|
May 26, 2025
PETER FEGAN: Senator James Paterson's name is again front and centre, tipped for a top national security role, which he deserves. But as the dust settles, questions remain about direction, discipline and how the Coalition can reconnect with voters. Also being questioned is The National's leadership this morning. Senator James Paterson, he joins me on the line. Senator, great to have your company this morning.
JAMES PATERSON: Good morning, Peter.
PETER FEGAN: I think finally, common sense has prevailed. The Coalition seems likely, well, it seems more than likely it will move forward. In Canberra this week, of course, it will be very interesting. I mean, I have to say, from the outside, most Australians, particularly voters, looked at it and went, why was everyone being so childish? Can we just move on? Would you agree?
JAMES PATERSON: Peter, I think that is a fair observation. This is messier and more public than we would have liked it to be. But as you say, I think we're now landing in the right place. I'm now very confident we'll secure a strong coalition agreement between the Liberal and National parties. And frankly, Sussan Ley has secured a really important commitment from the National Party that, you know, we really value as Liberals, which is the principle of Shadow Cabinet solidarity, where we're all bound by the decisions of Shadow Cabinet, And David Littleproud and the Nationals have secured four important policy priorities to them, which, frankly, is shared by a lot of Liberals, whether they're urban or regional. And I think we can move forward on a strong basis from here.
PETER FEGAN: So are the Liberals sticking with nuclear?
JAMES PATERSON: We're committed to a technology agnostic approach to the energy industry. A lot of people talked in the past about a technology agnostic approach, but there's been a ban on nuclear power in Australia, and our commitment is to lift that moratorium and now let the market decide what the best form of energy is. Not politicians, not bureaucrats.
PETER FEGAN: Ok, so you're not 100% committed to nuclear, are you're saying you're going to open it up for debate?
JAMES PATERSON: We're 100% committed to removing the moratorium on nuclear power in Australia.
PETER FEGAN: That's so you can discuss it, but Senator, that's so you can discuss it.
JAMES PATERSON: It is not about discussing it, no, no, it's about making it lawful. Right now, it's illegal to build a nuclear power facility in Australia. If you lift the moratorium, then energy industry investors, like they do in other forms of energy right now, can choose to build a nuclear power station rather than the government building it. We're not proposing the government build it.
PETER FEGAN: Okay. All right. So you are 100%, so you can reveal to us this morning, 100%, Sussan Ley and the Liberal Party are 100% committed to nuclear power moving forward?
JAMES PATERSON: We're committed to lifting the moratorium on nuclear power so that the private energy industry, if they want to, can build a nuclear power plant.
PETER FEGAN: Okay. So you're going to keep trying to sell that to Australia, saying nuclear is the way forward, in terms of energy? So your energy policy would be, hey, you know, we're not going renewables. We are going nuclear.
JAMES PATERSON: What we're saying is it's up to the market to decide. So there will be a place for renewables. There will be a place for gas. There'll be a place for coal for some time. But eventually we know that powered energy like coal is going to be coming out of the system, that's very clear. And we think ultimately for a stable grid, you're probably going to need to introduce a form of baseload, reliable power like nuclear energy, which is proven around the world. That will sit alongside renewables and complement renewables to deliver affordable, reliable baseload power.
PETER FEGAN: Senator, you can see how Australia would think you don't have a lot of confidence in trying to sell nuclear because you're not 100% committed to it. What you're saying is you're opening it up for energy providers to be able to build nuclear. But you're not saying, oh, this is what we want you to do, we're just giving you the opportunity to do so, which is a lot different to what you were spruiking at the election.
JAMES PATERSON: Yeah. What I would say, Peter, this is a more market-based approach which is consistent with Liberal values of allowing the market to decide, not having central planning. We're not going to have taxpayer financed, government built nuclear powered facilities. That was very clearly rejected by the Australian people at the election. And to their credit, the Labor party ran a highly effective-
PETER FEGAN: We may have just lost the Senator there. We'll just try and get him back on the line, essentially just talking to the Senator about nuclear.
[Interview stopped due to technical issue]
PETER FEGAN: We've been having some drama with our phone lines here at 4BC. We seem to have fixed them, and the Senator is back on the line. Senator, sorry about that. We do apologise.
