‘Don’t give me that’: Kochie rips into Scott Morrison over postal plebiscite

SUNRISE host David Koch has given Treasurer Scott Morrison a brutal grilling over the issue that has Australians riled up.

SUNRISE host David Koch has ripped into Treasurer Scott Morrison over the government’s postal plebiscite.

The Treasurer’s latest morning television appearance kicked off with a fiery start, with his interviewer beginning with a pointed question.

“You can understand why so many Australians are angry that we are just wasting money on this because you politicians don’t have the guts to make the decision yourself,” Kochie said.

Mr Morrison started to defend the Coalition’s decision to conduct a mail ballot on same-sex marriage, saying the government “promised at the last election we would give people a say on this”.

“Don’t give me that,” Kochie teed off.

‘Which promises has this Government broken after the last election?!” - @ScottMorrisonMP defends the #MarriageEquality postal plebiscite. pic.twitter.com/WSltqswyuR

— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) August 9, 2017

“You break election promises all the time! You mean you’ve never broken an election promise?”

The Treasurer hit back, saying the government had been upfront about the proposal to poll the Australian people on marriage reform, and about the cost.

“We are keeping that commitment to the Australian people,” he said. “That’s what you’d expect a government to do.”

Kochie wasn’t copping it.

“Then you lecture us about having to be fiscally responsible — that we have a problem with the budget,” he argued.

Kochie accused the government of ‘cherrypicking’ policies. Picture: Channel 7

“This is a non-binding, non-compulsory sort of postal vote that’s going to cost $122 million. It is not going to force you into anything whatsoever. Why don’t you go out and hire Galaxy or Newspoll? Just do a poll?” he asked.

Mr Morrison continued to parrot the government’s justification that the people of Australia had been promised a say on this, and batted away his interviewer’s accusations of “cherrypicking” policies to keep, and to ask for a public vote on.

The interview ended with an abrupt line, just as it had started.

“You can look me in the eye and say this is $122 million well spent?” Kochie asked.

Mr Morrison replied: “Keeping a promise is money well spent, yes.”