Topics: Fuel excise, nuclear energy, domestic violence legislation

E&OE

ANGUS TAYLOR: 

Well, today the Reserve Bank raised interest rates for the fourth month in a row and that means for an Australian on a typical mortgage, they're paying $500 a month more in their payments than they were before May. So this really stings Australians, whether it's at the grocery checkout, at the petrol bowser, renovating a house, building a new house – there is real pain being felt. Last week, we saw a Ministerial Statement from the Treasurer, which was about a lot of commentary. There was a lot of forecasting but what we didn't get is a plan and in the absence of a plan from the Treasurer, from the Government, the Reserve Bank will have to go harder and faster. We need to see a plan from the Government. A comprehensive, clear plan that addresses the issues that Australians are facing every day with this cost of living challenge that is very real, whether it's in small businesses, in households, right across every part of Australia. Happy to take questions.

QUESTION:

Should the Government in the interests of cost of living, should the Government extend the petrol price excise cut?

ANGUS TAYLOR: 

Well, the Government needs to develop a comprehensive plan. It needs to put a plan out that is going to address the issues. At the end of the day, this is a real challenge for Australian households, Australian businesses to deal with cost of living pressures, cost of doing business pressures and they want to see a plan and that's reasonable. Now, we are probing to see what might be in that plan. We've even made suggestions about what might be in that plan, including giving incentives to pensioners to get back into work or work more than they are today by not losing their pension. These are practical suggestions but all we're getting from the Government so far is commentary. What we're hearing from the Treasurer is commentary, not leadership, forecasting. He’s not being a Treasurer.

QUESTION:

Would you support the excise being expanded beyond September as part of that plan?

ANGUS TAYLOR: 

Well, what we support is practical measures that are going to keep or are going to deal with the cost of living pressures that Australians are facing. That's what we want to see.

QUESTION:

Some of your colleagues are calling for that fuel excise cut to be extended. So do you agree with them? Yes or no.

ANGUS TAYLOR: 

Well, they just want to see a plan. They're frustrated that we've got this challenge in front of us, it's the fourth interest rate increase in a row, we've got the highest inflation since the early 90s and what we're getting from the Government is a painting. Is a painting.

QUESTION:

But what’s your view? Should the excise be extended or not?

ANGUS TAYLOR: 

At the end of the day, they’re in Government. We have made some what we think are helpful suggestions about what the Government could do and as yet they haven't adopted those suggestions and we want to see a plan. We don't want to have to wait for the budget. Look, if when the pandemic hit Australia, we said to the Australian people, “Just hanging around, wait until the budget. It will all be okay until then.” People would have been justifiably frustrated and we are seeing that frustration from my colleagues and it's reasonable frustration.

QUESTION:

Are you sitting on the fence on cash pricing?

ANGUS TAYLOR: 

No I am saying that we need to see a plan and we don't have it. We haven't seen it from the Treasurer. He had a marvelous opportunity when he made his Ministerial Statement last week and what we got instead in his words, was a painting, a painting. We don't need a painting, we need a plan.

QUESTION:

So what's the official Coalition position on this, Mr Taylor? Is it that it should sunset?

ANGUS TAYLOR: 

Our official position, Mark, is that we want to see a plan and we want it to be comprehensive. Now, in the absence of getting one, the Reserve Bank has to go harder and faster. The Treasury Secretary, the Governor of the Reserve Bank have both said that if fiscal policy doesn't work alongside monetary policy, then the Reserve Bank has to do more heavy lifting. That's how it works. It's pretty straightforward economics and right now we are seeing no sign of a plan coming forward.

QUESTION:

Yeah, talk about being straightforward, your answers are anything but. It’s a pretty simple question. Is there a Shadow Cabinet policy position on the fuel excise?

