RICHARD KING: Joining me now is the Federal Labor Member for Shortland and Shadow Minister for all sorts of things, and he’s a local, Pat Conroy, who is on the line. Good morning, Pat.
PAT CONROY, MEMBER FOR SHORTLAND: Morning Richard, how are you?
KING: Very well indeed thank you, Pat. Look, just starting on a light, flippant note:
GRAB OF GEORGE BUSH: I do not like broccoli.
KING: That’s George Bush on this day back in 1990. Any foods that you particularly dislike, Pat?
CONROY: I really don’t like sun-ripened tomatoes. They were very popular when I was growing up, and I really do not like them.
KING: Sun-ripened tomatoes? Really?
CONROY: Yeah, they’re all slimy and I just don’t like the texture of them.
KING: (laughs) Okay, alright. Okay, to more important things, if Labor’s elected, a number of things locally, particularly for those in the Lake Macquarie area. One of them which has been a problem forever and a day is the Swansea Channel. Lake Macquarie is a great tourist attraction, and unfortunately because of the fact that it silts up all the time, dredging is an ongoing problem which I thought was a State problem. But if elected, Labor have pledged to end the problems of the Swansea Channel, Pat.
CONROY: Yes, we’re pledging today as part of the Lake Macquarie Economic Development Package to help fund a permanent dredge of the Swansea Channel. And you’re absolutely right, it is a hidden jewel in Australia. It’s the most beautiful lake. It’s a lake that’s twice the size of the Sydney Harbour, but we can’t get boats in and out because people keep getting stuck on the sandbars. So we will be announcing that we will help purchase a dredge, hand it over to Lake Macquarie City Council who will then operate and maintain it, and that will hopefully provide us with an ongoing, permanent solution to what has been a problem bedeviling us for decades.
KING: Well I know the State Member, Yasmin Catley will be very happy to hear that. It’s one that she’s been banging the drum, and several MPs in that seat have been banging the drum before. I really thought it was a State issue, Pat?
CONROY: Well it’s an issue where Yasmin Catley has fought ferociously to try and deliver this, and unfortunately the State Liberal Government hasn’t provided a solution. They’ve continued to fund one-off dredging once every 18 months to two years which just hasn’t done the job. We are going to step in, and we are stepping in because we recognise the economic potential of this. Yes, it should be a State responsibility, but if the State Liberal Government isn’t going to do their job, we are going to step in and do it for them because it’s essential to tourism. Studies have shown that it will lift tourism visits by 150 per cent to the lake, and that means more tourist jobs for our area. So I make no apologies for intervening in this area because we’ve just got to find a solution. The people of Lake Macquarie don’t care who does it. They just want it done.
KING: Okay. Well developers in this neck of the woods know that the whole area is honeycombed with coal mines – we are talking about underground coal mines – and as a consequence mine subsidence is an issue. Money has been allocated for grouting, that is filling those cavities in underneath this building, and it is the great unknown to a certain extent. You’re pledging, Labor are pledging if elected to extend that money available for grouting and filling those cavities underground to the Lake Macquarie area, Pat. Is that right?
CONROY: Absolutely. There’s an established scheme in the Newcastle CBD that’s doing good work already, and it gives certainty to developers. It means that developers know that they will pay for a certain level of grouting, filling in the mine subsidence, but above that an insurance scheme kicks in. And that just gives them the certainty to go to the banks, to borrow the money to build these big multi-rise buildings that deliver lots of jobs. So we will be extending that to the entire Lake Macquarie Local Government Area, and the local economic development corporation, Dantia has said that if we extend it to Charlestown alone, that will deliver $450 million of additional construction activity which delivers 2,500 jobs for our area. So when you – sorry Richard.
KING: No, you’re right. You’re right.
CONROY: I was just going to say that when you combine the four parts of this economic development package, that will deliver $1.8 billion of new investments to Lake Macquarie and create over 12,000 jobs. So it’s great news for our local region.
KING: Alright. Cost of living is obviously a major issue. Quite a few calls about it, talk about fresh fruit and vegetables and even frozen fruit and vegetables being in short supply and hence prices going up. The Federal Budget will be handed down next Tuesday. Cost of living, do you think that is one of the major issues as we head into a federal election?
