Doorstop, Federal Press Gallery

22 May 2024

JOURNALIST: Just on minimum wage, what are your thoughts on it? Business groups are hoping for a 2.8, ACTU is hoping for 5%, where do you think that'll rise?

JANE HUME: Well, there's a very good reason why the decision around the minimum wage is one that is independent of government and it should be independent of government. Although I do think we tend to see the Labor Government barracking for high wages, which of course, inevitably are going to put pressure on inflation and make the RBA's decision that much more difficult. If wages go up too far without those productivity improvements, Philip Lowe said it will simply be an inflationary wage. He said that at the last time the Fair Work Commission made decisions on minimum wage, and it still holds true today. We want to make sure that we see the Government do everything it can with its fiscal firepower to bring inflation back down. Otherwise we're gonna see inflation stay higher for longer and Australians will pay the price.

JOURNALIST: Is there a difficult balance? The Government is also saying that they don't want workers to go backwards, but they're obviously trying to manage that inflation fight at the same time.

JANE HUME: Well, that's up to the government to be able to justify the position that they've taken. There is a reason why the decision is independent. And why it has to consider not just wages that are out there at the moment. But all of the pressures of the economy, I have no doubt that a sensible decision will take into account for instance, some of the announcements in last week's budget that's almost inevitable because there's going to be more cash in the economy.

JOURNALIST: Senator I'm not sure if you're aware of this story. But the BCA has quit the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee that it lays out providers on welfare before each Budget. Their argument is it doesn't really do enough about workforce participation, it's more just about spending money. The BCA feels it'll be better off just advocating under its own banner. It was the only business voice on that committee. Do you, I'm putting you on the spot here, but is that committee something you would keep in government?

JANE HUME: I didn't know that, you just told me that, so I haven't really put my head around that. But I think we're increasingly seeing that the voice of economics in this country is being driven by a smaller and smaller group of people. And most of them are associated with unions, whether it be the Fair Work Commission, or whether it be, you know, committees like the one referred to, and that's a real concern. I was sitting with a group of small business owners yesterday up in Brisbane, who are telling me that the restrictive industrial relations laws are one of the biggest pressures on them. That they're finding it harder and harder to increase their workforces, and instead because of economic pressures, but also because they don't have a human resources department, they don't have a compliance department, they don't have in-house legal counsel, they're finding it harder and harder to keep people employed. I have no doubt that we're going to see the unemployment figures to go up in the next particularly in the second half of this year. Telstra may have belled a cat but it's small businesses that are really doing it tough.

JOURNALIST: Which IR laws, other than the definition of casuals and the right to disconnect would be part of the Coalition's targeted repeal package?

JANE HUME: I think you're probably better off asking that one to the Shadow Industrial Relations Ministers , which is Michaelia Cash rather than a Shadow Finance Minister. The leaders made it clear that going back to the original definition of casual is fundamentally important for small businesses.

JOURNALIST: Senator, the new Gencost Report shows conventional nuclear will be far more expensive than renewables. Where does this leave the Opposition's policy?

JANE HUME: Yeah, the Gencost report came out this morning and I have to admit that I haven't read it yet. I've been on a plane on the way up here. But it's important to understand that the Gencost Report isn't costing Coalition policy. It's simply a model, that uses particular assumptions and particular assumptions. So we'll have a look at that Gencost Report. Quite frankly, I think that the evidence is in when you include nuclear energy, as part of your balanced energy mix in an all of the above approach to energy then you find that your energy costs come down, your bills come down. That's what we saw in Ontario. Ontario, which was a coal mining area, included nuclear energy in its energy mix now has about 60% live in its mix, and prices there for consumers about half what we're paying in Australia. So that's an example that's even been repeated right around the world. The fact that of all the G20 countries, that we are the only one that isn't even considering nuclear energy in its mix that either isn't on a pathway to nuclear energy or already has nuclear energy, I think is is certainly unusual and inexplicable. We have the greatest uranium resources, the richest uranium resources in the world and yet we ship it off to other countries and don't use it ourselves. It is simply ideological belligerence that we wouldn't even consider lifting the moratorium on nuclear energy in this country.

JOURNALIST: Just on the public service, you've been critical of the headline increase to ASL under Labor since they came to power about 36,000. Would a Coalition government cut public service jobs and if so, how many?

JANE HUME: Well I think that the Leader's been pretty clear that a 36,000 increase in public service seems to be excessive when you compare it to the standard of service that has been delivered. I don't know whether you feel 36,000 public servants better off today than you did two years ago. And let's just put that into context Telstra has fewer than 36,000 employees right around the country and yet 36,000 new employees are being put on here in Canberra.

