ALLISON LANGDON:
Joining us now is Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Nice to see you this morning, Treasurer. Just before we get to that fiasco, let’s call it, let’s first talk about this wonderful news out of WA and Cleo Smith being found alive and well. Your reaction?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Overwhelming joy. Like so many Australians I did fear the worst. But to see her smile and to hear the news that she had been found just warmed the heart of every Australian. I’ve got a little four-year-old myself, Ally, and, you know, just like every parent in the country, every grandparent – indeed, every person in the country – they were riding this. And as one week turned into another week and then even longer the search went on, you know, it was painful. And to know that she was found and then to see her smile and to see her look, you know, relatively healthy after such an ordeal is really hard warming, and to hear that her family is now whole again is just absolutely great. So yesterday, I think the whole nation just had a brighter smile on their faces. I certainly did.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Okay, look, just that vision of her coming out in the arms of a police officer and her just gently touching his hoodie there, there’s just something incredibly powerful about that and it’s something we can all relate to, right? All right, the PM, on other subjects now, is on his way home from the climate summit. Is Scott Morrison a liar?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
No, and obviously he’s refuted strongly those allegations. What we have done as a government and he has led as an a prime minister is enter into a new partnership with the United Kingdom and the United States, two trusted allies, two major security players in the globe, to give ourselves access to really important technologies, Karl, whether it’s nuclear submarines, artificial intelligence, cyber security, new advanced weapons systems, all of which we hope we never have to use in an offensive or, indeed, in a defensive way, but what it does enable Australia to do is enhance our own national security in a pretty challenging strategic environment. There’s no doubt about that. This was a long-term decision that I think is in Australia’s long-term interests.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Okay, so you’re saying Scott Morrison isn’t a liar this morning. Does that mean Malcolm Turnbull is?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Again, I can only speak for my own personal relationship with the Prime Minister. As a leader of our party and I as the deputy, we have a very trusting relationship, we have a respectful one, we have a constructive and a productive relationship. And we just get on and do the business. And, you know, I know that the Prime Minister has had to take some pretty hard decisions. This was one of them. The French are obviously disappointed, but as he has said yesterday, you know, he’s refuted those claims. The French were aware that we were considering our options and, now we’re going to go on and prosecute this new arrangement with the United States and the United Kingdom.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
It does make future deals with another country difficult given the circumstances. How do you do a deal with another country? How do you negotiate a deal with another country? How do you know those negotiations, top secret negotiations, aren’t going to be made public? How do you know text messages between presidents and prime ministers aren’t going to be made public when you deal with Australia from here on?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Well, Karl, it was a pretty extraordinary allegation that was levelled at the Prime Minister, and it did needed to be refuted. At the same time, we do have very strong partnerships with a whole range of countries in our region and beyond. And that’s at the trade level, that’s at the strategic level and security level. And, of course, it’s at the political level as well. And we’ll continue to make those arrangements that are in Australia’s national interests. Of course, this is a challenging time.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
But, Josh, the one thing you don’t do is leak a text message, surely?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Well, again, the claim was pretty extraordinary and it needed to be refuted. In terms of the relationship, the French have said, well, it’s now up to Australia. We’ve got some ideas that we’re working on as to how we can rebuild that relationship. I think it will take some time, there’s no doubt about that. But when it comes to Australia and France, we have a long history as well together. You know, fighting side by side, indeed, in important global battles as well as a strong trading relationship worth nearly $8 billion a year, strong people-to-people links as well.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Yeah –
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
So we’ll continue to find those areas of common interest and build on them going forward.
ALLISON LANGDON:
I mean, look, what happened on the climate summit when we heard what the French President had to say was extraordinary. But then to have that pile on and to have Malcolm Turnbull add to that, what needs to happen to Malcolm Turnbull? Are you happy with him being in your party?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Well, when Malcolm Turnbull was the Prime Minister I was the Energy and Environment Minister and Resources Minister and, you know, I worked effectively with him. But he’s no longer the Prime Minister and now I’m working effectively with Scott Morrison.
ALLISON LANGDON:
I get that. I get that, Treasurer, but respectfully, I’m asking you: are you happy with him still being a member of the Liberal Party after what he did in the past couple of days?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Well, I respect the office, Ally, and the office that he held was as Prime Minister and as the Liberal Party’s leader. So, you know, as I’ve said in the past, I’m in the camp of respecting the office, whether it was Malcolm Turnbull or Malcolm Fraser or Sir Robert Menzies or other Liberal leaders who have at times said different things about their own parties. I’m in favour of, you know, maintaining the fact that they’re in the Liberal Party and I’m supportive of the fact that, you know, we’ve got to respect the office. But at the same time, my job, Ally, is to advance Australia’s national interests, and particularly at a time when our economy is recovering from the biggest economic shock since the Great Depression. And today we have some really positive news about the economy. We’ve seen consumer confidence go up. We’ve seen job ads go up, and we’ve also seen over $10 billion delivered to more than 11 million Australians in the last three months through tax relief that we have legislated through the parliament. That’s the biggest tax cuts in more than 20 years. So your viewers, you know, may find a little bit of interest from time to time in what Malcolm Turnbull says or what the French President says, but what really matters to your viewers is that they’ve got a job, that they can meet their mortgage payments, that they can support their family and their kids can go to school. And I can tell you, I’m doing everything possible – and so is the Prime Minister – to ensure that our economy continues to grow. And to see us deliver the biggest tax cuts in more than 20 years does make a difference to those people watching your program this morning.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
I get what you’re saying about Malcolm Turnbull – he’s more like the Labor leader of the Liberal Party, wasn’t he?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
I’ll leave all that banter to you.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Just joking, Josh. Just joking. Great to have you on, Treasurer, appreciate it.