Subjects: Victorian Police officer tragedy; banks; students going back to school.
EO&E...........................................................................................................................................
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Joining us now is Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and Deputy Labor Leader Richard Marles.
Richard, to you first of all this morning. Your state is in mourning today, such a difficult 24 hours, and a difficult time ahead.
RICHARD MARLES:
It is an absolute tragedy. You know, to join the police force, to put on that uniform every day is an act of service, but one I think we've all taken a lot for granted – I know I have – but what comes with it is also an enormous act of sacrifice and we saw the tragedy of that two days ago. The truth is that in the Victorian Police, but police forces around Australia, this sacrifice has been a part of their history.
And you know, I don't mind also acknowledging that my sparring partner and my friend on this show is a person who has made exactly that decision, and participated in exactly that service, and I think right now we need to be thinking about all that police do for us around the country every single day, and I thank Peter for the service that he's given in his life.
ALLISON LANGDON:
I mean Richard, how do we honour them? We know that funerals of more than 10 people can't be held. What do we do here in the current climate?
RICHARD MARLES:
I mean it is one of the real tragedies of the moment that we're in - people are not there able to say goodbye to their loved ones in the way they would want to, but this carries a particular significance because I think the whole state and the whole nation want to say thank you to the families of these police officers for the service that they've given, but thank you to everybody who serves in our police forces.
I just think it's so important that we are acknowledging the work that our police forces do around the country each and every day. The biggest thing we can do, I think, is to not take that for granted, to just remember what service and sacrifice means when people wear that uniform and that they are doing it for us.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
I mean you look at these photos and every one of them has a family. The grief that those families will be feeling, yesterday, today and in the coming days and weeks, it's so difficult.
RICHARD MARLES:
And 48 hours ago Karl, all of those families said goodbye to those four police officers imagining they were going to spend a normal day at work and would come home that night for dinner, and they didn't. The grief is unimaginable.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
And Pete, you worked as a cop. You did that, you went to work and you never knew what was going to happen. Can you sum it up for us?
PETER DUTTON:
Good morning guys. Thank you Richard for your kind comments. Look, it's a hurtful time because the policing family is, just by definition, a very tight one and all of the Victorian Police Service will feel this deeply – police around the country – and this will be a massive funeral to commemorate the lives of these four officers when it takes place. A police funeral is always a big event, but this will be a very significant event, and rightly so.
But as Richard points out, in the interim I just think we need to pay homage to those police officers that turned up for work the next day or the next shift, knowing that four of their colleagues had just been killed. I also think we need to really pay respect and a special thought and prayer, frankly, for the officers who were first on the scene, the good Samaritans as well. There was an AFP officer who turned up as one of the first on the scene to render first aid and those people will be scarred by that event forever. It's just a terrible time.f
Mums and Dads; I remember back a long time ago, my Mum and Dad always were very anxious about my decision when I decided to become a police officer and there'd be Mums and Dads, and spouses, and grandparents, and loved ones around the country – as Richard points out – that would have had a cold shiver when they heard that news because they face the same prospect of their loved one going to work and not coming back. So it's a very dark day.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Yeah well said. Just talking about something else this morning too, Peter. The big banks have been delaying and denying small businesses bridging loans for wages and your leader, Scott Morrison, he's read them the riot act.
PETER DUTTON:
Well and rightly so. The banks have got a lot of stepping up to do and there's been a lot of activity already where you can point to cases where they have provided significant assistance, but it needs to be more widespread. We want people to remain connected with their businesses.
We hope that over the next few weeks we can start to see the economy take its first steps back to normality and that will require the banks to be involved, for credit to be extended, wages need to be paid and businesses need to be able to put themselves in a position where they can reopen and refunction in the economy.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Pete, I'm sorry to interrupt, we have to get through a bit; but this is beyond to me. I mean you've reached out, the Federal Government's done everything they can, you've gone out on a limb and you've given the banks access to that credit – cheap credit, cheap money – now they're denying small businesses access to loans, loans that will keep people employed, and the banks are denying these people. I mean, what are you going to do about it?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, as the Prime Minister said, we've put in place – and as you point out Karl – we've put in place a regime where they can offer that finance and they should and we need to look at the cases where they're not and frankly, I think the banks should be publicly shamed.
I think this is an opportunity – and I thought this at the time when we made this announcement – it was an opportunity for the banks to remake their own image in the community.
I've got to say, there are businesses in my own electorate that are really grateful for the support that they've got from their bank, and we've dealt with those businesses, but clearly there are a lot of cases where that is not happening and we need to understand why, and the banks need to step up.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Agree.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Let's talk about education, because it's an absolute mess. You've got a Victorian school now defying state authorities. How can we not, Peter, just get everyone on board here and have, you know, one initiative, one plan? Because parents have had enough.
PETER DUTTON:
Okay. So I don't want to speak on behalf of all families or all parents at the moment, but our 13 and 14-year-old sons are at home, online and you've got to make sure they're not doing YouTube, they're not playing Fortnite, they're not texting their mates, not on Snapchat and at the same time, work, and it just doesn't happen.
The medical advice has been clear that kids can go back to school. At the moment in my home state of Queensland, the Teachers Union has their hands firmly around the throat of the government here. The decisions been made for the wrong reasons. Kids can go back to school. Let's take out the sick children, let's take out the teachers who are over the age of 60, let's have an environment where kids can learn again because otherwise they're going to miss out on a year of their life, and it's unnecessary for that to happen.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Richard, your state is one of the states which is saying it's not safe for kids to go back. Where do you stand on this?
RICHARD MARLES:
Well, I think what we've got to have is consistent messaging and, you know, I think we've been lacking that in many ways from the start of the coronavirus crisis, but the schools have been the area where there's been the greatest inconsistency in relation to messaging and I think part of that is because the Government is not taking the Australian people into its confidence in terms of what the crisis is, and what's safe and what's not, but also what the strategy is and where they're trying to get to.
Certainly, there needs to be one message that makes it clear to parents as to what's safe and what's not, and what's expected of them and what's not and for parents around Australia who are hearing different messages from Prime Minister, to Premier, to school principal – it's an extremely confusing time.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Gentlemen, thank you so much for your time today, appreciate it. And I hope you get to soak up the atmosphere tomorrow with Anzac Day, special significance. Thank you.
PETER DUTTON:
Thanks guys.
[ends]
