PAUL MURRAY:

Angus Taylor is part of Peter Dutton’s conservative team. He joins us right now. Congratulations Angus on your new appointment.

ANGUS TAYLOR:

Thanks Paul. I very much appreciate it.

PAUL MURRAY:

So we’re going to have some fun times. Tomorrow is yet again, confirmation that life is going to get harder under the current Government. That’s going to be a slap in the face for people when it comes to interest rates and the expectation is there will be another couple before we’re done at the end of the year. The reality is, is that the Federal Government’s promising to spend more money while equally saying they’re going to cut spending but the truth is, all of it leads to higher inflation doesn’t it?

ANGUS TAYLOR:

It sure does Paul. This is a decision for the Reserve Bank tomorrow and the decision is made in the context of government policy and what we’ve got right now is Labor committing $45 billion of off-budget spending which they committed in the Budget for a whole series of initiatives that we haven’t supported, we don’t think are necessary, an excessive investment in transmission lines for instance. And that will put upward pressure on inflation and interest rates. Now the average Australian who has a home loan has a home loan above $550,000, Paul and we don’t need to put extra pressure, put extra fuel on the fire of rising inflation and rising interest rates.

PAUL MURRAY:

Yeah absolutely. Also the scenario is similar around energy. We have to have the adult conversation or the ‘long national conversation’ as they like to say on the left, about nuclear power because at some point, we need to come up with something that’s reliable but also we need to do something that dramatically deals with emissions. That’s exactly what nuclear is.

ANGUS TAYLOR:

Well that’s right. I mean we’ve always said this needs to be an option that is on the table. We include it in our technology investment roadmap and of course we- Ted O’Brien who is now our, taken over from me as the Energy and Emissions Minister has run a Parliamentary Committee on exactly this issue. Small modular reactors in particular and the potential there. We will need to be bipartisan. There is an opportunity for Labor to get real about this. They’re seeing the reality- the tough reality now of energy systems and how they’re evolving around the world and we’ve got to put downward pressure on them and in the short term, we need more gas in the system, working with the big gas companies, not demonising them and in the longer term, other technologies like small modular reactors and nuclear need to be seriously looked at.

PAUL MURRAY:

Yeah. Bloody oath. And last one here, Labor have confirmed what they wouldn’t during the election campaign, which is the death of the live sheep trade. Interesting to see if Mark McGowan will be as vocal against his Canberra mates as he was against his Canberra foes.

ANGUS TAYLOR:

Oh look, this is Labor back to its true colours, Paul. It never liked agriculture, it never had any sympathy for agriculture. We saw Labor, last time they were in power ban the live cattle trade, now it’s the live sheep trade. 3000 people depend on this for their jobs. Farmers depend on it for their markets and for the prices that they get for their sheep. It’s another market that Labor just doesn’t like and wants to eliminate and it’s truly appalling. We simply won’t support their point of view.

PAUL MURRAY:

Good stuff. Angus, nice to talk to you again. Congratulations on the new gig. There will be plenty to talk to you about in the next three years. Thank you mate.

ANGUS TAYLOR:

Good on you Paul. Thanks for having me.