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

 

 

Welcome to The Grill Team, Tony.

 

Oh look fellas, it’s good to be with you and thanks for having me.

 

 

Mr Abbott, we only ask one thing. We had Julia Gillard, the Prime Minister, on the show on Wednesday and she came on and look, I’ll be honest with you, she just gave us spin and the only thing we ask – one simple thing from you, sir – and that’s no bull….

 

 

That’s going to be tough. You’re setting a high bar for me to get over, you know!

 

 

Yeah, I know, I know that. Now, Tony, the Budget came out the other day and it’s very, very questionable whether it is achievable. In fact, it seems Mr Abbott, if you take office, it appears as though she’s placed a number of pretty big pot holes there for you.

 

 

There’s no doubt that there’s a big debt and I think the surplus that she’s talking about, I think that’s spin. I mean, all of us would like to get back into surplus – and I think it’s very important that we do – but the problem is she is increasing the Commonwealth’s debt ceiling to $300 billion and that’s like going to your bank and telling them that you want to increase your credit card limit. You normally only do it if you’re anticipating more spending and that’s one of the problems with the Budget, I think. They’re talking surplus but in fact they’re going out and increasing the debt limit.

 

 

Tony, I grew up on the north shore all my life…

 

 

You bad man!

 

 

Apparently I’m not a real family. Have a listen if you didn’t hear it from the PM and what she had to say:

 

 

 

 

I’ve got to be honest with you, Mr Abbott – politics and me, I don’t think about it too much, I just sort of roll with the punches, but when she said things like that it riled everyone up. Well my mum sent an email in Tony, she lives in Killara, but you know she scrambles around the best that she possibly can. It was a ridiculous thing for her to say.

 

 

Well, I think it’s never good to start attacking people on the basis of where they live because, look, we’ve all got to live somewhere. Most places you go, there are people who are doing ok and other people who are doing it tough and to try to characterise one place as inhabited by billionaires and the other place as inhabited by battlers I just think is wrong but it’s part of this class war card which the Prime Minister and the Treasurer seem to have been playing. I mean, I don’t attack Julia Gillard for where she lives and I think it would be better if she didn’t attack me for where I live.

 

 

I mentioned on the show yesterday, Tony, that in primary school my motto was ‘strive to achieve’ and along the way I’ve tried my hardest in life. Sometimes, a few hiccups and a few skeletons have been rattled in my closet, but at the end of the day I’ve tried to work my backside off to get where I am. It seems the harder we try to get where we are, the more we’re getting penalised. What are you going to do about that if you get elected in the next election?

 

 

Well, I accept the point you make about the means test which this government has whacked on so many things, whether it’s the Baby Bonus or some of these people putting money into superannuation that we saw in the Budget, the Private Health Insurance Rebate means testing, things like that. Look, I can’t promise to undo all of these things immediately, but what we will do is get rid of the carbon tax because the carbon tax is like a reverse tariff. It hurts our jobs, it hurts our businesses, it makes them less competitive against rivals overseas who don’t have the same burden put on them. So, that is a very important thing that we will do first up if we win. If we can get the economy growing, over time that will enable us to provide better services, to provide lower taxes and ultimately to, I think, make it a much fairer society.

 

 

Tony, can you promise us right now – all the Triple M listeners right here right now – that if you get elected as the new Prime Minister next year that you will say the carbon tax is gone?

 

 

Look, it is gone. It is absolutely gone. The first thing that I will do should I get to win the next election is dismantle this carbon tax. I mean, on day one, the public servants get their instructions: prepare the legislation, get it out. Next thing I’d do is pick up the phone to the President of Nauru; we’ll get a commission of audit working; the navy will get new orders to deal with boats to our north. So, a lot will be different and a lot will be different quickly.

 

 

Great. Thank you.

 

 

Tony, just before Matty asks his last question, I just wanted to add something, mate, that my biggest issue with politicians and that’s all politicians is that they give us constant scripted rhetoric. I think the first person or the first politician to speak from the heart, that’s the person that everybody will gravitate to. I think in politics, we are all laymen, we love the country. We see our country going to crap at the moment. We want to rise together, but we can’t rise together when our hands are tied all the time and I think we look to our politicians for leadership and at the moment, we are getting none and it’s hurting a lot a lot of people, especially in our demographic here on Triple M that affect a lot of the western suburbs, even northern beaches and the Shire.

 

 

Mate, there are lots of people on the northern beaches that are battling, that are working two jobs. People in the cars now on the M4 or the M5 are just struggling, but the first politician that comes out and starts speaking from the heart and gives us layman type of talk is one that we will all gravitate towards.

 

 

Well, Mark, I think you’re right, I really do think you’re right. Look, in defence of politicians, we don’t set out to sound like robots. I guess, sometimes it happens because we often find ourselves in situations where we’re under a lot of pressure and when you’re under pressure, you tend to revert to that kind of defensive language. So, look, I hope I can avoid it. I don’t promise that I’m always going to satisfy people, but I will do my damnedest.

 

 

Just a couple of swear words, a bit of slang you know; a good start today, it doesn’t sound like you’ve got a script in front of you!

 

 

Last time I did that, I got into big trouble!

 

 

Oh, there’s nothing wrong with a couple of swear words here and there mate.

 

 

Well, Mr Abbott, we really appreciate your time and back on one of your original points, I think it is very smart that you don’t attack Ms Gillard where she lives because where she lives at the moment, you’ll be living very shortly and that’s in The Lodge. Thanks for your time, Mr Abbott.

 

 

Ok fellas, thank you.

 

[ends]