Topics:  Prime Minister’s t-shirt, Coalition leadership, Net Zero, inflation data

 

E&OE

 

TRUDY MCINTOSH:

 

Well, let's stick talking fashion. Joining me live at the desk is the Shadow Defence Minister Angus Taylor. Probably never thought I'd say that did you? What do you think? Was it a step too far? Do we need an apology on this?

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

 

I think what the Prime Minister did was tone deaf, in this context. We've got a Jewish community in Australia – I've just come back from Israel – that I think are feeling a lot of pain, and I think we've got to be sensitive to that.

 

TRUDY MCINTOSH:

 

Was this the sort of issue that should be raised at such prominence? There's only so many issues that an Opposition Leader can raise. Is this one of them?

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

 

Well, I think it was tone deaf what the Prime Minister did and that should be recognised. But look, we spent all of Question Time yesterday talking about energy prices and Tomago closing, the prospective closure of Tomago, 1000 jobs. We've seen inflation data today saying that inflation was an absolute shocker, Trudy, I mean, inflation is surging. Unemployment is surging. There's a lot of issues that Australians are really feeling pain from, but I know Sussan is focused on those issues, and we were focused on those issues all through Question Time yesterday.

 

TRUDY MCINTOSH:

 

Do you think we're seeing an open rebellion in the Coalition at the moment? Today, we've had a whole series of backbench MPs, Bridget McKenzie, the Deputy Nationals Leader, saying that ultimately, this shouldn't have been the issue that was raised. Last week it was the Ambassador Kevin Rudd issue, Sussan Ley had to walk that back. Why is there this open rebellion?

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

 

Look honestly, Trudy, you're the commentator. I'm not going to get into commentary, but what I will say is that this government is not delivering for Australians. We've got rising inflation, we've got rising unemployment. People are hurting out there. We've got our energy system in chaos. We've got our biggest energy users threatening to leave the country and we were focused on that yesterday, in Question Time, and we will be again today.

 

TRUDY MCINTOSH:

 

Given you ran against Sussan Ley for the leadership, it's remiss of me not to ask you, will there be a leadership challenge before the end of the year?

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

 

No.

 

TRUDY MCINTOSH:

 

No? What about will Sussan Ley serve out the rest of this term?

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

 

I'm sure she will.

 

TRUDY MCINTOSH:

 

There won't be another challenge you think at all?

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

 

I don't hear any plan for one. So no, no, that's not, that's not something people are working on.

 

TRUDY MCINTOSH:

 

Okay we can probably put a line on that, save that grab for the rest of this term.

 

I wanted to ask you about net zero and energy. This seems to be another big internal battle in the Coalition at the moment, would you be comfortable with landing on a position that would support net zero, but push back the timeline, not 2050 as it is now, but push it back?

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

 

Well, Trudy, I've said many times that I don't support targets that are destructive or unachievable –  or both. That's certainly true of the government's 2035 targets, 62-70% target. It's also true of their 2030 target, which they're clearly not going to achieve, and the government has said that we're on our way to a carbon tax of $300 a tonne.

 

TRUDY MCINTOSH:

 

What about my question about 2050?

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

 

Well, we're working through our process on that, as you know, and I'm not going to pre-empt that, but I am not going to support targets that are unachievable or economic wrecking balls, and the government has already put a price on what we can expect from Labor's plan. Now, I think Labor's plan is a disaster, and we're seeing that disaster playing out now with jobs, important jobs in our aluminium sector and other processing industries heading offshore, and that's a disaster for Australia and Australians.

 

TRUDY MCINTOSH:

 

I wanted to ask you about the inflation data. You referred to it earlier, a big jump up, even a jump up in that trimmed inflation read where the Reserve Bank is watching the most closely. I want to put to you what the Treasurer has said in a statement since the number came out. He said, inflation, yes, has ticked up today, but it's lower than what we inherited. That's the basis of much of his statement. What's your reaction to that?

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

 

What nonsense. I mean, this guy is a joke. He's got an economy where we've got inflation going up, unemployment going up. He's got no answers, and all he can do is point the finger. I mean, all he ever does is try to blame someone else. If something's not going well, if he thinks things are going better, he'll always try to take the credit. I mean, seriously? This guy has to get serious about dealing with the underlying issues in our economy and the impact that's having on Australian standard of living, and it is a disaster right now.

 

TRUDY MCINTOSH:

 

Shadow Defence Minister Angus Taylor got to let you get to Question Time. Appreciate it.

 

ENDS.