010 --> 0:11:19.630 Can I say, Josh, somebody said to me the other day, 0:11:19.710 --> 0:11:25.510 that's a very modest, self-effacing title. Josh Frydenberg, it must 0:11:25.550 --> 0:11:28.320 be the only modest, self-effacing thing he's ever said. 0:11:28.340 --> 0:11:33.630 LAUGHTER I've got to laugh there with John Howard because 0:11:34.150 --> 0:11:37.630 I was a university contemporary at different law schools, but 0:11:37.670 --> 0:11:39.170 we were there at the same time. Oh, were you? 0:11:39.309 --> 0:11:42.610 With Josh Frydenberg, yes. I've known him for about 40 years. 0:11:42.730 --> 0:11:45.369 That's ageing me, but that's about it. So do you 0:11:45.390 --> 0:11:46.870 think Mr Howard got that right? 0:11:49.220 --> 0:11:52.120 Yeah, well, it all looks a bit self-indulgent to me 0:11:52.200 --> 0:11:54.400 and not very helpful to the Liberal Party. I mean, 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:55.860 if you're going to do it, just say you're running. 0:11:55.980 --> 0:11:58.500 But just sort of sniff the wind, I'll poll it 0:11:58.540 --> 0:12:04.030 next year and see if I'm running. Come on. So 0:12:04.270 --> 0:12:05.589 if he says he's not running, by the way, he 0:12:05.610 --> 0:12:08.690 doesn't sell any books. I might point that out. But 0:12:09.790 --> 0:12:15.900 he says he's... He backed every leader, right? And, you know, 0:12:15.920 --> 0:12:17.719 he's not really backing the current one. He says they 0:12:17.760 --> 0:12:20.160 need a new leader. So is that your understanding, that 0:12:20.200 --> 0:12:23.559 he backed Abbott and Turnbull and Morrison all the way through? 0:12:25.140 --> 0:12:28.340 Well, I don't know about the Morrison and the Turnbull, 0:12:28.440 --> 0:12:30.710 but I don't think he backed Tony Abbott at all. 0:12:31.490 --> 0:12:35.740 Well, that's interesting because that's his consistent line, has been 0:12:35.800 --> 0:12:37.580 privately and publicly for years. 0:12:39.000 --> 0:12:43.700 Well, now publicly, but you always trust the bloke who 0:12:43.740 --> 0:12:47.300 backs the leader who lost the day after. Everyone will 0:12:47.340 --> 0:12:49.220 tell you what you want to hear going into the ballot, 0:12:49.700 --> 0:12:52.080 but where was Josh coming out of the ballot when 0:12:52.120 --> 0:12:55.910 Mark Turnbull was the leader and he was promoted into 0:12:55.929 --> 0:12:57.950 the Cabinet? Where was him on the record then saying 0:12:57.970 --> 0:13:00.530 that he backed Tony Abbott? I don't recall that at all. 0:13:01.030 --> 0:13:04.579 And I'll also add this to the concern I have 0:13:05.059 --> 0:13:08.840 is about a year or so before the spill. And 0:13:08.880 --> 0:13:12.079 he was Tony Abbott's parliamentary secretary, if you remember, the 0:13:12.100 --> 0:13:14.160 parliamentary secretary of the prime minister. I caught up with 0:13:14.179 --> 0:13:16.860 him privately in his office in Melbourne. I went down 0:13:16.900 --> 0:13:18.300 to Melbourne to have a bit of a chit chat 0:13:18.340 --> 0:13:21.460 and say, how are we going? Where can we improve? Whatever. 