NEIL MITCHELL:
Alan Tudge good morning.
ALAN TUDGE:
Good morning Neil.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Ok yes or no to the 12 months extension?
ALAN TUDGE:
I do not like it and I think that Daniel Andrews needs to explain why it is necessary and what the purpose of it is. Ordinarily as you know he has been extending it by four weeks at a time and now all of a sudden in the middle of the most severe lockdown that Australia has ever seen in our history, he is announcing a further 12 months of the extension of these powers. Now I note he said that does not mean a further 12 months of the same sort of lockdown that we have been enduring, but what does it mean? I think yesterday when he announced this that he confused people, he scared people because he simply didn’t define what it means and why.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Well he (Andrews) has done a bit of a Trump he is on Twitter and on Facebook and he is talking about really having the powers that he has at a moment’s notice if needed. Do you think that is reasonable?
ALAN TUDGE:
These, Neil, are extraordinary powers, they override all other laws and they should only be used in absolute extreme circumstances and when they are exercised they must be full accountability and explanation for why they are being exercised. The power that needs to have that proper oversite of every step of the way. As I said, we have never had such restrictions on us before in the history of Australia and so that accountability mechanism must be even stronger under these situations. So therefore, a continued four-week extension may make sense but please explain the rationale behind it.
NEIL MITCHELL:
So you would cop three months? Six months? Or do you just want to go one month at a time?
ALAN TUDGE:
Well, I don’t know what has been the problem going four weeks at a time.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Well, I don’t know if they are able to do that under the current legislation.
ALAN TUDGE:
Well then it’s up to the Premier to explain this, not necessarily for me or for anyone else. The Premier needs to explain why we need this additional 12 months and what the implications are going to be for Victorians. You know the effect that this is having on Victorians, It absolutely devastating this lockdown at the moment. Yes, thank goodness the virus is now starting it appears to be under control but the impact on people’s mental health I think is extraordinary, the economic impact is extraordinary.
NEIL MITCHELL:
I’m just reading from Daniel Andrews’ Facebook page, this is him “we have been in a State of Emergency since March, we have renewed the State of Emergency six times already, under the current legislation we can’t renew it beyond next month”.
ALAN TUDGE:
Well go to Parliament and ask for an additional month or amend that legislation or provide that explanation. What needs primarily to occur is just that clear explanation from the Premier as to why this is necessary.
NEIL MITCHELL:
I sense from talking to people around Canberra there is a little bit of irritation creeping into the Federal Government’s view of what is happening in Victoria, would that be fair?
ALAN TUDGE:
We still work very closely with the State Government across all portfolios and as you know we are offering every single support that we possibly can to the Victorian government because we all have an interest in getting in control of the virus and trying to get jobs back up and running, that is the number 1 priority for us. I mean we get representations from our constituents; we live and breathe in Victoria ourselves, so the Victorian members we feel it. Just last night someone was telling me they went to the local fish and chips shop, asked the fellow behind the counter “mate how are you going?” and the man burst into tears. A 50 year old man running the fish and chips shop, business was failing, he had only taken over a year ago, he probably mortgaged his house to get a loan for it and his lively hood is just falling apart. A 50 year old man with tears in front of a stranger.
NEIL MITCHELL:
But you are not arguing the lockdown is unnecessary are you? You are arguing about the powers issue?
ALAN TUDGE:
My main argument in relation to the extension is Victorians deserve an explanation for why we need this extension of 12 months and there should be that proper parliamentary accountability. I’m in parliament right now and have been through two weeks of quarantine to participate in the Federal Parliament because it is important for the Federal Government to be responsible to the Parliament and will be sitting many weeks over the next few months.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Well you will be glad to know that Bill Shorten agrees with you it needs to be explained by the Premier, there’s a [in-audible] ticket for you Alan Tudge and Bill Shorten. Ok thank you very much Alan Tudge, no comment, Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Immigration.
