TANYA PLIBERSEK MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR EDUCATION
SHADOW MINISTER FOR WOMEN
MEMBER FOR SYDNEY
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
SKY NEWS WITH ALAN JONES
THURSDAY, 28 OCTOBER 2021
SUBJECTS: Execution of Afghan army officer; Voter ID legislation; Impact of COVID on young people.
ALAN JONES, HOST: Well let's go to the federal panel - two very talented women, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, always on top of the issues, the Liberal Senator for New South Wales. And Tanya Plibersek, a very impressive operator by any standards. Ladies, I just thought - I hate leaving matters swinging, thank you for the time by the way, but last week we spoke about that former Afghan army officer being executed by the Taliban. Have we made any progress on protecting people who worked for us over there? And do we know how many are at risk? Accepting Tanya's point last week, if we fail our allies today, who will be our allies tomorrow? Concetta you first, how much remains to be done, do we have specific numbers?
SENATOR CONCETTA FIERRAVANTI-WELLS: Look, Alan, the answer is, we don't have specific numbers, but two things I have to say, were clarified in estimates today. Firstly, the Department of Foreign Affairs don't actually know how many Visa holders have been left behind. And secondly, that the locally engaged employee visa eligibility is governed by a legislative instrument that was introduced during Labor's time with Chris Bowen. Now, this specifically excludes Afghan government or military officials, or those employed in a private security capacity. So we were told today that there's a ministerial discretion that can certify people outside this strict criteria, which both the Foreign and the Defence ministers have exercised on a rare case by case basis. So, that's the latest from estimates today.
JONES: Tanya, have you made any headway on getting information as to how many? I mean that's clarification from Concetta, what about the family of this assassinated Afghan army officer?
TANYA PLIBERSEK, SHADOW MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, SHADOW MINISTER FOR WOMEN: No, there's no news sadly Alan, and Connie's talking about Senate Estimates - both through Senate Estimates and Questions on Notice from Senator Penny Wong, who's our Foreign Affairs spokesperson, she has been pursuing this issue and there is no information, a shockingly low amount of information.
JONES: Let me ask you a dumb question, right? No dumber question than this - why would we not be moving heaven and earth as a government to make sure we found out these details?
PLIBERSEK: Well, I think it's even worse than that Alan. So the Department of Foreign Affairs can't even give you a ballpark of how many people are there on the ground that need Australian assistance, and that instrument that Connie is talking about, it appears as though the Defence Department and Foreign Affairs are treating it quite differently, that Foreign Affairs are being very legalistic about this. So for example, the people who are patrolling the perimeter of the Australian secure area, because they're employed under a different employment arrangement won't qualify under this. I mean imagine - it's not like the Taliban are going to say 'Oh, I want to know were you are contractor or were you a direct employee?' That's laughable, I mean it's not laughable because it's so serious but it’s shocking.
JONES: The Taliban don't differentiate. Now, Tanya, I do have to come back to you first for something that is laughable. Sorry, the Government today introduced what I think is long overdue legislation, requiring voters to show identification when they vote and the Government wants it effective by the next federal election. How the hell can Anthony Albanese say, and I might say respectfully, make a fool of himself quote, 'this is a desperate attempt to undermine our strong democracy and deny Australians, their basic democratic rights'. Tanya, does your leader needs some medication?
PLIBERSEK: No, I completely agree with him. This is a law looking around for a problem. The Australian Electoral Commission say that multiple voting is simply not a problem in our system. There are examples that they investigate. If they think there is something to pursue, they refer it to the federal police. But how many people were prosecuted at the last election? Zero. There are some people, for example, who have got a mental illness who will vote more than once, but we check.
JONES: Now Tanya, listen - Concetta I'll come to you in a minute - I'll give an example to Tanya. For our viewers, Tanya Plibersek represents the seat of Sydney. She has a very big seat in Sydney, there are about 47 polling stations. Now I'm one of these blokes who sort of wants to corrupt the process, because I want my blokes to get up. So I go into the polling booth and I listen, and Bill Smith walks in, and he says, and the girl behind the thing says yes, sir your name? Bill Smith. Oh, there's a lot of Smith's here, which one are you? I'm 126 Albion Street, Surry Hills. Oh, so I write down here Bill Smith, 126 Albion Street, Surry Hills. So when I finish having my vote, I go to the other 46 stations because Bill Smith is still on that roll and I vote 46 times, and it's happening.
PLIBERSEK: Well you can't Alan, because it's automatically checked. That polling station is compared with that polling station is compared with that polling station. That's how we catch people who have tried to do it.
JONES: But Bill Smith's name stays on. No Tanya, Bill Smith's name stays on, stays on the roll at every polling station. Concetta, what do you make of this?
PLIBERSEK: What happens Alan is they compare from station to station. You can't multiple vote.
JONES: Concetta.
