In this interview, Daniel Wild appeared on The Rita Panahi Show Sky News Australia and discussed the IPA’s research into the Victorian treaty.
All media appearances posted onto the IPA website are directly related to the promotion and dissemination of IPA research
Rita Panahi:
Let’s bring in Deputy Executive Director at the Institute of Public Affairs. Dan Wild. Dan, Victoria became the first Australian state to establish a statewide treaty with its indigenous population, and this apology was agreed to as part of that treaty. Is this going to strengthen unity and reconciliation?
Daniel Wild:
No, it’s not. It’s going to cause further division. This is a disgrace. We have nothing to apologise for as a country or as a state. We are the greatest nation on earth. Everybody understands that violence and dispossession that came to segments of the indigenous population with colonisation. But if you seriously think that we would be better off without having been settled by the British, you’ve got rocks in your head. We are the greatest nation because we have the rule of law, democracy, equality. We are a nation that has achieved so much for so many people. And Jacinta Allen is tearing everybody down and diminishing us by engaging in this apology. It is yet more division at a time when we’ve never been more divided. And Victoria’s had a gut full of it. They voted no to the voice. They don’t want a treaty.
They don’t want this nonsense. But the thing I’m disappointed about is I haven’t heard the Liberal Party say anything about it. Are they going to push back on this stuff or just keep rolling with it and just talk about debt and just assume everything’s going to be fine.
Rita Panahi:
Yeah. I’ve heard some noises saying, “Well, we’ve got a crime crisis. We’ve got other issues. Why are we focusing on this? ” But that’s about as strong as they’ve been. And really, if they want to win an election, they can win it based on treaty and voice alone. Trying to fight it on health, where labour is so strong. Trying to fight it even on crime or cost of living, those areas, labour can match whatever policies they propose. They’re not going to match them when it comes to treaty and the permanent voice.
Daniel Wild:
Yep, that’s right. And it’s also going to be leadership. Victorians are looking for leadership. Leadership means taking on an issue that’s considered difficult, considered controversial, which I don’t think it is, by the way, to support equality is not controversial, but it’s considered controversial. To provide that leadership and people will think of you much more highly and see you as a leader that’s going to unite the state. Victorians want to be united, not divided.
Rita Panahi:
Now, Treasurer Jim Chalmers is facing pressure to scrap the government’s energy rebates. This comes as inflation grew to 3.8% in October, with the surge being fueled by a 37.1% year-on-year increase in electricity bills. Jim Chalmers said the rebates would not run indefinitely, but he hasn’t made a decision yet, Dan. We’ve now got the real prospect of an interest rate rise next year instead of an interest rate cut. All of it fueled primarily by soaring energy costs and also mad government spending.
Daniel Wild:
Yeah. I think there’s three causes of this. The spending, as you say, which is growing about a third faster than the economy’s growing. You’ve got the energy prices, which is obviously not just the bills that we’re paying, but it flows through the entire economy and it’s a massive cost base for business and industry. Then you’ve also got the massive unplanned mass migration. So you’ve got this massive surge in demand coming from this migration that has been planned for, so prices are going up and interest rates are going to go up now.
They’re not going to go down. If you’ve got a three in front of the inflation number, the RBA is going to put the cash rate up. I think one of the banks said it’s likely to go up twice by 50 basis points over the next 12 or so months. So look, this is bad news for the economy, bad news for mortgage holders, but it’s going to get worse because I think they’re going to extend the rebates because I don’t think they want to take the political hit, but the actual cost isn’t going to change. Your bill will go down, but the cost of the energy isn’t going to go down because of the rebate.
Rita Panahi:
And as you said, that energy cost is reflected in everything you buy. Most of the services you buy as well. So the inflationary impact is enormous. And we are finally, I think, hopefully going to get a fight from the Coalition because they have abandoned net-zero. So they can start talking about energy costs. And the impact renewables is having on household bills, on how businesses can run because we haven’t really had that debate since the Coalition embraced net-zero, was it? Back in 2021?
Daniel Wild:
Yeah, 21. Yeah, that’s right. This is the first time we’re actually having a debate. Net-zero is clearly a wrecking ball for our economy and our society. And it is an issue which maybe not quite single-handedly could win the Coalition the election, but no doubt net-zero combined with immigration, combined with culture are the three things that’ll get the Coalition. If not, they’ve got to win 30 odd seats. So it’s a long thing to do in one term, but it’ll get them pretty close.
Rita Panahi:
Well, they’ve got one underway. The other two, they seem to be shying away from, their so called culture wars that don’t touch. I think that’s the easiest win for them, because Labour has gone so hard left that I think many Labour voters are appalled by what they’re seeing. And population, again, it’s an easy one. Poll after poll tells us Australians want to see dramatic cuts in immigration. And neither major party seems too interested in listening to the Australian people.
Daniel Wild:
That’s right. I think the Coalition will go to the election with a policy to cut immigration, but they also did that at the last election.
Rita Panahi:
But it was a relatively small cut. Cutting at 10%, 20%. You need to have a dramatically different policy to Labour to have an impact, I think, on that policy.
Daniel Wild:
Well, that’s right. Not only was it was a small cut, it was a cut to the wrong number, and it was poorly communicated. And they didn’t even talk about it in the election because they were told that migrants don’t like cutting immigration, which is factually incorrect as well. So they stuffed it on every single dimension, unfortunately.
Rita Panahi:
Because they get spooked so easily and listen to all the wrong voices. Now, let’s talk about the Albanese government striking a deal with the Greens to pass its amendments to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. The changes include the establishment of a federal environmental protection agency, national environmental standards, and high penalties for the most significant breaches of environmental law. Labour will also establish a $300 million forestry growth fund to back forestry and timber workers. The PM has dismissed suggestions the deal will hurt businesses. Let’s have a listen to what he had to say.
Daniel Wild:
Is the business community worse off under a Labour-Greens deal as opposed to a Labour-Coalition deal?
Anthony Albanese:
The Coalition deal wasn’t on the table. That was the problem. The business community had been saying for a long period of time, including through your network, that they wanted the Coalition to move forward here. This has been around. Be clear about this. This has been around for a long period of time.
Rita Panahi:
Dan, in the end, Labour did a deal with the Greens instead of the Coalition. What’s this going to mean for Australia? I’ve heard a lot of deep concerns about this legislation.
Daniel Wild:
Well, it’s bad legislation for a couple of reasons. One is it’s going to establish a federal environmental protection agency. Now, fortunately, that agency won’t have approval power, which was one of the ideas that was muted earlier on. It will have a role to play when it comes to compliance and enforcement, but that’s duplication. I think every state bar one already has an EPA, so it’s going to be more green tape.
The other problem is they have what’s called a national interest test, which on the face of it sounds good, which basically means the minister would be able to usher in policies and circumvent the red tape, but they’ve excluded fossil fuels from consideration. So coal or gas, which is what we need. So what’s going to happen is regional communities are going to be steamrolled by these wind turbines and solar panel projects. They’re not going to get a say in it, but if you want to build a coal mine or a gas project, for example, then that’s going to get held up by the federal bureaucracy. So it’s going to be bad and it’s going to be a further restructuring of our economy away from reliable energy sources, and the exports that we need to this boondoggle renewables projects.
Rita Panahi:
So the 37.1% increase we’ve had in electricity, we can look forward to more of that.
Daniel Wild:
More of that. Yes.
Rita Panahi:
Fantastic. Dan Wild, thanks for your time.
Daniel Wild:
Thanks.
This transcript with Daniel Wild on The Rita Panahi Show Sky News Australia has been edited for clarity.
