Jamie Briggs MP

Two pollies who get up when you do, Amanda Rishworth, Labor MP for Kingston, good morning Amanda Rishworth. 

 

Good morning. 

 

And Jamie Briggs, Liberal MP for Mayo, good morning Jamie Briggs.

 

Hello Matthew, hello David. 

 

Now Jamie Briggs, you are part of a party that wants a return to traditional values, according to your party room debate yesterday, in terms of comedy like this: 

 

 

Jamie Briggs, (inaudible)

 

I’m more of a Chaser sort of comedy. One of the funniest Chaser scenes I ever saw, obviously when I worked for the former Prime Minister, I think it was in 2004 or 2005, they followed him one morning on the walk in and around Sydney which I was on, with a bus and a Peter Costello look-a-like driving a transition express. Look I think in all seriousness…

 

Now we are talking about At home with Julia and whether it is inappropriate, particularly tonight’s episode where we think there will be a scene with the PM trying to make love to her partner Tim Mathieson in their office, rapped in a flag. 

 

I don’t think much of the show. I think it is inappropriate to the extent that it is focusing on Julia Gillard’s personality and her personal life, and I think that’s where I have a different view on this. We are open to ridicule and there is much to take off about most of us, and I am very fearful when people decide to take me off, but I think when it gets to domestic situations and so forth, that’s where I think it is inappropriate. What I would say is I would prefer to see the ABC spend money on ensuring the SANFL continues to be broadcast in South Australia, rather than on this stuff.

 

Jamie Briggs. Amanda Rishworth. 

 

Well look I haven’t actually seen the show and I don’t think I will be watching it tonight, but from all accounts it doesn’t sound like something that I would be too interested in, and I think, I have seen the ratings and they seem to be going down over time. But look I think there are a lot of things that aren’t that humorous that aren’t very funny on TV and I think to some extent, each to their own. Certainly I am not probably as bigger Chaser fan, but I’m particularly a The thick of it fan. So when it comes to political satire, I find that a very good show. 

 

Did you used to watch Are you being served or Some Mothers do have ‘em in your household? 

 

No, it was a bit more G rated. I think it was Bewitched or I dream of Jeanie. Something more that tone. I do miss that, but I have noticed it on some digital channels. 

 

You were a Brady Bunch type of a girl. 

 

Yeah, and some of those channels, I think that was more my parents choice than my choice. 

 

What happened to How green was my cactus. That used to be very funny. 

 

True. That used to be a radio play wasn’t it? Marry from Para Hills has called us on breakfast with Matthew and David, as we talk to Amanda Rishworth and Jamie Briggs. Good morning Mary. 

 

 

Thanks for your call, Mary from Para Hills. Amanda Rishworth, do you think this is about Julia Gillard being a female Prime Minister? 

 

Well look I think certainly they have decided to target her personal life, but I’m sure that that has happened in the past, but I think having a guess a real focus on her relationship could be seen by some people as targeting a female Prime Minister, but I think people make jokes at politicians all the time. I think we do have to grow a thicker skin in this. I do agree with Jamie, the real focus on the personal stuff I don’t think whether it is attack, whether it is comedy, it is always the most appropriate way. 

 

Jamie Briggs, coming back you, Federal Liberal MP for Mayo, and somebody who has called for a debate on restoring some industrial relations reform, Tony Abbott appears to have pulled the rug from under that particular foot of yours; doesn’t want to return to individual workplace contracts, trying to really keep that debate off the front burner. 

 

Well look I think, as I said on this program just a couple of weeks ago, this is an important issue. The reforms of the Labor Party enacted a couple of years ago are causing quite significant problems in the economy. What Tony said last night is that we will have a policy at the next election which is about solving problems, and we’ll have a policy which includes flexibility arrangements, and one of those flexibility arrangements, in my view, is to have a statutory individual contract with a no disadvantage test. I think we should engage in that debate and I think we will continue to engage in that debate. 

 

So are you at odds with your Leader on that one? 

 

No, we are having what is the democratic right to have a debate. Tony said last night…

 

But he doesn’t want individual contracts on the agenda. He is effectively saying the current system is flawed, but we will need to work on that framework, not returning to the previous one. 

 

Well you asked me what I believe and I believe that we should be having a debate and we should look at, for our policy, which we haven’t announced yet, we will be announcing it leading up to the next election, including, and I think if you want, you can’t have genuine flexibility without a form of statutory individual contracts with a no disadvantage test. 

 

Right, you’ll continue to push that, despite these signals from your leader? 

 

Well people are often critical that MPs on both sides don’t stand up or talk about things they think are important. I think this is very important. 

 

And Amanda Rishworth, before you leave us, your party continues to struggle with the processing of asylum seekers. Are you happy with the latest legislation that Julia Gillard has proposed, which has brought us to the curious situation where Tony Abbott is now championing human rights. 

 

Well look I think Tony Abbott is really just making this all a political stunt, because if you look at his policy he actually wants to turn boats back on the high seas and in fact take them back to Indonesia or hope they don’t sink in the process of it. But what we have made really clear is we believe the government of the day should have, should be able to take the national interest into consideration when their determining border protection. So I do support the legislation and the test for Tony Abbott is will he stop playing these political games and actually look at what is in the national interest. So I think…

 

And that would be removing human rights and natural justice from…

 

Well we don’t know how much Tony Abbott thought about human rights when he would turn boats back at sea and send them to Indonesia, which is not a signatory to the UN Convention. 

 

So you’d send them to Malaysia, which is not a signatory…

 

Well that is why we have protections in place and we have freely entered into an agreement with the Malaysian Government, in terms of making sure there are protections including no return, which is the cusp of the UN Convention. 

 

But they are not legally enforceable, are they? 

 

Well look why would a government such as the Malaysian Government be open to an agreement such as this if they weren’t intending to uphold it…

 

Because you gave them the deal of the century. You gave them a five for one swap. That is why they have agreed to it. 

 

Once again this five for one swap, just once again is political rhetoric, I mean…

 

Ok, so you explain what it is then. 

 

Well what we are saying is we want to have a regional solution which suggests that we take on more of our international refugee intake of 4000 people, but we do it in an orderly fashion. 

 

And how many would we give back? How many would we give over to Malaysia? 

 

It is not about dealing with people, it’s about breaking the people smuggling model. This is not about demonising refugees as you might want to do with asylum seekers. This is about breaking the people smuggling model which is what out focus is, on a regional basis. 

 

And what does your platform say Amanda, what does the Labor Party platform say? 

 

Jamie Briggs, we are going to have to bring it to an end there. We will leave your question hanging. Jamie Briggs, Liberal MP for Mayo, and Amanda Rishworth Labor MP for Kingston.