TRANSCRIPT - Sky News Newsday with Kieran Gilbert

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

SKY NEWS NEWSDAY

26 September 2024

Kieran Gilbert: Let's return now to national affairs and joining me is the Manager of Opposition Business, Paul Fletcher. 

Let's start with the Middle East. A huge crisis right now unfolding in Lebanon with Hezbollah under fire from Israel. Calls at the United Nations, led by the United States, for a ceasefire. What's your read on it?

Paul Fletcher: Well, let's be clear that Israel has been under attack from Hezbollah for many months. Hundreds of rockets being launched, thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes. And Israel, as every nation, has a right to self-defence. That's a very important principle. Of course, we all want to see peace, but when Israel is faced with this continuing aggression, then Israel has a right to take actions in self-defence. That's a very important principle.

Kieran Gilbert: The White House calling for a 21-day ceasefire. Is there any scenario where you would see Netanyahu agreeing to that as he's trying to put pressure, push Hezbollah back?

Paul Fletcher: Look, I'm not going to engage in speculation about the particular pathway forward that may be taken by Israel or by any other participant or any other stakeholder. But what I will say is Israel has been under attack from Hezbollah with hundreds of rockets being launched, people in that part of Israel being forced to leave their homes.

And just as we saw with the terrorist attack in October last year, where some 1,200 Israelis were killed, hundreds taken hostage, taken into Gaza. This aggression against Israel is a critical factor in the actions that Israel has chosen to take to defend its citizens.

Kieran Gilbert: Back home now and the Prime Minister says the public service is simply doing its job when it comes to looking at negative gearing. Do you buy that?

Paul Fletcher: Labor is up to its old tricks. We know that under Bill shorten, they were promising to abolish negative gearing. Now we're seeing that the Albanese Labor Government has sought advice from Treasury on abolishing negative gearing. The Prime Minister and the Treasurer are refusing to clearly deny it. 

But we're seeing some of the same language we saw when for weeks they refused to give a clear position on breaking their promise in relation to the stage three tax cuts. They then went ahead and did break their promise and experienced observers of the Albanese Labor Government would see a very similar pattern.

Now let's be clear, negative gearing is used by over 2 million Australians. People who own an investment property and are making a loss on it, and they're able to deduct that loss as a consequence. That's lots of houses that are in the marketplace available for people to rent. And so this attack on negative gearing, which Labor is clearly gearing up for, is bad news for all of those Australian families who are working hard to get ahead.

Kieran Gilbert: Well, they say it's not their policy.

Paul Fletcher: Well experienced observers of the Albanese Labor Government and of Labor would be very sceptical of that claim when we see the pattern here. We've seen this pattern and we know that at two previous elections Labor had a clear objective to abolish negative gearing, and all the signs are there that they're on to the same thing again.

Kieran Gilbert: Paul Fletcher, thank you appreciate it.