TRANSCRIPT - TELEVISION INTERVIEW - TODAY

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TV INTERVIEW
SUNRISE, SEVEN
FRIDAY, 28 MARCH 2025

SUBJECTS: Peter Dutton to raise taxes; Peter Dutton’s cuts; Gas policy

NATALIE BARR: Well, let's get more and our breaking news now, where the Prime Minister has just arrived to meet with the Governor-General, expected to officially trigger the start of an election for May 3rd. We've just heard that he will be doing an 8 o'clock press conference, we presume that will be back at Parliament House. So, he's got to finish his cup of tea, do all the official stuff with the Governor-General, then get back to Parliament House and start speaking at 8am so he should be wrapping up that meeting with the Governor-General soon. We'll bring that to you as we get it.

For more, I'm joined by Education Minister Jason Clare and Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley. Good morning to you, Jason.

JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: Good morning.

BARR: Big day for the government and the Opposition, of course. Jason, tell us what the next five weeks are going to look like.

CLARE: This is a choice between higher taxes under Peter Dutton or lower taxes under Labor. Australians will have a choice in the next few weeks between Labor and Medicare or Peter Dutton and nuclear reactors. You can't have both. And that will be the big choice that Australians will have to make.

BARR: Yes, Sussan, you know, five weeks is a long time. We feel like we've been in this campaign for at least three to six months. It is still neck and neck and the papers are screaming, 'please inspire us.' How will you do that?

SUSSAN LEY: Nat, this election is about who can manage the economy better, who can help Australians to get ahead, who can properly balance migration and housing so Australians can realise that great Australian dream of owning your own home, and who can keep us safe in an increasingly uncertain world. I can't wait to get out there. I am filled with energy, enthusiasm and determination to meet as many Australians as I can to present this clear choice. Because what I do know, Nat, is that this country cannot afford another three years of Labor. And Australians are going backwards with some of the highest power prices in the world and some of the lowest living standards with respect to how far our living standards have dropped when we compare ourselves to other economies. So, we're going backwards and it's just not good enough.

BARR: Yeah, let's talk about power, because really, this is - the massive bill that people face every quarter, Peter Dutton's reply speech last night, the budget reply. He unveiled this national gas plan, basically an east coast gas reservation, securing 20 per cent of demand, so basically keeping 20 per cent onshore rather than letting the company sell it overseas. Sussan, of course, this was done in Western Australia nearly 20 years ago. I think at the time it was called a 'hillbilly policy.' Now, surprise, surprise, nearly 20 years ago the east coast are catching on. Why now?

LEY: We need to keep more Australian gas for Australians, Nat. It's as simple as that and that's what the national gas plan will do. It will bring down power prices because there's a critical link between gas and your electricity and your power bill. But we'll do more than that.

BARR: Why haven't we done this before now, Sussan?

LEY: Well, we're doing it now and it's taking a Peter Dutton-led team --

BARR: Yeah, but why now? Like, it's a long time.

LEY: -- because we've looked at how Labor has absolutely mess this up. Their energy policy has been a train wreck for the last three years. So we need this intervention.

BARR: But you were in for a lot of that time. Just curious, like, it just - I mean, it sounds like a good idea when lots of people look at it, but.

CLARE: No answers.

LEY: We have to make a correction to the train wreck of a policy that we've seen from this Labor Government.

CLARE: No answers.

LEY: This is an intervention that will make that difference. It will make that difference, Nat. Because we want more gas for Australians and we want Australian gas for Australians. So, our plan gets more supply into the system. Under Jason's team, it's taking years and years, up to 16 years for an approval for a new project. That's a Labor Party that clearly doesn't care about energy and manufacturing and bringing down your power bill. Because never mind $275, Jason, it's actually gone up by $1300. That's how much more people are paying for their electricity than when you were elected.

CLARE: Nat, can I respond?

BARR: Jason, she is right. People's power bills have gone up that much and this is a major concern for people. Why didn't you do this years ago, Jason?

CLARE: The interesting thing about this is that the Liberal Party and Peter Dutton promised to do this five years ago and they never did it. So, this is a con. The fact is that we've been able to secure six times as much gas as Peter Dutton was talking about reserving last night. And we've reduced the cost of gas from 30 bucks a gigajoule down to 12 bucks. What this is, let's be honest about it, this is a distraction from his nuclear reactor policy which is about as popular now as a fart in an elevator. And he's doing everything he can to distract from what would be - remember this is $600 billion of taxpayers' money - the most expensive election policy that anyone's ever taken to an election. Peter Dutton is promising to increase your taxes but also $600 billion worth of nuclear reactors and he won't tell Australians what he's going to cut from, whether it's Medicare or schools, to pay for it. He's got to cut something and he's got to cough up during this election and tell us, tell the Australian people, what's he going to cut? Because we know that Peter Dutton will cut and you'll pay and you deserve to know what he's going to cut.

BARR: Ok. Well, he only did mention the word nuclear twice last night in the Budget reply.

CLARE: That's right.

BARR: He has said to us many times on this program, we will get the costing and the timing of that nuclear policy sometime before the election. So, we've got to keep him at his word.

LEY: We're here.

BARR: Yep, we've got to go.

LEY: Nat, we're here for everyday Australians.

BARR: Yep, exactly. And they want the details.

LEY: We're here for everyday Australians and their cost of living. And we're backing them for a better future.

BARR: We've got five weeks now, so I'm sure we'll get them. Look, thank you very much