Senator the Hon Mathias Cormann

JOHN MCGLUE: Let’s speak to WA Senator Mathias Cormann, welcome to the program.

MATHIAS CORMANN: Good morning. Good morning to your listeners.

JOHN MCGLUE: I’m still waiting, Mathias Cormann for the composition of the Turnbull Ministry. What has the PM told you about your future and the type of role you might play?

MATHIAS CORMANN: On Monday night the party made a decision to elect Malcolm Turnbull as our new leader and as our Prime Minister. I support our new Prime Minister. I have indicated to him that I look forward to working with him to help him lead the most successful Government possible, a Government that provides good Government to the Australian people and a team which does everything we can to win the next election. These appointments, consistent with the timetable that the Prime Minister has publicly indicated, these sorts of decisions I expect to be made between now and the end of the weekend with some announcements soon thereafter.

JOHN MCGLUE: How will the priorities of the Government under Malcolm Turnbull differ from what we have seen under Tony Abbott?

MATHIAS CORMANN: Our biggest priority is to continue to do everything we can to put Australia on the strongest possible economic and fiscal foundation for the future. We have made some progress over the past two years. There is more work to be done. As far as I am concerned I look forward to supporting Prime Minister Turnbull’s efforts in whatever capacity he sees fit.

JOHN MCGLUE: Okay, but in terms of priorities, do you see those changing? Do you see those as needing to change under the new Prime Minister?

MATHIAS CORMANN: I suspect that over time there will be some adjustments to specific policy directions. But as matters stand, we went to the last election with an economic plan, a plan for stronger growth and more jobs. With a plan to make sure that Australia is safe and secure, to get back control of our borders. We’ve made a lot of progress over the last two years, heading in the right direction now. Moving forward more work needs to be done and that will continue to be fleshed out in the weeks and months ahead.

JOHN MCGLUE: How will that work be constrained by this, the very public civil war we saw on Monday, a succession of Ministers criticising Malcolm Turnbull, before the party room vote. I’m wondering Mathias Cormann what makes you think the Liberals can avoid what we saw with Labor, that horror-stretch after they dumped a Prime Minister mid-stream, what makes you think it could be any different?

MATHIAS CORMANN: I’m very confident that things will be very different than under Labor. Firstly, everybody knows how I voted in the party room ballot on Monday. I supported Tony Abbott. The new Prime Minister knows that. The new Prime Minister also knows that people like me are looking forward to working with him. We have a good relationship. We have a good working relationship. I think that all of us in the Coalition party room have a responsibility to the Australian people to put the past behind us, to lock in and unite behind Malcolm Turnbull as our new Prime Minister and to do everything we can to help our Government to be the best Government we possibly can be. Certainly as far as I am concerned, that is exactly what I will be doing.

JOHN MCGLUE: Good to talk with you today. That’s Mathias Cormann there, the WA Senator and currently the Finance Minister.