Minister Shorten interview on Today Show with Sarah Abo

E&OE TRANSCRIPT

SUBJECTS: Latest jobs figures; U.S interest rate cuts; cost of living pressures; energy supply; footy finals predictions

SARAH ABO, HOST: Well, the latest job figures reveal little has changed. The unemployment rate remaining steady at 4.2%, with 47,000 jobs added, squashing hopes of a rate cut next Tuesday. For more, we're joined by NDIS and Government Services Minister in the studio today. Bill Shorten, thanks for joining us. And Opposition leader Peter Dutton, who is in Brisbane this morning. Good morning to you too, Pete. Bill, I'll start with you. So, the Fed Reserve obviously quite aggressive in its cut to interest rates over there. Unlikely to see it here anytime soon?

BILL SHORTEN, MINISTER FOR THE NDIS AND GOVERMENT SERVICES: It's an interesting development but we are a different economy. Like everyone I hope to see downward pressure on interest rates, although I think it is good that we're seeing such strong job numbers. I mean, when you see that under this government, nearly a million new jobs have been created, that's got to be good news. The majority of them are full time jobs and most of them are going to women.

ABO: A lot of them are part time jobs as well, though, which Pete, you mentioned yesterday shows, I guess, just how desperate people are to make ends meet in this cost-of-living crisis we're experiencing.

PETER DUTTON, LIBERAL PARTY: I think that's a reality, Sarah. I just think people are finding second and third jobs. They're working more hours, businesses are more reluctant to put people on full time, which is why we see full time numbers come back under this latest announcement. And people are really scratching around for every dollar they can to make their mortgage repayments, to pay their electricity or their insurance bill. And a lot of Australians are doing it incredibly tough under the Albanese government, there's no question.

ABO: I guess realistically, Bill, the jobs figures, while, you know, they're good. They've remained steady, it means that we are unlikely to see the cuts.

SHORTEN: You've got to love Peter Dutton. Sometimes I say that sort of bit tongue in cheek, but we see 47,000 extra jobs and you can still see the bad in it. The reality is there's been 978,000 jobs created since the government got elected. The majority are full time jobs. But Pete, I guess that's you know, he's the sort of, the bad news guy. He's got to see the bad and everything. People are doing it tough. And that's why today we're seeing some necessary modest improvements to pension payments for about 5 million people.

ABO: All right. We are obviously in the midst of this cost-of-living crisis. And new modelling this morning has revealed that power bills could rise by about $665 a year under your plan to build nuclear plants around the country. That's not really going to help Aussie households, is it?

DUTTON: Well, Sarah, I just think we need to deal with reality here. And this is Chris Bowen, who promised before the election that power prices would come down by $275. They've gone up by $1,000. He's predicting now that in 2037, your electricity bill will go up by $650. I mean, is that credible? Does anyone believe what Chris Bowen has to say? I suspect not. The fact is that the government's taking 90% of baseload power out of the system by 2034. That means the 24/7 electricity. So, Mr. Bowen says, oh, it's great that batteries are there. The batteries last for 4 hours, but the problem is there are 24 hours in the day. So, we need the intermittent power. We want the renewables. But when the sun's not shining or the wind's not blowing, we need to have a baseload power. And in other countries around the world, bearing in mind that 19 of the top economies in the world, 19 of the top 20 economies in the world have nuclear power. In Ontario, they're paying one third the cost of electricity that we are here. So, I'd look at the lived experience as opposed to Chris Bowen's political points that he's making.

ABO: I guess the issue, though, Pete, is that there is such little detail that he can kind of make those points. I mean, it's fertile ground for him to make these claims. I know you're going to speak on Monday with slightly more information on your nuclear build, but at the moment, unless the government commits to it, it is going to cost taxpayers more.

