Doug PollardTranscript - Corey Irlam Sep 2
[B]DOUG:[B/] Well, we’re almost at the end of the show but we cannot leave today without connecting up with our friend, Corey Irlam, who joins me on the line now – hello, Corey.
[B]COREY:[B/] Good morning, Doug – it’s almost afternoon, how are you?
[B]DOUG:[B/] It’s almost afternoon – well, yes. We’ve been talking about you. I hope your ears were burning?
[B]COREY:[B/] A little bit.
[B]DOUG:[B/] When I was chatting with Adam Bandt, he wants to sit down with you and strategise.
[B]COREY:[B/] Always happy to talk strategy with any member of parliament.
[B]DOUG:[B/] Indeed – m’mm, what we were talking about was the Greens Same-sex Marriage Bill of course. You sent in a question earlier on which I read on air about the best time to introduce the Bill and the best circumstances given what’s happening with the Labor Party, what’s happening in the parliament etcetera, etcetera - - -
[B]COREY:[B/] M’mm.
[B]DOUG:[B/] - - - and his response to that was to say he needed to sit down with you and other community leaders to talk about this. As to the best way to bring this on. What do you think is the best way to move the issue forward in this weirdly, mixed-up parliament?
[B]COREY:[B/] Look, it’s premature I think. Without knowing final numbers of who’s support who, the independents and who’s in government before we actually get into the detailed strategy but a couple of things that impact it are around – it’s one thing to put this up and demand a conscience vote from the ALP but if for some reason they can’t do that until after their national conference or if they’re [indistinct] then we should wait. Or if they’re showing an indication they’re not going to change then there’s no reason not to go straight ahead - - -
[B]DOUG:[B/] M’mm.
[B]COREY:[B/] So, it’s about understanding where everybody is in that; if we look say for example, the New South Wales adoption example – m’mm, the ALP said they won’t introduce adoption and then Clover Moore went to them saying: I’m going to put in this Bill, I want you to allow your people to have a conscience vote. There was pressure within both parties for that to happen. Both Liberal and Labor allowed the conscience vote and so that was good negotiation to get an outcome. As opposed to media statements at 20 paces which sometimes can happen on these things.
[B]DOUG:[B/] [laughs] Yeah, that’s one way of putting it. Casting your eyes over your crystal balls as I’ve said to everyone this morning, where do you think things are going with this – m’mm, hung parliament because we’ve now seen that Tony Abbott’s costings do have a very large hole in them. We noticed that - - -
[B]COREY:[B/] M’mm. M’mm.
[B]DOUG:[B/] - - - this morning, we’ve got the Greens signing up with Julia Gillard. We’ve got Andrew Wilke sort of saying he’s not going to sign up with Julia because he was unsatisfied with her response. But it seems unlikely - - -
[B]COREY:[B/] He said that or he just implied that?
[B]DOUG:[B/] M’mm, he’s actually said – I’ve actually seen him quoted as saying that he has had Labor’s written response to his requests and it was unsatisfactory.
[B]COREY:[B/] That doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s going to support Abbott, in my view. He hasn’t stated that. Mr Wilke is a very smart man but if any of the [indistinct] are happy with their response - - -
[B]DOUG:[B/] Yes and he said he hasn’t had one at all from Tony Abbott so - - -
[B]COREY:[B/] No, that’s right. Look, I think what I’ve noticed particularly with the fact that it was Mr. Windsor who leaked – or released, the fact that Treasury had these costing problems with the Coalition’s numbers that Tony Windsor here is the key. I think that he exerts a lot of influence based on his decision because of his rational decision and his thinking, his experiences as an independent in a hung parliament previously - - -
[B]DOUG:[B/] M’mm.
[B]COREY:[B/] - - - over both Mr. Oakeshott and to a less significant extent, Mr. Katter. So, I think we just need to wait this out and see how it goes. If I was a betting man I’d probably be betting Labor at the moment but I’m probably not going to bet because the outcome, the odds aren’t all that good - - -
[B]DOUG:[B/] [laughs]
[B]COREY:[B/] - - - at the moment it’s so close.
[B]DOUG:[B/] It is a very bizarre time isn’t it - - -
[B]COREY:[B/] Yes.
[B]DOUG:[B/] - - - hopefully we shall know something – Adam Bandt was suggesting that everybody was going to go home over the weekend and have a good think then the decision would be out on Monday.
[B]COREY:[B/] M’mm. I think that’s a wise move to do – you know, there’s always heat of the moment and they need to consult with people; there’s(sic) electoral issues for these independents they need to factor in and there’s also what’s in the national interest. I can say I wouldn’t like to be in their shoes now.
[B]DOUG:[B/] No. Well, I asked Adam what he was going to do over the weekend and then he said: lay on the sofa and watch soaps – m’mm [laughs] - - -
[B]COREY:[B/] [laughs]
[B]DOUG:[B/] - - - he’s absolutely exhausted and just wants to completely forget about Canberra for a while.
[B]COREY:[B/] Well, I think Adam’s going to start feeling that quite a lot as a new member of parliament.
[B]DOUG:[B/] Yes. At the moment he’s still of course, a member elect - - -
[B]COREY:[B/] M’mm.
[B]DOUG:[B/] So, it hasn’t all quite come down on him, it’s obviously been an extremely intense time - - -
[B]COREY:[B/] M’mm.
[B]DOUG:[B/] - - - [laughs] - - -
[B]COREY:[B/] I think – you know, there’s some interesting things the community needs to look at, too. The most likely solution for our community is the issue of anti-discrimination legislation will be dealt with before the issue of marriage equality - - -
[B]DOUG:[B/] Yes.
[B]COREY:[B/] - - - could be dealt with together but more likely we’ll see either parliament – sorry, either party who’s(sic) both committed to this legislation ticking that one off before they get into any serious debate about marriage equality. So, there’s a couple of steps in the plank I’m guessing beforehand – I could be wrong, we like out [indistinct] to deal with marriage equality and tidy-up anti-discrimination after.
[B]DOUG:[B/] Yeah, anti-discrimination seems like the more likely beast to get up given that both parties have given – both major parties and the Greens have given-up undertakings to tackle this.
[B]COREY:[B/] M’mm.
[B]DOUG:[B/] In one form or another.
[B]COREY:[B/] (and)That one form or another and that debate about those issues of where the slight differences – the very significant differences – in policies lay will give us a good insight into people’s views on homosexual relationships when they discuss relationship status - - -
[B]DOUG:[B/] M’mm, m’mm.
[B]COREY:[B/] - - - it’ll give us an indication into what they may think about the issue of marriage equality based on whether they’ll protect somebody from discrimination of being in a de-facto relationship when they’re same sex so there’s a lot of things to happen that can help inform those conversations community leaders will have with Adam Bandt and others about what is the best strategy and the way forward.
[B]DOUG:[B/] Okay – well, thanks for that Corey we’ll catch-up with you when we have yet more and when you’ve had time to do a bit of strategising, too.
[B]COREY:[B/] I’m going back to listen to the wonderful New South Wales adoption debate but I have to say I strongly encourage people to read Kristine(sic) Keneally’s speech last night - - -
[B]DOUG:[B/] M’mm, m’mm?
[B]COREY:[B/] - - - very pro-gay, Christian view which I haven’t heard in the parliament chamber, ever. Or read, ever, quite so strongly before.
[B]DOUG:[B/] That’s good, thanks for your time this morning Corey.
[B]COREY:[B/] ‘Bye.
[B]DOUG:[B/] That was Corey there, from the Australian Coalition for Equality and that’s it for another week.
