Transcript - Monday, 1st August, 2022 - Interview with Danica De Giorgio, Sky News

Monday, 01 August 2022

Topics: ACCC gas report, climate legislation, Newspoll

E&OE

DANICA DE GIORGIO

Well, Anthony Albanese has set up a showdown with LNG companies after the consumer watchdog warned that gas exporters were putting jobs and businesses at risk from massive price hikes and record east coast shortages next year. LNG companies are predicted to drive shortages of 10% of domestic demand next year, according to an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission report released today. Joining me now live is The Shadow Treasurer, Angus Taylor, thank you for joining us. This report is clearly of concern. You have previously criticised the Government for not getting on the phone to gas companies. Is politely putting the companies on notice going to do anything now, given the circumstances?

ANGUS TAYLOR:

Well, I did. I wouldn't say it was always polite, Danica. The point is that you've got to ask for the supply to go into the domestic network with the reality that there's a big stick there in the ADGSM that you can use. Now that's the way it was achieved. We got significant reductions in the gas price on the back of that strategy and it worked. The flip side of it is that you've got to work with the gas producers to get more supply out and again, we did that successfully and that needs to be part of it. Now the problem is, you've got Chris Bowen, who has said that the focus we had on the importance of getting supply of gas up was B.S. They were the words he used and as long as that's your position, the gas producers are not going to work with you collaboratively and what we need is more supply into our domestic network and the government needs to work with them to do that, and helping them to get more supply out at the same time.

DANICA DE GIORGIO

Well, now it's reached a critical point, this report saying that LNG companies are predicted to drive shortages of 10% of domestic demand next year alone. Should the Government now pull that gas trigger?

ANGUS TAYLOR:

Well, this is for the Government. The Government needs a plan where it's working with the gas producers, with the threat that they will take stronger action, if necessary, to make sure that more than 50 petajoules goes into the domestic network. I mean, I've said this for a long time, Danica, I've been saying it since the election, that this is what needs to happen. It's exactly what we did and it worked. Please get on with it because it's pretty straightforward. And you know, the important point here though, is the gas producers will work with you if they know that you're not demonising them. And right now, or historically, Chris Bowen has demonised them. It's time to get beyond that and to get to a solution.

DANICA DE GIORGIO

Okay, but just to confirm, would that solution be pulling that gas trigger?

ANGUS TAYLOR:  

Well, the possibility of doing that, the threat of doing that, worked for us. Now, we didn't need to pull the trigger because we worked with the gas producers, and they got the extra supply into the domestic network. Labor is not working with them. It's not clear to me what their plan is. They need a plan and the ADGSM will inevitably be part of that, because at the very least, it's a very strong threat that you can impose to get that supply into the network.

DANICA DE GIORGIO

All right, let's talk now about the Government's proposed climate bill. The Opposition will hold its Party Room Meeting on the matter tomorrow to discuss it. Do you personally support the bill?

ANGUS TAYLOR:  

No. I mean, look, it's very clear that our position is that we are opposed to it. We don't believe legislation is necessary to meet climate targets and the proof is in the pudding here Danica. We met our Kyoto targets by almost a year's worth of emissions so we exceeded them by 459 million tonnes and we did it without legislation. Now, once you impose legislation, you're giving a platform for activists, and we've seen in other countries this kind of legislation has given those activists the opportunity to oppose airport projects, road projects, sensible investments that governments need to do to support the opportunity, the aspiration of their people have been opposed by this sort of activism. That's what this kind of law does. It's not necessary, and it will do harm.

DANICA DE GIORGIO

I guess the message was pretty loud and clear from the election result that the general public really do care about climate action. You don't back this legislation. Did you not receive the message from the election?

ANGUS TAYLOR:

We support climate action, sensible climate action, action that's focused on technology not taxes, action that delivers outcomes, not just rhetoric, and that's exactly what we have delivered in the past and it's what we believe in very firmly. You can achieve these outcomes without top down, heavy-handed legislation, which is what is being proposed here by Labor. So that's very clear. The proof is in pudding, Danica, that's our position and it will remain our position.

DANICA DE GIORGIO

Well, Bridget Archer says that she's actually willing to cross the floor on the matter. What does this say if your own colleagues are prepared to go this far when it comes to climate?

ANGUS TAYLOR:

Well, I say to all looking at this issue, that it's very clear. We achieved our targets by a long way. Many said we weren't going to achieve those targets. There were a long list of critics who said, we wouldn't get there. When we did get there, they said, well, clearly it wasn't high enough. But you know, critics will say those sorts of things but the reality is we smashed those targets. We met and beat them. We did it without legislation and the legislation does harm. We've seen it in other countries. That's why it's unnecessary, and we will remain opposed to it.

DANICA DE GIORGIO

Let's talk about the latest Newspoll. 25% of voters believe Peter Dutton would make a good Prime Minister. Have you backed the wrong horse?

ANGUS TAYLOR:

Not at all. Look, you know, newspolls are terrifically interesting Danica and, you know, over time, they evolve, but we don't … we're not going to get caught up in debates about the polls. What we are going to do is focus on getting back to those core Liberal values, those values of enterprise, of the importance of the individual of choice, of preserving our institutions, and making sure that our values are well understood and the benefits of what we have to offer is clear to all Australian. We have to do more work on that, there's no doubt about that. But Peter Dutton is the right person to lead us over the coming years into the next election and he's the right person because he more than anyone understands how those values translate to benefits for Australians. We do recognise that we've got work to do to sell that and that's the work we'll be doing in the coming months and years.

DANICA DE GIORGIO

But why is he so unpopular? That's quite a bad result off the bat.

ANGUS TAYLOR:

Oh well look, there's honeymoons when you lose elections for the Government and for leaders. That's the nature of it. It's always been true. It's true now, but this is a Government that is already breaking its election promises, Danica. We've seen already Anthony Albanese unwilling to recommit to his electricity price reductions of $275 a year for the average Australian. Unwilling to recommit to meaningful increases in real wages. These are election commitments that were absolutely central to what Labor was offering to the Australian people, and they're already being broken and I think they're the questions today that really need to be answered.

DANICA DE GIORGIO

Angus Taylor, we have to leave it there. Thanks for joining us.

ANGUS TAYLOR:

Thanks Danica.