0:13:22.230 --> 0:13:25.380 And He demanded that I take the battery out of 0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:28.439 my phone. I kid you not. And when I said, 0:13:28.500 --> 0:13:31.600 what the heck is that all about? He then said, well, 0:13:31.640 --> 0:13:33.660 turn it off, please. And then he got his staffer 0:13:33.679 --> 0:13:37.710 to come into the room and take my phone out. Now, 0:13:37.750 --> 0:13:40.750 if he can't have a conversation as the PM's pal 0:13:40.790 --> 0:13:44.050 said to the PM's chief of staff and accept that 0:13:44.090 --> 0:13:47.130 we were both on the same side, why did he 0:13:47.170 --> 0:13:48.570 have to get my phone out of the room? Was 0:13:48.590 --> 0:13:52.339 he worried I would tape it and hold him to 0:13:52.400 --> 0:13:55.300 account over what he said in defence of Tony Abbott? 0:13:55.540 --> 0:13:56.640 I don't know. I don't know. 0:13:57.860 --> 0:14:00.990 Do you think he'd be bugged? You'd have more of 0:14:01.040 --> 0:14:02.890 an idea as a PM's Chief of Staff as to 0:14:02.929 --> 0:14:04.970 whether he might be bugged than he would. 0:14:06.770 --> 0:14:09.530 No, I think he was worried that if he expressed 0:14:09.630 --> 0:14:14.319 loyalty for Tony Abbott that someone else, maybe another aspirant, 0:14:15.040 --> 0:14:17.460 might have heard of that and questioned his pledges to them. 0:14:18.059 --> 0:14:20.440 That's all I'll say on that one. But, you know, 0:14:20.480 --> 0:14:22.760 will he come back? I don't think we're going to 0:14:22.820 --> 0:14:25.860 hear whether he's going to run until certainly after the 0:14:25.900 --> 0:14:27.940 state election in November. I think it would be a 0:14:28.020 --> 0:14:31.720 huge distraction to Jess Wilson. She doesn't need that. She's 0:14:31.760 --> 0:14:33.660 in the fight of her life down here in Victoria. 0:14:35.530 --> 0:14:38.290 I think if Monique Ryan was to leave the seat, 0:14:38.650 --> 0:14:41.710 he'd absolutely have a crack. But while she is there, 0:14:41.790 --> 0:14:44.410 he's going to want definitive polling to run in Kooyong, 0:14:44.750 --> 0:14:48.120 polling that says he will win And I just think, Andrew, 0:14:48.140 --> 0:14:49.660 you know the climate as well as I do. I 0:14:49.680 --> 0:14:51.660 don't think you're going to get that sort of definitive 0:14:51.720 --> 0:14:55.810 polling in a climate like this. And I will say too, 0:14:55.850 --> 0:15:01.010 you know, the National Energy Guarantee was a Josh Frydenberg creation. 0:15:01.050 --> 0:15:03.790 I think that doesn't wash that well anymore. He was 0:15:03.870 --> 0:15:06.630 out there in support of The Voice. Well, The Voice 0:15:06.690 --> 0:15:11.430 was defeated even in Victoria. Again, I don't think he 0:15:11.510 --> 0:15:14.910 reads the electorate that is today, that is the electorate 0:15:14.930 --> 0:15:19.200 with a one-nation complexion, as well as perhaps it did 0:15:19.220 --> 0:15:19.880 in the past. 0:15:21.080 --> 0:15:24.440 Deficits. Was he much different to a Labor Treasurer? 0:15:24.840 --> 0:15:25.140 Really? 0:15:25.940 --> 0:15:26.220 Was he? 0:15:27.500 --> 0:15:30.690 You know? Well, he'll say that COVID. 0:15:30.730 --> 0:15:33.770 I know there was COVID, but outside of that, that 0:15:33.770 --> 0:15:40.820 22 budget and, you know, never delivered a surplus. had 0:15:40.840 --> 0:15:43.160 the opportunity in that one year to do so, promised one. 0:15:44.720 --> 0:15:46.120 I just don't know, Josh. 0:15:46.160 --> 0:15:48.800 I mean, he speaks well. He's very articulate. 