DAVID SPEERS: Penny Wong thank you for your time. What are you hoping for in the ministerial reshuffle?
WONG: (laughs) Thats entirely a matter for the Prime Minister. But Ive got a pretty big job to do in this portfolio as we put together a budget with a surplus number in it which is obviously always challenging.
SPEERS: It would be a bad time I suppose to change you from that portfolio in the lead up to the budget?
WONG: Well, thats always a matter for the Prime Minister, isnt it?
SPEERS: Now a lot of speculation said is on the Foreign Ministry, and whether Julia Gillard offered or approached Bob Carr about making the switch into Federal Parliament, straight into the Foreign Ministry. Do you think he would be a good Foreign Minister?
WONG: I think the Prime Minister has responded to those assertions earlier today, so I dont have anything to add to that. Shes made it clear. Ive got a lot of respect for Bob. I worked for Bob as a staffer in his government when they first came to power, as a staffer of one of his ministers, but worked closely with him on the forestry policy. He would have been a very good addition to our Federal Parliament. But I think hes made clear hes not intending to come here.
SPEERS: But is this a missed opportunity to get someone of that calibre into, particularly, the Senate?
WONG: I think hes made clear over a number of years that he wasnt intending to come to Canberra.
SPEERS: The reports are, and this is coming from a number of areas now it was Stephen Smith who put his foot down and said I want to be Foreign Minister again. Doesnt that indicate theres some questions still over the Prime Ministers authority?
WONG: I dont think there are any questions over the Prime Ministers authority in light of the decisive result that the caucus returned earlier this week. It was a very substantial victory, and I think it was a demonstration of the confidence that people have in her.
SPEERS: Just on that, weve heard all in Labor saying that its time to unite, time to move on. Is it really the case that those divisions have been buried?
WONG: Its absolutely the case that we understand that the person who we need to focus on is Tony Abbott. We need to remind Australians what an Abbott Government would mean. And we need to tell people what it is not just that weve done, but what are our plans for the future. How do we build a stronger economy, how do we support jobs, how do we roll out the benefits of the boom across the country, what do we do to put in place the National Disability Insurance Scheme?
These are important questions, and on all of these questions Tony Abbott is on the wrong side of the argument. This is a man who is economically reckless, even his party room is starting to wake up to that; who puts the interest of wealthy miners above ordinary Australian families.
SPEERS: Weve seen some concern raised within the Coalition about one particular spending area that Tony Abbott plans, a much more generous paid parental leave scheme. We know the Government feels that the Oppositions scheme here is far too generous, far too costly. But there will be a lot of families out there eyeing it off, wont there, and thinking, thats a pretty good deal for me?
WONG: I think this demonstrates that Mr Abbott has the wrong priorities. Weve put in place a paid parental leave scheme. Its been in place for a year now. And its a very important contribution that government can make to supporting families and mothers who take time out of the paid workforce. Mr Abbotts scheme is about making sure that wealthier families get more money. And what hes saying is that despite the fact hes supposed to be a no new taxes man, hes going to whack on another tax onto business to pay for it. But at the same time he doesnt want to support a National Disability Scheme, he doesnt want to support the mining tax, hes going to roll back increases to the pension, roll back increases to family tax benefits. These are not the right priorities for Australias future.
SPEERS: Still the difference between the two plans is that Tony Abbotts plan does give a replacement salary essentially for a new mum or a dad whos taking parenting on.
WONG: The difference between the two plans is two-fold. One is ours is supported by the members of our Cabinet and our caucus. His isnt, and thats very clear. I mean its been described as practically friendless in the shadow cabinet. And the second difference is ours is funded and his isnt. This is a pattern here from Tony Abbott.
The reason hes had to walk away from the surplus, the reason he has to talk about aspirations, the reason he isnt backing in a disability scheme is because hes economically reckless. The plan he wants to put forward is one which is funded by a new tax. He might call it a levy, but its a new tax from the bloke who says hes anti-tax.
SPEERS: And just on the Governments own numbers is the pledge to get back into surplus in 2012-13 still rock solid?
WONG: The Prime Ministers made very clear; we have a plan to bring the budget back to surplus. Were determined to do that and we will. It will be challenging, I think everybody knows that. But we believe its the right economic call, given that the economy continues to grow at trend. And you will recall the last employment figures showed a very strong result.
SPEERS: Finance Minister Penny Wong, thank you.
WONG: Good to speak with you.
ENDS