MARK DREYFUS
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
CHRIS LYNCH
LABOR CANDIDATE FOR BRADDON
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
7AD THE HOME RUN WITH LEE DIXON
THURSDAY, 28 APRIL 2022
SUBJECTS: Federal election campaign; Dial Range commitment; Braddon campaign; National Anti-Corruption Commission.
LEE DIXON: An Albanese Labor Government will build a new eco-friendly rest stop facility at one of North West Tasmania's most popular recreational use nature reserves, the Dial Range. The bushland and tracks of the Dial Range near Penguin attract a diverse range of enthusiasts including walkers, mountain bikers, horse riders and nature lovers, but they're short of environmentally appropriate toilet facilities. A presser earlier on this morning announced funding of $431,000 from a future Albanese Labor Government and to tell us a little bit more about this Labor candidate for Braddon, Chris Lynch, and Mark Dreyfus MP, Shadow Attorney-General, Shadow Minister for Constitutional Reform. Thank you so much for joining me in the studio this afternoon.
MARK DREYFUS, SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL: It's an absolute pleasure to be here.
DIXON: And I guess it is because you've been at lovely Dial Range this morning.
DREYFUS: I have, and it's not often on a campaign that you get to go to somewhere as nice as this. I've bushwalked a lot in Tasmania and it's a lovely piece of country.
DIXON: Did we get you to the top of Mt Montgomery this morning?
DREYFUS: Regrettably, our fantastic candidate for Braddon Chris Lynch has dragged me away. I'm now in the radio station. Going up the top of Mt Montgomery would have been nice.
DIXON: Yeah, on a clear day, unbelievable. I've done it twice in my time - hello to you Chris as well, we'll get to you shortly - and it's been cloudy both times that I went up there. And at the very top, you don't think you’re to make it because it's that steep. So anyway, let's talk about the funding promised, $431,000. What's this aimed at helping along?
DREYFUS: It's to provide an eco-friendly rest stop, or visitor facilities there at the Mt Montgomery State Reserve, and it'll make the whole area more usable. It'll make it more usable for all those mountain bikers that use the fantastic trails that have been developed out there at the reserve. It'll make it better for walkers.
DIXON: Now we're seeing this particular part of the state being utilised by more and more people year on year. So, these are quite essential these facilities, aren't they?
DREYFUS: Yes. And it's working with the council of which the mayor was there, Jan Bond. She seemed thrilled with this announcement because she says it's been on the council's list of projects to get done for a long time. This funding is going to make it possible.
DIXON: Well, any investment in your municipality is going to be welcomed, isn't it?
DREYFUS: Yes, it is. But you know, councils have got their own list of priorities. This is apparently a priority. They weren't able to do it but with this funding it's going to make it possible.
DIXON: Now there might be people listening this afternoon that think 'hey, what's in it for me?' Well, you being a nature lover yourself, when you go to somewhere where there is no amenity block, it's quite frustrating isn't it?
DREYFUS: It is, and we should look after the areas that we are enjoying out there in the environment and that's why this sort of eco-friendly rest stop visitor facility is really important.
DIXON: And that will hopefully see the end of scrunched up toilet paper wedged under bits of bark on the ground.
DREYFUS: Exactly Lee.
DIXON: We know what we are talking about. Chris Lynch hello to you. How is your campaign going? You've been hot on the trail?
CHRIS LYNCH, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR BRADDON: Every minute that I can, that I can organise, I'm knocking on a door or I'm standing next to a big picture of myself, which is on the streets, which is, which is an interesting thing. But look, I'm just enthused by the conversations that I'm having with people and the interest in this upcoming election and the topics that people want to talk about coming through very strongly.
DIXON: We know elections are important. Is this one of the most important elections?
LYNCH: I would say so. I think all elections are important in as far as the direction of the country goes, but, you know, we've had nearly 10 years of one particular brand of politics, and from what I'm hearing that's not going down too well anymore and people are genuinely hurting and suffering.
DIXON: Do the red team have the answers?
LYNCH: I believe we do. I'm very proud of the policies that we have in regard to looking after what the main issues are, from what I'm hearing. Our Aged Care policy is designed to make much more improvement in that space. Our general health care and looking after Medicare, our environmental climate change policy as it stretches out and addresses needs for now. Yes, I get a bit, you know, we've got a lot of things to say, some things we haven't said yet, there's more to come on out. But even one we haven't really discussed much about is youth. You know, we're planning to have a Minister for Youth and really start to address issues in that area in a specific way.