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:52.210 Correct. I think he's very able. He's as smart as 0:15:52.250 --> 0:15:55.830 a whip. I think he's a very good senior minister. 0:15:55.850 --> 0:15:58.750 I think he's got the chops to be a political 0:15:58.790 --> 0:16:01.710 leader in these times, to lead the Liberal Party. I'm 0:16:01.770 --> 0:16:05.080 not convinced. And I will say, you know, and he 0:16:05.120 --> 0:16:07.780 and I had it out many times during COVID, I 0:16:07.820 --> 0:16:12.710 think Victorians felt let down by Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg. 0:16:13.310 --> 0:16:15.730 I feel like we had no-one in our corner back then. 0:16:15.750 --> 0:16:18.010 I think this is one of the reasons why the 0:16:18.050 --> 0:16:21.350 party struggled in Victoria because we are all now dealing 0:16:21.390 --> 0:16:24.910 with the impact still of those lockdowns and, you know, 0:16:25.000 --> 0:16:27.460 he was basically a roommate with Morrison. 0:16:28.460 --> 0:16:30.440 Yeah, but he argued against them in Parliament, quite a 0:16:30.460 --> 0:16:32.320 strong speech, and he copped some flak from that. 0:16:32.340 --> 0:16:36.120 Mate, that was in the October. That was in the October. 0:16:36.140 --> 0:16:36.220 Yeah. 0:16:36.780 --> 0:16:39.980 Where was he from February until that October when we 0:16:40.000 --> 0:16:43.900 were locked down? He was sharing the lodge with Scott Morrison. 0:16:43.940 --> 0:16:45.840 He wasn't living through the worst of it down here. 0:16:45.860 --> 0:16:49.160 And everyone who watches my program knows I fought bloody 0:16:49.230 --> 0:16:52.470 hard against Andrews. It felt very lonely at the time. 0:16:52.490 --> 0:16:55.510 I had a friend whose son committed suicide in that 0:16:55.630 --> 0:16:58.750 first lockdown. I knew it was real. You know, I 0:16:58.850 --> 0:17:00.410 felt it. I lived it. I lived in the city. 0:17:00.970 --> 0:17:02.609 I lived through everything that went on down here. And 0:17:02.630 --> 0:17:06.110 I just don't think the Victorian Liberals, state and federal, 0:17:06.810 --> 0:17:09.250 did enough to support Victorians. I think they're paying the 0:17:09.290 --> 0:17:10.050 punishment for that. 0:17:11.230 --> 0:17:15.070 Well, Angus, though, you know, I mean, they reckon he's 0:17:15.090 --> 0:17:16.910 starting to come back a bit, but he's at 20%. 0:17:16.910 --> 0:17:20.689 I mean, that's death of the party, One Nation official 0:17:20.730 --> 0:17:21.649 opposition stuff. 0:17:21.710 --> 0:17:22.350 What do you do? 0:17:23.230 --> 0:17:25.070 You know, do you stick with Angus Taylor? 0:17:25.490 --> 0:17:26.090 For how long? 0:17:26.190 --> 0:17:28.970 How long does he get, Peter? You're an influential person 0:17:29.020 --> 0:17:31.540 in this space. What's he got to get to by 0:17:31.600 --> 0:17:32.600 Christmas to survive? 