BRADBURY:
[BREAK IN AUDIO]
Well worth us standing up to that challenge and responding to. In terms of my philosophy and the things that I'll bring to the table, I think it's important to ensure that those cuts occur in places where they're not going to have the sorts of impacts on communities that perhaps might otherwise be the case.
This is a challenge; this is not the first Government to have to confront that challenge, but in the end, people in communities like mine and indeed right around the country will benefit from the Government returning the Budget to surplus so that we can keep inflation low, keep pressure off interest rates and also that we keep ensuring that the economy continues to be strong and produces the jobs that keeps people employed. That's one of the core things we're focussed on.
HOST:
And, as you say, the Government will have to be careful not to hurt people because there'll be people in electorates like yours right across the country, particularly in areas where there are strong manufacturing bases that face the prospect of their jobs being at threat or going?
BRADBURY:
Look, that's right and clearly there are some structural changes occurring across the economy but we need to make sure that the Budgetary decisions we take reflect those challenges and the best way to respond to them. I think one of the best examples of what we are doing that does reflect and understand those challenges and changes is the mining tax. By introducing a mining tax to ensure that we're able to spread the benefits of the boom there are 2.7 million small businesses around Australia, many of them doing it tough in the parts of the economy that are not receiving direct benefit from the mining boom to give them the ability to enjoy a tax cut at the same time as we spread the benefits of the boom to increasing people's retirement savings. These are changes that will ensure that in a sensible, fiscally-responsible way, we're able to spread the benefits of the boom and make sure that all communities and all Australians benefit.
HOST:
As part of the Cabinet reshuffle – as part of the Ministry reshuffle – that gave you a Ministerial post the Prime Minister also put into Cabinet a Minister for Small Business. You've been talking about the mining tax for around two years now, but has the Government neglected small business in the meantime?
BRADBURY:
I don't think it's fair to say that we've neglected small business, but I think that small business would definitely welcome the elevation of that portfolio to Cabinet. I know that in Brendan O'Connor small business will have an exceptionally strong advocate. We are committed to delivering to small business and the benefits of the mining tax – you need to understand that it's not only the cut to the company tax rate that will flow on to small business, but it's also the asset depreciation benefits that will flow that will give small business the ability to spend up to $6,000 and to get an automatic tax deduction in relation to that expenditure. This is something that, in a very practical way, will help businesses, small businesses, invest in their businesses, invest in the capital they need to get on with improving their productivity, selling more, producing more and ultimately earning more money and generating more profit.
HOST:
If we can go to the other side of the ledger, to big business, you attended the Treasurer's Press Club speech where he again attacked rich, vested interests, saying there's a stronger influence wielded by a smaller minority in favour of their own private interests, but it isn't it the case that there have always been vested interests putting their case to Government or to the public and when the Government is strong it has the ability to stand up to it?
BRADBURY:
As a Government, we have the capacity and we've demonstrated that we'll stand up to those vested interests when they come out pushing their barrow. I don't think any of us should be surprised that when big reforms like the mining tax are on the table, those big businesses, and we're talking about a handful of elite miners here in particular, have thrown a lot of money into the press, and we saw, I think, the best vindication of the Treasurer's comments today with the response of these elite miners.
HOST:
But the Treasurer's attacking miners for what they did nearly two years ago. Isn't it the case that two years ago the Government wasn't in a strong position to stand up to them and failed to do that task then?
BRADBURY:
I don't think the criticism and the bankrolling of the campaign against the Government stopped two years ago. In fact, we open the pages today and we see full page ads from the miners. This is exactly what the Treasurer was talking about. There are a lot of people out there who have a view, who have interests that need to be protected, like those 2.7 million small businesses across Australia, the millions of workers that will get the benefit of increased retirement savings. Who stands up for them? Who takes out a full-page advertisement in the newspaper for them?
HOST:
Isn't it the Government's job to stand up for those people and don't people like the Treasurer have access to a great deal of free media you don't have to pay for? His National Press Club address was televised, he can write op-eds in papers, he can do interviews. He's not powerless in this situation.
BRADBURY:
No, and the answer to the rhetorical question I was asking, who stands up for those people? It's the Gillard Government, it's people like Treasurer, Wayne Swan. Now we are doing that but there's always going to be a robust public policy debate and I think that one of the points the Treasurer made, and I think most Australians are concerned about this, is where we see individuals seeking to increase their ownership stake in various organs of the media as a means of trying to secure public policy outcomes. Now that is something that I think the Treasurer has shone a very perceptive light on. It's a point that I get a lot of feedback from people out there in the community. People are genuinely concerned, they want to know that when they turn on their television and they're getting their news and their current affairs that there will always be a range of perspectives being offered but I think people are deeply concerned when people are starting to take an ownership interest in particular organs of the media to advance, not the national interest but their own commercial interest.