Interview with Tom Connell on Sky News

‍Tom Connell

Another tumultuous week for the Liberal Party, of course, with more rumblings of leadership but perhaps that contest has been put off for a little while. Joining me live now is Shadow Minister for Housing and Productivity, Andrew Bragg. I might start of course on where you were yesterday at the funeral for Katie Allen. And I know you knew her pretty well. Surprised how much she just managed to fit into her life? She wasn't a sort of regular politician, was she?

Senator Bragg

Well Tom, Katie and I entered parliament together in 2019 and after being at her funeral yesterday, I have to say that I think everyone who was there, more than a thousand people, probably all felt the same way I did which was quite inadequate. That I haven't really done much with my life because Katie packed so much into those 59 years. I mean she really was an amazing researcher, a world class medical practitioner, and being a parliamentarian was just one of the many things that she'd done. But it's just very sad that her life was cut short, she had so much more to do.

Tom Connell

Yeah, she did. So paediatric doctor, a lot of work in particular around diet and children that's been praised and amidst all of that, you know, to throw in a political career and kept fronting up. Lost in 2022, tried again in 2025 and of course got that cruel and shock diagnosis just afterwards. Sussan Ley, so she seems to want to move on from the Nats. Is that what's happening here? New portfolios, is it fair to say the Nats sort of — the need to come to her neck, she's not going to be desperate to get the Coalition back together?

Senator Bragg

Well, I think we've tried very hard in this past six or eight months to work with the Nats and it hasn't worked out. So, I mean we're not desperate and we have tried very hard to work through all their issues and I have to say that I think at times they've been unreliable. So, we have to forge on in our own way. We have to win urban seats if we are to become the Government of Australia again. There's no reason that down the track we couldn't find some sort of an accommodation. But I think right now we need to focus on what we can control, and what we can control is what we do on our own policies which are needed to win back the support of the people who are living through the train wreck of this Albanese Government throughout urban Australia.

Tom Connell

It's fair to say though that if you're apart at the next election and you're just running as the Liberal Party, there is no viable way is there, to win enough seats to govern in your own right at that point?

Senator Bragg

I think it makes it pretty tough, but the trajectory matters in politics. And we want to be on a trajectory where we can win more seats. And I think that we've got to be clear that our focus is on providing an opposition to the Labor Party. Our job is not to provide an opposition to One Nation; it is to provide an opposition to the Labor Party, which is not running the country well. Whether you look at the inflation data or the productivity data or whatever. I mean the Budget is cactus and that's got to be our focus.

Tom Connell

I will talk about inflation next but final point on this. Conservatives seem to be indicating in various conversations they believe they have the numbers to roll Sussan Ley, which would put a veritable sort of Damocles over her head. Do you think that's accurate?

Senator Bragg

Well, I think it's early days in this term. We had a cataclysmic defeat at the last election unfortunately and we need to get some policies out there. We need to work on particularly the economic policies which are going to be germane to people's lives, and I look forward to doing that in the coming weeks and months.

Tom Connell

What do you think needs to happen on immigration? This has already been noted as the next major policy for the Coalition. How hard can you go? Because I'm assuming you sort of recognise that immigration is really important to Australia in a lot of different areas. So, the temptation to cut deeply and satisfy voters might be there, but how nuanced are you going to be?

Senator Bragg

We have to make sure that migration is working for Australia. I mean, for example in my own portfolio we are 80,000 tradies short of what we need to build the houses, and last year we only had 4,000 tradies come in under visas, but we had, you know, hundreds of thousands of people come into the country. So, we need, if we're going to have a migration programme, it needs to work for us. I think there are some nips and tucks that we can make. There is perhaps some bigger changes we might be able to make as well. And that alongside cutting red tape, getting some houses built, helping small business, I mean these are all the things that we've got to be doing this year.

Tom Connell

The Government's made tweaks I suppose. It is a fairly significant reform on students, overseas students. Do you think there's more to go? Is that an area you're looking at in terms of deeper cuts?

Senator Bragg

Well, we have to make sure that people have a reason to be in the country. I think there are a lot of loopholes potentially in the current system where people can hang around without any great purpose or any great value to the nation. And the services are stretched. The freeways are blocked. Yeah, I mean the infrastructure and the housing issues are a problem. And I think we've got to look at the capacity, and we've got to be very strategic. And we've got to be a bit selfish about this and make sure that we are getting the migration that we really need in Australia right now.

Tom Connell

In terms of that inflation you mentioned and the Government's role in that, if you look at pre-Covid spending in the sort of two or three years before and post, we're talking a difference of a bit more than 2% which is $60 billion dollars or so. Is that how much needs to be cut from the Budget, do you think? Or with NDIS increasing, Defence and so on, is it unrealistic ever to get back to pre-Covid? That's the question.

Senator Bragg

Well, you're right in saying that it is significantly higher than the pre-Covid period. Now when Mr Chalmers talks about the Budget he talks about comparisons with Covid and he pretends that that wasn't, you know, a thing. I mean he's such a shapeshifter. I mean if he wants to be taken seriously, he needs to be comparing it with a more reasonable benchmark.

Tom Connell

But I've given you that comparison. So, $60 billion is the difference. Is that the size of the overspend or with NDIS increasing, Defence and so on, is it unrealistic ever to get back to pre-Covid – that's the question?

Senator Bragg

Look I think every taxi driver in Australia has an NDIS rip off story and I think many Australians feel that their tax dollars are not being spent well. And we have to do a very vigorous body of work here through the finance portfolio across the Shadow Cabinet to make sure that we identify those savings. Because it is clearly unsustainable and we can't have a situation where we're looking to raise taxes which ends up being a vicious cycle.

Tom Connell

Andrew Bragg, got to leave it there. Appreciate your time today. Thank you.

Senator Bragg

Thanks Tom.

[Ends]