JAMES PATERSON: Great to be back with you.
PETER FEGAN: Isn't it ironic? We were joking about power, and then we lost you, anyway.
JAMES PATERSON: That's right.
PETER FEGAN: Anyway, I've got to say, with the Coalition, Senator, and I know that politics, I mean, you know, I've covered politics now for a long time. And I know that, you know, politics can be a dirty game. And I think it was important for the coalition to figure out its issues, to make sure that it could mend those fences from the last election before moving forward. But I have to say, Senator, this is extremely important for democracy, because really, if you're being honest at the moment, the way it stands with the Coalition, the way it is, there's no competition for Labor.
JAMES PATERSON: Well, you're right. In a democracy, it's critical that the opposition is strong and united and focused on holding a government to account and developing that alternative policy agenda to take to the next election, to hopefully inspire and excite the Australian people to vote for us. And that would have been much harder if we continued to be divided. But we won't be divided, we will be focused in a laser like way on the government now.
PETER FEGAN: Now you've got a hell of a job on your hands. How do you do it? I mean, the country was very, very clear about a lot of the policies that Peter Dutton had brought to the table, the Coalition had brought to the table. And it would seem that some of the Coalition weren't backing those policies. Are you all united now, and have you got a plan?
JAMES PATERSON: We're absolutely united, and the plan is to first listen to the Australian people, make sure we understand and hear their verdict. They sent a very clear message to us that they didn't like what we had on offer, and we will now be developing a policy agenda together as a Coalition that I think will earn that trust and support of the Australian people in the next election.
PETER FEGAN: Senator, look, I don't know that you're weighing on it, but I do need to ask you about David Littleproud. And I declared on this program last week that I think that his leadership is under an enormous cloud, and I think there will be a tilt at his leadership this week. And I think it will be by either Barnaby or Michael McCormack. This was Michael McCormack when he was asked about it on the ABC.
[CLIP START]
JOURNALIST: I mean, would he have your full support if he was to remain as leader?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK: I'm ambitious for him.
JOURNALIST: Would he have your full support, though? Michael McCormack.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK: I've just given you my answer.
JOURNALIST: So, I mean, you can't be happy with what he's done with the party. I mean, there's been so many negative headlines.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK: It's been messy, it's been really messy.
[CLIP END]
PETER FEGAN: It's the same line that was famously used when Scott Morrison rolled Malcolm Turnbull. Are you worried for David Littleproud?
JAMES PATERSON: Well, the only thing that could make matters in a rival political party worse would be to have a Liberal commentating on them, and they don't need my advice about that. I'll leave that up to them. I mean, my observation is we've worked really well with David Littleproud. Yes, this has been a messy week, but it is now on the right track and under control, and I look forward to working with the National Party successfully for the next three years.
PETER FEGAN: Okay, so, Senator, before we let you go, we can say it's official now, you're back together?
JAMES PATERSON: I think so. I mean, it's just really to be signed on the dotted line now, just the minor technical details to be worked out. But I expect this week, David Littleproud and Sussan Ley certainly will be able to stand up together and announce a strong new coalition agreement.
PETER FEGAN: Just before I let you go, interesting developments here in Queensland over the weekend. Senator, you've probably seen it, that the Queensland government has knocked back a major development, a major windfarm development here in Rockhampton, and it was put down to public consultation. I think 85% of the people that were living in the town said, look, it needs to be reviewed. They didn't want it in their town. It's interesting, though. I mean, the federal government's still pushing this wind farm rhetoric, but it seems that most of Australia is waking up to it and don't want it.
JAMES PATERSON: I think we've got to be really sensitive to regional communities and the impacts that these developments have on them. They can be enormously disruptive and destructive to both farmland and natural habitat. That doesn't mean that you can't have renewable energy and that it shouldn't continue to play a big role, and a growing role in our energy system. But it has got to be done in a way that has the consent and support of local communities, otherwise it will lose its social license and I think it is at real risk of doing that.
PETER FEGAN: Senator, I really appreciate your time this morning. We will speak again soon.
JAMES PATERSON: Thanks, Peter.
ENDS