KIERAN GILBERT:
Coming up on the program: Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is my guest for reaction of Penny Wong’s comments and all the latest on that story. Let’s go to one of her Cabinet colleagues now though, one of the National Cabinet members, Darren Chester.
Is this all a bit overdone, the Government claims of collusion, of treason? It seems a bit overdone.
DARREN CHESTER:
Well good morning first of all, but let’s take a step back. What’s actually occurred here is a senior staff member of one of the most senior shadow ministers has reached out to a New Zealand colleague to get themselves involved in some way or another – we’re not exactly sure how – into Australian domestic politics from across the ditch. Now, I think that’s a pretty poor state of affairs for the Labor Party to be involved in and I think the Labor Party has more questions to answer on this than they’ve let on so far.
KIERAN GILBERT:
Penny Wong denies that she knew that there was going to be a question asked, that there wasn’t a request of a question to be asked by Hipkins – the Labour MP in New Zealand – and that she, nor her staff member, were aware that there would be a question asked in the New Zealand Parliament. That’s their position today.
DARREN CHESTER:
Let’s hear what Bill Shorten’s got to say. I mean, Bill Shorten has form in the dark arts of politics – just ask Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd – and it seems he hasn’t changed. I mean, he’s the leader of a party which is now reaching out across international boundaries to get foreign nations involved to some extent in Australian domestic politics. And I think from that perspective it is a very damaging course of action taken by the Australian Labor Party. But more broadly I’d have to say – as you have perhaps indicated – the relationship between Australia and New Zealand is extraordinarily strong. I mean, without wishing to invoke the ANZAC spirit lightly, we’ve shared many conflicts; worked together in a defence, social, economic and cultural way for generations and we will continue to do so into the future. And I have no doubt we’ll continue to have a great relationship with our Kiwi friends.
KIERAN GILBERT:
In relation to that though, is that the only reason why the Government feels it can whip this up as dramatically as you have? Because we are so close to New Zealand, it doesn’t really matter in the longer term.
DARREN CHESTER:
No Kieran, I don’t agree that we’ve whipped this up. This is a serious matter. I mean, look at it in reverse: if it had come to the attention of the Australian people that a foreign nation was reaching into our country, talking to our MPs, perhaps encouraging questions to be asked of Members of Parliament we wouldn’t be very happy about it. The correct course of action for the Australian Labor Party would have been, if they had doubts about a Member of Parliament on our side, is to ask questions in Question Time. That’s why we have Question Time. I mean ask questions of the Government, ask questions of Ministers directly. You don’t have to sneak around behind the scenes, dabble in the dark arts of politics – which Bill Shorten is so familiar in doing. Let’s actually get up front and ask these questions that they want asked.
KIERAN GILBERT:
This is not just the Government looking for a diversion?
DARREN CHESTER:
Well it’s not about looking for a diversion. I mean, Penny Wong herself has indicated that she wouldn’t have encouraged it if she had her way again, so this is an admission of a mistake being made by the Labor Party. It’s serious. It is a serious issue and it’s one that I think Bill Shorten needs to come clean: what did he know, was he involved, did his office order this to occur? I think he should answer some of those questions himself.
KIERAN GILBERT:
It might be serious, but is it also serious of the Foreign Minister – my interview coming up with her in just a few moments – but is it also, in your view, irresponsible of her as Penny Wong has asserted, others have asserted as well, that she raised the prospect that she might not be able to deal with the New Zealand Labour Party because of the trust issue.
DARREN CHESTER:
Well first point: we’re not going to be taking advice from Penny Wong on what’s responsible and what’s not responsible. I mean, really. Her staff members been reaching out to New Zealand to get questions asked in the Parliament. You want to talk about irresponsible, I think that is something that Penny Wong has to explain more fully.
Now, in terms of the Foreign Minister, she’s there to represent Australia’s interests and she’s concerned – quite rightly concerned – that it wasn’t in Australia’s interest to have a senior staff member of one of those most senior members of the Australian Labor Party reaching out to a foreign power to have questions asked of an Australian parliamentarian.
KIERAN GILBERT:
Before we get to that Julie Bishop interview, a final question goes to the Barnaby Joyce citizenship issue. Is it double standards, the fact that he’s still in there and potentially Acting Prime Minister – when Turnbull’s out of the country – is that fair? Given Matt Canavan’s stood down, others have stepped down from Parliament.
DARREN CHESTER:
Well I think what’s fair is the Australian people expect us to get a full appreciation of this issue by taking it to the High Court and it’s been referred to the High Court as Barnaby Joyce has taken that initiative. Now, in terms of Barnaby’s situation, the Government sought advice from an independent source – being the Solicitor-General – and received the advice that he was still entitled to sit as the Member for New England and on that basis the Prime Minister made the decision for Barnaby to continue as Deputy Prime Minister and continue his Ministerial responsibilities.
Now, each of the other cases you mentioned have different aspects to them. No one case is the same here it seems. The two Greens Senators both acknowledged they were born overseas and that clearly invokes some level of citizenship rights to them. Matt Canavan’s situation again was quite different in that his mother had sought citizenship in Italy. So they’re all quite different cases.
KIERAN GILBERT:
Minister, appreciate your time.
[ENDS]