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 JUNE 2024

Kieran Gilbert: Welcome back to the program. Let's bring in live now the Manager of Opposition Business, Paul Fletcher, coming up to question time. You've got a busy afternoon. Thanks for making some time. But big news with Assange on his way back to Australia. Is that a good thing? A free man.

Paul Fletcher: Look, there'll be some activists who are pleased for most Australians. We'll be seeing the shocking inflation numbers out today, and also the AEMO integrated system plan, which confirms that by 2035, 90% of coal fired power will have exited the system and yet, Mister Albanese’s renewables plan is running well behind.

I think Australians will be a lot more worried about the cost of their food and groceries and the cost of energy, and the very real risk that under this government, the grid becomes increasingly fragile.

Kieran Gilbert: So you think most people won't give two hoops?

Paul Fletcher: Well, I think for most people, those issues are of much more concern to them than you know, Julian Assange. There's a collection of activists who are very motivated about it, but I think most people, they've got a lot more things to worry about in their lives.

Kieran Gilbert: There is a view though, that, and the Prime Minister puts it enough's enough. That he had served a lengthy period of, whether it was incarceration formally in a prison or not. Do you subscribe to that view?

Paul Fletcher: Look, the reality is that every hour that the Prime Minister has spent on this is an hour that he hasn't been able to spend on getting inflation down or ensuring stability and affordability in our energy grid and unfortunately Australians are seeing the very serious consequences of that.

I mean, let's bear in mind, most of his first year was taken up with the Voice and with flitting around the world on all kinds of international junkets. Australians will be looking at the inflation numbers today and saying, well hang on, why weren't you focused on the priorities that are important to us to help us get on with our lives?

Kieran Gilbert: Do you think it's fair enough if a senior member of the government, the Prime Minister or Foreign Minister, are at the airport to welcome Assange home?

Paul Fletcher: I think it would just be a huge reminder to Australians that this Government's priorities are a very long way away from the day to day issues facing most Australians in their lives.

Kieran Gilbert: With this inflation number, no doubt this will dominate your focus this afternoon in question time.

Paul Fletcher: Look, we'll certainly be asking questions about it. I mean, for the fourth month in a row, we are seeing inflation going up, core inflation, which is what the RBA focuses on. Above 4%. You know, food up 11.4% since Mister Albanese came to government. Electricity up 21.5%. 

This is very, very serious, and it confirms what we've been saying, what Angus Taylor has been saying as Shadow Treasurer, about what should have been the priorities in the Budget brought down just two or three months ago. You know, Jim Chalmers was claiming it was perfectly calibrated, it doesn't look that perfectly calibrated.

Kieran Gilbert: You think another hike is imminent?

Paul Fletcher: I think there's a very real risk. I think there's a real risk because the RBA has the job of keeping inflation under control. Their tool is interest rates. They'd be looking at these numbers saying, this is getting worse, not better.

Kieran Gilbert: Paul Fletcher, thanks as always appreciate it.