CONROY: It is one of the top two issues. For me, the two issues that get raised most with me are cost of living and health services. And on cost of living, the average worker’s gone back $800 over the last year because their wages haven’t kept up with inflation. That’s $800 out of the pockets of families who desperately need that money.
KING: Okay, one of the costs of living is the cost of petrol. Do you think the Government should temporarily cut the fuel excise which stands at 44 cents per litre – or 44.2 cents per litre?
CONROY: Oh I’m not going to speculate about what they’re going to put in the Budget, but I will say that we need urgent action to lower the cost of living. Labor for example has put forward a plan that will cut people’s electricity bills by $275 a year, and that’s a good start (INAUDIBLE). I will be watching the Budget with interest to see what this Government promises.
KING: Alright, but do you think it would be a good idea to cut the fuel excise?
CONROY: Oh look, I think it’s a pretty complicated area, and I just want to see what they put in their announcements to be quite frank because they’ve got access to the briefings from Treasury. They’re certainly making hints about doing something on petrol prices, but I just don’t think it’s productive to speculate until we see what they announce on Tuesday.
KING: It’s almost twenty past seven daylight savings time, my guest, the Federal Member – Labor Member for Shortland who wears a number of shadow ministry hats, one of them being the Shadow Minister Assisting for Defence. A lot of speculation about where this east coast nuclear submarine base might be – Port Kembla, Newcastle, or Brisbane. Would you like to see it established in Newcastle, Pat?
CONROY: Oh look I’d welcome the jobs if it does come up here, but to be frank we are talking about an announcement from the Government to make an announcement in 2023 for a base to be built in the 2030s for a submarine that won’t be delivered until the 2040s. So this is just, sort of a little thought bubble that Mr Morrison dropped out a couple of weeks ago to try and distract from the fact that he’s on his third submarines contract and he’s just wasted $2.5 billion on the French submarine that he's had to cancel.
So I’d welcome the jobs if it comes up here, but we’ve got a long way to go before we even know which submarine we’re buying, how we are building it, and what support is needed. So a lot more thought needs to be brought into this process, and to be quite frank, this Government has huge problems in purchasing defence equipment. They’ve got 30 major projects running cumulatively 79 years late, billions of dollars over budget, and we’re not getting the equipment to the ADF that they need, when they need it. So those jobs would be good, but there’s a long way to go.
KING: In the news this morning, the Tele reporting that Labor leader Anthony Albanese will permanently honour the late Senator Kimberley Kitching with an unprecedented award to be handed out every year at the National Conference. Kimberley Kitching, her funeral was yesterday, and obviously a lot of discussion, a lot of allegations about bullying. Do you think there is a cultural problem within your party, Pat?
CONROY: I honestly do not. We’ve got the best policies and guidelines around anti-bullying of any political party. Kimberley Kitching was a close colleague of mine. I worked closely with her on defence and foreign policy, and we are all still in shock at her tragic and untimely passing. And I think the announcement of a human rights award that will be awarded at the National Conference of the Labor Party is a really great way of honouring her legacy which was profound. But I am confident that we do have the strongest possible policies in place to deal with allegations of bullying.
KING: Okay. Ending on a happy note, how good are the Knights going? Do you think we can knock over the reigning premiers, Penrith this Saturday, Pat?
CONROY: Well I think they’re looking vulnerable, and two out of two is a great start for the Knights. We’ve seen this show before unfortunately, but let’s hope they can continue. You don’t win the premiership in March, but they are showing great form, and I was talking to a pensioner yesterday who went to a Knights game for the first time in about 15 years and she was so happy enjoying the sunlight and watching the Knights play well.
KING: Yes, let’s hope they can do it. Thanks very much for your time this morning. Are you tipping May 14 to be the federal election date, Pat?
CONROY: I am indeed, so it’s 53 days to go and I am going to apologise to your listeners for all of the bombardment, the blitz of ads that they’re going to hear and see over the next 53 days. But that’s my tip: May 14.
KING: Well working at a commercial radio station, we love those ads, Pat.
CONROY: Absolutely. They’re important, it creates jobs.
KING: (laughs) Exactly.
CONROY: I apologise.
KING: Okay, thanks for your time. Have a good day.
CONROY: Thanks, have a good day.