Jon Faine:
We’ve got a couple of celebrities we need to cut quickly, just have quick chat to each other. Julia Gillard is the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, she is hear to talk about a range of issues with me this morning. Julia Gillard, good morning.
Julia Gillard:
Good Morning Jon.
Jon Faine:
But first we have Mr Brett Lee on the line who last night won the Allan Border Medal and Test Player of the Year award at cricket’s night of nights. Brett Lee, Good Morning.
Brett Lee:
Good Morning Jon, Good Morning Julia.
Julia Gillard:
Good Morning.
Jon Faine:
And I think the Deputy Prime Minister wants to say a word or two to you Brett.
Julia Gillard
: Yes absolutely, congratulations. You must be delighted. I bet it was a big night.
Brett Lee:
It was a great night. Really, really excited, thank you Julia. Actually being up there last night and being presented the award for Allan Border who has been such a great icon of Australian cricket, when he handed over the award I was so proud, so honoured; surprised as well, actually shocked to be up there but really proud, really excited.
Julia Gillard:
And what are you going to be doing to celebrate today, have you got family things on or something to continue the celebration?
Jon Faine:
No he has got to talk to people like you.
[Laugh]
Julia Gillard:
Apart from talking to people like me.
Brett Lee:
Back to training, we’ve actually got quite a fair bit on now. We are playing in our last match on Friday and then we start the finals on Sunday against India in my home town of Sydney so I am actually looking forward to that. But its back to the real world now, back to training and the hard work.
Jon Faine:
Brett Lee did it help to be dropped from the Test side to get you back to your best on your return to first top class cricket?
Brett Lee:
I think Jon you have to appreciate the and even go through the bad times to appreciate the good times. Thinking back a few years ago where I was 12th man for nineteen months straight basically, I couldn’t get a game on the Australian Test Team, was a very tough time actually missing this years’ World Cup too. But I think on the flip side on that, it gave me a chance to spend some great family time at home with my wife, with my little boy Preston who was just been born at that stage, get my ankle fixed up once and for all and actually reflect on what I actually wanted to do moving forward. So I got my body to a shape where I felt really comfortable and just been enjoying my cricket.
Jon Faine:
With the prospect though of fast bowlers wearing out as we have seen with so many others so the temptations of big money in India, shortens your working life though doesn’t it?
Brett Lee:
Well I was six foot six when I first stated out mate but I think I am six foot one now.
[Laugh]
Brett Lee:
It’s been a long slog. But look I mean, to me its all about playing cricket for Australia. I said last night when I was on the stage that when I was nine years of age mum and dad asked me what I wanted to be and my reply was I want to play cricket for Australia and be the world’s fastest bowler. So wearing that baggy green cap means everything and this IPL 20/20 tournament which looks very exciting and I think is a great cause and it will defiantly happen provided there is time after the Australian cricket season is finished but look I’ve been really really enjoying my cricket after Glenn and Shane have both moved on, we as a cricket team need to stand up to try and fill those gaps and I think that as a bowling team and I think we have actually done that.
Jon Faine:
Is it a bit silly to still be playing cricket in Australia as we enter the month of March?
Brett Lee:
It is, defiantly. It suits me the fact that hopefully the weather might be cooling down. I know in Melbourne it is either freezing cold or up to forty five, I mean that tongue in cheek of course but its always a lot of fun playing especially to the back end of our season. Provided we do look after our fitness and it can be tough at time but it’s a really good time to be playing cricket right now.
Jon Faine:
Congratulations again and I hope the media don’t wear you out today because there is still some cricket to be played.
Brett Lee:
Absolutely. Thanks Jon. Thanks Julia.
Julia Gillard:
Thank you.
Jon Faine:
Brett Lee, the winner of the Allan Border medal. Julia Gillard you’re not noted like the former Prime Minister as being a cricket tragic.
Julia Gillard:
No I’m not Jon. I’d have to say compared to the former Prime Minister or the current Prime Minister, I am not a cricket tragic.
Jon Faine:
So let’s turn to other things. In just the last week or so I think you and your colleagues have announced a health and hospital review, a defence review, the 2020 talkfest which we’ve been told is a festival of loudmouths, an infrastructure review last night headed up by Sir Rod Eddington, a climate target review, the Immigration Minister said he wants his powers reviewed, there was a tax review announced yesterday. Is this becoming a bit of a theme here? Is this the government that, like Steve Bracks looks into things?
Julia Gillard:
Well this is a Government that takes a measured approach and make sure we are looking at complicated issues through review mechanisms but it’s also a Government that is getting on with the job. In all of those areas…
Jon Faine:
The job of what, this is the job of conducting reviews by the look of it.
Julia Gillard:
Well in all those areas we have taken profound steps forward. If we look at the area of health we’ve already reached agreement with the States and Territories for additional resources to cut elective surgery waiting lists. In the climate change area we’ve ratified Kyoto and gone to the Bali conference, got Australia on the world stage as part of the solution. In Wayne Swan’s area as Treasurer obviously he’s getting on with the job of fighting inflation, of preparing the May budget, of understanding that this economy needs to deal with the inflationary challenge. In my own area we’re delivering programs everyday; computers in schools, trades training centres. We are making sure that those election promises are real and are there on the ground making a difference on the timetable that we promised to deliver them. So the Government….