0:17:34.680 --> 0:17:36.439 I wouldn't be putting a number on it. I want 0:17:36.460 --> 0:17:38.219 to just see the momentum heading his way. I want 0:17:38.240 --> 0:17:40.699 to see the trend heading his way. And he's certainly 0:17:40.859 --> 0:17:43.459 taken it up from the 15% he inherited from Susan 0:17:43.500 --> 0:17:46.090 Lee and the mess in terms of just no policy 0:17:46.109 --> 0:17:49.310 for 12 months. The trend is headed the right way. 0:17:49.850 --> 0:17:53.890 Let's look at where the Liberal Party federally is after 0:17:53.930 --> 0:17:56.290 the race in Victoria in November. I think that is 0:17:56.330 --> 0:17:59.080 a very good litmus test. He can't claim it all. 0:17:59.119 --> 0:18:02.340 I mean, it'll be Jess Wilson's win absolutely. But it'll 0:18:02.400 --> 0:18:04.880 tell you whether the brand can recover because if it 0:18:04.920 --> 0:18:08.570 can recover in Victoria, Andrew, if the Libs can recover 0:18:08.630 --> 0:18:12.630 in Victoria, as they must, then they can recover anywhere else. 0:18:13.530 --> 0:18:15.650 Yeah, but they're going to get smashed in New South Wales. 0:18:15.730 --> 0:18:19.250 I mean, Labor's expectation there is One Nation will be 0:18:19.270 --> 0:18:22.760 the opposition party after next March. So, yeah, I think 0:18:22.780 --> 0:18:27.220 Jess Wilson will probably win. But you'll have this, you know, 0:18:27.600 --> 0:18:31.200 interesting sort of situation where Victoria, you're looking good for once. 0:18:32.180 --> 0:18:34.100 And New South Wales lives look terrible. 0:18:35.060 --> 0:18:37.139 That's problematic. Okay, so let me ask you this. Let 0:18:37.160 --> 0:18:40.010 me ask you this. What is the biggest policy that 0:18:40.050 --> 0:18:42.050 Kelly Sloan's got on the table right now in New 0:18:42.070 --> 0:18:42.639 South Wales? 0:18:45.170 --> 0:18:45.610 I don't know. 0:18:45.650 --> 0:18:45.910 Do you? 0:18:48.030 --> 0:18:50.889 Doesn't that tell you everything? Doesn't that tell you everything? 0:18:51.410 --> 0:18:55.570 You're not going to beat a popular Premier in Mins, 0:18:55.990 --> 0:18:57.689 just like you're not going to beat a popular Premier 0:18:58.090 --> 0:19:01.270 in Malinowskis, particularly given both men are from the Labor right. 0:19:02.100 --> 0:19:05.420 unless you've got substantial policy on the table. And that's 0:19:05.460 --> 0:19:07.960 been the big deficit. The problem for the Libs last time, 0:19:08.480 --> 0:19:12.820 they've remediated that under Wilson in this race. I haven't 0:19:12.859 --> 0:19:15.860 seen enough done in New South Wales at all. Yeah, 0:19:15.880 --> 0:19:16.260 fair enough. 0:19:16.720 --> 0:19:17.240 Yeah, you're right. 0:19:18.380 --> 0:19:21.610 I mean, she comes across well. She seems nice, but, 0:19:21.869 --> 0:19:23.220 you know, nice ain't going to win it. 0:19:23.230 --> 0:19:26.880 So does Minns. So does Minns. He's not offensive enough. 0:19:26.660 --> 0:19:29.379 To drive the votes away from him. He's just a 0:19:29.420 --> 0:19:31.659 do-nothing bloke, isn't he, like Bob Carr? I mean, I 0:19:31.680 --> 0:19:33.700 like Chris Minns on a personal level as well, and 0:19:33.720 --> 0:19:37.330 he's a very skilled politician, but, geez, the unions run 0:19:37.369 --> 0:19:39.510 the show when Labor's in charge in New South Wales 0:19:39.570 --> 0:19:42.530 and you give all these public sector rises. You won't 0:19:42.570 --> 0:19:45.310 privatise anything. I know you can't sell everything off, but 0:19:45.369 --> 0:19:47.590 look at the metros and the hospitals and everything else 0:19:47.630 --> 0:19:49.929 the Liberals built, and he hasn't got that. 0:19:50.100 --> 0:19:50.379 Option. 