TRANSCRIPT - Sky News Weekend Live with Fiona Willan

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 WEEKEND LIVE

21 September 2024

Fiona Willan: I'm joined by the Shadow Minister for Government Services, Paul Fletcher. Thank you very much for joining me. The Government has been trying to get its help to buy bill through the Senate to help more first homebuyers get into the property market. The Coalition teamed up with the Greens in the Senate this week to block and then delay this. Can Australians afford to wait?

Paul Fletcher: Well, first of all, let's be clear. The Government's bill is not a significant or comprehensive solution to the housing challenge. It's a shared equity scheme. There's already shared equity schemes delivered by almost every state government in the country. Only about 10,000 households would benefit each year. There are much more important things to be doing, including getting interest rates down.

If you look at that PropTrack report, one of the major factors that has made homes less affordable than they were three or four years ago is that we've seen mortgage interest rates go up twelve times under the present government, so that's one significant factor. 

Of course, another significant factor is that Labor has lost control of our population growth. We've seen population, increase by more than 650,000 in the year to 30 June 2024, over 1.2 million since Labor came to government. That means more pressure on demand.

And of course we've got our friends at the CFMEU, the crooks and thugs and criminals of the CFMEU driving up the cost of construction and this government has done everything they can to address what the CFMEU wants.

Fiona Willan: But on the housing bill, why do you need more time to consider it? It has been around for a while.

Paul Fletcher: We don't need more time to consider it. We're opposed to it. We've been opposed to it from the outset. It's bad policy. It won't achieve any material impacts. Only about 10,000 households a year will benefit. There are already shared equity schemes delivered by most state governments, if not all.

And the fact is, it's simply a fig leaf because Anthony Albanese is incapable of delivering significant policy reform in this and so many other areas.

Fiona Willan: What would need to change with that bill in order for the Coalition to support?

Paul Fletcher: We've been clear we're not supporting it.

Fiona Willan: The Greens are pushing for rent freeze. They also want to get rid of the capital gains discount as well as negative gearing. Some economists argue that would actually help this situation. What do you think?

Paul Fletcher: It's very clear that if we were to get rid of negative gearing as Labor sought to do at the 2019 election. That would strongly discourage Australians from investing in residential property, which in turn, would constrain the supply of homes available for people to rent. It would be a bad idea and would not achieve the objectives that we all want to see achieved, which is continuing improvements in housing availability and affordability.

We've been very clear on that. We don't think it's a good idea. Labor of course, not so clear where they stand. They do have form in trying to get this through in 2019, and I see the Prime Minister flirting with it again this week.

Fiona Willan: Anthony Albanese wants to reintroduce that bill to the House in November. Do you believe this could be a trigger for a double dissolution election?

Paul Fletcher: Well, we've seen some bluff and bluster from the Prime Minister. If you look at what the Constitution requires, there needs to be three months elapsed between when the bill was rejected in the Senate the first time, before it's considered again. 

And then there's a cutoff date, which turns out to be January 25th next year because of the way the constitutional provision operates, by which time, the House needs to be dissolved. If you can't meet that date, then double dissolution is not available.

So it seems to be a bit of bluff and bluster from the Prime Minister. We've seen a fair bit of this, but frankly, he I think, is increasingly losing credibility with Australians. And they'll listen to this as they'll listen to many other things the Prime Minister says and not, I suspect, be persuaded that he's actually got a capacity to deliver.

Fiona Willan: I do want to get you on another topic before we wrap up. So the Teal movement is building ahead of the federal election. We've seen campaigns launched to find candidates in Fisher and Fairfax targeting Ccoalition held seats. Have the Teals become a problem for the Coalition?

Paul Fletcher: The issue is what Australians want to do to deal with the fundamental economic problems that we have. You know, living standards are down about 8% and what we need is a government that can fix that problem. 

That means a Coalition Government with our proven track record in economic management, voting for an independent, we will certainly be arguing to the Australian people, is not going to find a solution to the economic problems that we have. 

And most Australians, if they ask themselves are they feeling better off now than when Labor came to government, the answer would have to be no.

Fiona Willan: The Teals did do very well in 2022 and in fact your seat, the candidate there came very close. What do you learn from that?

Paul Fletcher: If you look at how the Teals have voted between, as high as 81% of the time, they voted with the Greens on substantive legislation, second and third reading votes on legislation. It's been between 71% and 81% of the time, the seven Teals have voted with the Greens.

So, it's important that Australians understand what they're getting. If they do choose to vote for a Teal, a member of the Teal party, what they're getting is somebody from a party that has consistently aligned itself with the Greens.

And look, Australians will make up their own minds. That's the way elections work. We'll be putting the case to the Australian people in every seat, whether it's held by a Teal, whether it's held by Labor, whether it's held by the Greens, whether it's held by another independent, we'll be making the case.

We have a significant economic problem in this country. Living standards have dropped markedly and it's important to elect a Coalition government which can deliver stable government and strong economic management.

Fiona Willan: So, you're not nervous about your seat?

Paul Fletcher: I am like every member of the House of Representatives, I'd suggest you always take challenges seriously, and you always respect the fact that it is the decision of the electors that counts. So, I've taken that seriously the whole time I've been in the Parliament. Nothing has changed.

Fiona Willan: Thank you for joining me, Paul Fletcher.

Paul Fletcher: Thank you.