February 22, 2024
PETER STEFANOVIC: Let's go to the Shadow Home Affairs and Cyber Security Minister, James Paterson now. James, good to see you as always. We'll get to those stories in a moment. I do want to start with the economy though, that wages data from yesterday showing it's on the move. It's above inflation now. Does this show current policies are working?
JAMES PATERSON: Well, Pete, it's not quite time to pop the champagne corks just yet. A 0.1%, real wages growth is not anything I think most Australians would be writing home to celebrate about. We had 4.2%, wages growth and 4.1% inflation. Actually, on this government, real wages have been going backwards for two years. It's one of their criticisms of the previous government, but they have presided over an even worse set of figures, and Australians are actually substantially worse off than they were two years ago when this government was elected. The average Australian household is about $8,000 worse off than they were due to rising interest rates, rising mortgage payments, rising cost of living and increasing income taxes. In fact, in the first 18 months of this government, income taxes are up by about 27%, and that's a very serious hit to household budgets. So the reality is most Australians are a long way back from where they were two years ago, and it's going to require a lot more wages growth and a lot more spending restraint and inflation control before anyone is ahead of where they were two years ago.
STEFANOVIC: And this as a new Front opens up in the IR war. James. It now centres around work from home rights. So the Fair Work Commission is now looking at this business has been trying to wind this Covid era thing back. So how would you feel if it was returned?
PATERSON: Look, I really think this is up for employers and employees to work out together. There are some types of work where working from home works really well for both the business and the employee. And there are other types of work, because of the nature of it, that is inherent that you need to turn up to the office. And really, it shouldn't be up to government to decide that for anyone else, it's up to those businesses and those workers to work out suitable arrangements for them. I think in practice, actually, a lot of people are working this out in practical ways. A couple of days from home, a couple of days in the office, a hybrid working arrangement that works for them. But it's critical that we do have productivity growth in the economy because, again, that has crashed on this government's watch, and you cannot have rising living standards when productivity is crashing. And if part of the reason for that is all this working from home, then that has to be addressed at the enterprise and firm level.
STEFANOVIC: Productivity has been flat for a while, though, has it not? Beyond this government?
PATERSON: Well, productivity was flat for the last few years, but it's crashed under this government, it's gone backwards. It's one of the worst declines in productivity we've seen on record. And this government has to explain what it has done to make that situation so much worse, and why its policies are actually adding to that burden by re-regulating the labour market, by adding regulation and red tape to the economy, by increasing taxes, how that's going to help drive a more productive economy?
STEFANOVIC: Ok, into your portfolio. Labor has accused you of whipping up fear by suggesting Palestinian terrorists or sympathisers may have received fast track visas to enter Australia. Your thoughts on that charge?
PATERSON: Well, the Minister for Home Affairs and the Prime Minister might be very relaxed about the risk of a Hamas supporter or sympathiser coming to our country. But I'm not relaxed about that. And I can tell you the Jewish community is not relaxed about that either. I had a function with them last night where a number of them expressed very sincere and deep concerns about this. At a time in which we're having the worst anti-Semitism crisis in a generation I think we need to be taking much greater care before we bring people to this country without adequate checks. And this government has allowed more than 2000 people from Gaza to apply and be granted visas to come to this country. And the time taken to approve some of those visas, on average, we've been told in Senate estimates, was one day. But there was a case reported by the ABC, which was acknowledged by the department, where someone's visa was granted from Gaza in just one hour. Now, let's remember, this is a war zone controlled by a terrorist organisation. And while there is obviously a very genuine humanitarian need in Gaza and many innocent people who are also victims of Hamas, there are also supporters of Hamas in Gaza. And my challenge to the Minister for Home Affairs is to stand up today, hand on heart and promise the Australian people that among those 2000 visas her department has granted, there was not one single supporter of Hamas. Because if a Hamas supporter comes to this country how is that going to help the anti-Semitism crisis? How is that going to help the social cohesion problems that we're seeing in this country?
STEFANOVIC: So as we reported a little earlier, the government has made this comparison about other wars. So you've got just over 300 Palestinians who are here so far more to come. But the government has pointed out that that's less than the 500 Syrians who came here under your government. I mean, is that a reasonable explanation or comparison?
PATERSON: Well, 2200 visas have been granted, and all those people can get on a plane and come here as soon as they're able to. So that's an artificial comparison, yes. And the government might think that you can do an adequate identity check and security check on a person for applying for a visa in just 60 minutes, but I'm very sceptical about that. Let's remember, if you want to bring a skilled worker to this country, it takes months of processing. If you want to bring a spouse to this country, it can take a year. If you want to bring a parent to this country, it can take five years or more. And are we seriously saying that from a war zone controlled by a terrorist organisation, we can tick people off in just 60 minutes? I think that is undue haste. I think that is rushed, and I think that's a real risk.
STEFANOVIC: What if, and I'm just going to close here because we're out of time. What if they've just got nowhere else to go? So I mean, I see your point, I see your point. But what if they've got nowhere else to go? So it's a matter of urgency?
PATERSON: As I said Pete, there's no doubt there's a genuine humanitarian need in Gaza, and Australia does have a role to alleviate that. But we're not the only country in the world that can play a role there, and it should never come at the expense of our own security and safety, nor of the security and safety of the Jewish community who feels more under besieged and ever before in our history and frankly, hasn't had the support it deserves from this government in tackling this anti-Semitism crisis.
STEFANOVIC: Okay, James, good to see you as always. We'll chat to you soon.
ENDS