FIERRAVANTI-WELLS: Alan, just two things I want to say. My former boss Jim Carlton, God rest his soul, he could mimic Gough Whitlam's accent perfectly, not that I'm going to try. And Gough once was rumoured to observe about a colleague 'How can he lose his seat when he has two cemeteries in his electorate'. Also we know that often-cited phrase, 'Vote often, vote early'. So, yeah, I agree with voter ID for obvious reasons.
JONES: So do I.
FIERRAVANTI-WELLS: It's long overdue and the ALP have to get on board on this one.
JONES: Concetta, I've just answered an email today from a person who said, and I quote 'I was a staffer to an MP who lost his seat in 1993 by 164 votes. Then we discovered 300 false enrolments and multiple voting. See to both of you I say this - the votes are counted here and the Prime Minister is determined, government is determined. It's not until way down the track that we can identify multiple votes, and we don't know who they voted for. We don't know whether they voted Labor or Liberal.
PLIBERSEK: Alan, I thought the principle of the Liberal Party is you only legislate when it's absolutely necessary.
JONES: This is necessary.
PLIBERSEK: The Australian Electoral Commission says that -
FIERRAVANTI-WELLS: This is necessary, Tanya.
PLIBERSEK: Well it's simply not. The thousands of dollars of fines for people who are caught doing this, the Australian Federal Police did not prosecute one person last time around.
JONES: But way down the track after the government's formed, Tanya.
PLIBERSEK: You know who will miss out? Homeless people. Older people who have given up their driver’s license and their passport, people in remote communities -
JONES: Oh come on Tanya.
PLIBERSEK: There are Australian's who don't even have a birth certificate, Alan, let alone a driver's licence.
JONES: You're missing my point. When we find someone has voted two, three or four times, it's six and seven months down the track, but government has already been formed and we don't even know who they voted for.
PLIBERSEK: Where's the evidence that this is a problem? Where's the evidence that this is a problem?
FIERRAVANTI-WELLS: Tanya, the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters have been doing reports on this for a long time and you know it, and they've been recommending voter ID for a long time.
JONES: Absolutely.
PLIBERSEK: The Liberal Party keeps wanting to knock people off the electoral roll, that's what's going on here.
JONES: No no no they don't.
PLIBERSEK: The poor and the disadvantaged are disenfranchised from voting. That's what's happening.
JONES: I'll give you some evidence, Tanya. I'll give you the evidence next week, but I want to come, because I promised we'd do this, to the point that you made, Tanya Plibersek, in that marvellous piece that you wrote about young people post Coronavirus - damaged, you said, mentally and emotionally, and correspondingly damaged educationally. And you wrote this splendid piece. It's one of the unstated tragedies, you said, of the response to Coronavirus. Concetta, can I come to you first, Tanya wrote 'While the past 18 months have placed an enormous stress on all of us, young people have experienced a unique loss in the pandemic years. They've been robbed of some of the greatest joys of growing up, the kind of fun times the rest of us look back on with fondness. Concetta, do you agree we adults have a lot to answer for in terms of what we've done to young people, the joys we've denied them will never return?
FIERRAVANTI-WELLS: Alan, I previously said this, one of the most lasting impacts of COVID will be on our young people. I fear that the worst is yet to be realised with the issues that you've described, and regrettably those that made some of those very Draconian decisions regarding lockdowns and school closures I think failed to understand and comprehend what the long-term damage would be to young people and teenagers.
JONES: Definitely. So Tanya, you talked about school formals, no all night sleepovers, no inter-school sports rivalries, no easy friendships over lunch time. I mean these things fashion the kind of person they become, and the absence of them imposes a damage to the young that we won't be able to evaluate until years have passed. What should be done about it Tanya now?
PLIBERSEK: Well, we absolutely have to make sure that young people have the mental health supports that they need. But Alan, we also have to help them catch up with their schoolwork and the Government set aside $25 million in October last year to help young people catch up, not one dollar of that has yet helped one kid, not one dollar. That's what we found out at Senate Estimates this week. Not one dollar has helped one kid yet - and they cut it, they cut from $25 million to $18 million and they still haven't spent it.
JONES: Concetta, it is unbelievable, and this happens all the time. Promises are made, and as Tanya said on this program before, the money never goes out the door. Can't parties come together. See Tanya, I'm very critical of the Labor Party here because in Question Time, you've written that splendid piece but not one question is asked about this stuff. Why don't we put government on notice about this?
PLIBERSEK: Well, we have been asking questions, just today in Senate Estimates about exactly this matter Alan, and it's pretty disappointing to hear that the money hasn't gone to help kids, even though you make the big announcement, you put out the press release, all the fanfare's there, but the real help doesn't follow.
JONES: Absolutely. OK well I'll do some homework for next week, and so can you and I'll bring in, we'll go back to this business about voting IDs. But to both of you thank you so much. Always lovely to talk to you and we enjoy your company. There we are, Concetta and Tanya, they'll be back next week. I'll be back after the break.
ENDS
