TOPICS:  opinion polls, policy development, public interest in One Nation, regional opposition to Labor policies, Victorian Premier comments on Daniel Andrews statue & roads

MacPherson  

Well, the latest Redbridge poll released earlier this evening has Labor and One Nation neck and neck. Labor on 29 per cent with One Nation on 28. The Coalition, meanwhile, is a distant third on 22 per cent And when it comes to preferred Prime Minister, while Albanese is on 31 per cent and Pauline Hanson on 24, Angus Taylor, he's miles off it. Just 15 per cent of Australians have the Coalition leader as their preferred PM. Joining me now is Shadow Regional Health Minister Anne Webster, and thanks for coming on the program. Angus Taylor's just not cutting through, is he?

Webster  

Well, James, the Redbridge poll is really interesting. I'm not sure which shocks me more: that Australians, those who've been polled, have put Albanese still at number one, at over 30 per cent and that Angus is at 15. He has not had four and a half years in the job. Let's remember that. And the fact is that Albanese has been lying to the Australian people for four and a half years, and he's still 31 per cent I don't know about you - that worries me.

MacPherson  

Yeah, I I've got to admit when I saw 31 per cent still had Albo as preferred Prime Minister, that did make me wonder, but still, Angus Taylor. What did I say? 15 per cent? Do you think … I was watching the documentary Chris Kenny put together last week on News24, and it seemed to me that whenever Angus Taylor talks, he's far too apologetic. I feel like the Coalition have said sorry for previous failings. I just think your lot needs to stop apologising and just be confident and bold with your vision for Australia. Do we need to put an end to the Coalition MPs saying sorry about previous failings?

Webster  

Look, I think that we do need to be bold. I do believe absolutely that we need to be courageous. We need to take a step forward. But the one thing that differentiates us from the orange tsunami is that we're working on policies in detail in order to bring them to the Australian public. We're not going to be doing a headline like Labor, who do the headline, and then as we've seen with multiple pieces of legislation recently, then they're going to do the stakeholder engagement. I mean seriously, and One Nation. Look, they're great at the headline. They're out there, Pauline, as we've said before, looks like and sounds like the saviour of Australia, I am with my colleagues thinking that we need to have solid policies that speak to Australians where they're at. The fact is, Australians are suffering under this Albanese Labor government, and we can go through it all again: 40 per cent higher on energy - wages, real wages, going backwards.  I don't know what you've paid lately, James, for a cup of coffee, but I can tell you what - it's expensive. And here we are in a position where the nation has never been more divided, where crime is at a high rate. And yes, I know it's state politics, but it nonetheless is impacted by legislation brought in by this federal government, that's what we're focused on, and that's what we'll be bringing forward.

MacPherson  

Your colleague and former leader David Littleproud had this to say about One Nation this morning. Have a listen.

David Littleproud  

While One Nation is the wrecking ball to bring down Albanese, I don't know whether they're the ones to rebuild the country.

MacPherson  

Do you agree with David Littleproud that One Nation is the wrecking ball to bring down Albanese?

Webster  

One Nation have got the cameras. They've got the microphones. You've had on James Ashby again tonight, and there are multiple One Nation people who are managing to get the spotlight, we're not doing so much … so I am very grateful to you. Thank you, James, for having me on as a Nats … really appreciate it. But we need to be able to get the message out there. We need to be able to articulate what we are about. And I can tell you right now, Nationals are all about regional Australia, and we're all about standing against Albanese's awful policies, and you know then we can talk about Victorian Labor policies.

MacPherson  

Well, speaking of regional areas, one of the big issues where you are is the bulldozing of prime agricultural land for renewable projects. We've seen pushback against that at the Bush Summit, where the PM was jeered by the crowd. How hot is that issue for Labor, not just where you are in regional Victoria, but right around the country?

Webster  

Absolutely hot. I mean, I listened to his blather in Bush Summit regarding how - regional, how he gets it. He gets it? I don't know what he gets, but it's certainly not where regional Australians are at. I've been fighting and standing alongside my farmers at multiple protests and taking their voice to Canberra and developing a protection for prime agricultural land bill, which has been tabled in the Senate and in the House. I'm extremely proud of that legislation. Now we need to take it forward so that prime agricultural land, which is our future security as a nation, we are food producers, and what Labor are doing is turning farms into carbon sinks. They're taking away farmers' rights to farm. I have 12 of my farmers who have been fined $814 each for not allowing Vic Grid to bring on their biosecurity hazards onto their properties to measure up for transmission lines.  We have said absolutely we will be stopping VNI West. Victorian Coalition have also said that they will be stopping VNI West. You don't have that artery. There's no point putting up all that foreign investment with taxpayer subsidies for wind turbines, solar panels, and other infrastructure such as batteries in agricultural areas. It's a huge mistake. And Albanese, I can tell you right now, James, he does not get it

MacPherson  

Yeah, and I think the crowd at the Bush Summit were pretty convinced that he doesn't get it either. Before I let you go, I want to talk to you about Victorian state politics. Obviously, you're in Victoria. There's a state election coming up in November. Ben Carroll, the premier there, announced on Saturday, he decided to scrap the statue. You know the famous statue planned in honour of Dan Andrews. I just thought that announcement and the timing of it was interesting because it came right after revelations Labor had been secretly charging that 1 per cent levy on every transport ticket, and then all of a sudden he comes out with we're cancelling the statue. You think that was purely coincidental, or were there some people sitting around a Labor boardroom table saying we need to get a good news story out there to distract from the secret levy?

Webster  

You mean Labor panicking to cover up something that is secret and opaque? And I mean seriously, Ben Carroll has been around that cabinet table all the time. Daniel Andrews was, and Jacinta Allan was, and the fact that he's decided not to put up the statue - who knows whether it's made and taxpayers have already paid for it - is wisdom on his part, because I don't think it would have stayed there very long - just guessing - by how Victorians feel about Dan Andrews. And with regard to covering up, look, they are masters, masters at covering up failure, and you know the fact that they are were secretly or are secretly, I don't know what the state of it is, taxing taxing public transport users at 1 per cent is honestly a disgrace.

MacPherson  

Before I let you go, have a look at this video from Ben Carroll released today.

David Littleproud  

I'm focused on getting back to the basics, and that means fixing our roads. Today, I'm announcing $352 million to remove not 250,000 potholes, 500,000 potholes.

MacPherson  

I'm not sure what shocked me more: the fact that Victoria has half a million potholes, by his admission, or that having allowed Victoria to get to the point where they've got 500,000 potholes, he wants credit for deciding to fill them in.

Webster  

Oh my goodness! I don't think they're right anyway. I don't think they're being honest about that. I think there are at least a million potholes. The Coalition have committed $5 billion to fix our roads, and thank goodness for that. Ben Carroll, my goodness me! Come out to the west, have a look at our roads, mate. I don't think you've got a true picture of what's going on.

MacPherson

Anne Webster - Always a pleasure to have you on the program. Thanks for coming on.

‍