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April 22, 2025
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KIERAN GILBERT:
Let's go live to the Coalition Campaign Spokesperson, James Paterson. Senator Paterson, first of all, your reaction to that exchange there? It is interesting, I don't know whether Monique Ryan thinks it plays to her vote or the constituency she's trying to win over. But Laura was very polite in seeking a couple of answers at pre-poll. It's not like she was rude or abrasive. What was your take on that?
JAMES PATERSON:
Kieran, the Teals are all for transparency, and integrity, and scrutiny when it's applied to someone else, but they're not in favour of it when it is applied to them. In a free country, when you put yourself forward for public office, when you are elected to public office, and you have decision-making power that comes with that, you open yourselves up to scrutiny. And we have a free media and when they're in public they're entitled to ask anyone a question and if you don't have answers to those questions I think it leaves questions in voters minds about whether you're not up to the task ahead of you. And I think it reflects incredibly poorly on Monique Ryan to do the talk to the hand routine and rebuff Laura's very reasonable approach this morning and reasonable questions that she would have asked. Because the Teals should apply the same standards to themselves that they apply to others lest they be accused of hypocrisy.
KIERAN GILBERT:
It's not a good look, is it, when a politician is sort of running away from a camera, as we saw from Monique Ryan in the Parliament as well. It doesn't hurt to just stand there and give a response, particularly if you think you deserve to be elected to the Parliament and represent your constituents. You should be able to put a few words together.
JAMES PATERSON:
That's exactly right, Kieran, and speaking as a politician, media scrutiny is not always comfortable, but it's the wrong line of business to be in if you're not willing to front up and explain your positions and explain your conduct and explain your actions. And it's very revealing whenever Monique Ryan or her Teal associates stuff up or behave in an unethical or inappropriate way, like when her husband stole Amelia Hamer's sign, she does the perp walk routine, she runs away from the cameras, even in public spaces, and thinks she's entitled to just avoid the media and drop out of the media. Well, that's not good enough. If you're putting yourself up to make decisions on behalf of your nation, then you've got to be able to answer questions when they're reasonably put to you by the media. I think her voters will say this is
another example of Monique applying one standard to herself and a different standard to others. And it really questions her whole platform of integrity, transparency and scrutiny.
KIERAN GILBERT:
What's your read on Kooyong? I know you know that seat well, but you know the politics of Melbourne better than most. Do you think Amelia Hamer has got a chance of winning that back for the Liberal party? How confident are you?
JAMES PATERSON:
I absolutely do believe it's there to be won. Amelia Hamer, our candidate, is an outstanding candidate, a high-calibre person who, if she is elected to the federal parliament, could go on to make a big contribution to the future of our country, have a big say in the future of our county and of the Liberal party. Versus Monique Ryan, who's really disappointed a lot of people in Kooyong who thought they were getting something very different at the last election. She portrayed herself to be a kind of softer, kinder, gentler version of the Liberal party. What her voters didn't realise is she would end up voting almost exactly the same as the Greens, in her case 77% of the time. And so a lot of Kooyong voters feel betrayed, and I think they're impressed by the credentials of Amelia Hamer, someone who's worked in finance, who has a great education, who's worked in government, who got a really well-rounded CV and got a big contribution to make.
KIERAN GILBERT:
We've seen recently the Red Bridge polling and then the newspoll today with the breakdown, its analysis suggesting that the swing in your home state is now back to below two per cent on what it was, the result at the last election. The swing away from the government is back below two per cent. Does that mean that you're less likely to get the sort of swag of seats that you'd once hoped?
JAMES PATERSON:
Kieran, I can't talk about our internal research for obvious reasons, but certainly the anecdotal evidence that our candidates are collecting in the field is that there's strong discontent with the Labor Party in Victoria because they've seen the worst of both a bad state Labor government and a bad federal government and what that's done to Victoria's economy and also our community safety. So our candidates reporting incredible receptions in parts of Melbourne where frankly the Liberal Party has not had a strong presence in the past, in seats like Hawke and Gorton in Melbourne's north and west, in sets like McEwen, which is a traditional marginal seat that Labor has held for some time now, as well as in the east and southeast of Melbourne, places like Bruce and Isaacs and Holt. There's really strong discontent with Labor Party, and I expect to see significant swings in those areas. But there are two weeks to go, and it's an opportunity for us to sell our message, particularly around cost of living relief. When people hear about the petrol and diesel tax cut of 25 cents a litre, when they hear we will give them up to $1,200 back on their tax next financial year, that's generating a lot of support in the community.
KIERAN GILBERT:
The third leaders' debate tonight, and that's another chance for Peter Dutton, but we've had Easter, the sad passing of Pope Francis, although, you know, being celebrated too for the legacy that he's left as the leader of the Catholic Church for 12 years. In terms of the political reaction here, is it a stunt for the Prime Minister to suspend his campaign and then Peter Dutton to follow suit, really, shouldn't we crack on with the election due Saturday week?
JAMES PATERSON:
It's a very significant world event when a Pope passes away and you're certainly right that the election must go on and the election date is not going to be pushed back because of it but I think it's appropriate that both leaders took the morning out to mark the significance of the occasion and have been meeting with religious leaders and visiting churches as is appropriate. But the debate can and should and must proceed tonight because Australians deserve to have another opportunity to see our leaders head to head, to see their competing plans, to see their competing visions for the future and to examine their records. I mean, in Anthony Albanese's case, it's the last thing he wants to talk about because it has been so bad. I mean the worst fall in living standards in Australia's history and the worst in the OECD on his watch, and every expectation that the next three years under Anthony Albanese would be just the same as the first three if he were to be re-elected.
KIERAN GILBERT:
And finally, a question. We started the conversation by saying politicians need to answer awkward questions. Well, this one goes to the suggestion by a disendorsed Liberal. Evidence that Andrew Clennell picked up that he was acting as a voluntary advisor to you. You said he wasn't. What's gone on there with Benjamin Britton?
JAMES PATERSON:
Kieran, it's not unusual for political aspirants to embellish their relationship with politicians as a means to try and promote their own prospects, and I suspect that's what's happened here. But speaking for myself, in my nine years in the Senate, I have never on any occasion employed a voluntary policy advisor, and if I were to make an exception to that rule, I assure you, it would not be for Mr Britton.
KIERAN GILBERT:
Okay, so that was all a bit of a porky then?
JAMES PATERSON:
I think so. That's sometimes what happens with candidates in these processes. I wasn't aware of it until very recently.
KIERAN GILBERT:
James Paterson, thanks for your time. We appreciate it, we'll talk to you soon.
JAMES PATERSON:
Thanks, Kieran.
ENDS