Keneally refuses to rule out Senate run
Health Minister Greg Hunt has accused Kristina Keneally of attacking “a cancer sufferer” in her criticism of Arthur Sinodinos | WATCH.
Health Minister Greg Hunt has accused Kristina Keneally of attacking “a cancer sufferer” in her criticism of Senator Arthur Sinodinos, labelling the move “disgusting”.
In a fiery interview with Sky News’s Sam Maiden the Labor candidate for Bennelong was also grilled on her record as NSW premier and whether she’d take Sam Dastyari’s Senate seat if she does not win the by-election on Saturday.
Answering a question about her ICAC evidence, Ms Keneally said: “I make the point that my evidence before ICAC was a key part of finding convictions, and the ICAC has praised my evidence, and that stands in stark contrast to someone like Arthur Sinodinos who sits in Malcolm Turnbull’s own cabinet, who said, ‘I don’t recall’ so many times who can recall how often he said it,” Ms Keneally said.
ICAC last year found it “difficult to accept” that Senator Sinodinos, who is currently on leave battling cancer, had no knowledge that a trust fund used to get around state laws banning political donations from developers had become a major donor to the NSW Liberal Party, but ultimately made no findings against him.
Mr Hunt, who was the next guest on Sky, was unimpressed by Ms Keneally’s performance.
“I did see the last interview,” he told Sky News.
“Apart from the fact that it was a genuine train wreck, one thing stuck out and that was she attacked a cancer sufferer.
“She attacked Arthur Sinodinos at the time that he is going through cancer treatment. That was a disgusting action.
“She should come back on air, she should apologise today, she should withdraw her comments. Her comments were not only disgraceful, they were false.
“To attack somebody who is going through cancer treatment is the lowest of the low acts.”
Mr Hunt said Ms Keneally was not fit to be premier.
“Appointed by Eddie Obeid and Joe Tripodi, appointed Ian MacDonald, oversaw Sam Dastyari being appointed as general secretary of the ALP, and now she’s learnt nothing and today’s comments though I think are the worst of all, attacking somebody at the very time they’re going through treatment for cancer. Apologise, come back on air and withdraw.”
Keneally refuses to rule out Senate
Kristina Keneally also refused to rule out taking Sam Dastyari’s Senate seat if she does not win the Bennelong by-election on Saturday.
Ms Keneally was asked three times by her Sky News colleague Samantha Maiden whether she would rule out taking the Senate seat as a “consolation prize” following Senator Dastyari’s resignation on Tuesday, and refused to give a direct answer each time.
“The only job I’ve been offered is the opportunity to be Labor’s candidate for Bennelong, and as I’ve said before I’ve been offered Senate seats before and turned them down,” Ms Keneally said.
Pressed again, Ms Keneally said she also wasn’t ruling out coming back to Sky News, where she is on leave without pay from her job as a host.
“Coming back to Sky News is definitely an option if I lose, but I’m here to win. I’m fighting to win, Sam Maiden, I’m fighting to win in this by-election. I’m not even contemplating anything else,” she said.
“You can ask me any way you want. I’m not ruling anything in or out after the polls come in on Saturday night. I gave up my job at Macquarie University to run for this position. I’ve gone on leave without pay at Sky News. I’m not even contemplating what happens after this by-election.
“I am only focused on one thing: Bennelong, fighting for the people of Bennelong, and I’m going to be doing that right up to the moment the polls close.”
Keneally grilled over Obeid, Tripodi, Macdonald
Ms Keneally also faced a grilling over her path to the NSW premiership, confirming that she did reinstall now-jailed Labor Party figure Ian Macdonald to the ministry when she became leader, after he was sacked by her predecessor Nathan Rees.
“I did, and I say that quite upfront and I have always said that quite upfront,” she said.
“I also sacked him and referred him for investigation.
Ms Keneally was pressed again on jailed Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid’s support for her premiership.
“In relation to that history so we can clear it up, Nathan Rees was deposed as premier after sacking Eddie Obeid’s mate Ian Macdonald from cabinet. You put him back in and you were supported by Eddie Obeid in becoming premier. Why is it not reasonable to raise those links?” Ms Maiden asked Ms Keneally.
“You know what, I have talked about this for so long. I’ve testified about it. My record is out there for all to see,” Ms Keneally said.
“The Prime Minister is running scared of his record, the Prime Minister is running scared of what he is doing here in Bennelong.”
Sparks fly over Dastyari quote
Ms Maiden then attempted to read a quote from Senator Dastyari which was originally published in the book He who must be Obeid by journalists Kate McClymont and Linton Besser.