DIXON: And being Burnie-based you'd see a lot of youth not having many things to do.
LYNCH: Yeah.
DIXON: That's been part of the conversation for the last 10 years. There's nothing for us here to do.
LYNCH: There is, and you know, that's been a previous career that I engaged with, working with youth engagement and with disengaged youth. So that's an area that I feel very prepped for, if that makes sense.
DIXON: And this is an issue that most towns encounter.
LYNCH: Of course, yes, I would say it's all over, but Labor will do something about that, and not only in a token way. We are specifically going to put resources into that and make it a focus of part of the suite of things that we're developing to look after the people.
DIXON: And Mark Dreyfus, over to you federally. You are on the campaign trail. Why should people make a change when it comes to election day?
DREYFUS: I'll give you one very specific reason and it's a broken promise by Scott Morrison to give us a National Anti-Corruption Commission. It's extraordinary to me that having gone to the last election, in 2019, Mr. Morrison, and indeed locally, Mr Pearce, promised a National Anti-Corruption Commission for Australia. It hasn't happened. That promise has been broken. The Commonwealth is the only jurisdiction in Australia that does not have a National Anti-Corruption Commission. Tasmania has got one and it serves the people of this state very well, as do the anti-corruption commissions everywhere else. We need to raise the standard of government. We need to raise the level of trust. We need to raise the level of integrity. And you've only got to look at the way in which this Morrison Government has performed over the last three years to see why it is that we need a National Anti-Corruption Commission.
DIXON: On top of that there have been a number of quite public gaffes as well in the last few years. Do you think that's going to affect the outcome or make the job even harder to try and win this election?
DREYFUS: Oh, no, I think that Australians and Tasmanians are absolutely focused on the issues that matter to them. They know that we've got cost of living rises, confirmed yesterday by the inflation figure 5.1%. That is the biggest rise in inflation for about 20 years. They know that when they go to the supermarket to fill up the trolley it costs more. They know that their wages haven't gone up for the past nine years. They know that this is a government that actually had a deliberate policy of making sure that wages didn't go up. They want a change of government and I don't think that little slips on the campaign trail make any difference. People are focused on what the issues are. They're tired of this government and they want promises to be kept. When announcements are made they expect them to be delivered. The reason I mentioned the National Anti-Corruption Commission is that people are raising this with me all over Australia. It happens to be something that I'm personally responsible for as the Shadow Attorney-General. If we are elected I will have the honour of delivering that National Anti-Corruption Commission and as my leader Anthony Albanese has said, just last week, we will legislate by the end of this year.
DIXON: Labor candidate for Braddon Chris Lynch, you mentioned knocking on doors. Not a lot of us like unsolicited knocks at the door. Why is it so important for you to be touching base with those in the jurisdiction?
LYNCH: Look, I just think that it's what you should expect from your local member. I make myself available through the street stalls. I have a published mobile number that I answer.
DIXON: That's what I always wonder because you see these phone numbers and normally you get through to the receptionist or a call back later, an answering machine?
LYNCH: No, no, there's a published number on all my flyers that I'm responsible for and an email address I invite people to contact me with. It's incredibly important to me that I meet as many of the electors in Braddon as I can, but also that I'm available.
DIXON: What are they saying to you?
LYNCH: I'm hearing a lot about health. I'm hearing that the housing issue on the North West Coast, as we know, is dire, extremely dire. Secure work. There's a lot of people on the North West Coast that have some form of employment, but you can't take insecure work to the bank, you know. Underemployment is a big deal as well. And as Mark mentioned there's a lot of disgruntled voters with wondering why Scott Morrison is avoiding the scrutiny through a national ICAC.
DIXON: Yeah, there's gotta be a reason. We're not really concentrating on that; we're not getting any answers. I wonder if we will get an answer at the election? Will the voters decide?
DREYFUS: I think it matters to people.
DIXON: Yeah.
DREYFUS: I think that in particular this anti-corruption commission people see as a broken promise. They know that Labor will deliver and that's a big reason by itself.
DIXON: Scott Morrison would probably say "that's not my job".
DREYFUS: (laughs) I shouldn't laugh, but over and over again we've heard "I don't hold a hose" or "It's not a race" in relation to the vaccines, ducking responsibility. One thing I'm absolutely clear about Anthony Albanese is that he will take responsibility and he will stand up. He will face up to the challenges that Australia has to confront.
DIXON: Mark Dreyfus MP and Labor candidate for Braddon Chris Lynch, thank you for joining me on the Home Run this afternoon.
ENDS
