GOVERNMENT MEDIA MONITORING UNIT
DATE: APRIL 1ST, 2005
TIME: 7.14AM
STATION: 720 ABC PERTH BREAKFAST (CAMERON)
SUBJECT: KENNEDY – WEEK IN POLITICS
This transcript is produced for information purposes only. Although all care is taken, no warranty as to its accuracy or completeness is given. It is your responsibility to ensure by independent verification that all information is correct before placing any reliance on it.
CAMERON
Time to talk politics with Peter Kennedy... (greetings not transcribed)... State Parliament resumed. Plenty on the plate, notably John D’Orazio’s head.
KENNEDY
Well he certainly was under pressure. He kept saying that he’s... I’ve been the minister for two-and-a-half weeks, you know, by this week he’s been a minister for three weeks. But when Parliament resumed, not only had there been the one escape earlier in the week, but within 24 hours there’d been two escapes, including the second one, of course, being Brian Edwards, who’d been convicted of a double murder.
So he really was under pressure and the Opposition didn’t let him off the rack, and on Tuesday, didn’t let the Government off the rack, putting the question: who signed; who signed the documents that enabled Edwards to be put into a less secure institution? And it was a bit like drawing teeth, but by Wednesday morning the Premier, who made it clear that his was a signatory on the document, and also Jim McGinty, and the point was being made that it was on the advice that was given to them. So, I mean, this was a good start for the Opposition to be able to sort of go in on an issue like that...
CAMERON
Right on the front foot.
KENNEDY
... my word. And then, as you know now, John D’Orazio said we’re going to have this inquiry, we’re going to have an independent inquirer, terms of reference are being done, and the Opposition was saying, well, you know, they came in on the attack again. It’s got to be an open inquiry, it’s got to be a judicial inquiry, got to have the power to call the previous minister, Michelle Roberts – that sort of stuff. So, I mean, it was a good
1 start to Parliament from... particularly from the Opposition’s point of view.
Now I might say, also, that John D’Orazio, as the new minister, handled it pretty well, and for instance calling an inquiry. That’s what you’d expect in a situation like this to sort of...
CAMERON
Were you seeing ‘Yes Minister’?
KENNEDY
Exactly. If do call an inquiry, I want a report on my desk by nine o’clock tomorrow morning. So they’re obvious answers. But it’s apparent that the department’s not working well; justice isn’t working well. Something needs to be done and maybe this the circuit breaker as far as the government of the day is concerned...
CAMERON
Just sort it out.
KENNEDY
... yeah, exactly. And so... I mean, if something good can come out of this, then obviously that’s to everyone’s benefit.
CAMERON
Now speaking of good things coming out of things. The power rebate, is that a good thing?
KENNEDY
That was a little circuit breaker – if I could use that term – yesterday.
CAMERON
I tell you something. If you had a break of 11 hrs and 50 minutes, wouldn’t you be furious?
KENNEDY
You’d be a bit dark, in more ways than dark.
CAMERON
Exactly.
KENNEDY
2 ... but the... and the Government needed the circuit breaker because it was on the back foot with regards to the jails, and so yesterday afternoon, question time, Alan Carpenter unveiled this rebate scheme: $80 if you lose your power for more than 12 hrs; Western Power’s got to pay it out automatically. Someone said to me, where’s the brainwave come from. Apparently it operates in most other states now...
CAMERON
Oh, really.
KENNEDY
... so... and it was really drawn on that and it was… led most of the bulletins last night and as far as the Government’s concerned, I think they would have been a bit relieved that it had taken the jails off the headlines. I don’t think Western Power was all that pleased. I think Mr Carpenter sort of said to Western Power, this is what you’re going to do.
CAMERON
And they said, oh goody goody.
KENNEDY
They sort of said, well we’ve been working along something like this anyway.
CAMERON
Oh right.
KENNEDY
But I think it might have been fast-tracked. But it’ll cost Western Power, based on last year’s figures, close to three million, including about 800,000 in administrative costs.
CAMERON
That’s interesting.
KENNEDY
And as we’ve heard on the news this morning, small business people aren’t happy about it because some small businesses will qualify, but the bigger your annual power consumption, then…
CAMERON
…it diminishes down.
KENNEDY
No, there’s a cut-off point and you just lose out altogether.
3 CAMERON
If you had a side of lamb go off in the fridge, that’s going to be more than 80 bucks to replace.
KENNEDY
Oh well, as Alan Carpenter said, it’s not going to solve everybody… not everyone’s going to be delighted about it, but he said it’s compensation for inconvenience for ordinary householders. And I suppose if you are inconvenienced, like that, then something like this is sort of useful I suppose and it’s an incentive obviously to Western Power, to fix everything.
CAMERON
Now Peter there’s some new members warming the leather, you would have been watching them, anything impressive in the way of first speeches?
KENNEDY
Lots of maiden speeches this week and generally pretty good, good standard and yesterday there were a couple I’ll just make a quick mention of, John McGrath, the member for South Perth, one of my former journalistic colleagues, is the new Liberal member there, it’s become a journalist seat in fact South Perth, because he’s replaced Phillip Pendal and I suppose when John McGrath retires, who knows when, there will probably be another journalist lining up, saying this is the journalist seat, so this is ours. He enlisted all the journalists who were in Parliament, in fact there are five journalists in state parliament right now, he’s the fifth.
CAMERON
Oh right.
KENNEDY
So it’s an extraordinary….
CAMERON
Better than lawyers….do you reckon it could be line ball?
KENNEDY
…lawyers were very strong there for a number of years…..
