Greg Jennett, Host: Well, the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Patrick Gorman, is also the Member for Perth. A very proud West Australian who's working in the lead up to the ALP National Conference out of Brisbane. Patrick Gorman joins us live now from the Sunshine State. Welcome back, Patrick. Roger Cook, the Premier, he's talking about some sort of loosely described WA mission here in Canberra or on the east coast, so people better understand the sensibilities of West Australians. What's he talking about? Isn't that exactly your job?
Patrick Gorman, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Assistant Minister for the Public Service: My job, as you just said, is to stand up for Western Australia and the people of the Perth electorate, which I love representing. But what you have in any national government is that you have the advocacy of a range of different states and territories. Obviously, Premier Cook wants to boost the advocacy for Western Australia by establishing this WA hub. I've had conversations with Roger Cook for many years about the need for more West Australian state ministers to come over to Canberra to put their case. Sometimes I've felt like my state has been a bit outgunned compared to others.
Jenett: Hang on, $23 billion worth of additional GST revenue over the life of these special arrangements doesn't exactly scream 'under-appreciation.'
Gorman: Well, the GST arrangement, of course, is about making sure that every state and territory has a floor under which their GST share can not drop. That's a basic principle of fairness for all states and territories. It's an arrangement that we've backed for many years. In fact, I remember back at my campaign launch in 2018, if we want to go way back into the depths of time, Greg, Labor actually announced our policy for a fair share of the GST well before the Coalition had done anything about it. So, that's a long standing commitment of Federal Labor. When it comes to the future, though, I mean, I think about the example we've had over the last few months where WA was seeing our ABC Sunday Night Bulletins chopped, and we were being told that WA stories wouldn't be put into the national packages. Thankfully, the good folk at the ABC saw sense and backtracked on that decision. But it does show that we do need strong advocacy for Western Australia, and the things are important to my constituents. So, anything that gives Western Australia a fair hearing on the national stage is something I welcome.
Jenett: Alright, well, let's wait and see how that actually develops and where it would be based. I'm fascinated, to say the least. Now, look, a quick one before we get to ALP National Conference, Patrick, National Cabinet itself is meeting tomorrow. I don't think you'll be in or around that. Perhaps you will, but housing what is the- ?
Gorman: - I'm not planning on becoming a First Minister in the next 24 hours, so -
Jenett: No, you won't be there. But what are the reasonable expectations people should take
about some alleviation of the housing pressures? Is it all about identifying sites for building and cracking on with that in each and every state and territory? Is that what we expect tomorrow?
Gorman: Well, what we saw at National Cabinet in April of this year was that the First Ministers of Australia came together and agreed that they would come back to a later meeting with a range of coordinated work on what else can be done to address, in particular, housing supply. Because we know that's the great challenge, obviously, in the time between that meeting and now, we've seen the Senate continue to block something that would put more construction supply into the market through the Housing Australia Future Fund. So, things have changed a little bit. And of course, as long as the Senate continues to choose to be blockers, not builders, we need to make sure that we look at other options. That's what you'll see, again, First Ministers discuss tomorrow, but I can't preempt the policy outcomes of that meeting. One of the things I think is different is that it's not like the old COAG, where the outcomes were known weeks in advance. It's actually leaders in the room having discussions, trying to forge those smart agreements on how we get things done.
Jenett: All right, let's see what that brings tomorrow. Well, let's go directly, though, Patrick Gorman, to something you are intimately involved with, which is the ALP Conference there in Brisbane. Are we going to see some form of ritual blood letting on the floor there? What's being done in advance to negotiate a settlement? Let's break this down; in the first instance around stage three tax cuts and the desire of some members to have those watered down or stopped entirely.
Gorman: I'm going to take one step backwards, Greg, which is to just remind your viewers that what's going to happen between Thursday and Saturday of this week is Australia's oldest political party, Australia's most democratic political party have a conference, a national conference here in Brisbane in front of the the entirety of the media. It'll be streamed live. We actually embrace the fact that democratic debate is part of our DNA in the Labor Party, 400 delegates will be here putting their views. And I don't think it's any secret that there are different views in any political party. We're comfortable about that. That's democracy. That's one of the values we stand up for. And so delegates will put their ideas on different things. Obviously, the Government's policy on those stage three tax cuts has not changed. We've been very clear about the policy we took to the election and we stand by that. But I'm really relaxed about having those conversations with delegates, people putting forward their views. We will see three days of people who are passionate about working for Australia, passionate about the future of Australia, and really understand the role that only a Labor government can play in building that future.
Jenett: Just to be clear about the primacy of a Labor government or a Labor cabinet in Canberra, for those who don't follow these things, Patrick Gorman, when they hear dissent around stage three tax cuts, or even AUKUS for that matter, can you state clearly the primacy of the Cabinet and the power that you reserve as a government to override Platform and Conference if necessary? You would do that? You will do that, won't you?
Gorman: I think you assume some things in that question, Greg, that somehow you are going to see differences coming out of Conference to where the Government is heading. I don't come to that same conclusion. What we'll see is a debate about those broad brushstroke policy directions that we need to take as a nation. It's a meeting of the Australian Labor Party, which is rank and file delegates, federal and state MPs, a range of people. But I think what we've seen for Labor governments, over a very long period of time, is strong respect for the fact that on these big national security questions, of course, the Cabinet takes the leadership role in those decisions. That's been the case for many decades.
Jenett: All right, a quick one. Will there be a ballot for the all-powerful new National Executive?
Gorman: I don't want to spoil all the fun
Jenett: Oh, come on.
Gorman: - for yourself and all of your colleagues from the ABC and other news networks who will come to cover this Conference. All of those sort of internal party matters will be dealt with as the times come through, when they're due over the course of Thursday, Friday and Saturday. But if you think that I had all those answers - the start of this interview you were putting me in National Cabinet -
Jenett: - I never underestimate you!
Gorman: - the end of the interview you think I know the answers of how the largest and greatest democratic political party in Australia is going to resolve various things. I'd just say to anyone who watches the National Conference over the next few days, recognise this; aren't we lucky to live in a country where we can have free-flowing democratic debate, come to peaceful resolution and actually set that agenda for Australia going forward? For us in the Labor Party, we haven't done a Conference in government for some twelve years. It's an exciting opportunity to be proud of what we've achieved in government so far and importantly, look to the future.
Jenett: Well, there'll be a lot there for people to absorb if they are so interested. Of course, you'll have to rise above whatever happens with the Matildas, but that's another matter entirely. Patrick Gorman, that's a challenge for you and everyone, all 400 of you at the ALP Conference.
Gorman: We'll put the public holiday in the National Platform!
Jenett: Yeah. All right. Let's see what happens there. It might even be decided tomorrow at National Cabinet. Thanks again for joining us here from Brisbane.
Gorman: Thanks, Greg.