Sky News AM Agenda
E&OE
KIERAN GILBERT:
Can you give us a sense of what you think the PM is talking about when he talks about Australia giving the benefit of the doubt at our borders for example as a long serving Immigration Minister yourself?
MINISTER MORRISON:
Happy to. We currently have a Protection and Other Measures Bill which I introduced into the Parliament which said if people can’t establish their identity when they are seeking a protection visa then they won’t be given the benefit of the doubt about their identity. Now that I think is a very clear example of the sort of thing that needs to change, that we have been trying to change and that the Labor Party has opposed us on through the Parliament. These sorts of things are quite central to ensure we have the right checks and balances in the system because our officials, whether in the Immigration Department or in Centrelink or anywhere else have to apply the rules that are there. We need to tighten those rules so they can ensure we have this situation as strong as it can be.
GILBERT:
When you say Labor has opposed these measures the vast bulk of security legislation Labor supported and you know that Bill Shorten has been trying to say this is bi-partisanship on this front. You are saying that is not the case when it comes to this particular provision?
MINISTER MORRISON:
Yes they opposed this provision when I introduced it. I was surprised that they did so but that is a matter for them to explain. That is another important measure and the government will obviously be looking at other areas. I am sure the Attorney-General and others will be looking at matters that fall within their responsibilities. I am no longer the Immigration Minister but I am sure Peter Dutton will continue that process that we began. We also introduced changes to character provisions and tests to tighten up on what could be done to cancel people’s visas and refuse peoples’ visas. Those measures were supported but I was surprised the Protection and Other Measures Bill was opposed by the Labor Party.
GILBERT:
I will get David Feeney’s thoughts on that in a moment. On the issue of citizenship and residency though, how do you tighten that? If someone has been here several years this seems to be a very difficult thing to try and tighten, if people are here and pass the various tests, how do we know if someone is going to be radicalised later?
MINISTER MORRISON:
The issue here is about firstly statelessness and obviously Australia is a signatory to the statelessness convention so matters regarding citizenship couldn’t be applied to anyone who was the citizen of another country. But there are many dual citizens and this is an issue that has been ventilated before both in the community and the Parliament. There was a motion moved last year on this issue that was debated in the Parliament. These are very live issues. The British have a system that provides for cancellation in those situations. The bar would have to be set appropriately but these are matters that have been canvassed publically and the Prime Minister I am sure would be considering all options available to him.
GILBERT:
And as the Minister responsible now for Centrelink when the PM says that the benefit of the doubt is being given at Centrelink as well what is he talking about on that front?
MINISTER MORRISON:
I believe our Centrelink officers do everything in accordance with the rules that we set down. It is up to the government and ministers to ensure the rules are as tight as they can be. I have talked about being a tough welfare cop on the beat. That is certainly what I intend to do. We can’t have our welfare system being rorted or abused by those who can really be doing us harm. What is necessary in that whole process is the better integration of information and people working together so all of our officers have the best information available to them. I will give you an example. When I was Minister for Border Protection we ensured there was a greater connection between our security agencies and our border officers with the flow of information through the formation of the Counter Terrorism unit that I established. That is what can be done and I think they are the measures and the issues that government is looking to proceed with and take further in as many areas as we can.
GILBERT:
In terms of radicalised individuals getting welfare benefits is there anything other than just anecdotal evidence to prove that this is happening as far as you are aware?
MINISTER MORRISON:
It is important to have the integration of information and officers working together across the various silos of government. That has always been a real issue and challenge for every government. The better we can do that, the better we will all do.
GILBERT:
You have made some announcements today regarding 770,000 Australian part pensioners. Can you talk us through the details of this and how does it fit with Joe Hockey’s message about the need to stay disciplined when it comes to the government’s spending?
MINISTER MORRISON:
When economic circumstances change the deeming rates we have in place which determines whether people have eligibility for a pension also change. So there have been some changes recently in financial markets and what we have done is adjust the deeming rates. What that means – it is a very modest, small increase of about $3.20 a fortnight for those on part pensions, those on carer payments. What we are seeing is that as economic circumstances change, as cost of living pressures increase then the government is very aware of that and in March we will be making that change. There will be another change in March and that will be the CPI I would assume increase that we will see for the pension. Bill Shorten is going around saying pensions are going down. Well they are not they are going up. All he has got a plan to do is scare pensioners. What we have a plan to do is go around and ensure we are in a position to help them more wherever we can. You just can’t run unfunded empathy policies which is what Bill Shorten is doing – empathise with everyone, fund nothing and not come up with one idea.
GILBERT:
So would pensioners, can you clarify for us – will they be better off?
MINISTER MORRISON:
Absolutely.
GILBERT:
Or do they simply get the money they would have lost otherwise?
