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June 17, 2025
Tuesday 17 June 2025
Interview on ABC Radio National Breakfast
Topics: Defence spending, evacuating Australian citizens from the Middle East, Santos takeover, NSW Liberal Party
EO&E…………………………………………………………………………………………..
SALLY SARA: Joining me now is Acting Shadow Treasurer and Liberal Senator for Victoria, James Paterson, welcome back to Radio National Breakfast.
JAMES PATERSON: Good morning.
SALLY SARA: Richard Marles is blaming the Coalition for a backlog of major defence projects, saying there were 28 different projects running over time at a combined 97 years when Labor took power. What's your response?
JAMES PATERSON: This is just a standard talking point of the Labor Party to try and sully the previous Coalition government's record on national security which is incredibly strong. I wish Richard Marles would just focus on the job ahead of him now, which is an incredibly significant one. We have urgent tasks ahead to make sure that we are ready for AUKUS, including making sure that HMAS Stirling in Western Australia is ready to receive the rotational forces of the US and UK submarines in just two years time. And there are grave concerns that we've fallen behind on that. He should be fully focused on that task rather than a political critique of his predecessors.
SALLY SARA: So I'm noticing that you're batting this back in terms of Richard Marles' focus, but not on the numbers and the facts that he's putting forward, is that right?
JAMES PATERSON: Well, I think we should judge this government by its own record in its time in office and that is that it has cut or delayed substantial acquisitions of military capability. So you could look at infantry fighting vehicles, you could look at self-propelled howitzers, you could look at hunter-class frigates, you could look at the fourth squadron of joint strike fighters, you could look at the military satellite communications technology JP9102. These are all military capabilities that have been cut on this government's watch because of its failure to increase defence spending, like experts including Sir Angus Houston have told them that they must do.
SALLY SARA: On defence spending and the Coalition's pledge to lift it to three per cent of GDP in a decade, can you provide any further clarity on how you propose Australia to pay for that defence spending?
JAMES PATERSON: That's a task that we will happily take on over this term of Parliament. We are almost three years away from the next election, but before the next election we'll outline any savings that are necessary to make sure that is possible. What I would point to is that at the last election, we had a fully funded plan to take Australia to two and a half per cent of GDP in five years and three per cent of GDP within the decade. Frankly, it's my hope that the Albanese Government does that in this term of Parliament, so it is not a partisan issue by the next election because whether it's Sir Angus Houston or Professor Peter Dean, who conducted the Defence Strategic Review, or Kim Beazley or Dennis Richardson or Mike Pezzullo or all of our other best-informed national security commentators, they all say we must be spending at least three per cent of GDP.
SALLY SARA: So just to clarify, you're making a commitment, the Coalition's making a commitment now to three per cent of GDP in a decade without knowing how you'll fund it?
JAMES PATERSON: We are committed to three per cent of GDP as an important principle because that's the advice of experts. We will demonstrate how we pay for that before the next election. But I can't outline exactly the dollars and cents with you today because there will be three budgets and three mid-year economic and fiscal outlooks between now and the next election. And this government will make decisions on defence spending and many other things that will have implications for whatever provision we need to make for these things. So it's not possible to give you the exact numbers today, but I can give you a commitment that we will be upfront and transparent and honest about it.
SALLY SARA: From a Coalition perspective, is Australia doing enough at the moment to help repatriate Australians caught in the Middle East escalation?
JAMES PATERSON: I haven't personally been briefed on those efforts, so I want to be measured in any commentary about that. I would just urge the Albanese government to pull out all stops to make it possible for any Australians in the region, whether they're in Israel, Iran or any other neighbouring countries, to make their safe way out of those countries and home to Australia as soon as possible. I understand it's a difficult environment, operating environment, obviously airspace is closed in many countries. I do know people in Israel who have made their way out of Israel by other means, other than air, and I hope the Australian Government is facilitating those departures.
SALLY SARA: James Paterson, let's take a look at a separate issue. On the matter of the foreign bid for South Australia's largest company Santos by a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. What's the Coalition's position on this potential deal and what surrounds it?
JAMES PATERSON: As a starting principled point, the Coalition is supportive of foreign investment. It makes us a wealthier country that other countries want to invest here in Australia. But we do have to make sure that those investments are consistent with our national interests, particularly when they are in sensitive sectors, like the energy sector. Santos is a company that has projects all around the world, but it operates gas projects here in Australian that are really significant to our energy security, and so we want to make sure that the Foreign Investment Review Board takes a close look at this and that ultimately the Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, who's the decision maker, if he is to approve a project like this, is able to publicly articulate the reason why this is in Australia's national interest.
SALLY SARA: Are you concerned about this deal?
JAMES PATERSON: I would be concerned about any foreign government or foreign government-linked entity. This is a sovereign wealth fund of a foreign government, one that we're on very friendly terms with. But regardless of whether it's a friendly country or not, having a significant stake or outright ownership in the energy sector in Australia that is significant to our national security, this is a critical energy infrastructure provider in Australia, and so I think this needs a very close look.
SALLY SARA: What about the South Australian government threatening to intervene on the deal if it's found not to be in the best interests of the state?
JAMES PATERSON: Well, if it's not in the best interest of South Australia, it's very unlikely to be in the best interests of Australia as well, and I would hope that the Foreign Investment Review Board would recommend accordingly and the Treasurer would decide accordingly. Ultimately, it is up to Jim Chalmers as Treasurer, who has the power to decide whether or not this deal should proceed, and he should be setting a very high bar for it to be both in the interests of South Australia and Australia.
SALLY SARA: You're listening to Radio National Breakfast and you're hearing from James Paterson, Acting Shadow Treasurer, and of course, Liberal Senator for Victoria. Senator, today the future of the New South Wales Liberal Party is set to be determined by the party's federal executive at a meeting in Canberra. What outcome do you think you're hoping for?
JAMES PATERSON: This is really a matter for the organisational wing of the Liberal Party and my New South Wales Division colleagues. I know that's a boring answer, but as a Victorian Liberal Senator, I don't think it's helpful for me to publicly canvas that. All I can say is that we want all of our divisions to be fighting fit and want them to be in a state to take the fight up against all our political opponents, including the Teals and Labor and the Greens. And I hope the New South Wales Division is as strong as possible to do so.
SALLY SARA: James Paterson, thank you again for your time on breakfast.
JAMES PATERSON: Thanks Sally.
ENDS