SENATOR PENNY WONG, CAMPAIGN SPOKESPERSON: Good morning, good to be with you. First day.
BRISSENDEN: First day indeed.It's going to be a long one. This will be a choice between an economic plan, innovation and growth, says the Government, through lower taxes as opposed to the Labor Party prepared to spend more and tax more. What do you say to that?
WONG: Well, I think it will be a choice about very different views about the future. The Government is saying we want to give a big tax cut to big business, we want to put the budget in a more frail position as a result and Labor that says, you know what? We want to invest in our people. We want to invest in our schools, in our universities, in our hospitals. So they are very different plans for the future but only one is about putting people first.
BRISSENDEN: The Government says it wants to continue the economic path that it's been pursuing. Now-
WONG: -Well we've seen a lot of economic meandering from this Prime Minister so-
BRISSENDEN: -Well economic growth.
WONG: Okay, look I've said in this studio before I think, and talked to you about their floating of GST, their floating of a negative gearing plan, their floating of state income tax. There's been a lot of economic meandering, they now want us to believe they've got a good plan for jobs.
BRISSENDEN: Well, let's look at what's happened in the last year. Economic growth of 3 per cent; 300,000 jobs created. The Government says it's a record that they've already established, they have.
WONG: I don't think that's right and I think if you look at people's disposable income, if you look at wages growth. I mean we are in challenging times in the Australian economy. I'm not going to talk the economy down, but I think Mathias Cormann previously used this line - it's better than it would have been under Labor - is a pretty poor line. But look, the economy is going through a big change. We all know that and the question is, which is the plan that people think will put them and their families first, which is the plan that's about making sure we're a smarter, stronger economy? And we say this is not the time to be giving a big tax cut to big business. It's not a time to be making that the priority. The priority should be investment in our people, investment in our infrastructure.
BRISSENDEN: Labor's legacy is something you have to deal with though isn't it? Why should the Australian people trust Labor with the economy after the last Labor Government blew the surplus and increased the debt?
WONG: Well hang on, I think it is legitimate for people to ask whether we've learnt the lesson of unity. That is entirely legitimate. But on the economy let's remember the Labor Government steered Australia through the global financial crisis. We were in a better position than most other advanced economies as a consequence of decisions that were made. So let's not just accept the rhetoric of this Government, who are very anxious to talk about anything else other than the fact than they've tripled the deficit, they're taxing and spending higher than Labor did.
BRISSENDEN: But the budget did go into deficit under the previous Labor Government.
WONG: Yes, yes it did.
BRISSENDEN: And the debt increased.
WONG: And it has gone further into deficit and debt is higher under this Government. I mean the tripling of the deficit has occurred on their watch between the 2014 and 2016 budget.
BRISSENDEN: You mention the Labor leadership stuff. The memories of those chaotic years of the last Labor Government is still strong for voters aren't they?
WONG: Look, I understand that, we were rightly criticised for that. And we've had to learn a lesson and that lesson has been losing government and voters making very clear to us those mistakes. We have learnt that lesson. But ultimately this election is not about what happened between in 2010 and 2013.This election is about what happens over the next three years and the next decade. And what I'm saying to you is that we do start the election as the underdog. But what we are putting forward is a set of plans that is about growing the economy but is about putting people first. The Government is saying our priority at these times when the budget's in deficit is to give tax cuts to business.
BRISSENDEN: You'd have to understand the public would be reluctant to change Prime Ministers again though.
WONG: Oh look, as I said-
BRISSENDEN: This would be six Prime Ministers in six years.
WONG: I know that people always look at polls and so forth, but this is a first-term Government. First-term government is very hard to defeat. We start a long way behind. They've got a 20-seat lead. But ultimately the sorts of things that you're raising, I think, at the end of the day come second to who's got the best plan for the nation.And I think we are very clear, we are prepared to fight this election on policy. We've been prepared as an Opposition to put forward positive policy over the entirety of our term in opposition. We haven't been a small target, because we want to take this challenge up to the Government and we think the Australian people deserve a proper contest of ideas.
BRISSENDEN: Let's look at your home state of South Australia, which is struggling with rising unemployment, it's had some serious hits to its industrial base, the automotive industry's gone, the struggling steel company Arrium in administration. What do you have to promise those voters to get their support?
WONG: The first thing I think to make clear is they would have a Labor Government who would be steadfast in their support for South Australian jobs. I think South Australians are very keenly aware that it was Joe Hockey who stood on the floor of the House of Representatives as the Treasurer, the Liberal Treasurer of Australia, and goaded Holden to leave. Everybody knows that.South Australians are also very aware that the only reason the submarines decision has been made is because the South Australian community put the pressure on after Tony Abbott made it clear he was walking away from the promise-
BRISSENDEN: Big boost for the South Australian economy though isn't it?WONG: Look we have been advocating the submarines being built in Adelaide from the get-go. It's only one party that's flip-flopped on that and that's the Coalition.
BRISSENDEN: The Xenophon factors going to be big in South Australia isn't it? How do you see that playing out?
WONG: Well, Nick is very good at getting media. He's very active and he certainly he knows how to run a media stunt very well. I've dealt with Nick for a long time. Ultimately what I'd say to people is the best way to ensure a strong plan, plan for your schools, for your hospitals, best way to ensure there's investment in a South Australian and Australian jobs is to vote for the Labor Party.
BRISSENDEN: Okay, we'll leave it there. Senator Wong, thank you very much for joining us.
WONG: Good to speak with you.
BRISSENDEN: Penny Wong, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.
