FRAN KELLY: Penny Wong, good morning. Welcome to RN Breakfast. Oh, we need to turn Penny Wongs mic on there. Weve got a few technical problems, are you there Senator Wong?
SENATOR PENNY WONG, LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN THE SENATE: Im here Fran, can you hear me?
KELLY: I can hear you. Senator Wong, there was a lot of sound and fury in the Senate yesterday, all of it basically designed to I think from the opposition parties and the cross benchers thwart the Governments attempts to get a trigger locked in so they can go to an early election. Now in terms of the timing the Senate President Stephen Parry can under the rules recall the Senate one week early so the Government can get its supply business done. But can you clear this up, does he need majority support in the Senate to do so, is that your advice?
WONG: Well, there are three ways in which the Government could try and bring the Senate early and frankly the Government really should, instead of making you read the tea leaves, should be upfront with the Australian people about what they actually want to do, were ducking and weaving here.
KELLY: Do you know what they want to do? Has anyone told you about recalling the Senate one week early?
WONG: No, of course not. The extraordinary thing is weve got the sittings of the Parliament and the Federal Budget, $420 plus billion worth of spending decisions and weve got a Government that wants to play around with the Budget date and not tell you when they actually want to deliver it and to play around with the Parliamentary sittings.
KELLY: Well, I guess the Government wants to manage its election fortunes, and I guess thats the right of any Government, but for a lot of people listening, maybe the date of the Budget isnt as important as whats in the Budget, and thats another problem altogether, but-
WONG: -I can tell you as a former Finance Minister the thought of trying to do your Budget, but actually shifting the date around and not knowing what the date is, its a pretty chaotic and dysfunctional way to run the government, to run what is the most important set of economic decisions really a government makes.
KELLY: Well, Labor could do something different with that chaos, it could say sure if you want to bring the Budget early and head to a double dissolution election, just ask us and well say yes. But youre saying no and Im wondering if that leaves another option for the Government to recall the Lower House in early May, pass supply, because it can, it has the numbers, maybe even hand down the Budget in that week and then present that Budget to the Senate a week later on 11 May. Do you concede that could happen?
WONG: Well, if the Government wants that to happen they should tell people that. What I can tell you about, is in terms of the Senate, were not going to be agreeing to an earlier sitting just to suit Malcolm Turnbulls indecision and chaos around when he thinks an election best suits him. Were not going to do that.
Now the Government has got to come clean, I think, with the Australian people and the Parliament about what their plans are. At the moment weve got journalists talking about it and writing about it and Government Ministers on this program and others ducking and weaving and using weasel words like, oh were planning on the 10th. This is the Federal Budget and this is the sitting of the Parliament, they should be clear with people.
KELLY: Ok, if that scenario I outlined though does go ahead, if the Lower House sits 3 May and if it passes supply, do you concede that that can all happen without the Senate and that it can be brought back to the Senate what about if the Government decided to have the Budget on 3 May without the Senate sitting? If that was the plan, would you fold then? Would you say ok the Senate would come back too?
WONG: No, were not going to bring back the Senate early. We wont be agreeing to that. I cant speak for the Greens and the cross bench, but certainly the Labor Partys not going to agree to move the Senate sitting pattern around to suit Malcolm Turnbulls chaotic decision making process when it comes to the election and the Federal Budget. I dont think thats reasonable and I dont think a responsible way for this Government to behave.
KELLY: Its four minutes to eight on Breakfast, our guest is Senator Penny Wong, shes the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. Its been a pretty noisy Senate in the first day of this week, a lot of filibustering going on. The Government and the Greens are absolutely determined to vote for changes to the Senate voting laws. Are you prepared to filibuster and push the Senate into the Friday and maybe into the weekend?
WONG: Well continue to press our case in this debate because we dont agree with what the Governments doing. We also dont agree with the process, so I think theres two issues here. One is we think this is the wrong Senate reform plan for the reasons Ive spoken to you previously about Fran. I think it does disenfranchise millions of Australians who dont want to vote for the two major parties or the Greens. But leaving that aside, we think this is the wrong process. You dont push through the largest reforms in 30 years to Australias electoral system through a dirty deal done in a back room, with a sham inquiry of half a day, where youve already written the report before its tabled in the Parliament and then pressing it through in the way that the Government and the Greens are.
KELLY: That is going to happen though, they have the numbers and it is going to happen.
WONG: They have the numbers and they demonstrated that yesterday.
KELLY: So youre just wasting the Parliaments time then?
WONG: No, were doing what we were elected to do, which is to put the views that we believe are the right views for Australia. We also yesterday sought to support David Leyonhjelms motion to add to the list of bills that the Government and the Greens have agreed are so urgent they have to be passed before the Senate goes home. We sought to add to that list marriage equality and it was disappointing to see the Greens vote against that.
KELLY: Just on that, because the Greens said well lets list marriage equality for Thursday night, I think thats called Labors time, Im not sure, theres an hour there. Greens Senator Robert Simms says you can actually bring on the vote in that hour, bring on the vote. Will you do that, is that possible?
WONG: Lets understand what the Greens are proposing. They voted against bringing on a vote, by having a proper debate, making sure that marriage equality would be voted on before we left, just as electoral reform has to be voted on before we leave and a range of other bills. They decided that marriage equality wasnt a priority and now they want you to believe that an hour long debate, thats all the Greens are delivering, an hour long debate of three speakers on Thursday morning, is sufficient.
KELLY: If thats all youve got offered though, wouldnt you take that opportunity to push for a vote?
WONG: Are you saying its a smart way to deal with marriage equality, to have three speakers and then a gag?
KELLY: Im saying a bird in the hand, will you take it?
WONG: If the Greens are prepared to talk to us about reconsidering their position from yesterday and having a proper debate and requiring the Senate to resolve marriage equality before we leave, we are up for that - were prepared to have that discussion. If they want to reconsider their position from yesterday, Im open to having that conversation with them.
KELLY: Ok, just very briefly, were almost at the news, but it looks like as though the Governments going to go to the election without tax cuts, well not much of a one anyway. Has Labor got any plans for tax relief to tackle bracket creep?
WONG: Ill tell you, Labors got more tax plans on the table than weve seen from the Government-
KELLY: -Theyre all about increasing taxes.
WONG: Its about making sure our tax system isnt unfair. Its about making sure our tax system can fund things like investment in our schools to make sure every child has the chance to be the best of who they are. You asked me about Scott Morrison, very quickly-
KELLY: -The news is almost on us.
WONG: Yes. The Treasurers time so far has been characterised by tough talk followed by capitulation. Talk tough on the GST, back down. Talk tough on excesses on negative gearing, now he wants to run a scare campaign against ours. This bloke talks tough, but really hes delivered nothing and the bracket creep is just the latest.
KELLY: Senator Wong, the news us upon us, thank you very much for joining us.
WONG: Good to speak with you.