MINISTER MORRISON:
No, no they are getting an increase for part pensioners and there are 770,000 people in this category. They will get on average an increase of around $3.20 per fortnight when this comes in March and that is a change in the deeming provisions. They assess what people’s income levels are which then determines what their eligibility is for various pension payments. So we have reduced those deemed rates of income earning from the investments which means that people on part pensions will be able to get some modest relief from what is happening currently with their investments.
GILBERT:
Do you accept this runs contrary to the message that Joe Hockey has been talking about – the need for budget repair?
MINISTER MORRISON:
No because this is an important part of the system. This is how the system is designed to work just like the cost of living increases that are made in adjustments to the pension every six months. It is not just true as the Labor Party keeps going around to scare pensioners telling them the government is cutting pensions. The government is not cutting pensions. The government is increasing pensions and Bill Shorten has to do more than scare pensioners. He has to come up with a funded plan as to how he would do it differently and you won’t be seeing that.
GILBERT:
To another area of your responsibility. This has caused quite a stink among backbenchers in your party room. It was the announcement before Christmas by your predecessor Kevin Andrews of the removal in finding for community service groups, things like the National Shelter, various other community centres. There was a lot of blowback to your colleagues on the backbench and members of the Liberal Party and National Party. Can you give as a sense of where this funding is going now? You have guaranteed it for at least six months but can you give any firmer indication on that?
MINISTER MORRISON:
Let me go over what happened – there were over 5,500 applications for $800 million worth of grants. Seven hundred organisations were successful in that grant round process. What I was uncomfortable and unhappy with was the transition process from the old service providers to the new service providers. So I have extended the funding for the frontline service providers until 30 June and for emergency payments to the end of March because that is when we will be able to get the transition from those who are doing it formally to those who will be taking up those services. I want to avoid any frontline service gaps wherever possible and I have been working with the backbenchers and government members and others who have raised these issues with me to try and address the issues on the ground. For many of these services there hadn’t been a competitive tender for 20 years. This is about trying to ensure our grants programme is focused very much on those who need it the most but in any process as large as this where there are gaps, where there are shortfalls I am working with everyone to ensure we try and fill those gaps and maintain a continuity of service provision.
GILBERT:
So some of these community groups like the Financial Counselling Australia, the National Shelter that I mentioned earlier other local groups like the Highlands Community Centre in the Southern Highlands – these sorts of groups might end up with ongoing funding even though it was removed by Kevin Andrews?
MINISTER MORRISON:
Where they are frontline service providers they will have that funding extended to 30 June. Where a new service provider…
GILBERT:
But no guarantee beyond that?
MINISTER MORRISON:
Where a new service provider is taking over the serve then you are obviously not going to fund two organisations to do exactly the same job or more or less the same job. But if there are gaps that emerge Kieran that is what I am working through with members and with local community organisations.
GILBERT:
Ok. And Mr Morrison I want to ask you finally about the dumping of Philip Ruddock as the Chief Government Whip. You know better than I do but Philip Ruddock is very much well thought of within the Liberal Party but also in many other groups across NSW and Sydney particularly with his focus on various multicultural groups. He has been a supporter of for decades. How do you think this sort of decision is going to go down for the Father of the House to be dumped like that?
MINISTER MORRISON:
The former Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock is the best Immigration Minister in my opinion we have ever had. For many of the reasons you have mentioned and he was very successful on our borders as well. I think Philip Ruddock took on that job after the election on the request of the Prime Minister. I don’t think he was hanging around Parliament for forty years to take that job but he has always been a very loyal members of every government he has served in and the party – he has been a lifelong member pretty much together with his wife Heather. They are great Liberals, they have been great servants of the Australian people and they will continue to do so. The Prime Minister has made his decision on this issue and Philip Ruddock totally understands I believe that that is within the remit of the Prime Minister to do so. What I know though is that Philip Ruddock will continue to serve the people he has served every day of his public life tomorrow, today, as he has yesterday.
GILBERT:
You are not that comfortable with the decision though yourself?
MINISTER MORRISON:
That is not what I said. What I said is that is a matter for the Prime Minister. I think Philip Ruddock has always shown the dignity and the discretion and the loyalty that has marked his many, many years in public service and that is why he is respected by not only his colleagues but as you rightly say people right across the country, particularly those from our many ethnic communities – 270 odd that make up this tremendous country.
GILBERT:
Was that loyalty repaid?
MORRISON:
That is a matter only that those two men can discuss. With Philip Ruddock what you always know is he turns up every day to do his best for the country and does it out of very loyal service to his party, his colleagues but most importantly to the people who put him into the Parliament.
GILBERT:
And as I say very well thought of among those multicultural groups in Sydney, anyway let’s wrap it up there. Scott Morrison, appreciate your time this morning.
MORRISON:
Thanks a lot.
(ENDS)