TRANSCRIPT - ABC Radio National with Patricia Karvelas

PAUL FLETCHER MP

Shadow Minister for Science and the Arts

Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy

Manager of Opposition Business in the House

TRANSCRIPT

ABC Radio National

11 December 2024

Patricia Karvelas: Senior opposition frontbencher Paul Fletcher has announced he won't recontest his northern Sydney seat of Bradfield at the next election, despite the party now having a strong lead in the opinion polls. Paul Fletcher's retirement has further diminished the Liberal Party's long held claim to be a broad church. It means another senior moderate will be gone or leaving the parliament. That's hot off the heels of fellow moderate Simon Birmingham's decision to quit politics, and the federal party is now dominated by the right. Paul Fletcher joins me this morning. Welcome to the program.

Paul Fletcher: Good to be with you, PK. 

Patricia Karvelas: Why are you leaving? 

Paul Fletcher: I've had a very good run. Fifteen years, six elections. I'm a believer in renewal for individuals and for institutions. So I think it's time to hand the baton to somebody else. Let somebody else have a go. I'm pleased that we've got a strong field of candidates already assembling for the pre-selection. We have a democratic process to choose our candidates in the Liberal Party. It's entirely unclear how the Teals choose their candidates, but we have a democratic process and we'll have a strong Liberal candidate. And I look forward to working with him or her in the remaining months. 

Patricia Karvelas: First Simon Birmingham, now you. The moderate wing of the party is steadily losing its voice, it seems, particularly at the senior ranks. Does that concern you? 

Paul Fletcher: Look, I wouldn't agree with that characterisation. The Liberal Party is at its strongest when it has senior people and people across the party room from all of the different strands and philosophical traditions that make up our party. And we have plenty of people from all of those different traditions in the party room. There'll be more able people coming into the party room around the country at the next election. I think we can confidently say there are people who are going to win seats that are not presently Liberal seats. So I'm confident that the different strands of varying strands of liberal philosophical tradition will continue to be well represented in the party room. And look, I have to say that Peter Dutton, as a leader, has been very consultative and has worked hard to make sure that the views of all across the party room are considered as important decisions are being made. 

Patricia Karvelas: On his way out, Simon Birmingham spoke to me and he did have some parting commentary about the kind of direction of the party, particularly going into the next election. He said, should avoid culture wars and division. Do you agree with that? 

Paul Fletcher: I think that the most important thing for us to do is to be providing a clear alternative for the Australian people, given the grim economic circumstances that we face, that is really important. And what's what, it's very quickly we've seen this Albanese Labor government proved to be chaotic and incompetent. We've got inflation stuck at 3.5%, we've had 12 interest rate rises. Productivity is cratering. And Mr. Albanese, Mr. Chalmers don't seem to have much idea about what to do about that. So you know, the Liberal Party one of its, core strengths is competent economic management. And also looking at the long term issues that our nation needs to face, such as, a sustainable, affordable energy system which achieves net zero. Now, we've been putting forward clear policies on those issues, and that's what I think is critically important. 

Patricia Karvelas: Okay. So on culture wars, do you have a view? 

Paul Fletcher: We need to look at issue by issue. I'm not entirely sure what the term culture wars actually means. 

Patricia Karvelas: You know, having debates about Aboriginal flags and stuff like that. Is that what you want to see? 

Paul Fletcher: What I am sure about is that the job of major political parties, of government, like the Liberal Party is to put forward and deliver serious, capable economic management, to build prosperity. At the moment, Australia's prosperity is under real threat. Our productivity is collapsing. The only growth is coming from the public sector. We need to improve productivity, get taxes down, improve growth and deliver the prosperity that Australians have enjoyed. We've had a great run as a nation for the last 30 or 40 years, but we absolutely cannot take it for granted. I said that in my first speech in the Parliament, something I strongly believe in. I think that's one of the central aspects of what the Liberal Party offers. 

Patricia Karvelas: You've criticised the Teals. In fact, very recently you've said, and I quote, they are a giant green left con job. Don't you think voters, your voters can make up their own mind? I mean, isn't that kind of depiction insulting to the people who want to vote for these alternatives? 

Paul Fletcher: Look, the voters in Bradfield are highly intelligent, well educated, lots of managerial and professional people. They will make up their own mind. The point I've been making is that at the last election, very little was known about the Teals. They were people with no public profile. They campaigned specifically on only three issues. They had very little to say about what else they would do. We now know what their voting record is. There have been hundreds of votes in the Parliament, between 74 and 81% of the time. The seven Teals have voted with the radical extreme Greens on bills, on substantive motions that will lead to bills and lead to legislation. 

Patricia Karvelas: But you look at someone like Allegra Spender. So just to challenge you a little, she's calling for industrial relations changes that your, Opposition hasn't even settled on, which are pretty much centre right. I mean, how can you argue that when she's out there campaigning for things that are to the right of what you're saying? 

Paul Fletcher: And one of the points that I made in my speech last week was in support of majority government. You know, there's this presumption that independents are in, some way, to be preferred to parties of government. But you can only achieve significant economic reform if you have a majority government. You know, the GST was delivered by John Howard and Peter Costello because the Liberal Party together with the Nationals, had a strong majority. 

Patricia Karvelas: You can say that all you want though, Paul Fletcher. But ultimately voters are voting with their feet right. And look what they're doing. A third of them are voting for third. Don't you need to respect that, which means forming minority governments sometimes? 

Paul Fletcher: No. What we need to do, in my view, is make the argument as to why majority government is a good thing. We've had majority government in Australia for 80 years and it's served us well. We've had one period of minority government, 2010 to 2013, and that was a very bad, chaotic period. And the Australian people demonstrated that they did not, rate highly the outputs of that 2010 to 2013 period, the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government. So we need to make the case to the Australian people about the importance of majority government. And majority government is not advanced when you have people as was the case with the Teals at the 2022 election, giving the impression to many voters who were disenchanted with the Liberal Party after the tough years of COVID. But they gave the impression to many voters that they were Liberal-lite. Well they’re clearly not. And we’ll be making the case that they voted overwhelmingly with the radical extreme Greens. 

Patricia Karvelas: Alright we’re out of time, Paul Fletcher. Congratulations on your time in parliament. Thank you for joining us. Paul Fletcher, outgoing Member for Bradfield.