Anika Wells MP doorstop at Parliament House

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP INTERVIEW
PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA
WEDNESDAY, 27 OCTOBER 2021
 
SUBJECT: Coalition climate change policy.
 
ANIKA WELLS, MEMBER FOR LILLEY: Good morning everyone. Anika Wells, Federal Member for Lilley. Now it is not often that I come up here and say nice things about Barnaby Joyce. But I will say that clearly he has a sense of humour. Because who is given an extra space in the cabinet and gives it to someone who does not understand the concept of storage. Yesterday I had very low expectations about the Morrison plan. But he failed to meet and beat those very low expectations. Because this is a government that says it’s all about protecting jobs, the first priority is protecting jobs. But this is a government that has overseen the absolute gutting of jobs in manufacturing, at universities and in the arts sector this term. And they say they’re a government that isn’t about penalties, this can’t be about penalties. But they are a government that have relentlessly pursued vulnerable people over Robodebt.
 
So, no I wasn’t inspired by the Morrison plan yesterday. But I was inspired by future Olympian Amy Remeikis. And you know, coming to the end of the term now. I’ve had twins this term and think about the future. So I actually came up to the doors this morning to make a big announcement about my future. And its…I’m going to run and compete in the 2050 Olympics. I’m going to compete for Australia in the ice skating. I will not be changing my lifestyle, my food, my exercise regime, for my plan. I will be relying on changes to ice skate and leotard technology to see me through as competitive against other countries of famed ice-skating fortune. I am looking for endorsements to my plan. I am not receptive to scrutiny about my plan. Are there any questions?

JOURNALIST: Isn’t it a bit hypocritical of Labor to criticise the government for being light on detail in their plan, when Labor hasn’t even released their own plan to reach net zero by 2050?
 
WELLS: Absolutely not. Because Labor, like the rest of the country, was given the plan when the Morrison Government tabled it in Question Time at 2pm yesterday. After nearly nine years. And the role of Opposition, it’s not luxurious, the role of Opposition is to scrutinise and improve government policy. And I think the Australian public, after a decade of climate wars, want to be sure that the Opposition isn’t jumping to some fake political deadline from the Prime Minister. That the Opposition is coming up with an alternative policy based on the best and newest advice coming out of Glasgow. That is considered. That has scrutinised the government plan, identified its problems and improved it.
 
JOURNALIST:  But is it likely to go further than the government’s plan.
 
WELLS: We’ve told the government they should have taken higher targets on 2030 to Glasgow. They haven’t done that. That was their choice. We now need to look at, what their government plan looks like, against what else is offered at Glasgow and try and improve it.
 
JOURNALIST: The Prime Minister, may in fact, be a Steven Bradbury then?
 
WELLS: Well as a Brisbane girl I take huge offence to that concept. The Prime Minister has had nine years, and even Steven Bradbury didn’t take that long to get across the line.

ENDS