THE HON ANTHONY ALBANESE MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORT

SHADOW MINISTER FOR CITIES
SHADOW MINISTER FOR TOURISM
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR GRAYNDLER
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP INTERVIEW
WEDNESDAY, 22 OCTOBER 2014
PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA
Subj!"# G$u%& W&'"()*
ALBANESE: Good morning. Yesterday we saw the Australian Parliament at its finest as
it paid tribute to the passing of a great Australian. A great Labor man Gough !hitlam.
Sin"e then# we$%e seen the Labor family e&press our sorrow at the passing but also
"elebrate his life and his "ontribution to the Labor Party and to the nation.
People a"ross the politi"al spe"trum# in"luding the Prime 'inister and the (eputy Prime
'inister deli%ered outstanding tributes to Gough !hitlam yesterday in the Parliament
and sin"e.
Also yesterday# the Greens politi"al party put up# authorised by Lee )hiannon on a
website# an image of Gough !hitlam# *+ale Gough !hitlam$ ne&t to the Greens Party
politi"al logo.
, thin- that is "heap# opportunisti" and offensi%e# gi%en that Gough !hitlam was a Labor
man his entire life. Gough !hitlam understood that you needed to sei.e power and be
in go%ernment to ma-e a differen"e to this nation and he did /ust that between 0123 and
0124.
5e understood and said %ery e&pli"itly on so many o""asions that he didn$t want to be
/ust a party of protest. 5e wanted to be a party of go%ernment and he sought that
mandate from the Australian people both prior to 0123 of "ourse# but in 0126# 0124 and
of "ourse in 0122 as the Labor leader.
)ight up until he was in"apable of doing do due to illhealth he "ontinued to "ampaign
for Labor in e%ery single politi"al "ampaign. 5e "ontinued to be a"ti%e in lo"al Labor
party life in"luding as 7anya Pliberse- outlined yesterday e&plained yesterday attending
Labor party 8hristmas parties in his lo"al "ommunity.
,$d say to 8hristine 'ilne and to the Greens in"luding Lee )hiannon who authorised
this# the Senator from New South !ales and to Adam Bandt# /ust do the right thing pull
it down and admit that it was an error of /udgement. 7hat$s the appropriate thing to do.
7hat$s the respe"tful thing to do.
9:ES7,;N: !hat do you find so offensi%e < is it the fa"t that they used the image or
that they used it with the party logo=
ALBANESE: 7hey are "learly trying to appropriate Gough !hitlam$s lega"y for the
Greens. Gough !hitlam not only was not a member of the Greens> he "ampaigned
against them. 5e "ampaigned for me in my ele"torate> he "ampaigned for others who
fa"ed "onfli"t with the Greens. !e ha%e a proud history. !e are Australia$s oldest
politi"al party. !e$%e formed go%ernment. !e ha%e lega"ies < and Gough !hitlam$s
lega"y was a Labor lega"y. 7ony Abbott and !arren 7russ yesterday paid tribute to that
lega"y without trying to own the bits of the lega"y they agree with.
You "an do that to someone who you$re a politi"al opponent of. Gough !hitlam# in
terms of his lega"y in"luding on the en%ironment# on health# on edu"ation < there$s been
mu"h said in the last 36 hours < all of it has been ?uite outstanding < in"luding an
appropriate analysis of where mista-es were made. 7his is not appropriate. 7hey -now
it$s not appropriate. Anyone who$s loo-s at it -nows that it$s not appropriate.
9:ES7,;N: 5a%e you personally dis"ussed your "on"erns with 8hristine 'ilne=
ALBANESE: No# , ha%en$t. , see that Adam Bandt has been out there defending this this
morning. ,$%e seen the "o%erage. , only saw it during the "au"us meeting and , raised it
during the "au"us meeting as soon as , saw it. ,t$s one thing# as happened the other day
at my lo"al train station# you arri%e there and there$s a Greens "orflute and it says
*defend 'edi"are < %ote Greens$. 7hat$s one -ind of attempt to pretend that 'edi"are is
somehow a Greens lega"y as opposed to a Labor lega"y# begun of "ourse as 'ediban-
under Gough !hitlam. ,t$s another thing "ompletely to use on the day of the great man$s
passing# an image of him with the Greens politi"al party logo on the poster. 7hat is
entirely inappropriate.
9:ES7,;N: Aren$t you the one trying to s"ore "heap opportunisti" politi"al points
be"ause all the Greens are doing are saying here is a poli"y that we are proud a Labor
Prime 'inister introdu"ed that we are proud of. !hat is wrong with that=
ALBANESE: !ell if , need to e&plain it to you Lati-a# then < people will ma-e their own
/udgements. People will ma-e their own /udgements. You get to as- the ?uestion# , get
to answer it# that$s the system of press "onferen"es. You$%e as-ed your ?uestion. , find it
offensi%e that there is the great man$s lega"y with the Greens politi"al party logo on it. ,
find that inappropriate. , thin- that is an attempt in an opportunisti" way to appropriate
Gough !hitlam$s lega"y as somehow for the Greens. Gough !hitlam was a great
Labor man and it is /ust not respe"tful. , as- myself# and , -now the answer to this# what
would the Labor legend say if the Greens and 8hristine 'ilne had said *how about we
use an image of you and our logo on your image=$. !hat would he say= You "an$t as-
him. 5e would of "ourse say no. 5is entire politi"al life was dedi"ated to the "ause of
Labor. ,t would be li-e trying to say that Bob Brown is somehow a Labor supporter. Bob
Brown isn$t. 5e$s entitled to his %iews. 5e$s made his own "ontribution to politi"al life# as
ha%e the @ohn 5owards of the Liberal Party.
9:ES7,;N: ;ne of your 'Ps in "au"us des"ribed it as gra%erobbing. !ould you go
that far=
ALBANESE: , did not hear that des"ription in the "au"us.
9:ES7,;N: 5ow angry were people in "au"us=
ALBANESE: , thin- people were pretty sho"-ed. 7his is a diffi"ult time for those of us
who -new Gough and e%eryone who$s part of the Labor family. E%en though he was 1A
years of age and in illhealth it "ame as a sho"- to the nation# not /ust to people in the
Labor "au"us. (o the right thing# "on"ede that it$s an error of /udgement and mo%e on.
7his should not be a ma/or debate but it should be fi&ed. ,t should be fi&ed in a way that
is dignified and in a way that restores some dignity to the politi"al debate.
9:ES7,;N: ,s this gra%erobbing=
ALBANESE: ,$m not going to use that term. 7his shows no respe"t and is opportunism
of the worst -ind. , find it offensi%e and people in the Labor "au"us today found it
offensi%e. 7han-s %ery mu"h.