BENSON:
David Bradbury, good morning.
BRADBURY:
Good morning Marius.
BENSON:
I should first start by explaining to listeners that you are speaking from your western Sydney electorate of Lindsay where you are campaigning this morning and you're obviously going to do a lot there because you hold that seat by a margin of just 1.1 per cent. There is a general view that you're doomed but you have a professional obligation to take a more optimistic view?
BRADBURY:
Well look I bounced out of bed at 4 o'clock this morning to be down here at Penrith station and I'm just handing out some information to commuters, something that I've been doing throughout the course of the time I've been representing the people of Lindsay.
BENSON:
Okay, on the broader economy, some good figures in building and in retail yesterday – the economy going pretty well?
BRADBURY:
Look, I think these are very strong figures. Take the retail figures for example, they represent the strongest first two months in a calendar year we've had in over a decade, so this is very strong growth in retail sales. Of course there has been some real challenges in the retail sector. What it does show that right across the economy continue to face some challenges with a high dollar and some global instability but parts of our non-mining sectors – retail, the building sector – are starting to show strong signs of growth and that's very encouraging.
BENSON:
The Prime Minister yesterday was talking up the economy, that the main signs in the economy are strong. The question for Labor is how have you turned this silk purse into the political sow's ear that's before you now?
BRADBURY:
This is one of the strongest economies in the world and the next election, among other things, will be about who has the capacity to steer the economy through future challenges. We've shown that we've got a track record.
BENSON:
Yeah, that's a given but why are you in such political strife when the economy, by your own assessment, has been going so strongly?
BRADBURY:
In the end, this will be a choice for voters about whether or not they want to support the team that has created almost a million jobs since we've come to office, that stimulated the economy through the GFC, or to support Mr Abbott who, far from supporting those stimulus measures, actually was asleep in his office when we voted on these matters in the Parliament. We will continue to prosecute the case about why our management of the economy has been so important in delivering the strong economy, the resilient economy that we have, but of course there's always more that can be done in communicating that and certainly that's one of the things I'm doing out here at Penrith station this morning.
BENSON:
One of the big issues in politics this morning is superannuation. There is obviously going to be news on that in the Budget. There are reports in the Financial Review this morning that you'll be announcing something much sooner than that, by next week. Will there be an earlier announcement or will you let it run to the Budget?
BRADBURY:
These are matters that will be revealed in the course of the next month or so. In terms of any decisions around early release of matters, they're matters that you'll have to wait until such time as that might occur. I'm not in a position to give you any scoops on this Marius but certainly what we have said on superannuation is that we're the Party that's created super, we're the Party that has increased it, and not only in creating it but in increasing it, on every occasion our opponents have voted against our moves to boost the retirement savings of working Australians. We have in place a proposal, a policy to increase super from 9 to 12 per cent, which for a 30-year-old on the average income, that will mean they will retire with $100,000 extra in retirement savings. That's our commitment to super, we've got a good track record. Anything we do in relation to superannuation will always have a strong focus on making sure we look after and boost the retirement savings of working Australians.
BENSON:
Just quickly, on an issue from Western Australia. The Opposition has indicated it is now in favour of one of the aspects of the mining tax. It's a fairly complex issue but it's surprising to see any mining tax accepted by the Opposition.
BRADBURY:
Well this has just exposed the lie we've heard from the Opposition for the last couple of years. They've been saying they'll repeal the mining tax and anything associated with the package. What they have now confirmed is they want to keep some of the revenue-raising aspects of the mining tax package, and what that says is they've been running around the country telling porkies when it comes to this question of the mining tax. The mining tax is an important reform which will generate much-needed revenue for the economy over time. The Opposition know that and what they are conceding today is that the lies and the deceit that they've been spreading for years on the issue have been exposed. They now want to keep the revenue-raising capacity that we've put in place with the mining tax package.
BENSON:
David Bradbury, thanks very much for talking to Newsradio from Penrith station in Sydney's west this morning.
BRADBURY:
Good to be with you Marius.