Media
|
Transcripts
October 14, 2026
MICHAEL MCLAREN: The Bill, though, that we're speaking about today Senator James Paterson is going to introduce this, and it would give both the Senate and the House of Reps the power. To disallow the sale of land used by the ADF or the Department of Defence, in other words, take it out of the Minister's hands and put it in the hands of the representatives of all the Australian public. Well, James Paterson is the Shadow Minister for Defence. He's been exceptional on this cause. He's with me on the line. Good to speak again, James.
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Good to be back.
MCLAREN: Okay, a private bill to the Senate. We've already seen David Shoebridge backing the calls to ring-fence HMAS Penguin. He'll be there, I believe, on the 25th to try to do something for Victoria Barracks. So it's completely conceivable that with the Greens, One Nation and the Coalition this would go through the Senate. But then, of course, it goes down to the lower house. Labor will circle the wagons, won't they?
PATERSON: Look, there's a really important principle to stake here, which I think is worth fighting for, and that is Australia's military heritage belongs to all Australians. It doesn't just belong to one political party or one government. And if the government wants to sell off a base, they should have to demonstrate they've got the support of the Parliament to do so. Now, you're right, the Labor Party controls the House of Representatives. But if we can get this bill passed through the Senate, I think that will put immense pressure on the government to allow it to be debated and considered in the House of Representatives as well, particularly because it is backed by now 108,000 Australians who've signed my petition. And as you've said, political support from across the spectrum, including the New South Wales Labor Premier, former Labor ministers like Peter Garrett and even the Greens. This is not a partisan cause, it is an Australian cause, and Labor, Federal Labor, is completely isolated on it.
MCLAREN: They are, and the last thing they want to is debate, isn't it? I mean, this is the point even if this is isn't politically successful, as far as legislation or legislative power is concerned, it would very much put in the spotlight Labor's reticence to even discuss this issue, right?
PATERSON: That's right. And the reason why they don't want the debate, the reason they don't want to discuss this, is because, when it comes under scrutiny, their arguments fall away. And it was spectacularly demonstrated a few weeks ago when the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Miles appeared on Andrew Clennell's program and said the reason he wanted to get rid of Victoria Barracks Sydney is because it required the ADF to be the custodian of Australia's oldest wine cellar. And he said that it was only a couple of old generals who liked hanging out there who were opposed to this. Well, there were a few former generals who signed my petition, but we don't have 108,000 former generals in Australia. Australians from all walks of life, descendants of Anzacs, veterans, people still in service have said this is wrong and it must stop.
MCLAREN: Yet will be able to have this I on the twenty fifth as I said in big numbers, I hope you're going to be able to make it as well, depending on your parliamentary duties. It's going to be a protest, or a rally, I should say, we've got Greens, Teals, Liberal, Labor, unaffiliated, military, non-military, sporting, everyone's there. The only person missing is the Minister.
PATERSON: I would encourage everyone who can be there to get there, to send a very strong signal that the community will not allow this to happen. The community will not cop Labor flogging off priceless and irreplaceable military history, which also has ongoing use for the ADF today. This is not just about history, as important as that is, it's also about capability. And as we've discussed many times, the counter-terrorism function of the special forces has been staged from Victoria Barracks Sydney, when significant international meetings like APEC have been held. And if not there, where else would that be done? The government has not answered that question.
MCLAREN: I note, James, that the Prime Minister publicly admitted to rolling his Treasurer and personally intervening to extend the deadline for businesses to pay their tax bills via credit card with that whole recent homemade fiasco. I just wonder if there's a growing sense in Anthony Albanese's mind that maybe he's got to do another rolling pretty soon, and that is to roll Richard Miles on the issue of Victoria Barrick. Just get it out of the headlines, get it out of the way. So look, ok, 67 sites. There's at least 60. There's very little debate over those. Victoria Barracks and a few others, perhaps Lancer Barracks at Parramatta, HMAS Penguin, one or two others interstate. Point Cook, for example, are different and at the very least, Richard, you've got to park those six or seven, divest the other 60, go for your life, get whatever you can get for them. But the other ones, no, we're going to wait till after the election and let the public, in a democratic sense, cast their judgement.
PATERSON: I think you are right to join the link there with the Prime Minister's repeated public humiliation of his own Treasurer. If he can roll the Treasurer on credit cards, if he can roll the Treasurer on capital gains tax and many other issues and publicly boast about doing so, why won't he step in to defend our military heritage when quite clearly the Deputy Prime Minister is completely off the reservation on this issue and doing something that is incredibly reckless? Our Prime Minister should show some leadership, he should step in here, he shouldn't let his bad relationship with Chris Minns stop him from doing the right thing, as the Premier has done, and say this sale shouldn't proceed.
MCLAREN: Okay, so you'll introduce the bill today, you're about to go into the House, as it were, to start debating and the like. I suppose in the Senate, we've had a brief look at the numbers earlier, James, what do you think the breakdown in the vote's going to be, how do you read the tea leaves up there?
PATERSON: Well, I'm certainly hopeful that it will pass the Senate. As you say, it was a Senate committee report that included the Greens that called on the Parliament to put in place protections over the sale of bases like this, to put parliamentary oversight in place. So that's exactly what this bill does. I'm hopeful that other parties and independents in the Senate also support it. Not as many of them have been as vocal about this issue, but I hope at least they're not opposed to it. And that means we can pass the bill through the Senate. With those numbers, we can pass the bill, and then it goes to the House, and it's up to the government to either allow or deny the House the opportunity to at least debate this bill. And I think if it's debated, the government will find it very difficult to oppose it.
MCLAREN: I'm sure that's right it's why I think they'll deny it but of course if they do deny the ability to debate the Bill that speaks volumes, doesn't?
PATERSON: Exactly right. If the government really thinks that it should be only up to them, whether or not our military heritage lives or dies, that they should be able to unilaterally dispose of it, well let them publicly argue that, let them publicly defend that, I think almost every Australian would find that to be a crazy notion.
MCLAREN: Just finally, back to the Prime Minister and his Treasurer and the situation with tax and the ATO and the like. He did say, I think this was at a Chamber of Commerce and Industry event at Parliament House last night. He said, Andrew, that's Andrew McKellar, the Industry Chief, he said, quote, Andrew did text me last Thursday morning and by Friday morning we had an announcement. Who do we need to text the Prime Minister to get a similar outcome with this?
PATERSON: We shouldn't need any text messages given that Sir Peter Cosgrove has publicly said on your network that this is a bad idea. It shouldn't require a text from a former Governor-General or former CDF to get him to change his mind. But if the Prime Minister would let us know who is required to send him a text to tell him to fix this, we will make sure that happens.
MCLAREN: Let's hope so. Good to speak, James. We'll keep in touch. Thanks for all you're doing.
PATERSON: Thank you, Michael.
ENDS