His morning television banter with shadow treasurer Tim Wilson turned snarky. Sometimes you just have to let the other bloke have the last word.
Federal health minister Mark Butler was ambushed by the king of the bombshell exit line – shadow treasurer Tim Wilson – in a morning television segment that turned spicy today.
Appearing in his regular spot on the Seven Network’s Sunrise program this morning, Mr Butler must have been thinking he’d gotten off lightly after a relatively benign conversation with Mr Wilson and host Natalie Barr that had covered Tony Modra’s accident, and the government’s backdown on capital gains tax measures.
He didn’t count on Mr Wilson’s famous talent for throwing a hand grenade while walking out the door, however.
After reassuring the audience that prime minister Anthony Albanese and treasurer Jim Chalmers get on very well despite anything Mr Wilson might say, Mr Butler was hit from behind by a last-second barb.
“This is an enormously productive relationship which I watch up close,” said Mr Butler.
“We’ll see you next week,” said Ms Barr.
“He does watch it up close,” said Mr Wilson.
“Sorry, Tim?” said Ms Barr.
“… he does watch it up close because I suspect this is the Treasurer’s last budget and the Prime Minister is probably going to fall with him and the person who’s going to win out of that is going to be Prime Minister Mark Butler,” said Mr Wilson.
Natalie Barr: “You think Albo’s going to get rid of Chalmers?”
Also in today’s edition:
- Minister ‘confident’ of NDIS reforms despite criticism
- Available, accessible, informed. Three words we treat as one, but shouldn’t
- Patients already building their own AI care managers
- Insurers now own 15% of group general practices
- Clinician reticence a bigger AI challenge than consumers
- One in five doctors considering leaving their organisation, Bain report finds
- Surgeons baulk at cannabis driving overhaul
Tim Wilson: “I do think he’s going to because he’s hashed it up so badly, he really has no choice, but that will probably be the Prime Minister’s demise, and the person who is going to be the beneficiary is going to be the person on your program right now, Mark Butler.”
Ms Barr: “So Mark’s going to go into his role? Mark, are you getting a pay rise?”
Mr Wilson: “I think he’s … the next person who’s going to be Prime Minister once Albo falls.”
Mr Butler was having none of it, however.
“Total rubbish, Tim,” he said.
“Trust me,” said Mr Wilson.
“Total rubbish, Tim. Why would we trust you?”
Mr Wilson: “Trust me. This is coming from a bloke who went to the last election saying they wouldn’t promise to introduce all these taxes.”
Ms Barr: “Okay, we’ll leave it there. Thank you very much, gentlemen. We’ll see you next week.”
Sometimes you just have to let the other bloke have the final word. It’s not the first time the idea of PM Butler has been floated.
HSD reported back in April on speculation that the health minister was the next most obvious choice of leader of the federal Labor party should Mr Albanese no longer be in the role, for whatever reason.
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