WONG: Thanks very much for coming. I wanted to comment make some comment on some of the reports in the papers today in relation to Mr Abbott and Mr Hockeys comments yesterday. Mr Abbott yesterday said savings were a priority, government spending being cut is a priority. But you need to actually do something if you want to cut government spending do things like the Governments done. $22 billion worth of savings in our last Budget.
Under this Leader of the Opposition, he has never got his numbers right. He went to the election with a range of savings, many of which did not add up. And he ended up with an $11 billion black hole at the last election. Now we now know, the Australian people now know, that he has a $70 billion black hole. A $70 billion black hole thats been confirmed by his shadow finance minister. What he wont tell the Australian people is how he is going to fill that hole. He wont tell them what hell cut. And remember, this is the equivalent of cutting the age pension for two years. So what sort of cuts is Mr Abbott going to have to make to meet his $70 billion black hole?
Mr Abbott is also continuing his hysterical scare campaign on climate change. And I think it is important to note today some of the comments in the papers from the business sector. This sort of hysterical behaviour contributes to uncertainty in the electricity sector. This leads to higher electricity prices because generators cant lock in long term contracts. Mr Abbotts hysterical scare campaign leads to uncertainty. Thats bad for investors, bad for consumers and bad for the Australian economy. Happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: The Sydney Morning Herald reports that not only is the asylum seeker policy adrift but so is the party. Whats your reaction to that?
WONG: Can I say something about asylum seeker policy because what weve seen this week from Tony Abbott is more of the same. There are two propositions which are true. One is that the advice to Government is that the best deterrent on the table is the agreement with Malaysia. The second thing is that Mr Abbott is stopping the agreement with Malaysia. Tony Abbott is so focused, so focused, on being a wrecker that hes actually trying to wreck one of the things he says he supports which is offshore processing.
JOURNALIST: Did the Immigration Minister Chris Bowen push for Nauru in the Cabinet meeting?
WONG: You know I dont talk about cabinet meetings but I would say this we know that the advice to this Government, to Tony Abbott, from the people who advise governments is very clearly that Nauru is not an effective deterrent. The effective deterrent is the Malaysia agreement which Tony Abbott is preventing.
JOURNALIST: Then why did Chris Bowen push for it, and other members of the Right?
WONG: As I said, I dont comment on Cabinet discussions but it is very clear that the Immigration Department who advises this Government, who advised John Howard, has said absolutely that Nauru is not an effective deterrent. And the effective deterrent is the Malaysia agreement, the very agreement that Mr Abbott is making sure this country cannot implement.
JOURNALIST: The Prime Minister has predicted that more boats will arrive now that the Malaysia solution has been scuttled. Will onshore processing blow the Budget?
WONG: We will certainly update our Budget figures in the usual way, in the mid-year review, which is due before the end of the year, in relation to this and all other policy areas. But the Prime Minister and the Immigration Minister have made clear, there is a risk there will be more boats. And the risk of that is as a result of Tony Abbott refusing to support changes to the legislation.
And lets remember what the changes to the legislation were. They werent asking Tony Abbott to sign up to Malaysia. They werent asking Tony Abbott to do anything other but ensure that executive government could implement an offshore processing regime. The amendments would have allowed Mr Abbott were he ever to become prime minister to put in place Nauru arrangements. But he still opposed them.
JOURNALIST: What assurances can you give the public that the Labor Party is unified?
WONG: We are absolutely focused on doing what is right for the nation. We are absolutely focused on looking to the future. This week in the Parliament we saw the passage of the carbon price legislation, the clean energy future. This is a reform that John Howard wanted. This is a reform that Malcolm Turnbull wanted. This is a reform that Tony Abbott used to want remember he used to support a carbon price and he used to support a carbon tax. This is a reform that economists and scientists have called for, for years. And it is this Prime Minister who has delivered it in a minority government through the House of Representatives. This is about the jobs of the future. Its also about looking after the next generation of Australians.
JOURNALIST: Is the Party considering a new leader?
WONG: Absolutely not. Prime Minister Gillard will lead us to the next election.
JOURNALIST: Do you think the win of the carbon tax is being overshadowed by the asylum backdown?
WONG: I am very pleased as the former Climate Change Minister that weve got the climate change legislation through the House of Representatives. Weve still got the Senate to go and Im sure thats going to be an interesting debate because well have Senator Joyce and Senator Bernardi and all of those senators who are implacably opposed to any action on climate change having a go. But well keep focused on getting it through the parliament.
JOURNALIST: Is Stephen Smith been given any consideration to lead the Party?
WONG: Ive made it very clear, we have a Prime Minister, Prime Minister Gillard and shell lead us to the next election.
JOURNALIST: Just back to asylum seekers. First Malaysia was forced - sorry, was found to be illegal. And now we hear that Immigration Minister Chris Bowen had canvassed Nauru. Should he resign?
WONG: Absolutely not. He is doing an extremely good job in very difficult circumstances. A very good job in very difficult circumstances. And I will say this, any politician who tells you there is an easy answer when it comes to immigration is not telling you the truth. Tony Abbott is not telling you the truth if he says there is an easy answer. This is a difficult policy area. It is a policy area which requires politicians, political leaders to act sensibly, to look for the solutions. Thats what Minister Bowen has done. What he has faced, what the Government is facing, is a Leader of the Opposition who is so focused on wrecking he is destroying offshore processing.
JOURNALIST: But how can Chris Bowen keep going in his role if he doesnt even have the support of the asylum seeker policy within his own party?
WONG: We absolutely support Minister Bowen and what he has done. Hes done a very good job in very difficult circumstances.
JOURNALIST: So are you saying youre all on the same page with this?
WONG: I am saying the Governments position is clear. And Id again remind people Tony Abbott is arguing for policy that the experts who advised Government, who advised Mr Howard have said will not work. And he has said, and he has also opposed amendments in the Parliament which would give him were he prime minister, the power to put in place Nauru, just as it would allow the Government to put in place its policy. A completely destructive position against the national interest.
JOURNALIST: So is Nauru completely off the table as far as the Government is concerned?
WONG: We have made clear our position and the Prime Minister and the Immigration Minister have announced that.
JOURNALIST: Why is it, why is the Nauru option not accepted?
WONG: I think Ive gone through that a number of times very clearly. The advice that has been made public is from the experts that advised John Howard, who advised Minister Ruddock and who are advising us and who have also talked to Tony Abbott as we know, is that Nauru is not an effective deterrent. There is only one effective deterrent on the table and that is the agreement with Malaysia. Mr Abbott, Tony Abbott, is stopping the agreement in Malaysia from being implemented. Those are the two propositions
JOURNALIST: Is it the case that the argument for or against Nauru is different publically from what it is privately?
WONG: Ive made clear the position on Nauru.
JOURNALIST: Is it fair to rely on NGOs like the Red Cross to help pick up the slack that may happen with things like housing?
WONG: On the detail of this is the onshore processing arrangements on the detail of that, I would refer you to Chris Bowens comments. He did a number of press interviews yesterday where those issues were canvassed.
ENDS