Topics: Albanese’s fundraising dinner, small business forum in Grayndler
E&OE.......................
BEN FORDHAM: …A former senator is ramping up calls for the Prime Minister to come clean. Rex Patrick says the PM's diary should be available, just as the premiers have been for years. One Nation's Chief of Staff has echoed these calls. James Ashby says the Prime Minister needs to be upfront. He's told the Daily Telegraph; Anthony Albanese is keeping his diary as big a secret as the Epstein files. If he won't tell the truth about something so simple, why should Australians believe anything else he says? Dave Sharma, the Liberal Senator, is live in our studio. Dave, good morning to you.
DAVE SHARMA: Good morning, Ben. Great to join you.
BEN FORDHAM: Should the PM open up his diary?
DAVE SHARMA: I think he needs to disclose what happened at this dinner, and I don't really understand why he's been so hesitant to answer any questions. I mean, that, that in itself, I think, is, is creating suspicion. He promised when he came in to lead the most transparent government in history. I think failing to answer basic questions about a dinner from a journalist, doesn't meet that test.
BEN FORDHAM: And more broadly, do prime ministers have the right to have some privacy around who they're meeting at which times, or should the public be able to open up the diary and say, righto, he was meeting with Dave Sharma last Thursday?
DAVE SHARMA: Look, I think they're entitled to some degree of privacy, partly just for national security and intelligence functions. You know, we— I don't think we should know how often our prime minister's meeting with his defence or intelligence chiefs, and sometimes discussions with foreign leaders you want to keep under wraps. So I respect that there is a need for some degree of confidentiality, but something like this, clearly a fundraising dinner, uh, you know, I think people are entitled to know who was there and, um, uh, who were you meeting with. I think, I think that's perfectly reasonable.
BEN FORDHAM: Yeah, the claim was that it was a million-dollar donation being dangled in front of the Labor Party. ALP operatives are saying it wasn't that much, but we won't know until the donation actually comes through. Dave Sharma is with us. You've been in the PM's backyard. What have you been doing?
DAVE SHARMA: Look, I hosted a small business event in his electorate of Grayndler, um, just last week, and we had a huge turnout of local businesses, from pharmacists to builders to real estate agents and accountants, from the local Chambers of Commerce— Marrickville Chamber of Commerce, Balmain Chamber of Commerce, Leichhardt Chamber of Commerce— and they turned out in force because they're so upset about business conditions and they're so angry about Labor's recent budget.
BEN FORDHAM: Aren't they cheering him on considering he's the local member?
DAVE SHARMA: Well, I thought that might be the case. I thought I might have a hard time getting people to turn up, but no, they're really angry. And I think the fact that he's their local member makes it worse because it feels like he is not listening to them. I mean, there's instances of businesses closing in his electorate. They've been covered by the media because of higher input costs, higher electricity prices, higher insurance costs, new taxes, the changes to capital gains tax. All these making conditions for business harder. And they think that the Anthony Albanese government just doesn't care and isn't listening.
BEN FORDHAM: I mentioned a few days ago that I was talking to someone over the weekend who was employing 35 people. Now they're down to 25, and there are probably 3 people in the business who are hanging on by their fingertips at the moment. Really hard for bosses as well when you've got to deliver that news to go, I can't afford to keep you on anymore. And that would be one of the concerns in the PM's electorate. As it is right across Australia.
DAVE SHARMA: I think that's right. And I think what's changed is that people don't even have any sense of optimism or even hope anymore. I mean, you know, we've known that the last few years have been economically tough. We've had inflation, we've had, you know, rising electricity prices, rising fuel prices. But I think people always hoped, look, we'll just get over this and then things will get better. But if you look at the outlook now, what the Reserve Bank chief said just yesterday, what— you know, we've got inflation figures out today. People think It's not getting any better. My costs aren't coming down. Inflation's going to remain high. The government's going to tax me more. I can't afford to keep these people on.
BEN FORDHAM: And from a business point of view, if they're thinking of starting one and they're looking at the changes to capital gains tax, they'd be saying, well, is it really worth it?
DAVE SHARMA: Exactly. I think either people are thinking, I'm just going to stick in a salaried role, and we want people to start businesses. That's how new things get built and the economy gets more productive and creative. Or if they want to start a business, they're thinking, They're going to go offshore. They're going to go to New Zealand or Singapore or the United States or Dubai, somewhere that's not going to tax everything they make.
BEN FORDHAM: I'm keen to know what themes popped up during your discussions in the PM's electorate with business owners. Power prices, did they get a rung?
DAVE SHARMA: Electricity prices was a big part. Compliance and bureaucracy and red tape, more forms, more bodies that they have to comply with, more standards they have to meet. Insurance and workplace compensation costs or workers' compo claims as well was a big issue. But then just generally consumers not spending because people are doing it tough. People are having to tighten their belts. Interest rates are higher, inflation's higher, the price of everything's going up. So these businesses are noticing that people just aren't coming through their door, or if they are, they're not spending in the way they used to.
BEN FORDHAM: What can we do to give a spark to the Aussie economy? Because people are nervous at the moment, and when people are nervous, they do hold back with their spending.
DAVE SHARMA: They do. Look, I think we need a change of approach from this government. We need a government that says, we want to champion small business. We think getting the economy growing is good for all Australians. We're not going to tax more of what people earn. We're not going to discourage small businesses. But at the moment, we've got a government that is discouraging business formation, that's discouraging economic activity, that's discouraging anyone who's trying to get ahead or save money for a house or anything else. I think we need to get back in Australia to encouraging aspiration and ambition.
BEN FORDHAM: I wonder whether Anthony Albanese is going to hold one of these business forums in his local electorate.
DAVE SHARMA: Well, I wish he would, because there are people out there who are desperately hurting and want to speak to him.
BEN FORDHAM: And a lot of people in his electorate as well, as we've seen before, who are homeless and they're now living in tents. Now, before we let you go, Dave Sharma, how's your boss going, Angus Taylor?
DAVE SHARMA: He's doing well. I think he's doing a good job. I think he's laying out an alternative economic vision for Australia. He launched Yeah, part of that last week, I think we put out more detail for what our economic policy will be for an opposition this stage of the economic cycle than any that have come previously. And we need to fill out that more. But it's about telling Australians that the future doesn't need to look like the present, that we can have a brighter economic future, that we can get back to the country that was optimistic and strong and confident and growing again. That future has not abandoned us. We just need a government that wants to build it.
BEN FORDHAM: Can you get back into government?
DAVE SHARMA: Yes, I believe we can.
BEN FORDHAM: How long could that take?
DAVE SHARMA: I think we can do it at the next election. I mean, I think you’re seeing a lot of volatility right in the political cycle now. People are moving around, people are changing loyalties, people are saying they're going to vote for parties that weren't even around or not of any significant size at the last election. That's the opportunity for us. People aren't locked on. And look, people are looking for an alternative. You're seeing how, you know, 70% of Australians believe the country is on the wrong track, not heading in the right direction. That is an opportunity for us as Liberals, as the alternative government.
BEN FORDHAM: Well, good on you for getting out there and listening to people and talking face to face with people. And if you have any more of those business forums, let us know in advance where they are and we'll advertise them for you so you can get a few more people along. Great to see you and thank you for coming in.
DAVE SHARMA: Thanks so much for having me, Ben.