JOURNALIST: So would you go back to the model of outsourcing more labour as was the practice under the former Coalition Government?

JANE HUME: Using consultants has been common practice within our public service for decades and under all use of government and that's because we can't expect public servants to be experts in everything from day one. They will continue to be used as they are being continued to be used now.

JOURNALIST: Your economic counterpart Angus Taylor's up at the Press Club today. He will speak about Coalition policies. Just before, can we expect anything out of that today that might give us a better, better indication heading into the next election?

JANE HUME: Yeah, I referred to it before, but one of the big factors that's missing in our economy right now is productivity. In fact, productivity has gone backwards in this country by around 5.4% back to pre-COVID levels. That's something that we really need to be concerned about. And what drives productivity, lowering inflation, lowering energy costs, having less restrictive industrial relations laws to encourage people to invest and grow, employ people in their own companies, making sure that we're cutting red and green tape, and of course, lowering taxes to inject that sense of aspiration and reward for effort back into our economy back into our society. These are the things that drive productivity, and it's productivity that drives economic growth, not governments that drive economic growth. It's productivity that allows for higher wages, not Fair Work Commission's. It's productivity that allows us to have a prosperous life and more opportunities for the next generation, so that's what we should be focusing on. That, bringing back our fiscal disciplines, and then making sure that government leaves the private sector alone to do what it does best.

JOURNALIST: Just quickly on a code of conduct for Parliament House, do you think the onus should be flipped for mandatory reporting? Or should victims survivors still have the agency and the power to disclose their own experiences?

JANE HUME: You're referring to the Jenkins recommendation about an IPSC, which is something that we know the Government is working on right now and it's doing so in conjunction with the Parliamentary Leadership Task Force on which I am a member. There are Coalition members there, there are Independent members, there are Greens members, as well as Government members and one of the things I value most in that committee is that it is a confidential continue. We work very well in a consensus based approach. And we can't do that if we make commentary about the decisions that that can be making outside.

JOURNALIST: Not so confidential, if the report’s been leaked.

JANE HUME: Well, that's up to other people to explain. It certainly didn't come from the Coalition, don't think it came from the Government.

JOURNALIST: Can we please get an update on where negotiations with the Special Minister of State are up to? Are the Coalition any clearer on the shape and size of the proposed donation and spending caps that Labor's putting forward?

JANE HUME: Well, the Labor Party have spoken the big game on this one from day one. But any conversations that the Government has with the Coalition and the Opposition on this, I think should remain private. I would assume that the Government is having conversations right around the Parliament. That's certainly what they say they're doing. But I can't give you any updates further than that.

JOURNALIST: Can I just go back to nuclear for a second, the Opposition leader said the policy would be out by now and the details are still being worked through. We have no costings on it. If this was the government and they didn't stick to their own timeline, you would be very critical and you have been critical when stuff has been delayed. So why shouldn't the Coalition be held to the same standard and when can we expect policy details?

JANE HUME: We don't have a department behind us. You know, we're going to make sure that this work has been done really thoroughly, really carefully, because we know when we release it, that it won't just be the press gallery that are scrutinising that the Labor Government who've had some ideological belligerence towards nuclear energy are going to throw every resource that they have. I think that's a real shame because it is nothing more than ideology that would be driving that want to make sure that when we released this policy, that we have the answers to all of your questions, and we do so at our own timetable, not that of the press gallery, and certainly not that of the Labor Government.

JOURNALIST: Given that the Coalition had the numbers for nine years. How come not remove the moratorium then?

JANE HUME: Well, it wasn't part of our energy mix at that stage. But I'm actually really proud to be part of a Coalition that is now dedicated to not just net zero, but net zero using an all of the above technology approach to energy policy. That's the way to get prices down. It's not just the way to get emissions down, but it certainly would work to do that. It's also the way to make sure we have a reliable energy grid and energy bills that are affordable for ordinary Australians.

JOURNALIST: If the work hasn't been done yet to, as you say, to release the full energy policy-

JANE HUME: I didn't say it hasn't been done.

JOURNALIST: Well if it's been done why hasn't it been released?

JANE HUME: I'm saying it's being coordinated. But it's being done in a really careful and considerate way.

JOURNALIST: Does the Coalition know, I guess the question is, does the Coalition know enough already to stipulate that at least six nuclear plants will be needed to be built across the country?

JANE HUME: No, we're not announcing sites and we're not announcing locations but we have-

JOURNALIST: Numbers?

JANE HUME: And we're not announcing that today either. But we have been pretty clear that we will announce our nuclear policy when we're ready on our own timetable. Not on the timetable of the Labor Party, not on the timetable of the press gallery. Thanks, guys.