Interview with Sally Sara on ABC RN Breakfast

‍Subjects: PM Apology, Great Barrier Reef, Bird Flu, Gambling, Liberal Party

E&OE.........

Sally Sara

Andrew Bragg is the Shadow Minister for Environment and Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness, and joins me now. Andrew Bragg, welcome back to Radio National Breakfast.

Senator Bragg

Morning Sally, how are you?

Sally Sara

Very well, thank you. Before we get into your portfolio matters, what do you make of this apology from the PM this morning for his comments on this podcast in the past week?

Senator Bragg

Well, I think these comments were beneath his office and I think he shouldn't have said them. It's good that he's apologised, but he shouldn't have said it in the first place.

Sally Sara

How do you think it reflects on the PM?

Senator Bragg

I just think this guy's a shapeshifter. He will do or say anything to get out of anything. He'll say he won't raise taxes then he will. He says he'll cut energy costs then he won't. He's just a classic professional politician.

Sally Sara

Let's move on to other matters. A draft decision by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has seen the Great Barrier Reef avoid an "in danger" listing, but the UN body raised concerns over mass coral bleaching events. Is the federal government, in your view, doing enough to protect the reef?

Senator Bragg

Well, that's all good news of course, but we have to be cautious in running our environment policy and our conservation policy around international bodies. I think our own agencies are able to make judgments about what needs to be preserved and protected. And I'd say in the main we have a lot of environment laws, and we can do better on conservation, and we could also get the balance right when it comes to exploration and resource development.

Sally Sara

Earlier this morning, I spoke to Lyndon Schneiders, the Executive Director of the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation, who said sediment flowing into the reef due to land clearing in the reef catchment area remains a problem, and there are doubts about whether the land clearing reductions required for the reef can be achieved by the Queensland government. Should the state government get on board further?

Senator Bragg

Well, that's a matter for the state government. I can tell you from a federal perspective, the very extensive environment protection laws are not always good for Australia because what we've seen in the last year is effectively a prohibition on resource development. And you've seen the Prime Minister go cap in hand around to other countries begging for petrol. So, I think we have to protect our best assets, but we also have to make sure that environment laws facilitate resource exploration. I think that's a top order priority, and I think Australians are very frustrated that we've become such a dependent beggar nation.

Sally Sara

Have you been briefed on the six confirmed cases of H5 bird flu in Australia, and is the opposition satisfied with the way in which the federal government and the states are preparing the country to respond to the disease?

Senator Bragg

I haven't personally, but I understand that colleagues have. I think Darren Chester has been briefed on this and he's going to be the best person to deal with this. But obviously, the government and the states—and particularly here in New South Wales—are saying that people shouldn't be going overboard right now, because there's no evidence that it's spread into poultry or other sectors where people might be exposed.

Sally Sara

You're listening to Radio National Breakfast. My guest is the Shadow Minister for Environment and Housing, Andrew Bragg. You're also a Senator for New South Wales. At the Labor Party state conference in Sydney on the weekend, delegates voted unanimously for a new poker machine policy. It included freezing the issuing of new licenses and significantly reducing the number of pokies in New South Wales. Are they sensible proposals in your view?

Senator Bragg

Look, I'm a bit tired of mandates. I think one of the things that people really hate about Australia now is that we have mandates for everything. And I'm not convinced that more rules are going to make Australia better. And I'd say that we have this thing called personal responsibility, and I'm not in favour of more rules and more regulations here in people's lives.

Sally Sara

Do you see addiction as a health issue?

Senator Bragg

I do, and I understand it personally, and I think that can be treated, and it can be treated effectively. It's not easy, but there are all forms of addiction—there's drug addiction, there's alcohol addiction—and these things are not easy to solve, on a personal level and a public health level. But it doesn't mean that we should be taking away things from other people. One of the great lessons about COVID was it was insane to have locked up the whole population, when what we should have been doing was just keeping the sick people isolated. It was just insane overreach. And I think people are rightly over mandates. I think this is one of the issues that we have now, that Australians are really frustrated with our system.

Sally Sara

What's the benefit of poker machines?

Senator Bragg

Well, it's a business. You're allowed to have a business. This is an enterprise economy. People are allowed to run businesses and make money. That's good.

Sally Sara

For the community?

Senator Bragg

I mean, people are allowed to gamble. It's part of Australian culture. I don't think it's government's role to legislate away leisure activities and commercial businesses. I think you'll end up being a pretty sick country if you legislate away businesses, commercial opportunities, and leisure opportunities for people.

Sally Sara

On a separate issue just finally, you've said the Liberal Party needs an ambitious set of policies to restore standing with voters. Is Angus Taylor doing a good job of facilitating that in your view?

Senator Bragg

Well, I think the Budget Reply was one of the most substantial budget replies in my lifetime, which has a number of good policies in there, and some of which are still being further outlined. And we are all working very hard to make sure that we have that ambitious agenda, because if we don't become that radical centre then we won't be in business any longer.

Sally Sara

Andrew Bragg, thank you for joining me this morning.

Senator Bragg

Thanks Sally, see you.

Sally Sara

Andrew Bragg, Shadow Minister for the Environment, Housing and Homelessness.

[Ends] 

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