THE HON TANYA PLIBERSEK MP
MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2GB DRIVE WITH CHRIS O’KEEFE
WEDNESDAY, 11 DECEMBER 2024
SUBJECTS: VINNIES CHRISTMAS RADIOTHON.
CHRIS O'KEEFE, HOST: I'm very pleased to say that the Minister for the Environment, Tanya Plibersek and a friend of the show is on the line. Hello, Minister.
TANYA PLIBERSEK, MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT AND WATER: It's great to be with you, Chris.
O'KEEFE: Don't Vinnies do some great work?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: They really, really do. We used to live in Woolloomooloo and we had the Matt Talbot just around the corner from us. And now, my office is just down the road from Vinnies in Redfern. And I've seen firsthand - I've visited the Matt Talbot many times over the years. I've visited Vinnies, you know, the other homes they provide people.
But also, in Redfern, I've been there to their day centre and the difference it makes to people. Like, not only do they provide food and support and, you know, people to help get you housing, but they even had support for people's pets. You know, sometimes people go without food because they feed their pet before they feed themselves. And being able to drop in and pick up a few suppliers for yourself or for your little furry friend, it just makes all the difference.
O'KEEFE: You're going to help out today?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: I just donated 200 bucks.
O'KEEFE: Oh Minister, thank you.
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: And can I say, I love Vinnies - they do an amazing job. But this Christmas, I'll also support Wayside Chapel and Reverend Bill Crews out at Ashfield, and the Salvos. They're all out there making a huge difference to our community.
And I'll tell you what, in our family now we do Secret Santa for the adults. And I would much rather see a few bucks going to people that need a bit of support at Christmas time than, you know, giving us adults to each other that probably don't make a big difference at the end of the day.
O'KEEFE: Well said, Minister. Thank you so much for your time all this year and making yourself available for us. You have a wonderful Christmas to you and your family.
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Thank you. And can I just say to people who are working on Christmas Day, all the emergency service people, the people who work in shops and restaurants and airports, and keep the buses and trains and everything, we're thinking of them. And to all the people who are their customers, be nice. Be nice. It's a stressful time of year for a lot of people - be nice in the shops.
O'KEEFE: We lose our manners, I think, at this time of year sometimes.
Thank you so much for coming on, Minister. All the best.
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Happy Christmas. See you.
O'KEEFE: That's Minister for the Environment, Tanya Plibersek.
END