0:19:50.820 --> 0:19:52.600 All he can do is maybe sell a bit of land. 0:19:53.400 --> 0:19:55.960 So what's he done in four years? Not a great deal. 0:19:55.980 --> 0:19:59.480 Not a great deal at all, but he's just, you know, 0:19:59.900 --> 0:20:01.800 the fact there's been this split on the right, the 0:20:01.880 --> 0:20:05.820 Libs are in sort of trouble. Now his biggest threat 0:20:05.840 --> 0:20:07.960 is One Nation. That's their view. Crazy stuff. 0:20:09.680 --> 0:20:12.119 All those points you make about Mins are right, but 0:20:12.140 --> 0:20:16.120 we're insiders. We know those. Those are not being articulated 0:20:16.160 --> 0:20:18.200 enough by the Liberals and the Nationals out there in 0:20:18.240 --> 0:20:20.679 the real world so that they're not a choice, an 0:20:20.800 --> 0:20:23.419 either-or choice for the voters yet. I mean, that'll be 0:20:23.440 --> 0:20:26.620 the challenge for Kelly Sloan, put meat on the policy 0:20:26.660 --> 0:20:31.440 bone and frame Mins, but the Liberals haven't framed Mins yet. 0:20:32.359 --> 0:20:33.080 What about Angus? 0:20:33.160 --> 0:20:35.280 What's his big policy? He did this tax cuts thing 0:20:35.320 --> 0:20:37.719 he talked about for a day and then all he's 0:20:37.740 --> 0:20:38.880 doing is following One Nation. 0:20:38.780 --> 0:20:41.659 With their policies. He's got the tax cuts. He's got 0:20:41.700 --> 0:20:44.959 a serious immigration policy. He's mentioned them about twice. Yeah, 0:20:44.980 --> 0:20:46.420 but that's in the One Nation space. He's got a 0:20:46.420 --> 0:20:50.109 serious immigration policy. Well, it's better than One Nation. It's 0:20:50.450 --> 0:20:51.669 a 100% net overseas number. 0:20:53.170 --> 0:20:55.150 I get it, but I just think he needs more 0:20:55.190 --> 0:20:57.170 on the policy front too. I think the same applies 0:20:57.190 --> 0:20:57.369 to Angus. 0:20:57.390 --> 0:20:59.790 I would agree with that. I think he needs more. 0:20:59.970 --> 0:21:00.110 Yeah. 0:21:00.510 --> 0:21:04.060 But I do think that the trajectory, at least the trend, 0:21:04.820 --> 0:21:07.460 is up, not down, which is where it needs to be. Hey, 0:21:07.560 --> 0:21:10.140 I want to ask you a couple of things. You've 0:21:10.160 --> 0:21:13.340 got an update for me, I hope, in relation to 0:21:13.359 --> 0:21:17.199 this digital duty of care, this push to censor the 0:21:17.300 --> 0:21:20.639 online world. What's the latest there on Labor's push, Andrew? 0:21:21.660 --> 0:21:24.359 Well, I think digital duty of care and the Trust 0:21:24.400 --> 0:21:28.410 Ledge will both go to Senate inquiry. And that's because 0:21:28.450 --> 0:21:32.330 the Greens want both legislations there. And even though Annika 0:21:32.350 --> 0:21:35.140 Wells has made this concession on ministerial discretion, the Greens 0:21:35.180 --> 0:21:37.940 want more. And with the coalition, they can then push 0:21:37.980 --> 0:21:39.800 it to a Senate inquiry. So neither of those bills 0:21:39.820 --> 0:21:41.300 will be resolved by the end of the year, is 0:21:41.320 --> 0:21:45.040 my understanding. And there's some doubt as to whether the 0:21:45.060 --> 0:21:45.820 Greens will back it. 0:21:45.960 --> 0:21:46.720 I mean, they might. 0:21:47.650 --> 0:21:49.929 Eventually once they go through these inquiries, but it'll be 0:21:49.950 --> 0:21:51.629 a bit of a battle for the government. I think 0:21:51.670 --> 0:21:54.100