ANGUS TAYLOR: 

The Shadow Cabinet policy position is we want to see a plan from the Government. They’re in Government and they have to deal with this challenge as we had to deal with challenges when we were in Government. You can't say wait. You can't paint a picture. You can't just forecast. You can't just commentate. You’ve got lead. That's what we did when we were in Government and we want to see that from this Government. Now we have made some helpful suggestions. You know, getting pensioners back into work. Getting pensioners to up the amount of work they do will make a real difference. As I get around cafes and other businesses in my electorate, a shortage of labour is having a real impact. It is driving inflationary pressures and if you can get some of those pensioners back into the workforce or give them an incentive to increase their hours in a week, it's going to make a real difference. These are the sorts of things that Labor could do tomorrow. Right now, we're hearing absolutely nothing. That statement last week, there was not a single new initiative, from Labor addressing the challenge that they recognise are very real and very painful for Australians.

QUESTION:

It sounds like you're not going to give us a straight answer when it comes to fuel excise. A lot of your colleagues though are suggesting that it should be extended past September. Now, you've just said that the Reserve Bank is going to have to move harder and faster without a plan from the government but if they do extend that past September fuel reduction, tax deductions, doesn't that put more money into the economy and will push the Reserve Bank to in fact raise rates even higher?

ANGUS TAYLOR:   

Australians are feeling the pain in many different places. They are feeling it at the petrol bowser. They’re also feeling it at the grocery checkout, when they renovate their house, when they build a new house, when they buy furniture. There's a lot of places they're feeling this pain and that's why we want to see a comprehensive plan. That's what we need and we haven't seen it from the Government. There's frustration in our Party Room about that. Justifiable because we're all hearing from our constituents about the pain they're feeling and that frustration is being reflected in asking the Government, what are you going to do? We’ve made suggestions. You haven't adopted them. You haven't adopted them? What are you going to do?

QUESTION:

But they have said what they’re going to do. They're saying that they're going to end the fuel reduction tax in September and we don't actually have a plan from you.

ANGUS TAYLOR: 

Well we haven't seen a single new initiative in the Ministerial Statement last week. Not one. Not one. Here we are faced with a cost of living crisis, the likes of which we haven't seen since the early 90s. And the Treasurer decides that he's going to make a statement, which is a painting with commentary and forecasting. It’s simply not good enough. And it's understandable my colleagues feel frustration because they're hearing it on the streets in their electorates.

QUESTION:

As Energy Minister, Mr Taylor, you had a Parliamentary Inquiry into nuclear energy. Is there a case for nuclear energy now in Australia?

ANGUS TAYLOR: 

Well there’s a very strong case for considering all technologies when we're looking at bringing down emissions and delivering affordable, reliable power at the same time. I've always had the view that we should be neutral to technologies, have as many as possible. We've seen from the Labor Party time and time again, picking and choosing technologies. They don't like carbon capture and storage. They've never liked gas even though it's played an important role in bringing down emissions in many countries throughout the world and they certainly don't like nuclear. This is a tough job, bringing down emissions and delivering affordable, reliable power. The Government's starting to understand the true scale of the challenge in doing this so you want to have every horse you possibly can in the race. This is a technology worth considering alongside many others.

QUESTION:

Would you be happy to have a nuclear power plant in, say, Liverpool or Goulburn in the Southern Highlands?

ANGUS TAYLOR: 

You're jumping ahead of yourself, Mark. We have a moratorium on it completely now. So there's a lot to be considered in all of this. We're not announcing policy here, we're saying this is something that's worth considering and we'll certainly consider it and that's what's been announced today.

QUESTION:

Mr Taylor, do you support Labor's bill for paid family and domestic violence leave?

ANGUS TAYLOR: 

Yes. Look, this is an important principle. There's detail, obviously, that needs to be considered in all of this. But you know, the idea that you have people being supported one way or another as they face those incredible challenges is something we've long said.

QUESTION:

But are you going to try and amend the bill to strip it back to what the Fair Work Commission recommended?

ANGUS TAYLOR: 

I'll leave the Shadow Minister to talk about more of the detail, but the principle that people should be supported under those circumstances is an important one.