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Transcripts
March 12, 2026
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: The Prime Minister told Australians that Dennis Richardson was the best qualified person in our country to help the Royal Commission enquire into the failures around Bondi. Dennis Richardson has now resigned. It is a disaster for the Royal Commission, for its credibility, ultimately for its findings and recommendations, that Dennis Richardson is no longer going to be involved in the Royal Commission. This has to be fixed, and fixed today. The Prime Minister has to get on the phone with Dennis Richardson and ask that he continue his role for the Royal Commission. And he must get on the phone with the Royal Commissioner, Virginia Bell, and ask that she accommodate Dennis Richardson and make sure that he can continue to be part of this Royal Commission. He has already conducted significant work towards the interim report, which is supposed to be released next month, so it is particularly concerning that he is not going to be involved. The Jewish community had to beg the Prime Minister to call this Royal Commission. Now that he has finally relented and agreed to hold it, he must ensure it's a success.
JOURNALIST: Senator, in terms of next steps, you said the government should talk to Dennis Richardson about trying to get him back on. If he says no, do you have an alternative appointment for that position?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Well, the Prime Minister said that Dennis Richardson was the best qualified person in Australia to do this, so it's very hard to say who could easily replace Dennis Richardson, particularly given he's already been doing work for several months in this area, and particularly given the very tight turnaround time that the Prime Minster has given the Royal Commission to complete their work. They are supposed to complete their work before the end of this year. It's really hard to think, how you could find someone who could quickly step into Dennis' shoes, catch up with all the work that he has done, and complete the interim report by April, and finish the final report by the end of the year. So, really, there is no alternative but to get Dennis Richardson involved again, and the Prime Minister must personally ensure that's the case.
JOURNALIST: And if that doesn't occur, should the Royal Commission be suspended, perhaps?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Look, no, I wouldn't recommend stalling or stopping the Royal Commission in any way, shape or form. That would make a bad situation even worse. But I do seriously worry that the credibility of the Royal Commission has been fatally damaged. A serious shadow has been cast over the Royal Commission today by Dennis Richardson's resignation. And unless it can be resolved by the Prime Minister today, I worry it won't have credibility with the community.
JOURNALIST: A military, an ongoing military investigation of the U.S. has determined the country is responsible for a deadly strike on an Iranian primary school. Should that be something the government calls out?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Look, it's incredibly regrettable that innocent civilians have been harmed as a result of the strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel. The only comfort we can take from this is that the United States takes this seriously, has conducted an investigation, has accepted responsibility, and I know there will be consequences, because the United States is a liberal democracy like Australia and holds itself to a very high standard in military conflicts like this.
JOURNALIST: $100 million fines for petrol companies that price gouge, the government is going to do a weekly report to the ACCC. Are they enough in your view? Should more be happening?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Well, the Treasurer's letter to the regulators and the pressure he has put on the petrol companies is clearly being ignored. They're not taking him seriously. They're taking it about as seriously as the Team America World Police letter sent by Hans Blix on behalf of the United Nations. This is a problem of the government's own making. The government must take responsibility for this because the previous government passed significant legislation which gives the Energy Minister and the government all the powers they need to intervene in the market to make sure supply gets to where it is, and consumers are not ripped off. If they don't act on it, if they don't use those powers, that is up to them.
JOURNALIST: Suggestions that the New Nationals Leader Senator Matt Canavan is interested in income splitting as a policy. I know that was looked at, I think, by Peter Dutton. Would you consider that as a Coalition policy going forward?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: We're very open to all policy ideas that can provide cost of living relief for families, that can reduce the tax burden for families. Families pay too much tax in this country. It is too hard to raise a young family, to put them through childcare, to save for a home, and buy a home. So we should be looking at all options, including income splitting, to see what we can do to provide that relief.
JOURNALIST: And the Farrer by-election, One Nation, Nationals, have candidates. Are the Liberals any closer to selecting one?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: We will be selecting our candidate this weekend, but let's be clear, this is going to be a very tough fight. We have a 25-year incumbent, who stepped down in difficult circumstances, who had a very significant personal vote, and we all know how we are travelling nationally. So this is going to be a very tough fight, but one we're up for.
JOURNALIST: And just circling back to fuel, would you consider a cut to the excise if the government were to propose that?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Look, that's a matter for the government. They're the ones who can deliver this relief if they want to deliver it. Let's remember it was only a few years ago the Prime Minister was running around the country taking photos of billboards outside petrol stations saying that petrol at a $1.78 following the Ukraine war was Prime Minister Scott Morrison's fault, so petrol at well over $2.00 is obviously now the Prime Minister's personal responsibility, which he must address.
Thank you, everyone.
ENDS