MONIQUE WRIGHT, HOST: Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has returned home from Hawaii with an apology and a call for kindness. The PM faced a barrage of criticism after taking a six day trip with his family while the country faced an unprecedented bushfire emergency.
*Audio of Scott Morrison*
MARK BERETTA, HOST: Now, Scott Morrison also conceded there is a link between climate change and the bushfires but says the Government won’t be making any changes to its climate policy.
WRIGHT: For their take on this, Labor MP, Joel Fitzgibbon, and Nationals MP, Barnaby Joyce, join us now. Welcome to you both gents, thanks for being with us. Joel, let’s start with you. The PM has said he is sorry; is that enough?
JOEL FITZGIBBON, MEMBER FOR HUNTER: Yes, well as you say, the Prime Minister himself has conceded he has made a mistake, he has apologised for it, but people will not only be reflecting on the poor judgement, they will be asking questions why he attempted to keep the trip a secret. It’s always the cover up that really gets you into trouble and it’s something he should be reflecting on today as well. People expect their Prime Ministers to go on holidays, but when you put your hand up to be Prime Minister, you also put your hand up to make sacrifices and to be around when the country needs you, and Scott Morrison sadly wasn’t around when the country needed him most.
BERETTA: True. Barnaby, is this a big dint to Scott Morrison do you think?
BARNABY JOYCE, MEMBER FOR NEW ENGLAND: Well, first thing is that like – yesterday, I am out feeding cattle and trying to help through the drought, trying to help my parents place – you know what happens in the end? You need a break. You do. You need to get away somewhere through the year, you actually need to get away so one year doesn’t flow into the other and he is the Prime Minister of Australia, he took a break for goodness sake. He didn’t – don’t we all take a break somewhere through the year? Of course, he has acknowledged that in light of the circumstances of the fires, especially those two young men that were killed – such a tragedy, absolute tragedy – that the place to be is in Australia and trying to manage these issues as best you can, even though in many instances you’re merely an observer. You really don’t have a hands on role; you’re merely there as support but if we are going to start chipping people for taking a week off, then it’s going to be a pretty sad old world you know. That’s why we have Deputy Prime Ministers; they manage the place whilst you are away.
WRIGHT: Yeah, Barnaby, it is a difficult one isn’t it because, yes, everyone does need a break but he is the Prime Minister and these are extraordinary circumstances; doesn’t this go to judgement and him just reading the community attitude wrong?
JOYCE: Well, even during a war at some stage, the General takes some time off. Even people in the middle of a bushfire, there comes a time when you say, mate you’ve got to go back and have a rest. Now, the reason we have a Deputy Prime Minister is they fill in that space; that you do have a point of reference. I know that when Malcolm used to go overseas, we were contacted all the time. It’s not like you have gone to another planet, you’re still on the phone; you’re still within range. Obviously, the vision of the Prime Minister being here is a lot stronger than being on holiday – I get that. But I do come across people saying quite clearly that everybody at some stage through the year is going to take a break if they have to.
WRIGHT: Ok, you were talking about the Deputy Prime Minister there, Michael McCormack, was taking over in Scott Morrison’s absence. He said we need to be doing more about climate change; do we?
JOYCE: Well, the climate is changing; there is no doubt about it. The question I’ve always got is do you honestly believe there is a piece of legislation we can move in Canberra that’s going to change it back, and the answer to that question is quite obviously no. We can be part of a global process but if you think that by yourself this country is going to change the climate, then all you are going to do is put even more pressure on people. Now, we are doing our bit but we can’t start saying that we are going to singlehandedly influence what China does or influence was India does, or change the climate itself. I mean if 76 out of 151 people in a room in Canberra can change the climate, well I’m going back to Parliament tomorrow – we are going to make it rain and try and fix this show up.
BERETTA: Joel, teenage climate campaigner and Time Person of the Year, Greta Thunberg, has commented on social media on the bushfire crisis. Now, the 16 year old has asked how can politicians still fail to come and make that connection between climate crisis and natural disasters, like the bushfires. Greta says “this has to change now”. Now, the eyes of the world appear to be on how we respond to this crisis, what do we do?
FITZGIBBON: Well, you are right and it’s not just Greta, the whole world is watching us and they aren’t looking upon us very kindly and I challenge Barnaby: we can influence what China does, what India does; what the United States does by acting ourselves. And around seven years ago, the current Government, or those who serve in it, tore up the carbon architecture the former Labor Government had in place. Now, if that was still there, the rest of the world would be looking at Australia and saying well they’re having a go; they’ve done something to do their bit for the climate. But what’s happening now in Australia is that emissions are going up every year, the place is burning and the rest of the world is looking upon us and just shaking their heads and asking themselves why we have spent a decade arguing about this thing and not just done our bit. Now, it’s not just her as I said, it’s the boss of the International Energy Agency criticising Australia for having this ongoing bun fight about carbon making it about politics, not about policy, and we have to do our bit; we are not doing our bit and we are at risk of becoming the prier of the international community because we are not having a go.
WRIGHT: Barnaby?
JOYCE: Joel, if you think you can influence what China does, well they’ve got more than a million Uyghur people who are incarcerated in the North West of China. Since you here now can influence what China does, show me what the influence is that you’re going to do to get those people emancipated? Tell me how you are going to get them released. What is your plan there Joel?
FITZGIBBON: Barnaby, you can’t preach to the international community, you can’t tell them – the big emitters – that they need to reduce their carbon or greenhouse gas emissions when you are not doing the same thing here in Australia. Now, we don’t have to do it in a way which destroys local jobs, we can tackle meaningful action.
JOYCE: I just – I just – I just think you are naively overreaching because if you believe the influence of Australia is such that it can form a superpower how to act then we treat people very fairly maybe China should be releasing the Uyghurs. Maybe they should be giving better freedoms to people with their religion. Maybe they should be not summarily, in some circumstances, executing up to 55,000 people per year. Come on Joel, be a realist, you say that but you know the actually fact that China, Russia or India, they don’t give two tossers what Australia thinks. Yes, we’ve got to do our bit but don’t start thinking for one second that we are some great moral mover of circumstances in global politics because we’re not. We’ve got to do our bit but we are going to have to follow the big boys *inaudible*.
BERETTA: Thanks Joel.
WRIGHT: Ok – sorry we are out of time thank you both.