Jon Faine:
But in Opposition, in Opposition you are knowing. Everybody knows everything in opposition, it’s a bit like talkback radio isn’t it, you think you know exactly what to do. The reality is when you come into office clearly now we can see implementing those policies is not as easy as it looks, is it?
Julia Gillard:
Jon, in Opposition we said we would have some of these processes. Nicola Roxon in health announced the national health reform commission process in Opposition. What she said to the Australian people at the last election is, working with the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, they would make some immediate differences in the area of health and then they would have a commission process to look at the long term agenda. And when we say long term Kevin is saying to the States and Territories that we want to see change quickly and if we don’t see the right amount of change quickly he is standing ready to take health over federally and to ask the Australian people for a mandate to do that. So it is not fair to say that somehow coming into Government we then decided that we would need these reviews. In Opposition we said these are the concrete things we will deliver, these are some of the issues we think would benefit from expert and independent voices and we’ll involve them in doing the job.
Jon Faine:
The 2020 summit has 11 separate talk fests within it for 1000 people, 10 of the chairs are men one of them, Cate Blanchett is female, as a female Deputy Prime Minister did you not point this out to Kevin Rudd before those positions were announced?
Julia Gillard:
Well as female Deputy Prime Minister I’ll be involved in the 2020 Summit and I think one thing Jon that has been a little bit lost in commentary today is that each of the ten sessions will have two chairs. A chair from an independent sector, like Cate Blanchett but also a chair from Government and of the ten chairs provided by government six will be women. So if you look across the ten working groups at the 2020 Summit in seven of those working groups there will be a woman who is co-chairing the session.
Jon Faine:
Of the 11 people outside of parliament who were hand picked to be the best of the best, the brightest of the brightest sort of, you know, chairs, only one was found that could provide some balance. Now you could hardly call one person against ten balanced. Was this pointed out at all to Kevin Rudd?
Julia Gillard:
Of the non-government chairs, you’re right. What I am asking you to acknowledge is of the Government chairs six out of ten are women…
Jon Faine:
Did no one see this coming that there would be some astonishment when the announcement was made? Did you know in advance about the announcement?
Julia Gillard:
Look I was involved in consultations about chairs in sessions that touch my portfolio obviously. I’m very interested in the economic session because human capital, education is about where about where our economy is going in the years to come. The social inclusion session is part of what I do and Tim Costello is involved in that. Kevin worked with Glyn Davis who is the co-chair of the whole summit on who would chair the sessions from outside Government and then Government is providing the rest of the chairs. And then of course there is the question of the 1000 people who are going to be there. So chairing a session is about making sure that the voices in the room get heard. Who are going to be the voices in the room, well we are going to make sure that in the voices in the room of the 1000 people attending that there is representation across Australian society; men, women, different states, different sectors, different races, different backgrounds to bring all of their voices to Canberra for the 2020 Summit.
Jon Faine:
So you didn’t know the full complexion of the 11 people only the ones that were in your area. Is that right?
Julia Gillard:
That’s right…
Jon Faine:
So only the Prime Minister saw the whole picture?
Julia Gillard:
Well we divide up work Jon, as you would imagine, there is a lot of work to do in Government. So Kevin and I don’t sit there all day everyday doing every bit together, we divide up the tasks and my special task with the 2020 Summit apart from the economic session because it involves education and social inclusion session because it is part of my portfolio area, is to organise the series of schools summits in the lead up to the 2020 conference so we’re hearing the voices of people who are in school today, children who are in school today but who are going to be adults in 2020. So I have been centrally involved in organising that process.
Jon Faine:
Both Kevin Rudd and Brendan Nelson yesterday talked about the booze culture in Australia. Are you a drinker?
Julia Gillard:
Yes I enjoy a glass of wine. I am not a heavy drinker in anyway shape or form.
Jon Faine:
Have you ever been?
Julia Gillard:
When I was young there were probably some occasions where I drank more than I should but in my adult life obviously I am the sort of person who would have a glass of wine with dinner but that would be the limit of what I drink.
Jon Faine:
Do you think we’ve got a problem as a nation?
Julia Gillard:
I think we’ve got, yes, a series of problems as a nation. I am concerned about the binge drinking culture. I think it’s true to say that generations of young Australians going back in time immemorial when you were young when I was young there were probably occasions when young people drink too much but I think that has become more of a feature of drinking by young people today then perhaps it was going back 20 or 30 years and that’s concerning.
I think some of the forms in which young people can get alcohol now make them very highly drinkable so some of the alcopops people can drink without quite realising the alcoholic consequences of it because it tastes like soft drink and it tastes very sweet. I think for adult Australians the statistics would show that our nation drinks more heavily than it should and the public education campaigns to get people to think about that are very important.
