Media
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Transcripts
July 2, 2026
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Right now the Labor Party and the Albanese government seem utterly determined to crash the housing market. Already we've seen auction clearance rates hit COVID pandemic lows and prices are falling. The problem with a property market in free fall is that if you're a seller, you hold off, you don't want to sell unless you absolutely have to. And if you are a buyer, you also hold off because you're hoping and expecting that property prices are going to be cheaper next month than they are this month. What does that mean? Auction volumes and sales volumes plummet and fewer Australians get into the housing market. And if you're one of those Australians who stretched and were induced by the federal government's 5% deposit scheme to buy a home, right now you could be in negative equity and if you lose your job you'll be in serious financial distress. This is a government that didn't think through their capital gains and negative gearing tax changes and it could lead to a very serious hit to our economy. They should stop, they should reassess, they should work with the Coalition to repair their mess by repealing their toxic taxes. I'm happy to take questions on other topics.
JOURNALIST: Why do you think the government is in such a rush to get these social media laws through the Senate?
PATERSON: Because they're embarrassed that they've stuffed it up well and truly. They thought that they had a brilliant idea, and we agree in principle it's not a good thing for young people to be on social media, but they didn't do it properly. They rushed it through in the first place, and now they're trying to rush through a fix because they are embarrassed that it is being widely flouted. I think it's an entirely appropriate thing to refer it to a Senate inquiry, as the Senate has now done, even though the Labor Party fought us to do so every step of the way.
JOURNALIST: Just on this people smuggling boat that's been found in far North Queensland, what do you think that says about the government's border control?
PATERSON: Well it is fairly extraordinary and almost unprecedented to have people smuggling boats arriving in Far North Queensland. It's a part of Australia that it is much less easy to arrive at. I think it's quite extraordinary that's happened. This is another border protection fail on this government's watch. There were many in the last term of Parliament and unfortunately it looks like it's continuing into this term of Parliament. I think people smugglers think this government and particularly the Minister Tony Burke are a soft touch and their testing his resolve and Australia's resolve. And it's critically important we respond robustly and frankly, restore the policy settings under the previous government, including temporary protection visas.
JOURNALIST: What more should the government be doing?
PATERSON: Well as a starting point, restoring temporary protection visas, they are a powerful disincentive to people trying to get on a boat knowing that if they somehow make it here and somehow make a claim to stay, that they'll never be able to stay permanently.
JOURNALIST: And you're about to go on your winter break. The Coalition perhaps has a lot of soul searching to do. We've got polls from Victoria, One Nation surging in the polls. What's the plan for the Coalition over this little break?
PATERSON: Look, there's no doubt that One Nation is having a moment and that Australians are very disillusioned with the political system and the direction of our country, but whether or not One Nation can sustain that support over time is a very different question. They are now getting the beginnings of appropriate scrutiny that comes for a party that is leading in the polls and I think there's some very real questions that arise about this party. For example, One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts has been unearthed recently as having said that our principal security ally, the United States, is the world's greatest terrorist organisation. That is an utterly unhinged and insane thing to say, and yet Pauline Hanson has not had any answers about what she would do about that, nor what position Malcolm Roberts would hold in a future One Nation government. Would he be the Defence Minister? Would he the Foreign Minister? Would he be the Home Affairs Minister? These are questions that Pauline Hanson has to answer, and I think One Nation's support will wither after that scrutiny over the next two years.
JOURNALIST: Will you be expecting the Coalition's fortunes to turn around in this winter break? Do you think that they're going to turn around in the six-week period?
PATERSON: I have no expectation that this is going to be quick or that it's going to be easy. I've been saying for a long time now that this is not just about any one leader of the Liberal Party, any one policy, any one media strategy, even our logo. This is about something much more fundamental and we need to demonstrate competence, focus and conviction over a long period of time to earn back people's trust and support. It will not happen overnight but I'm confident it will happen before the next election.
JOURNALIST: Back on housing, one of the issues you mentioned is the prices are tanking in recent times. Is the market response to the budget an indication that Labor had failed to properly look at the impact laws might have?
PATERSON: Yes, very clearly, and it's also a reflection of the fact that this wasn't taken to the last election this was not priced in this is not expected. And when the Labor Party changed its position, as the Prime Minister said, or more accurately, revealed their lie to the Australian people from the last campaign it's unsurprising that the market has responded with such shock. I’m concerned about the consequences for that if these trends continue which I fear they will.
Thank you everyone.
ENDS