Interview with Greg Jennett, ABC Afternoon Briefing

GREG JENNETT: Why don't we get some government perspective now on what's going on here? Joining us Assistant Climate Change and Energy Minister Jenny McAllister. Jenny's joining us from Sydney. Welcome back, Senator. Great to see you again. Julian Leeser's decision today, in some senses, is no great surprise. I noticed from Peter Dutton; it comes with an apology that he's demanding from Anthony Albanese for heaping pressure on Julian Leeser over recent weeks. Does he deserve one?
 
ASSISTANT MINISTER JENNY McALLISTER: It's a strange logic, isn't it, that Peter Dutton's decision to oppose The Voice almost from the beginning, without any deep or meaningful engagement with this generous request from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, that his decision, which has put his Shadow Attorney-General in a very difficult position, is somehow the fault of the Labor Party. The truth is this, that we have a really simple proposition before us which is about recognition and about listening. It's a proposition that has been on the table for nearly six years, since all those delegates gathered in Uluru. Peter Dutton's decision to drive the Liberal Party into a position where they are rejecting it without engagement, I think is really disappointing. But I think he is underestimating the Australian people on this one.
 
JENNETT: Pretty soon that's going to be tested and we'll move into full campaign mode. As you heard already there, Jenny McAllister, kind of trying to get a handle on what Liberal frontbenchers will be doing. What about speaking for your own part, though? Would you attempt to use Julian Leeser, or Bridget Archer, or Andrew Bragg or any of the malcontents on this question within the Liberal Party? Would you invite them to share a stage if you're holding some sort of gathering in Sydney, for instance?
 
McALLISTER: You know, I think the approach we'll take is this; we will campaign alongside anyone who's willing to advocate for these issues. In the end, this is a really important question and a question that will be answered by the Australian people. It's actually not one to be determined by politicians. My expectation is that between now and the referendum, we will see all sorts of Australians coming out campaigning and I think that anyone who wants to campaign for The Voice is going to be a welcome participant.
 
JENNETT: Is that an acknowledgment that the decision - you know some people describe it as historic - by the Liberal Party room last week to go on the no side is potentially harmful to the outcome that you're achieving? So, you will latch onto Liberals if they'd like to join you?
 
McALLISTER: Look, I think there's no doubt that it would have been better if this had been championed in a bipartisan way and the invitation was there for the Liberal Party, but like everything else before them, they've just said no and it's a really disappointing strategy. It's hard to see how it's in the national interest, but that is their present position. So it leaves us with this - putting the case, taking the risk, as the Prime Minister says, running on the field. And my instinct is that the Australian people understand the generous offer that is before them. They are interested in it and they will embrace it.
 
JENNETT: Is it clear to you that the Coalition is in fact settled on what to do on the floor of the Parliament here? I referenced Karen Andrews, who we spoke to just before you joined us, Jenny McAllister, and she's saying there that it may be necessary to accommodate some people who cannot bring themselves on the Coalition side to actually vote for the Constitutional Alteration Bill. That would be almost like adopting the Coalition's position, but having to cross the floor to do it. Does that strike you as odd?
 
McALLISTER: Look, it was a quite confused contribution just now from Karen Andrews, wasn't it? I mean, I think the Liberal Party's position about this overall has been quite confused. They say that they're for recognition, but just not this on this occasion. They say that they're for a Voice, but not this Voice. Really what we're looking for is an honest engagement with the voices of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people who went to Uluru and asked us to take this decision. We're for it. And I think that there will be a range of Australians who are also really interested in campaigning for this over the coming months.
 
JENNETT: I do want to take you to other matters of the day, Jenny but one last one on the Voice. It is directly a claim from Peter Dutton today, "cost billions of dollars and require thousands of public servants." Can you rule that out?
 
McALLISTER: I think if Mr Dutton wants to make assertions of that kind, he really needs to substantiate them. We're really clear that this is a modest proposal. The Parliament will have primacy that's clear in the wording that's to be put to the people. The details are to be sorted through in the ordinary way through a parliamentary process after the referendum. I think Mr Dutton is really just looking for excuses to say no.
 
JENNETT: All right, I'll take you to something a bit more in your portfolio area. The Treasurer is putting the finishing touches to the budget. Obviously, that will include energy and electricity price relief through the middle of the year. This stems from the price-capping agreement that was put in place before Christmas. How certain are you that it's still going to give the relief that people originally envisaged back in December, given the trajectory of energy prices since then?
 
McALLISTER: Look, it was really important that the Government intervened last December to deal with rising wholesale costs of energy. We saw really big increases in the cost of gas and in the cost of coal, and it was clear that that was going to flow through in a way that was just unbearable for Australian businesses and families. So those caps that we legislated or that we acted to put in place back in December were really important. And all of the advice we've received is that they have been effective in taking the sting out of the tail of some of the price increases that were projected and now are not going to materialise in quite the same way.
 
But this is a really important issue for Australian families, right. Cost of living pressures are bearing on Australian families and families are doing it tough. And we'll do everything we can in the budget to alleviate that, energy price relief will be part of it. And the Treasurer has been engaging with state and territory colleagues to work out the details of how that will be delivered in each of the states and territories.
 
JENNETT: And they're all going to make good on their commitments to states and territories, their original commitments to basically meet you halfway, go 50-50 on this relief?
 
McALLISTER: Look, I'll leave announcements about the final arrangements to the Treasurer. He's made it clear that this will be worked through in the context of the budget and I know that those conversations are ongoing.
 
JENNETT: All right, I guess we are deep into pre-budget season when treasurers don't quite tell us and we just have to hurry up and wait for May. But Jenny McAllister, we'll wrap it up there. Thanks so much for sporting, well, a lot of questions on the Voice. A little bit on energy too. We'll talk soon.
 
McALLISTER: Thanks for having me on.