Interview with Hamish Macdonald, ABC Radio National
HAMISH MACDONALD: That’s Senator Andrew Bragg speaking to us earlier. Jenny McAllister is the Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy. There’s a significant announcement in that area this morning which we will get to in a moment. But, Senator, good morning.
JENNY MCALLISTER: Good morning, Hamish.
HAMISH MACDONALD: How ugly has it been watching all of this unfold in the Senate?
JENNY MCALLISTER: Well, Hamish, over recent years Australian women and, indeed, women around the world have raised their voices asking for political leaders to take responsibility for securing their safety, particularly in workplaces. That was a very important national conversation in recent years driven by a number of women, Australian women, who talked about their experiences. And I had hoped that in establishing and adopting the Setting the Standard report that had been prepared for the Parliament by Kate Jenkins we had agreed that we would handle these matters in a particular way. And I have to say that I am a little disappointed in the tone and the approach that’s been adopted in recent days by some commentators. But, of course it is proper for matters to be examined in the Senate. There is no problem with questions being asked and answered in the Senate, and you’ve seen some of that take place in recent days as well.
HAMISH MACDONALD: Is Andrew Bragg right, though? Does there need to be an inquiry into how these private text messages supplied as part of the judicial process have made their way into the public domain?
JENNY MCALLISTER: I understand that aspects of this matter have been referred to the AFP. I’m not in a position to provide details about the approach that they are taking. And I also know that the Attorney-General Mr Dreyfus expressed his concern about some of these issues in the Parliament yesterday. I don’t think an inquiry is necessary. I hear Senator Bragg’s call for that, but I do understand the concern he is raising about the overall way that the matter is being dealt with.
HAMISH MACDONALD: The Gaetjens Review into essentially who knew what and when in relation to all of this did not proceed after the election. Why is that? Why did this government not continue those endeavours to find out what had happened?
JENNY MCALLISTER: Well, these were matters for the former government. As you know, the Gaetjens Review was commissioned by Mr Morrison, and the findings of that review never released. Those are really questions for members of that former government rather than questions for our government.
HAMISH MACDONALD: But isn’t that review incomplete?
JENNY MCALLISTER: Well, I think it is appropriate that the former government answer questions about the way that that review was conducted and why its findings were never released.
HAMISH MACDONALD: But do you agree that the information that it may have turned up is valuable and needs to be dealt with?
JENNY MCALLISTER: These really are questions that need to be put to the members of the former government. Labor members and senators over time have asked questions in the Parliament using the forums available to us in the previous Parliament about how these matters were handled by the former government. The reasons for the withholding of the Gaetjens Review are really questions for members of that government, that former government.
HAMISH MACDONALD: But isn’t there also a question for your government about why you didn’t complete that process once taking office? Not clear on the answer to that.
JENNY MCALLISTER: I think we consider that we pursued these matters in the forums that were available to us as an opposition, including in question time. These were matters of significant public interest. They went to a broader debate that was taking place in the community that was important to Australian women. And we were very clear prior to the last election that we thought that the behaviour and approach to the interests of Australian women by the previous government was letting Australian women down. We thought that that was so in relation to women’s safety. We were critical of their approach to women’s economic inclusion and more generally in their attitudes and approach to the nature of women’s roles in leadership. These were arguments and political questions that we talked about generally because we thought Australian women deserved a government that would listen to their interests and respond to them.
HAMISH MACDONALD: The former Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins was on this program yesterday. She says that she believes the culture in Parliament has changed, is changing for the better. Do you agree with her?
JENNY MCALLISTER: I do, Hamish, and I welcome the comments from Ms Jenkins yesterday. Our government has worked very hard to implement, both in the spirit and practically, the recommendations made by Ms Jenkins. I note that this was a report that received bipartisan support, and I think that it’s immensely important that bipartisan report – support for the cultural change that she recommended is maintained.
HAMISH MACDONALD: Moving to your portfolio, Senator, this morning it’s been announced that the former Minister for Climate Change and Chair of Industry Super Australia will chair the new net zero agency. Why Greg Combet, and what will the role involve?
JENNY MCALLISTER: Well, we know that Australian jobs, Australian businesses, Australian workers have enormous opportunities as the global economy decarbonises, and we want to make sure that the industries and regions that have powered Australia up to this point have all of the opportunities that they emerge in this – that they deserve in this emerging economy. We seek to establish a Net Zero Authority, an authority that can work with communities, with businesses, with workers and with First Nations communities to seize these opportunities. And the first step in establishing such an authority is to get started with that work by an agency that will be led by Mr Combet.
He'll be supported, of course, by an advisory body that includes eminent people with deep expertise in energy markets, in industry, in industrial relations, in First Nations consultation. This is an area of public policy where business and worker organisations were crying out for activity and for a response from the previous government. I’m really pleased to see the appointment of Mr Combet and to see us getting on with this task.
HAMISH MACDONALD: What will it actually do, though?
JENNY MCALLISTER: What we hear is that we need three things: we need, firstly, an entity that will coordinate the support that’s available for workers as they step through this transition. Secondly, we need an entity that can coordinate the investments that might be made by businesses. And thirdly, we need an organisation that can work with the communities that are most likely to be affected the earliest. We want to work with local government, with state government, with local institutions that may have been established to deal with this challenge, with union representatives, all sorts of entities that have an interest in seeing our regions transformed.
HAMISH MACDONALD: Why are there so many union people on the advisory board? Why is that necessary?
JENNY MCALLISTER: Well, I’d invite you to have a look at the full list. It includes senior representatives from business, including –
HAMISH MACDONALD: I am looking – respectfully, I am looking at it right now. It’s just notable, Greg Combet, Tony Maher from the mining and energy union, Michelle O’Neill from the ACTU. What’s the purpose of having so many union voices when, as you say, there’s this broad spread of responsibility as far as the objective is concerned?
JENNY MCALLISTER: Well, that’s three out of ten respectfully, Hamish. And they are all people who bring deep expertise in industrial relations, and these are important questions for workers and we want working people to know that they have a stake in the new economy. We want to support them to participate. But that’s not the only thing that this body must do – must deal with the transformation of our energy markets and our energy system and also of our economy. And I’m very, very pleased to see representatives with deep expertise in those areas, including the CEO of Rio Tinto, the Chief Technical Officer of BHP and, of course, a range of other representatives from senior parts of business and economics professions.
HAMISH MACDONALD: As far as transmission is concerned, Origin Energy boss Frank Calabria says that local communities need to be offered more help to approve transmission projects. What can be done to support these communities by government?
JENNY MCALLISTER: We know that there are significant new transmission infrastructure required to meet the needs– to meet our future energy needs. And the government is very aware of this. We’re working with our state and territory counterparts to smooth the path and make things easier for communities. It’s something that is regularly discussed at the Energy Ministers’ meetings where we get together with counterparts. And we’re thinking very carefully about the opportunities that might be there for communities to have an earlier say and a greater sense of control and engagement about how these projects are planned and implemented. But we’ve got to remember they are really important projects. There is no transition without transmission. It’s why we’ve put aside $20 billion to underwrite the cost of transmission. We know that this infrastructure is critical in connecting the new sites for renewable energy generation with the sources of demand that will power our economy into the future.
HAMISH MACDONALD: Senator Jenny McAllister, thanks for your time this morning.
JENNY MCALLISTER: It’s a pleasure, Hamish. Thanks for having me on.