Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians
SARAH ABO, HOST: We’ll Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock has issued a fresh warning to Aussie mortgage holders, revealing she isn’t ruling out further interest rate hikes, if it means curbing inflation. Joining us to discuss today’s headlines is Northern Territory Senator Malarndirri McCarthy and 3AW’s Jacqui Felgate. Good to see you both this morning. Malarndirri, I’ll start with you, the warning comes off the back of these new GDP figures, which show economic growth really is not going anywhere. It’s sunk to 0.1 per cent. Rate cuts are now looking less and less likely, that’s going to hurt a lot of Aussies.
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Yes, the Reserve Bank Governor certainly gave her evidence at estimates here this week, Sarah. It just confirms though, that the Treasury and the Treasurer expected and the economy to be weak and the plans that they had behind the budget really prepared us for this. We know it’s tough, but we also know that we’ve been very, very careful in the way we’ve considered the budget, especially the energy bill relief, to make sure that we do provide cost of living relief to Australians across the country.
HOST: I mean, I don’t know, Malarndirri it sounds promising, but with those figures, it’s really disheartening for a lot of people out there. I mean, the Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says high interest rates are largely to blame for our weak economy. Jacqui, the Treasurer and the Governor seem to be butting heads here.
JACQUI FELGATE: Yeah, I agree, Sarah. And, you know, I think when we’re talking about the energy rebate, a lot of leading economists have the view that it’s actually going to make things worse. If people go out and use that money to spend, and then we see inflation go up, the flow on effects from that. I still think that that should have been means tested. I mean, Karl, on your own program, talking to the Prime minister and saying Gina from Noosa got her 300 bucks, Gina from Noosa doesn’t need her 300 bucks.
HOST: Yeah, exactly. It’s still going to be an issue for them isn’t it. Right, moving on, a report in the Australian has this morning revealed that almost 1 in 5 criminals who had their deportations overturned as a result of Direction 99 were sex offenders .
This includes a man who raped a young woman employed to care for his seriously ill daughter. Another man who sexually assaulted and bashed his girlfriend. This list just goes on and on.
McCARTHY: Minister Giles is dealing with all of this, Sarah. And yes, I’ve read the articles too in the paper in in regards to some of the cases , the Direction 99 will be removed. The government is working on that this week. We are in the final day today of the house of reps sittings, and I know that the minister will move on that. But I will also say that this is important to also reach out to all of those families that our government is concerned about the safety, we are conscious that there has been a history here, even with the Opposition Leader when he was home affairs minister, and we’re moving very swiftly.
HOST: Jacqui is enough, enough, does he have to go?
FELGATE: Oh, absolutely. And I think this goes to that really core argument of the rights of the offender and the rights of the victim, and who’s being forgotten here in this argument are the rights of the victims. This isn’t someone who’s committed one crime.
There’s a long history of really serious offences. And I think the national discussion about violence against women and gender based violence, this is that. People like this shouldn’t be in this country.
HOST: Well also making headlines, the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader have united during question time yesterday, an unusual sight condemning the Greens party, who they’ve accused of exploiting the war in Gaza to fuel division.
PRIME MINISTER: Political debate must be respectful. As political leaders, we have a responsibility to lower temperature, not to fuel division.
OPPOSITION LEADER: What the Prime Minister does today in condemning the actions of those who seek for their own political purposes and their own political advancement to pour fuel on this fire, deserve condemnation of this chamber.
HOST: Malarndirri, it’s not every day you see these two on the same page. Are you feeling the heat from the inner city supporters?
McCARTHY: This is a very strong position that the Parliament has put out to the Australian people, I think Sarah. We certainly heard the Foreign Minister, Penny Wong in estimates this week, also remind parliamentarians of their roles and duties. And it was really important to do that. We’ve seen a spate of protests across the country. We’ve seen Labor ministers and members offices damaged, we’ve seen staff really threatened. This is not the country we want to live in. We know that people have differing views, but we are a democracy and we have an opportunity to speak about our differences without causing violence and creating fear in the community and I think it was really important that the Prime Minister and the Opposition did what they did.
HOST: It’s not going to change anything, though
McCARTHY: I disagree, Sarah. I think it sends a really important message across the country that enough is enough. You can have your differing views on whatever may be occurring, whether it’s in the middle east or elsewhere, but racism, hatred and violence is not our country and we reject it outright.
HOST: Do the Greens have something to answer for Jacqui?
FELGATE: Yeah, I think particularly here in Victoria, what we’ve seen is this shocking rise in anti-Semitic behaviour. I spoke to Peter Dutton on my program last week, and he said he’s never seen anything like it in all of his years in politics and Richard Marles as well. And we just saw in Melbourne last week anti-Semitic graffiti written across the front door of a Jewish school, and you talk to Jewish people on this program and what they’re experiencing, it is just horrific, and I understand we all have the right to protest, but it’s the way we go about it and the feelings here, it’s a complicated situation, I think it’s really difficult for those of us who aren’t Jewish and who aren’t Palestinian to truly understand the history and the effects of it and what is happening, the loss of life of anyone, particularly children, is a tragedy. But in this country, what we can control is our behaviour and we need to do better.
HOST: There is a lot of heat there. Finally, the maroons have won big in a controversial game. Karl has been insufferable all morning. He is likely to continue. Malarndirri, I know you couldn’t watch the game yesterday, stuck in that pesky senate of yours, but you must be a happy camper today.
McCARTHY: I am very, very happy Sarah. I was delighted to see the scores. I was in health estimates in the committee last night and was really wanting to know what the scores were, and so thrilled to see the win by Queensland and look forward to the next game, which I know you’re going to have front row seats in, you and Jacqui in Melbourne I understand.
HOST: Yeah that’s right. Jackie and I will be front row. We will be going through all the states. In fact, I think Jacqui and I, you and I could probably commentate, don’t you reckon?
FELGATE: I’m sorry, as a Victorian, I think we automatically have to barrack for Queensland. But unless it’s AFL, to be honest, we’re not really that interested, I’m going to be frank about state of origin, but I think we are a little jealous, Sarah, that we still don’t have state of origin in AFL.
HOST: We were just talking about that yesterday, bring it back
FELGATE: Do you remember when we used to.. yeah
HOST: Yeah, it was so good. All right guys, thank you so much for joining us today. Appreciate it.
