DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TERRITORIES
SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

TOPICS: Hate laws, gun reform, parliament vote, Islamic extremism,radicalisation, gun buybacks, democracy, firefighters, volunteer services, firetrucks, emergency services, regional support, community resilience, federal funding, state issues.

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Burrows  

Anne Webster, Good morning.

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Webster

Happy New Year. Gets a bit stale, doesn't it, after a week?

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Burrows

Well, yes, it does, honestly, but, but it hasn't been a fantastic start to the new year by any means.

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Webster  

well, there's certainly been a lot of challenges. And, I mean, we're clearly going back to parliament on Sunday to, you know, vote on the new hate laws and gun law reform all in an omni omnibus bill. For those who don't know what it means. It means the government are putting a great 'schimozzle' of legislation together to really wedge the coalition, I think, is the primary reason, because clearly, we want to see Islamic extremism addressed and radicalization and hate speech in that regard, but they shouldn't be so broad that people can't say, I don't like this politician and I don't like what they say. And at this point in time, that's precisely what it looks like. It will do. It will stop people being able to say they don't they don't like a politician, or they don't like something that a politician says. That's just one example, but it could be anybody, so that's concerning. And then, of course, they've compiled the legislation to include more gun reform and gun buybacks, and the Nationals absolutely do not stand with that. So we're wedged because we will. My suspicion is we'll see that. You know, the water has to go under the bridge. We've got to have a party room meeting. But my personal view is that we will not be supporting this legislation. I won't be supporting it, and I'll be making a very clear case for why I have so many people who are collectors of guns. You know, I had a guy contact me yesterday. He's got 28 guns. His dad has is a collector of guns. It is a family tradition. I've had plenty of others whom you they're walking right next to you, who have their granddad's rifle from the First World War as part of their collection. Now, while people who are not contestants, who don't do field and game or competition sports or hunting or anything like that, they won't understand I get that, but the fact is, we cannot keep clamping down on people's interest. Nobody stops you from collecting stamps for goodness sake.

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Burrows  

Is very, very true. I Yeah. I can remember years back now, handing in my my grandparents matching, we had matching shotguns from two sides of the family. Handed them in. Just, just handed them in. It was, it was, that was no choice, no choice to do that. I mean, is that? No, I guess it's playing politics, really, isn't it?

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Webster  

Oh no, it's not playing politics. These discussions have to be had democracy, and people need to be able to say whatever they think. I had a guy ball me up in Natimuk day before yesterday, and he was really angry about something which, you know, I walked him off the ledge, and we, I heard everything had to say, and he was fine by the end of it. But he's got a right to say that. You know, he's got a right to talk to me. I am His representative. So if he can't talk to me, that's a problem. So, you know, we all need to grow up. Remember, we're a democracy. Let's have the gun discussion, but let's not put in laws, even hate laws, that are going to restrict our churches, synagogues, even the mosques. For those who are not doing the hate preaching, what we want to do is deal with the actual harm, the stuff that we have seen every week in the protests all around Australia. The it's, you know, the right is festival another piece of hypocrisy. In my view, we need to come back to a democratic view and an embracing view as Australians for what we really stand for and what we're going to continue to stand for.

Burrows  04:30

Yeah, very, very true. That does make sense. Hey, look, you just mentioned being down in Anne mark. How? How was it the fires down through that way? We've, we were just talking briefly off here, and we've, we've escaped the, possibly the worst of it here in in Mallee, mind you well Colignan and down near Patchewollock and down south of Underbool but, but down in Anne mark, wow. Went through there and still not out of the woods just yet at Natimuk.

Webster  05:00

No, not entirely. It's going to depend on the weather. So there are still embers around. There still burning logs in that a mark itself. It's It's surreal. It's surreal to go into the town and to see one house dropped to the ground in ash like there's nothing of it left. Left other than anyone who's following me on Facebook, you'll have seen the I was standing in front of the house, and all it's left, literally, is the Hills Hoist for goodness sake, in the backyard, the next the house next door, perfectly fine. The House, after that, burnt to the ground with a chimney showing and it was just like that throughout Natimuk and Quantong to let's not forget 'Quany' and the farmland around and look talking with the locals, there's understandably, completely understandably, there's a lot of heartbreak. And what always impresses me is how people pull together. Jacinda Alan turned up and made an announcement at another place from where the locals were, which was kind of interesting. And then in the Keeley, the local state member turned up as well, which was good. So people had an opportunity to talk to us. I was there three and a half hours on the ground, just talking with that community and hearing what they had to say and the needs that they have. My eye at a federal level, of course, is on the things that are federally possible to manage. I'm, as you know, not afraid to stand up and say the things that are also wrong at a state level, because I'm a constituent of this state as well, and I am standing with the CFA volunteer firefighters. Of course, the other fire services that are there, the SES they do an incredible job. I spoke with so many of them, and they are so angry that they have got old, trucks. I just wanted to point out, if I might Alan, there are no bush fires in Melbourne, but those guys have the flashest units, the best trucks. They don't burn. They've got massive water units. They have air conditioning. Who knew that might be needed on a 46 degree day in the Mallee. But you know, firefighters all across Victoria are rightfully trying to get the government's attention. They have the ESF tax that has now collected 610 million. Nobody knows where it's been spent. New trucks would be great. That'd be a fantastic start. So, yeah, look, things are amiss while they continue to volunteer leave their own properties to find when they go home, it's been burnt to the ground like this. Is incredible, incredible Australian spirit, and the government needs to get on board and support our regional firefighters.

Burrows  08:00

Yeah, no, so true. Well, talk to someone, talking to someone the other day, about 30 year old fire trucks, like I said, No, no air conditioning in them. Even 30 years ago, you would have had to option air conditioning out. It would have been standard 30 years ago.

Webster  08:14

Well, the thing is that they break, and there's no money to repair them, of course, and and the trucks are not insulated like new trucks are. So, you know, I had Ross Goodell, who's the shadow emergency minister, talked to me the other day. He said he'd spoken to CFA in Victoria. They had a, whatever it's called, 20 trucks in a row. And the youngest truck was 22 years old. The rest were, you know, heading up to 50. That is unacceptable. Convoy is the word I'm looking for, convoy of trucks, and that is unacceptable. So they're, you know, switching which they would do anyway in that job. And there, there is nothing to guarantee. In fact, I read this morning that the fire trucks are catching alight.

Burrows  09:02

Well, well, well, look, Anne, I'll let you get back to it. When do you head to head to Canberra again? Sunday. Yeah, obviously, again early. Back to it early. Well, look, thank you very much. And we'll catch up again in a fortnight, hopefully, sort of happier things to talk about. Yeah, good Anne, thank you. And again, just the heart. Our heart does go out to everyone affected by the fires, of course, and that's what Anne Ben saying. We're just saying that the CFA, it's like volunteers. They need all the support. They need all the support we can give them. They need all the congratulations that we can give them to Because seriously, what an amazing job they do.

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