CAMERON
…yes, yes…..
KENNEDY
4 And school teachers had their run, and accountants….well not so many accountants, but yes, you do have bursts from time to time. And he made reference to the fact also and this was interesting I thought from across party point of view, the number of journalists who have sort of contributed to public life over the years, he drew on John Curtin, he drew on Paul Hasluck, whe I noticed in your list today…..
CAMERON
Yes it was his birthday.
KENNEDY
And he would…if he was still alive, he’d be turning 100 today, born in 1905 and I mean there’s Brian Burke, there’s a whole stack of….and John Bowler, is a former journalist, in the new Ministry now as well as Alan Carpenter, as well as……so look, it’s a big contribution there, and he also, John being a former racing writer, made the point that perhaps the days of turfs track for racing could be numbered, particularly when you have pollution of the river, say from Belmont……the algal blooms….
CAMERON
…yes…..
KENNEDY
….and he made the point that…and water problems of course, and he said perhaps we should have racing on sort of artificial tracks…..and he said that’s quite common in other countries, in the United States and some European countries, quite common. So he said perhaps we should give that a trial, so I thought that was interesting.
Trevor Sprigg, the former East Fremantle footballer, made reference to when he was doorknocking, the sixth house he doorknocked on, the occupants said, I’m a Labor voter and I barrack for South Fremantle and that wasn’t much hope for Trevor, he’s a Liberal and he played for East Fremantle, but he did say at the end of it, the fellow said, good luck to you. But by and large the standard of the opening speech was very good.
CAMERON
And Matt Birney has made a plea for no leaks from the party room, is his second name Pollyanna or something?
KENNEDY
Well I suppose every leader hopes that…you generally hope in vain, but I’m told at the Liberal Party room this week, he did make an impassioned plea, and for instance he said it was absolutely critical, I’m told, that there be no leaks from the party room and appealed to his colleagues and he used the phrase I’m told, to lock arms and march forward together. So this was sort of quite stirring stuff…..they say by the way Ian, the best ships always leak from the top, you know that…..but we’ll work on that.
But I’m also told that reference was made in the Liberal Party room this week, about Alan Cadby, the Independent member whose vote will be crucial on one-vote, one-
5 value, and reference made to section 61 of the criminal code and I went to the library and had a look at section 61 of the criminal code and it’s headed bribery of member of Parliament and clause two makes the point that attempts to directly or indirectly by fraud or whatever, to influence a member of parliament, in the way he or she votes or has opinions, or to try and induce that person to be absent from a vote, on a particular issue, anyone who does that is guilty of a crime and is liable to imprisonment for seven years so it’s quite sort of….the warning went out just to take it easy, we know Alan’s vote will be vital in this issue, but any dealings you have with him, you better be….just watch it.
CAMERON
What is the latest on that?
KENNEDY
Well he, we know that the Government’s introduced this legislation and he’s looking at the legislation and I think he might come up with a couple of amendments, particularly with regard to the Upper House, so he hasn’t actually said anything about his position, we’ll watch that, should surface next week I think.
CAMERON
Now the TWU I understand, has had a change of heart about the Riverton bypass?
KENNEDY
Well you remember just a couple of days before the election, the Government said the trucks travelling down Leach Highway, through Riverton, they’re going to be diverted into Roe Highway and then people just said that’s absurd you know, how are you going to police it, that sort of thing and it was to save the seat of Riverton, for Labor’s Tony McRae. Well the TWU at the time said oh well, you know, Leach Highway is a nightmare, perhaps this might be better, but now they’ve…in their issue, their magazine Wheel, they indicate they’re far from happy about it, they call it the Riverton dogleg, the truck ban on Leach Highway is not the answer, says Jim McGiveron, the secretary and the points made here, why should our members be forced to pull on to the freeway during peak morning and afternoon traffic, to appease a few hundred swinging voters? Well……
CAMERON
There you go.
KENNEDY
Well it did appease a few hundred swinging voters and enabled Mr McRae to get another term in Parliament, but the TWU obviously indicating now, a month after the election, they’re not happy and the Government will have to do a bit more work on this one.
CAMERON
And Peter, what’s coming up?
6 KENNEDY
Oh well look I guess there’s a lot of attention being paid to just what the terms of reference will be for this inquiry into the department of justice, a lot of work being done on that by the government, there’s’ to be a police graduation today, Michelle Roberts will be presiding over that, the Government’s promised an extra 350 police this term and late this afternoon the Premier will be heading out to Lathlain to launch the history – this is probably the most important function of the day, he will be launching the history of the Perth Football Club this afternoon out of the club.
CAMERON
And one of the author’s is?
KENNEDY
The editor is Alan East and I’m a contributor to the book, along with Brian Lawrence and Jim Weeks and it’s a very good publication, I can recommend it.
CAMERON
Oh, I bet you can. How long have you guys been working on that?
KENNEDY
Oh, it’s a labour of love, started officially in 1969, it’s taken six years, but it’s a terrific…..
CAMERON
1969?
Kennedy
Sorry, 1999, the club’s centenary year and it’s taken six years, it’s has gone in fits and starts but it really got a spurt on about 12 or 18 months ago, and terrific photos form the days of York and looks to many of the glory years and some of the clubs great personalities.
CAMERON
And what’s the book called?
KENNEDY
It’s called from Red Legs to Demons.
CAMERON
Is it going to be available generally in the stores?
7 KENNEDY
I think through the club initially and just depends if it’s a best seller, it will go to all good bookshops, won’t it?
CAMERON
Peter thank you for that, we’ll see you on Monday.
ENDS….sc
8