2GB STRAIGHT SHOOTERS RADIO INTERVIEW
TUESDAY, 15 APRIL 2025
SUBJECT: CAMPAINGING, FAMILIES, HOLIDAY SPOTS
CLINTON MAYNARD: Interview for a Tuesday afternoon. Joining me on the programme Liberal Senator for New South Wales, Hollie Hughes Hello, Hollie.
SENATOR HOLLIE HUGHES: Hey, Clinton. How are you going?
MAYNARD: Oh, I'm great here at the Royal Easter Show. And the Labor MP for the seat of Macquarie, Susan Templeman. Hello, Susan.
SUSAN TEMPLEMAN: Hi.
MAYNARD: On the campaign trail, ladies, only a couple of weeks left, two and a half weeks left. Just before we get into the major topic I want to talk about, with Easter and then Anzac Day, and we're now into school holidays, I'll start with you, Susan. Does it mean that you almost take a break from campaigning?
TEMPLEMAN: Oh, look, you certainly need to be aware that these are really important days in the community, but they're also very active days in the community. So Anzac Day will be from pre-dawn through to sunset services that I attend. You can't call it campaigning, I will literally be doing what I do every year and that's attending community events and the same with Easter. There are a variety of community things that take place on those different days across Easter. So I'll be doing what I do every Easter, and it will be out at community events, celebrating and paying respects at both Easter and Anzac Day.
MAYNARD: And, Susan, in that period between Easter Monday and then Anzac Day, which is the Friday, do you have to campaign a lot in those couple of days?
TEMPLEMAN: Well, we will be on pre-polls, so the polls open Tuesday. We do Easter Monday and then the polls are open, so that will be pre-poll. And I think you'll see a lot of candidates are out talking to those early voters and trying to swing their votes in those early days of pre-polls.
MAYNARD: And Hollie, is it a problem for your side of politics that based on the opinion polls, and let's remember opinion polls aren't always right, they weren't when Scott Morrison won the election but based on the opinion polls you're now firmly the underdog. Is it a problem that you have this effective this break in the campaign?
HUGHES: Look, it was always going to be a tough campaign. And when you've got campaigns that are over school holidays, public holidays, and now we've got religious feasts like Easter, it's certainly going to be a disjointed campaign. But, you know, people really don't start to listen normally until a week or two into a campaign. And the problem is pre-poll will then start and they'll be on holidays. it's certainly presenting itself with challenges but I know I've been out with and there are a lot of our candidates who are out talking to their constituents whether it's through door knocking or phone canvassing or being out at community events regularly but there will be a break and I think we need to respect those breaks as well. Easter's a really important time for family and I think that needs to be respected, let alone the respect that needs to be given on Anzac Day.
MAYNARD: Now, Peter Dutton has brought his son Harry on the election campaign for the past couple of days as he's selling his policies for first home buyers and I wonder whether you might be having some regrets about that because he was hammered by some journalists yesterday being questioned about whether he was going to personally help out Harry with his deposit and today he did make a concession that there would be some assistance from him and his wife for his children. He did today speak about the bank of mum and dad, and we'll come to that just in a moment but just for you, Hollie, do you think he might be regretting bringing Harry on the campaign trail?
HUGHES: I don't think so. I think campaigns are difficult times to catch up with family at the best of campaigns. So I think he's probably enjoyed having Harry with him.
MAYNARD: But he ends up being questioned about it and a personal issue ends up coming into play.
HUGHES: Well, and I think we're seeing that more and more. But I think, you know, the reality is, I mean, you've only got to open up a newspaper on any day and it talks about the bank of mum and dad. We know that that's unfortunately become an increasing reality for people who want to break into the housing market. And so I think Peter being honest, I think he, like many of us, have kids that are staring down the future and thinking to themselves, how am I ever going to afford it? So I think it's a great example of how in touch Peter is and understands exactly what families are going through.
MAYNARD: Susan, do you think it's wise to have families as part of a campaign?
TEMPLEMAN: Well, do you know, I got into politics because of an experience around teenage mental health. And years later, when my daughter was an adult, she chose to do a video with me in 2019 talking about how a headspace, a youth mental health service, might have given her a different outcome when she was a young teenager. And so my Phoebe chose to get involved and share her experience. Now, clearly, she was talking about her past experience as a teenager, I know that telling that personal story was really powerful. I still have young women come up to me and say, I remember when you and your daughter did that video where she talked about how much of a struggle it was for her. So I think there's a really key role for young people and Phoebe has continued to be an absolute advocate for good mental health. And so in that case, it all depends, doesn't it? There's no black and white here. And I was very lucky. Phoebe was an adult. She made her own choice to do it and was really keen to help me advocate for a headspace. I'm pleased to say we succeeded in opening one about 18 months ago.
MAYNARD: I think the criticism of Mr Dutton yesterday was a bit over the top on that but in the end, politicians are there to make life better for families in general because most of us are part of one through their policies and Hollie in your final week in Parliament you did make headlines for speaking about your own family.
HUGHES: Oh absolutely and I think it's important that people know that, you know, I think sometimes people have this idea of politicians somehow being separate, that we don't have families, we don't have lives. And we have mortgages, and my son has an NDIS plan that was just cut. So, you know, we face the same challenges in many ways. We also have a lot of fortunate things that we get to do and experience. But, you know, we still have families, we still have challenges whether it's mental health, whether it's special needs, whether it's trying to help your kids get ahead I've got one in year 12 this year, like you know we're all going through the same things that so many other families are going through so we do understand and of course it's impossible to not bring your personal experience in.
MAYNARD: Just before we wrap up and talk about families, it's family holiday time with Easter. Susan, do you have a favourite Easter holiday spot?
TEMPLEMAN: Oh, anywhere in the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury is clearly my favourite. This Easter, I'm certainly heading up. We've got a really special Megalong Music Festival on in the Megalong Valley.
MAYNARD: You never leave the electorate.
TEMPLEMAN: No, never, But, people can go fruit picking in Bilpin, Mount Tomah, Botanic Gardens. There's an Easter Sunday market up in St Albans where the oldest pub in the country is. And then you've even got around the Nepean River. If you haven't got quite enough time to do that, the beautiful river walk from bridge to bridge and the new regatta park there, which is a fantastic kids' park funded by federal, state and local government funding. All of that is in Macquarie. Really, you don't need to go anywhere other than my electorate.
MAYNARD: You are a very loyal local MP. Hollie, you've got the advantage that you're a senator for an entire state. So give us a quick best spot in New South Wales for a nice to break.
HUGHES: Well, we would normally, me and my kids, go to a friend's farm in Cooma and then we'd be down to the South Coast and sort of do our drive loop around, but because the campaign's not on and all lot of family stuff going on at the moment, we're not doing that. So we've got games night set up tonight. I've got two teenagers who are very independent and difficult to wrangle and another teenager with special needs who is actually quite a good participant when it comes to these games. So they've all been roped in for games night.
MAYNARD: Good stuff. Thank you, Hollie. Thank you, Susan.
TEMPLEMAN: Thanks.
HUGHES: Happy Easter.
MAYNARD: Straight Shooters with Susan Templeman and Hollie Hughes for a Tuesday afternoon.
ENDS.
