Family Payments, Anti-poverty Week, Redundancy Payments Wayne Swan - Shadow Minister for Family and Community Services

Doorstop Interview

Transcript - Parliament House, Canberra - 14 October 2003

SWAN: Well it's interesting this morning that we hear talk of a Liberal backbench revolt over the sheep in the Middle East. I think the Liberal backbench should show some leadership and simply ask for the sacking of Warren Truss that would be real leadership. And real leadership from the Liberal backbench would come when the Government agrees to accept our amendments which were successfully passed in the Senate last night to give 25,000 families their family payments. That would be real leadership.

Unfortunately we're not getting real leadership from the Liberal backbench whether it's on inequality or what's happening with the boat in the Middle East or whether it's on family payments. We really have a tired and timid Liberal Party backbench that won't stand up. There are gigantic shifts in the distribution of wealth in this community. Many people are falling behind, we have growing homelessness, we have the middle being squeezed. Yet yesterday when we had the launch of anti-poverty week not one Liberal backbencher turned up to that event – not one.

So there's no leadership from the Liberal backbench and certainly no leadership from the Government on bread and butter issues in our community. They can get incensed about what's happening about the sheep in the Middle East and I have no ill-will for those sheep, but what about the broken hearts of those children growing up in poor households in our community and what about struggling low income families. There are something like 2.4 million people living in poverty in this community – that's something like fifty boatloads of people living in cramped conditions and being denied opportunities. It's about time we had people in the Coalition stand up for the battlers in the community who are doing it hard.

JOURNALIST: Well considering all this, the Remuneration Tribunal has just granted a $16,000 resettlement allowance when they lose their seats. Would you accept that money?

SWAN: Well I think it is a double standard when you look at what the government is doing to battling families in the family payments system. And it's certainly a double standard when you look at the gap between the top and the rest of the community. That's a matter for the Remuneration Tribunal it's not something that we have a say in but I can certainly understand people getting very upset when they look at the double standard, when they look at the millionaires in the family payments system who are getting their payments and then they see the Government in the Senate last night denying battling families their catch up family payments. I can understand why average Australians are very upset at that double standard – very upset – and they are entitled to be.

JOURNALIST: Well should MP's say no thanks to the Remuneration Tribunal?

SWAN: Well the Remuneration Tribunal was set up so that MP's weren't voting themselves pay rises. I think that's a principle all Australians agree with. The last thing they want is politicians deciding what their pay and conditions are. It should never happen. And just in the way what occurred in the Senate last night should never happen either. We shouldn't have a Government Minister denying battling families a catch up payment whilst at the same time being clueless when it comes to payments being made to millionaires who shouldn't be getting them. That's what the Australian people are upset about this double standard.

JOURNALIST: But how can you say this is a double standard when the Remuneration Tribunal is an independent body?

SWAN: The Remuneration Tribunal is an independent body but last night in the Senate we had a Government Minister saying, it's fine to make family payments to millionaires but I'm going to take away the catch up to battling families – that's the double standard that this community gets so upset about and that's why I understand people being upset about the ruling of the Remuneration Tribunal. One rule for the powerful and the privileged and another rule for the rest who can get lost as far as this Government is concerned.

JOURNALIST: So if and when you lose your seat will you accept that?

SWAN: Well I've already lost my seat thank you very much, I've already lost my seat and I didn't receive any payment like that.

JOURNALIST: Would you accept it next time?

SWAN: Would I accept it next time? I would accept a payment made to me legally. The Remuneration Tribunal is there to make decisions so that politicians don't have their hands in the cookie jar. I very much understand why average Australians are upset by what they see as a double standard, something I fight against all of the time and that's why it is important that politicians aren't in there deciding their own terms and conditions.

JOURNALIST: But if you oppose this, you're within your rights to reject the money?

SWAN: I've just said that I've lost my seat, I've never received a payment, I take my chances, I don't work in this job for the money and I don't come out here and talk to you today about the issues for any other reason other than that we've got to give people a fair go and a fair go mean giving people a fair legislative go and a fair go means not having politicians taking decisions about entitlements and I'm not going to start doing that because that's the slippery slope.

JOURNALIST: Why do politicians need $16,000 to resettle though?

SWAN: Well I don't need $16,000 to resettle and I'm not resettling, OK? Thanks.

Ends. E & OE - PROOF ONLY