Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Todd Stephenson: ACT MP on the call for an end to the broadcasting allocation

Transcript

Todd Stephenson: ACT MP on the call for an end to the broadcasting allocation · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The row brewing this morning over taxpayer funding for political
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: party campaign ads like this gem from twenty seventeen.
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: We can do better, better healthcare, better schools, better transport,
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: cleaner rivers and homes for all.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: I am ready, We're all ready. Let's do this. The
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: ACT Party's calling for an end to the broadcast allocation
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: for election campaigns. Acting P Todd Stevenson suggested to the
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: Justice Select Committee that this be scrapped. Labor and the
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Greens oppose it. Todd is with us this morning.
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: Good morning, good morning, fine, thanks for having me on.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: No worries. So this is what four million dollars every
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: three years? Is it a waste of money?
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: Absolutely? Right, Look, it's a total rought. I mean, the
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: taxpayer does not need to be forking out just over
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: four million dollars every year for political parties to pay
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: for their TV and radio ads.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: So is it a principal thing for you? You don't
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: think that this is the type of thing we should
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: be forking out for as taxpayers.
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: Yeah? Absolutely, Well, it's two things, Ryan, It's definitely a
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: principal thing. It should never have been put in place.
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: It was put in place for the first MMP election.
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: But The other thing is technology has moved on, and
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: so political parties are able to spend as much money
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: as they want on say digital advertising, so the Internet
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: actually are streaming services, et cetera. But you're only allowed
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: to pay the money that the taxpayer gives you on
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: TV and radio broadcasts. And so it's really too it's principled,
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: we just shouldn't be doing it. But secondly it's also
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: just hasn't moved with the times.
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: How much of the taxpayer funding did that use last election?
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: Yep, we got just over three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, Ryan,
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: And again we took that because it's only on TV
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: and radio.
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: But you said it was a principal thing.
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: Yes, but again we would be restricted, so we can't
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: spend our own money, which ACTS always wanted to do, Ryan,
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: So before it was actually introduced before the first MMP
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: election to stop ACT spending its own money on TV
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: and radio. And so if we didn't use our allocation,
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: there's no way we could be on yeah, running ads
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: or TV TV stations.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: But surely for a party about smaller government, lower taxes,
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: cutting wasteful spending, you'd take the hit for what you
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: call your principles.
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: Well, we don't think that would be fair because if
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: we couldn't actually get a.
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: Many right, Well, let's talk about fairness then.
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: Is it is.
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: It fear that a party like the Labor Party who
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: doesn't get as much in fact, only got as many
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: donations in terms of valuers act? Is it fear that
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: a party like that wouldn't have the same opportunities you
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: guys would to buy broadcast allocations because they don't get
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: as much donations.
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, that would be fair. I mean that's the
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: whole point of a political party. You put out a
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: set of policies, a set of ideas, and you ask
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: people to support that, and one of the ways they
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: do that is make donations. It's entirely, it's entirely the
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: way the political process goes in his pardon yet.
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: I know it is. But is it fair? Is it
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: fear if you have a small number of wealthy donors
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: to one particular party versus a large number of perhaps
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: lower income donors to another. I mean, it's it's David
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: and Goliath, isn't it.
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: Well? I think that's different parties will have different types
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: of supporters. I mean, I know for a fact, Act
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: got lots of small donations from lots of people.
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: Yeah, but you've also got a million dollars. You also
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: got a million dollars in one day and fifty and
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: one hundred thousand dollars allocations from billionaires and stuff.
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: Well absolutely, but that's all all disclosed, is all properly done,
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: And I think that shows the level of support to
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: some of the policies that that's put up. I mean,
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: that's I think that's entirely the point. Right parties have
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: to go out and they have to get supporters who
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: support their visions for New Zealand party.
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: I agree with you that to put I agree with that,
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: but surely you want a fair fight.
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: Well, this is actually making sure it is a fair fight.
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: I mean last election, Labor got one point two million
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: dollars to spend on TV and radio. So we want
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: to we want to level the playing field in this
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: area and say, well, lot parties raise money, they can
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: spend it on what they what they want, including TV
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: and radio if they choose to.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: All right, Todd, look forward to having this debate with
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: Labor and the Greens if they'll come on with me.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your time. I appreciate it. Todd Stevenson,
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: the ACT Party MP, who says, let's get rid of
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: the taxpayer funded wrought that is the broadcast allocation. What
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: do you reckon? Nine two nine two is the numbers?
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: Text for more from early edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: live to News Talks. It'd be from five am weekdays,
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio