Transcript | 2CC Breakfast | 14 April 2025

Transcript – 2CC Breakfast

14 April 2025

E&OE

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO:

James, I made the point earlier this morning that you can have all the housing affordability policies you like, but unless state and territory governments do their bit, none of it is going to work.

JAMES PATERSON:

You're certainly right, Stephen that state and territory governments have a really significant role to play and a significant responsibility in improving housing affordability by helping us to improve supply. We want them to speed up the approval process. We want them to unlock more land for development, but we're playing our role to increase supply as well. We've committed to a $5 billion fund to do those final infrastructure projects, like roads and water and sewerage and electricity to unlock we believe, 500,000 homes over the next few years.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO:

But again, the problem is, and I wanted to talk to you about this idea of tax deductibility on mortgage interest payments for first home buyers. Brilliant idea. But unless we can get that supply issue sorted, it's only going to push the price of housing up further than it is now. And it's well and good for you to create this fund, but you're still relying on state and territory governments to do the work, aren't you?

JAMES PATERSON:

Certainly they have a critical role to play, but we have a comprehensive policy that tries to address all the levers. So we're reducing demand by reducing immigration. We think we can free up 100,000 homes over the next few years, just by reducing immigration and banning foreign investors from buying homes. We're increasing supply through our funding of this infrastructure to unlock those developments. We're reforming the building industry to get construction costs down by deregistering the CFMEU and getting the crooks and criminals out of the industry. And we're unashamedly backing first home buyers to make sure they can get into the market, because young Australians feel like the cards have been stacked against them, that it's too hard to get into the housing market, and they've lost hope. And it's critical that we restore that hope of home ownership. And that's what Peter Dutton really, truly believes in and will fight for.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO:

Yeah, look, in principle, I think the policies are great. I mean, accessing super for a deposit and the tax deductibility on the interest payments, a great idea. But then again, as I say, it does come back to that supply. I want to touch on defence policy for a moment, absolutely crucial in the current global environment. There hasn't been a lot of talk about defence policy this election from either side.

JAMES PATERSON:

We've made two really significant defence announcements already. We've said that we're going to restore the fourth squadron of F-35 fighter jets, that Labor cut. We'll spend at least $3 billion on that to take Australia to what we think is the Air Force that we need in the dangerous security environment that we're in. And we've also announced that we're going to transition the ownership or the lease, I should say, of the Port of Darwin to an Australian government approved operator and will use, if necessary, the compulsory acquisition powers to do so. We have further to say about defence and in the coming days and weeks we'll be announcing our defence spending target, which will be a significant increase than what Labor's proposed.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO:

I want to get back to the housing policy for a moment, but it kind of ties into this idea of reclaiming the Port of Darwin. Is there a compensation that's going to have to be paid in order to achieve that? And where is all this money coming from? Because we know the country's broke at the moment.

JAMES PATERSON:

Well, we hope that we can first facilitate a commercial transaction by encouraging Landbridge to transfer that lease control of the Port of Darwin to an Australian government approved operator. We've made very clear our intention. We hope to engage in sensible commercial negotiations, but if they refuse to do so, we are willing to use the powers under the Constitution to compulsorily acquire it and transfer it to an Australian government approved operator. Now we will deal with the costs of that if we come to that. But I'm hopeful that Landbridge will see sense and cooperate.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO:

This is going to be an interesting election from a perspective of, you know, I mean, it's going to come down to individual seats and the various swings required to either lose or retain a seat are going to be wildly varied across the country. The polls at the moment don't look good. Where is it going wrong for you at the moment, do you think?

JAMES PATERSON:

Well, I think that's premature, Stephen, because no one's cast a single vote yet. We haven't even had the postal ballots being mailed out yet, let alone early voting starting.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO:

Sure, but we all look at these things, and so do you.

JAMES PATERSON:

Sure, and look, I think the polls show that the election is going to be close. The movements in the polls so far have been within the margin of error. Even still, they show the election is going to be close and it's going to come down to a handful of seats. And what we know from our feedback in the community, but also our research, is that a lot of Australians haven't tuned in to the election yet because, frankly, they've got other priorities in their lives other than listening to people like me talking about the election. And as they focus their minds on the petrol tax cut, and the diesel tax cut that they're going to get from the Dutton Coalition government, the cost of living tax offset of up to $1,200 that they're going to get, our gas plan to bring down energy prices, our first home buyers plan, I think they're going to be increasingly receptive to our message.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO:

Do you think the Mediscare campaign has finally petered out? I mean, the government has been recycling that for years. It was starting to bite, but I think in that leaders debate, when there was a member of the audience who said, well, it doesn't matter, you know, whether I go to the doctor with a Medicare card or not, I'm still going to pay an out-of-pocket gap of about $70 or $80, which seems extraordinarily high to me. I know I've got to pay $50 here when I go to my GP. Is that done now?

JAMES PATERSON:

I think that really was a key turning point in this debate, because the Prime Minister has been lying shamelessly about this issue. He's been lying by telling Australians that they don't need their credit card to go to their doctor. But that wasn't the experience of that audience member and so many Australians. And he's been lying about our record on health and his own poor record. I mean, bulk billing rates have collapsed on this government's watch. They were 88% when we left office, they are 77% now. That is on Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party's shoulders. And when the facts don't support your argument, it's pretty hard to sustain a scare campaign, although I am sure Labor will still try.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO:

One thing I saw creeping into the debates that I have been waiting for, for months and months and months, is Peter Dutton and Angus Taylor both starting to fight back against these scare campaigns. Are we going to see more of that? Because, I mean, isn't it time to go after them about the lies?

JAMES PATERSON:

Well we absolutely are going after them over their lies and the Prime Minister has lied so much in this campaign, it's very hard to keep up, we've got in fact a Live Lie Tracker.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO:

What's it up to at the moment?

JAMES PATERSON:

I was 23 last time I checked, but I think we are due for another update after the Prime Minister's speech at his campaign launch yesterday, so watch this space. I mean, it is extraordinary. This is a guy who can lie, you know, dozens of times a day on a busy day in a media interview. He lied about the Port of Darwin. He's lied about our record on health. He even lied about falling off a stage when there was video evidence of it. I mean, every Australian could see him falling off that stage, why he felt the need to lie about that or why he thought he would get away with it, is beyond me.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO:

Yeah, I've got to say. I understand scare campaigns in politics, and I understand that, you know, sometimes one man's truth is another man's lie when it comes to policy. But when we all watch you fall off a stage and you jump up and say, no it didn't happen. Yeah, I think that's a whole different level. James, good to talk to you. We'll catch up again soon.

JAMES PATERSON:

Thanks, Stephen.

ENDS

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