Subjects: same-sex marriage; strengthening citizenship requirements.
E&EO…………………………………………………………………………………………..
LISA WILKINSON:
I'm joined now by the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton and Shadow Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese. Good morning to both of you.
PETER DUTTON:
Good morning.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Good morning. Good to be here.
LISA WILKINSON:
It's lovely to have you both here. Thank you for coming to Queensland just for us.
Now Peter, day one of the official campaign on same-sex marriage. It's already turned ugly with "Yes" and "No" campaigners clashing outside a church in Brisbane. This is not the respectful debate that you were hoping for.
PETER DUTTON:
Of course it's not Lisa and Albo and I would be on a unity ticket to say to both sides, to the extremes; conduct yourself in a reasonable way, have a respectful discussion. People can have their points of view. They can argue for or against the change, but do it respectfully and within the law and I think that's what most Australians would want.
LISA WILKINSON:
Are you surprised by what happened last night Albo?
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Well unfortunately I'm not. That was one of the concerns that we had about a plebiscite or a postal vote is that there would be division in the community, but I'd say this; that it doesn't advance the cause either for marriage equality or against marriage equality for people to behave disrespectfully. You can have different points of view without engaging in that sort of behaviour.
LISA WILKINSON:
Peter have you decided how you're going to be voting?
PETER DUTTON:
Well Lisa I've said for long time, for me personally, I don't support a change; so I will vote no. But I've advocated the postal plebiscite or the plebiscite before that because I wanted people to have their say and that was the election promise that we gave at the last election. So if the majority of Australians support change – that is that they vote in favour of same-sex marriage – I've said that I will vote for it in the Parliament; so respect that democratic outcome.
LISA WILKINSON:
But is it really the majority of Australians because there's so many variables on how this postal vote will go.
PETER DUTTON:
Lisa I think we will end up with a very significant turnout. I think everybody now turns their mind to campaigning on both sides and I think you'll see ads, you'll see people advocating for and against. I think that will motivate people because it's a significant social change. People will want to have their say. So I think we will get a pretty good indication.
LISA WILKINSON:
So we'll get the decision on November 15. What happens then?
PETER DUTTON:
Well after that, if there's a no vote, then the Government's been very clear that there is no change for us. Now the Labor Party can speak for themselves as to what they would do. But if there is a yes vote then there would be a Bill before Parliament and our presumption is that Bill would be voted on before Christmas. So the change would be made before Christmas and that's the timeline that's involved.
LISA WILKINSON:
And how are the numbers running now? Yes or no?
PETER DUTTON:
My sense is that if there is a yes vote, that there will be a significant number of Members who will support it in the Lower House and in the Senate and that it will pass easily and as I say, if there's a no vote then the Government has been very clear about not advancing it then.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
I think Australians will vote for marriage equality. I think a majority had made up their mind and I think it's important we get this done before Christmas and people will wake up the next morning and their relationships won't have changed and people will wonder really what all the fuss was about – and it will be fantastic for the tourism industry, like it will be a huge economic boost for the country.
LISA WILKINSON:
Australia would certainly be a great place to get married for same-sex couples as well as the rest of everyone.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Absolutely.
LISA WILKINSON:
Now moving on and the Government is seeking to tighten requirements for new citizens to include university standard English skills, an Australian values test and a four year wait for permanent residence to become citizens. Peter this is your initiative. You don't think it's too tough asking people to be university standard proficient in English?
PETER DUTTON:
Yeah I do actually because that's not what we're doing, not what we're proposing.
So we've said that we want people to be able to integrate, to adopt Australian values, to integrate into Australian society, to abide by Australian laws. We want people to show over a four year period if they're of working age they have capacity to work, that we want them working, not on the dole. We want to know that their kids are not running around in gang violence. We want to know that they're going to school; so look at all those tests and what we've said is that we want a competent level of English because to function at school, at university, in the workplace, in modern Australia, people need a competent level of English language to function and that's the level.
Now, 99 per cent of people have no problems at all, will go through, but there's a one per cent that we are concerned about – either on national security grounds or on issues otherwise – where we think well these people aren't deserving to become Australian citizen, so that's the motivation behind it.
LISA WILKINSON:
Albo, obviously Europe has lived with their porous border problem for decades now and it's happening with the attacks that we're seeing. What do you think about this push?
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Well those things aren't related at all. This is about people who are here who have been granted permanent residency that will stay here, whether they're granted the right to be full citizens and participate in things like the marriage equality vote, participate in elections, participate fully as Australians.
And there's some irony, when it's pretty clear that some of Peter's colleagues have been able to become citizens of other countries, pretty easily, that they're tightening this up in a way that is un-Australian.
Currently we have a conversational level of English is required. We do that now and to have this university level test, I mean some of his colleagues notwithstanding whether their citizens of one or two countries, wouldn't pass this test.
LISA WILKINSON:
Alright, okay we're going to have to leave it there. Thanks so much for making your way to Queensland. We really appreciate it.
ANTHONY ALBANESE:
Good to be with you and people thinking about travelling; Gold Coast is a great destination.
LISA WILKINSON:
Come to Queensland
PETER DUTTON:
Absolutely.
LISA WILKINSON:
Absolutely, thanks guys.
[ends]