Jon Faine:
Just the public education campaigns or do we need tougher regulations?
Julia Gillard:
Well we regulate alcohol in a series of ways. Obviously State and Local governments regulate where alcohol is available from and the hours that you can drink it.
Jon Faine:
And you could argue that’s not working because as the statistics show it’s getting worse and rapidly.
Julia Gillard:
I think there always is the question of regulation but when it comes to things like drinking and smoking it seems to me that what drives the profound changes is changing community attitudes. And I am an optimist about that. I mean in my lifetime there’s been a revolution in the way that people think about smoking. In my lifetime there’s been a revolution in the way people think about things like sun smart. So it shows that concerted public education can make a difference and we need that when it comes to alcohol. If you try and restrict supply you can often say to yourself you are doing a good thing but if there is demand then normally people find a way to get that demand met. So changing the demand pattern is the fundamental task.
Jon Faine:
The Liberal Party it would seem are going to try and engineer a series of resignations from parliament and speculation is that it will be sometime before the Budget in May. Peter Costello in Higgins, Alexander Downer in Mayo, Peter McGauran in Gippsland. Is the Labor Party going to have a serious dip at what would normally be regarded as safe Liberal seats?
Julia Gillard:
Well, we will have see what happens. I know there is speculation about a sort of Super Tuesday equivalent, a Super Saturday when there are a series of by-elections on the one day. All I would say to Members of Parliament: if you don’t feel that your hearts in doing the job then it’s the sort of job you cant do. Being a Member of Parliament requires all of your focus and all of your energy and if you are at that stage where you think well I can’t put in for my constituents then people should be thinking about moving on…
Jon Faine:
So Alexander Downer clowning around on commercial radio in Adelaide, is that appropriate for a sitting Member of Parliament?
Julia Gillard:
Well whether or not that’s appropriate, what is appropriate is making sure that you are doing the job for your constituents I think that requires you to do things like attend Question Time in Parliament. It means that you have go to be attended both Parliament duties and constituent based duties and if you get to a stage you feel you cant do that then its not fair to the constituents who want representation in the national Parliament because that’s what they are entitled to with their vote. Now I don’t want to speculate on who’s going to go off the Liberal backbench. I think there are probably some people there who need to make some decisions….
Jon Faine:
Does the Labor Party, given Brendan Nelson’s popularity at under ten per cent and the Liberal Party at the moment enjoying the sort of horrors that a major political party hasn’t seen for a long time are you going to seriously have a go at Higgins for instance?
Julia Gillard:
Well we would make those decisions when it is clear that there will be a by-election rather than make them up prior to the time that its clear that there is a going to be a by-election. So obviously we assess what we are going to do in terms of election contests, we’ll do that in consultation with our party officials with our National Secretary and the like and those decisions will be made when and, I guess I should say if and when there are resignations from Parliament.
Jon Faine:
Whispers of celebrity candidates for the Labor Party so that you can take a blue ribbon seat off the Liberals. Eddy McGuire’s name has been mentioned along with others.
Julia Gillard:
Well we would make any of those decisions Jon when it was clear that there was going to be a by-election and not in advance of it.
Jon Faine:
I’m not going to get anywhere so I will move on. You said before that sitting in parliament, being there for question time is important but apparently not on Fridays?
Julia Gillard:
Well the question of the Friday sittings I think needs to be understood in its proper context. We in the parliamentary calendar have sections of Parliament that are set aside for private members business. That’s where you would go into the Parliament and raise something that is very close to the heart of your constituency. It might be an issue an individual has raised with you. We used to have that on Monday afternoons and when that happened on Monday afternoons the Executive of Government never sat in the Parliament to listen to those contributions. Members would go in and make them and you know that was the way that private members business was conducted. What we’ve tried to do is to have the Parliament sit a full week to have that kind of private members business on the Friday and make more time for the dealing with Government business that is Government legislation. So the Friday sittings are an opportunity for people to raise the very specific concerns of their constituencies.
Jon Faine:
A cardboard cut out of Julia Gillard might appear next time on a Friday sitting, they’ve tried the Prime Minister. You have just been adored by Ralph Magazine, I’ve already coped flack talking about this on air but there’s no doubt about it.
Julia Gillard:
You might cop some flack off me Jon, you never know.
Jon Faine:
Well I’m more than happy to. Do you find it demeaning being described as one of the sexist women in Australia?
Julia Gillard:
Look I thought it was funny more than anything else Jon and I was obviously asked about it by the media on the day and indicated I thought it was pretty silly and you know, that’s the way it is.
Jon Faine:
So cardboard cut out Julia Gillard next Friday Parliamentary sitting day?
Julia Gillard:
Well I was in and out of last Friday parliamentary sitting day, I don’t think I’d look forward to crashing into a cardboard cut-out of myself so hopefully that’s not going to happen.
Jon Faine:
Alright, Julia Gillard, thank you we’ve got through a lot of traffic today and I’m grateful to you.
Julia Gillard:
Thank you
END