“Kristina Keneally was so close to Eddie Obeid. Unequivocally, she wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for Eddie,” Senator Dastyari was quoted as saying.
“Sam Maiden, can I stop you right there. You’re wrong, because that book was pulped. That book was pulped. The book you are reading from was pulped. The statement wasn’t in it,” Ms Keneally said.
The first edition of the book was pulped for legal reasons and a second published.
“Sam Maiden, what you are reading to me was not in the second edition of that book, and you’re also not reading to your viewers what Sam Dastyari said on the floor of the parliament after that book came out.”
When Ms Maiden pressed Ms Keneally on what Senator Dastyari had said on the floor of parliament, Ms Keneally refused to say.
“You can look it up, Sam. I’m not here to do your work for you,” she said.
Senator Dastyari apologised unreservedly for the comments on the floor of parliament, but at not stage denied that he had made them.
Asked whether she would have been premier were it not for the influence of Mr Obeid and fellow powerbroker Joe Tripodi, who was also found to have been corrupt, Ms Keneally said she it had been “the caucus” who elected her.
“I had to beat two blokes in two ballots to become the premier of NSW, and you know what, it’s because I stand up and fight for what I believe in, and I’m standing here in Bennelong fighting for what I believe in.”
Quizzed on her relationship with Mr Tripodi, who was once a close family friend, Ms Keneally made it clear the friendship was over.
“I think he’s a grub. I’ve got no time for him. I haven’t thought about him since the day he was found corrupt at ICAC. I’ve got no issues to talk about with him,” she said.
Keneally repeats accusation that Turnbull is “fuelling suspicion of Asians”
Ms Keneally was asked whether she stood by her claim yesterday that Chinese Australians were “getting tired of Malcolm Turnbull’s assertion that Asian Australians are not fully-fledged members of Team Australia,” and doubled down.
“The Prime Minister is out casting aspersions upon people who have run for parliament, he is out casting aspersions on people who have stood for council, he is out casting aspersions about spies in our community,” she said.
“He sounds like ‘reds under the bed’ quite frankly, and this type of China-phobia is actually alarming the Chinese community.
“I am only reflecting what Chinese Australians are saying to me when they come up to pre-poll, when I talk to them on their doorsteps, when community leaders here in Bennelong come and talk to me.
“You only need to read the Chinese media to see, the Chinese media here in Australia, to see that this alarm is real.
“The Prime Minister does need to think about how he is jeopardising relationships with China, and how he is jeopardising good community harmony.”
Asked whether she could point to a single statement from the Prime Minister, and whether she was seriously suggesting he would suggest that the community his Chinese Australian granddaughter belongs to is not part of Team Australia, Ms Keneally said the issue wasn’t about the Prime Minister’s family.
“It’s about his rhetoric,” she said.
“It’s about what he’s saying. Listen to the Business Council and the business leaders who are saying that the Prime Minister’s putting our relationship with Australia at risk.
“Listen to the community leaders who are talking in the Chinese-Australian media, who are talking quite openly about their concern about how the Prime Minister’s rhetoric is making them feel like they are not fully-fledged and loyal Australians.
“This is the type of rhetoric that the Prime Minister needs to consider very carefully. I note that John Alexander has pointedly refused to repeat the things that the Prime Minister is saying, and he’s expressed his frustration in the pages of The Australian about the rhetoric coming from the Prime Minister.”
PM hits back
Mr Turnbull said Labor’s accusations of “China-phobia” had become “increasingly disappointing”.
“I am disappointed they have tried to turn Australians against each other,” he said.
“You go to Bennelong and you have such a diverse multicultural community.
“You can imagine how everyone feels in the government, especially me, to have Kristina Keneally and Bill Shorten saying I am anti-Chinese.
“There are one million Australians of Chinese ancestry. You could not imagine Australia without them. They built Australia, together with all of the rest of our extraordinary diverse community, one million Australians of Chinese ancestry, among whom is my own granddaughter! And Kristina Keneally and Bill Shorten are out there in Bennelong trying to create animosity.”
Mr Turnbull said Labor’s attack was “desperate, demeaning and disappointing”.
“The people of Bennelong can see through all of that, and they have a very clear choice, they have a man, John Alexander, who has been their champion.
“It is a tight contest. Our future is at stake. Bill Shorten is a threat to our future. Everything he proposes will destroy investment, destroy jobs, undermine growth in the economy.
“Our policies are working, but there is more work to do, and we need John Alexander to get the job done.”
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