Newschat Panel with Sally Capp, The Today Show
20 January 2023
SARAH ABO: Well joining us to discuss today's headlines is Lord Mayor of Melbourne Sally Capp and Shadow Finance Minister Jane Hume. Ladies, very good to see you both. Thank you for joining us here in Melbourne. Jane, I want to go to you first. Obviously you know what it's like to be in the world of politics intimately. She said Jacinda, that there wasn't enough in the tank. It can get exhausting can’t it?
JANE HUME: I think at a moment like this when a prime minister retires even if they're on a different side of politics, it's an opportunity to be very gracious, and it is a really hard job. It is 24/7, there is no relief. Even when you have those moments on your own, you're still thinking about it, your brains ticking over. And I would imagine it would take a toll particularly on somebody with a young family and you know, a lot of life ahead of her. So I think we should at this point say congratulations to Jacinda Ardern, she's done a terrific job. I think she's been an amazing role model particularly for young women that might look to her and say, you know, ‘I could do that, I could be that’ and I really do wish her well in the next stage of her life.
SARAH ABO: Well she has empowered so many women, hasn't you but do you think that there's a little bit of an element here of it's getting a bit tough, you know, the polls aren't going as well for her as they were before?
JANE HUME: Well, of course they're going to face an election I think now on October the 14th and the Nationals are certainly further ahead than the New Zealand Labour Party. But it's really not often that a prime minister gets to leave on a high on their own terms. You know, in politics, you tend to leave in a box or you tend to leave at the ballot box.
SARAH ABO: Yes.
JANE HUME: And I think that it's seen it's a really good opportunity for Jacinda to make her gracious exit and to also find a successor that gives the Labour Party the best chance of the next election. The Nationals are already that little bit further ahead, so we'll see how it goes.
SARAH ABO: And Sally, do you think it's a bit more difficult for women in politics?
SALLY CAPP: Well, I think politics these days is brutal Sarah and as Jane said, it's 24/7. One of the things I reflect on with Jacinda is she came to Melbourne and came into town hall to do a public lecture and as she walked into that main hall there was a spontaneous standing ovation. And the ability she had to connect with people, with the with the population, with the community, I think has been outstanding. And again, I wish her all the best.
SARAH ABO: Yes she was very popular here wasn’t she. Well, as we said we're in Melbourne it's wonderful to be here. But one of the downfalls of course of a massive event like this is when you want to leave when you want to go home now that we weren't here yesterday and tried to leave last night, we had Ubers cancel on us, it was difficult to get a cab. What do you make of this price gouging we're seeing at the moment with the Melbourne cabbies some of them are charging $100 More we're just not taking fares because they're so short.
SALLY CAPP: Well Sarah I'd say it's usually the few bad apples that spoil it for the rest. The majority of cabbies are wonderful ambassadors for our city, not only driving people around but providing lots of information and opinions, all at good prices. To those who are doing the wrong thing, they're being dealt with by the relevant authorities and it's completely unaustralian to do this, so I hope they are appropriately dealt with. But can I just say Melbourne Park, the reason this tournament is so successful is there are so many transport options for people please plan your trip in. Please make the use of public transport when you can. But to all those cabbies keep doing the right thing.
SARAH ABO: And Jane, you’re a local girl as well. I love the trams and trains here in Melbourne. That's another option.
JANE HUME: Me too. I took the trip down here myself this morning and they do run at very late hours which is terrific. Trams are a really great system. The train’s just around the corner too. But also the parks around here mean that, you know, walking here is a really good option too. You get to enjoy so much more of Melbourne and that's why this is such a great event.
SARAH ABO: Does the state government need to intervene though do you think to clamp down on the cabbies?
JANE HUME: I think that they already are. You know, Sally’s right it's entirely unaustralian. Going to the Australian Open is a really important ritual, but it's not a cheap one. It's actually quite expensive and I think it's unfair that cabbies are charging more than necessary for people that have already spent a fair bit here at the ground.
SARAH ABO: Especially when all we want to do is come here and enjoy the tennis right. All right, Jane. Sally, thank you so much for joining us today.