INTERVIEW WITH MARIUS BENSON, ABC News Radio

MARIUS BENSON: Chris Bowen, is Kevin Rudd staying in Queensland or going to New York? 

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, Kevin Rudd has indicated that he intends to contest the next election and I would expect that to be the case. He is, of course, very well respected internationally, and this sort of speculation is perhaps unsurprising, but he has said that he is running again for the seat of Griffith, and I expect that to be the case. 

BENSON: Do you know anything more definite than that? Has anyone spoken to Kevin Rudd directly about these suggestions that he is going to New York? 

BOWEN: Not to my knowledge, because he has indicated that he wants to return to parliament; he’s out there campaigning to return to parliament, and he is working in his seat. I would expect that he would contest the election and we will continue to see this sort of speculation, because as I say, he is well-respected internationally, and of course, this is unsurprising. But you can only go on what he has said and he has said that he wants to remain as a member of parliament. 

BENSON: Okay, are you still confident that you did the right thing three-and-a-half weeks ago in removing Kevin Rudd? 

BOWEN: The Prime Minister is campaigning very well. I think people respond very well to the Prime Minister and she is comprehensively outlining her vision to take Australia forward. I think she is doing a fantastic job and clearly people are responding very well to that.  

BENSON: Of course what a lot of people said was is that they would have expected Kevin Rudd’s stocks to rise when the campaign itself started, but no one will ever know the answer to that. 

BOWEN: Well that’s all idle speculation Marius. Julia Gillard is the Prime Minister; she is doing a first class job of prosecuting Labor’s case, and if we were to be re-elected, she will be a very good Prime Minister going forward. 

BENSON: If Kevin Rudd did seek an international post would he receive assistance from the Government? 

BOWEN: Marius, you are getting now into high speculation and hypotheticals. Kevin Rudd is receiving assistance for his re-election campaign as the Member for Griffith, because that is what he has asked for. 

BENSON: Okay, can I go to some of the issues that are around today. Yesterday, there were competing announcements about education with the Opposition arguing that it would spend $760 million to assist parents with students in primary and secondary schools. Labor says it would cost twice as much that. Those swapping of claims of fraudulent figures simply probably encouraging the view that there are fraudulent figures being put out by both sides. 

BOWEN: Well, there is an easy way for Tony Abbott to clear this up and that is to write to the Secretary of the Department of Finance and ask him to cost their policies. 

They are putting forward an extraordinary proposition Marius. They are saying that they are going to change the Education Tax Rebate; make it more attractive and let you claim more things, but we don’t think any more people are going to claim it. That’s the proposition they are trying to put forward. This will cost at least half...at least double, of what he indicates it will, and there’s an easy way for him to clear this up, and that is to ask for the Department of Finance to cost this policy. If he doesn’t do that, frankly, I think it means that he knows he has got it wrong.  

BENSON: Okay, to a separate issue, the arrival of two new asylum seeker boats as renewed that issue in the election context again. Are you able to say when asylum seeker boats arriving in Australia might tail off, the number arriving in Australia might tail off as a result of Government initiatives? 

BOWEN: Well Marius, we made it clear, for example, with our suspension of consideration of Afghan asylum seeker claims was not designed to reduce the number of people claiming asylum in Australia. It was done because we thought we needed more time to consider changes in the political and security situation in Afghanistan. This is a nuanced and complex issue. Anybody who says they have got one, single, magic bullet, as Tony Abbott would have you believe, is frankly, having the Australian people on, and I think the Australian people can see through that. 

The Australian people know these issues are complex. They don’t want sound bites on it; they want a well-considered policy process and proposals, and that is what we are doing, as opposed to the, frankly, glib approach of the Opposition. 

BENSON: Okay, this is day six and Labor is clearly ahead by most estimates. The bookies have you at a 75 per cent chance of retaining government, the Coalition a 25 per cent chance of knocking you off. Do you think that is an accurate reading? 

BOWEN: Marius, we are 200 metres into a 2km race. There’s a long way to go in this; we’re not taking anything for granted; we are out there campaigning solidly and strongly.  Explaining why we are better placed to take Australia forward in so many ways, whether it be the economy, whether it be superannuation, whether it be health, broadband, or basic services to working families. That’s what we will be doing over the coming weeks. We will continue to prosecute that case, there will be plenty of commentariat, plenty of speculators on the result. We’re not taking anything for granted, for not one second. 

BENSON: Chris Bowen, thanks very much. 

BOWEN: Always good to talk to you Marius.

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