Sky News with Kieran Gilbert Transcript, 24 July 2024
KIERAN GILBERT, HOST: Welcome back to the program, joining me live in the studio is the Assistant Trade and Manufacturing Minister, Tim Ayres. Thanks for your time, as always. Before we went to the break we’d been reporting on the latest drama in the United States. It’s been an extraordinary time, President Biden to address the nation tomorrow after he’s pulled out of the race, but now, it does appear, and is it a good thing, that it looks like it’s going to be a more competitive race for the white house?
SENATOR TIM AYRES, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR TRADE AND MANUFACTURING: I have to offer the response that I have offered to you on previous occasions and to other journalists, it is a fascinating electoral contest. It is one of the world’s largest and most vibrant democracies, the United States, of course I don’t want to say anything that intervenes in the United States political process, but it is fascinating.
GILBERT: We all have a stake in the future of that country.
AYRES: Of course, and our job as representatives of the Government led by the Prime Minister is to make sure that we are pressing for Australia’s national interest with whoever it is that the people of the United States elect as the next president. This government and indeed the previous government, strong relationship with the government run by President Biden, I think we were saying just before this interview his announcement of his retirement at the end of this term – this president was elected as a senator in 1972, that’s more than 50 years of public service that is an extraordinary contribution.
GILBERT: I asked this of the acting Prime Minister earlier on the program but I’ll ask you too, do you feel like our alliance that the AUKUS setting and everything is on a firm footing regardless of who wins?
AYRES: Yes, I do and its always up to the Australian Government to press the Australian national interest in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. We will as a government continue to work on that in private and public ways using all of our diplomatic networks, our economic relationships and of course the direct one to one ministerial and prime ministerial to president relationships. That is something that will be an absolute continuity from the Australian government. It's a matter for the Americans who they elect as their president and in their in their political system. But we are determined to keep pressing the Australian interest on every occasion.
GILBERT: On another matter, as a former union official the CFMEU scandal. How do you see that in terms of not just a Labor Senator but a former union official yourself? Do you believe it besmirches the whole Labor movement, what we're seeing there?
AYRES: Well, it certainly is a source or it should be a source of great shame to the CFMEU construction and general division. What has happened here, I noticed that Sally McManus, the Secretary if the ACTU, has acted quickly to be very clear about the union movement's view about this and the government's response. I agree with what Bill Kelty had to say the other day, this is the right intervention and administration is the hard road. It's not necessarily the shortest route. You know, if you're interested in the short -
GILBERT: The Prime Minister showing backbone, Peter Dutton says; well, he's not, because they should, you should, deregister the union.
AYRES: Yeah, if you're interested in a cheap headline, but, but very little substance. Then you do what Peter Dutton is doing, and wave the flag for deregistration. It's not a practical solution. If you're interested in the long road, the hard road, the most effective road, then you do what the Prime Minister and Tony Burke announced last week; that is administration, all of the determined and hard and careful work that will be required. Tony made it very clear last week, if the pathway is not completely clear on administration, the government will do whatever is required in the parliament to make that work. That is the right thing to do for the construction industry.
GILBERT: When we were kids, I remember seeing the BLF and Norm Gallagher and Bob Hawke at that time having to deal with that. And this has come full circle, and it's back again. Well, same sector, yeah, dysfunctional problems in the -
AYRES: You're right. We saw that in 1986 and, as you were saying, I was playing a leadership role in in my trade union, the AMW - it had interface in construction. I watched how hard, decent, honest officials worked in that sector. What has happened? Of the revelations in the nine newspapers, they are utterly disgraceful, utterly disgraceful. That's why they've been cast out of the of the Labor Party. That's why the ACTU has taken the action that is taken, and for the government's part, that is why this administration, which is the most comprehensive effort that can be led to fix this up. It is in the interests of the construction industry, but it's also in the interest of construction workers to end this with a better outcome; decent, straightforward unionism in the construction industry. That's actually about the interests of construction workers and the construction industry.
GILBERT: Lot of speculation about a ministerial reshuffle. Well, sounds like it's happening sooner, rather than later.
AYRES: There's always speculation about these kind of things in Canberra. I can just tell you that me and my colleagues are getting on with the job and will continue to get on with the job. Questions about future arrangements are really a matter for the Prime Minister.
GILBERT: There's been a fair bit of stability, though, over two years.
AYRES: This has been a government that has been focused squarely on the national interest from day one and in my areas of policy. What we are about is the future of the manufacturing sector in Australia, building the manufacturing capability that we need for the future that will deliver tens of billions of dollars of investment into Australian manufacturing, shaping the future, the long term future of the Australian economy in the national interest and the government economic focus in the short term, on the here and now. Questions of the cost of living, that's where we've been focused. I understand there will always be chatter in the corridors in Canberra. That's just a statement of fact, but we are focused on the national interest and on the interests of ordinary Australians today.
GILBERT: Tim Ayres, thanks for your time.
AYRES: Thanks, Kieran.
GILBERT: We'll talk to you soon.
ENDS.