DUTTON: Well, I mean, the Prime Minister is out telling people that, you know, the wind is free, and the sun is free. He forgets to tell people about the 28,000km of new poles and wires, it's at $1.2 trillion plan that the government's got out there. And I just don't think Chris Bowen's got credibility, to be honest. No Australian that I've met as we go around the country from any household or from any small business, can say that they're paying less for their electricity. Under this government, the prices keep going up because our renewables only policy delivers two things higher prices and uncertainty about energy supply. And this is why the energy regulator's warning that under the Albanese government, we're likely to have blackouts and brownouts.

SHORTEN: Oh, Pete, a lot of words died there not to get an answer. The reality is there's costing - I was waiting for Pete just to answer one thing.

DUTTON: Bill just keep telling everyone that everything's okay.

SHORTEN: Oh, Pete… Mate…

DUTTON: Just keep telling people that everything's okay under the Albanese government, that's reality, mate.

SHORTEN: Mate. Your nuclear policy is more lost than Burke and Wills. You don't know where you are. Just put up your numbers, pop your numbers up.

DUTTON: Do you rehearse these bad lines before you come on, or do they just come out of your head?.

SHORTEN: I wish you'd -

DUTTON: Surely you can't put too much work into it.

SHORTEN: I wish you would rehearse, doing your homework.

DUTTON: Tell me this is not rehearsed.

SHORTEN: You're the only bloke who turns up to run for Prime Minister who doesn't do your homework and just bags everyone else who does costings for you, like you can't build seven new nuclear plants for free. Who's going to pay for it, Pete?

DUTTON: True. That's true.

SHORTEN: Okay, thank you.

DUTTON: That's true. Bill.

ABO: All right, look, we will move on. Pete, you'll get -

DUTTON: It's a, it's a profound point. It's a profound point. Thank you.

SHORTEN: It's over to you, big guy. How much?

ABO: How much will you tell us on Monday, Pete?

SHORTEN: Any day ending in y.

DUTTON: Sarah, we'll give the costings,-

SHORTEN: Give it to the fairies in the bottom of the garden.

DUTTON: - we'll give the give the costings in due course. Bill's like - what I hope is that what I hope is that somebody writes a book of Bill Shorten's zingers right? Now, it won't be a bestseller -

SHORTEN: It'll be longer than your book of costings on nuclear power.

DUTTON: But it should be there as a reference point

ABO: Alright you two, you two

DUTTON: We'll see.

SHORTEN: I'll give you a few tips off camera.

ABO: I'm glad we've got a few more months of this.

DUTTON: Just be patient. Just be patient.

SHORTEN: You know I'm winding you up, Pete?

DUTTON: Plenty of time.

SHORTEN: You know it deep down.

ABO: This is good because, you know we're talking rivalry this weekend. Big night of footy finals starting tonight in Sydney. It's been kicked off, the Swans take on Port Adelaide at the SCG, the Sharks and the Cowboys. Bill, sadly our Pies aren't looking as good this year. They're not there. So, who are you going to back to win the grand final? You must have backed a team.

SHORTEN: Ugh, we could be facing in Melbourne, the prospect of two non-Victorian teams. Yeah, but, you know, having beaten Brisbane last year, maybe Brisbane, it's Brisbane's turn.

ABO: Well, there's like a Fitzroy element to Brisbane, right. So that could kind of work.

SHORTEN: Yeah…. That's a loose connection.

ABO: All right Pete you'll be supporting the Cowboys tonight no doubt?

DUTTON: Well, I'm going, I think it'll be a Swans/Lions grand finale, so definitely going Lions and I think, well yeah, I hope the Cowboys get up tonight. But it'll be a tough game. So, fingers crossed. But yeah, once the Broncos are out then I switch to, switch to Cowboys. It would have been good to see the Dolphins there but didn't happen.

ABO: I know you're a bit like us, Pete. We're a bunch of losers, aren't we? All right. Thank you both so much.

DUTTON: You've just got to accept your fate, right?

ABO: Yeah, you do. Thanks so much for joining us this week. Have a great weekend, guys.

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