Newspoll, Share Ownership, Mark Latham

Simon Crean - Leader of the Opposition

Interview with Georgie Gardner

Transcript - Sky News, Sydney - 7 May 2002

E & OE - PROOF ONLY

GARDNER: Well, returning to domestic politics now and Labor has been under heavy Government attack in recent days following frontbencher Mark Latham's comments about former Liberal director Tony Staley being a deformed character. And the latest Newspoll out today has the Government comfortably ahead of Labor. Joining me now in our Sydney studio is Opposition Leader, Simon Crean. Mr Crean, good morning.

CREAN: Good morning Georgie.

GARDNER: I imagine you would be disappointed by that poll result?

CREAN: Oh look these polls bounce around; bounce around every time they come out. I am confident that the policy direction that Labor is putting forward - real alternatives, support for maternity leave, lifting of the living wage, improving our opportunities in Asia for exports and creating jobs - these are the policy frameworks that Australians want to see. They're not getting it from the Government. The Government thinks that the main focus of attention, over the last couple of days, is misrepresenting statements made by Mark Latham. Well I'm about representing real policy alternatives and I'll continue to do so.

Where's the Government in terms of maternity leave, Georgie? I mean here was the Prime Minister that went to the women's conference of the Liberal Party and knocked it on the head. When I came out and argued in support of it he said they would consider options. This is a Prime Minister that refers everything to a committee. Hasn't got an idea, hasn't got an agenda and what Australians want is real choice. Well from me they will get it.

GARDNER: Yet according to this poll it would seem that the public's more behind Howard's performance than yours. Are you concerned about that?

CREAN: No I'm not concerned about it because I think that Opposition is always a difficult task, it's a long haul. I'm prepared for the long haul. But I'll keep fighting. I'll keep fighting for ordinary Australians. I'll keep fighting for good policy outcomes and I'll keep fighting to ensure that those things that are available in our community for the privileged few are made available to everyone - just as we spread superannuation to the whole of the community. The announcement I was making yesterday about spreading other asset classes and looking at policy options for that is a real commitment on my part.

GARDNER: Yes, well let's talk about share ownership because the discussion paper has been criticised by some unions and the welfare lobby and even within the Labor Party some seem reluctant to embrace it. Does the ALP risk alienating the Left with this sort of policy do you think?

CREAN: Well, look, this is part of Labor's modernising. We have to understand that this is a share owning society. Why should the shares only be owned by a small proportion of society? If people's welfare, if people's security, if people's provision for their retirement is not just through income and superannuation, well superannuation is an important part and we need to look at expanding that too, but why should it just be through income that we consider people's entitlement or distribution? We have got to look at other options. And if it's fair enough for executives to be part of employee share ownership schemes why not the rest of the workforce?

I mean, why is it that this is the province of the privileged few? I want to make these things available to all Australians. Not impose it upon them but simply say we have got to look at better choices for people. We have got to modernise our thinking in terms of the way the economy has developed essentially through its opening up, through its reforms, through the growth and the wealth accretion. That we've got to make sure that it's not just the few that benefit from that wealth accretion.

GARDNER: Let's turn to the Mark Latham controversy, I think. Peter Beattie has suggested that he apologise for his description of Tony Staley as a deformed character. Is it time for an unqualified apology, do you think?

CREAN: Well, Mr Beattie said he was only going off news reports and the exerts. If you read the original transcript clearly the reference was only to behaviour. But on Saturday, Georgie, Mark Latham said 'if any inference was taken that it was a reference to physical characteristics he was sorry'. Now to the extent to which people have been calling for the apology that was made last Saturday. To the extent to which people were asserting the reference was to the physical characteristics, which it was not, that apology has been made. Now it seems to me that what we have got is a huge level of hypocrisy here. This is a government through Peter Costello and Tony Abbott that'll get out making insulting comments about people on the Labor side of politics but John Howard condones that, says that's part of the cut and thrust of Australian politics. It's all right for the Liberal Party to be involved in the muckraking - that's cut and thrust of politics according to them - but when Labor does it is an outrageous slur.

GARDNER: Is this all a bit embarrassing? I mean this is a pretty juvenile discussion and debate being played out in public, isn't it? Is it embarrassing as a political leader?

CREAN: Well, I think it is a juvenile debate because I think it completely misrepresents the position and I'm astounded that the media continues to run with it. They run with it because of two press releases the Prime Minister put out. He hasn't fronted any interview on this. He hasn't been asked when he is making his apology to Michael Kirby or to the mothers who he accused of 'throwing their children overboard'. I mean, where does this Prime Minister get off? When he learns to make an apology then he is entitled to call for one.

But I think the important thing that Australians want to concentrate on is the way that it impacts upon their lives. That's why the initiative yesterday was important. That's why the package I'm announcing today is for working families - access to paid maternity leave, improved access to childcare, making sure that they have more flexibility in their working lives. Commitments to keeping interest rates low because under this Government households have been put under much more financial pressure. Household debt is now at record levels. And if the speculation is true about the Reserve Bank and its consideration of interest rates if they do go up they are going to be under more working pressure. Why if the economy is going so well are ordinary Australian families hurting? They want to know solutions not diversions. John Howard is only about diversions. We are about constructive alternatives.

Ends.