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Transcripts
August 20, 2026
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Good morning, I'll just make a couple of quick comments. Then very happy to take some questions.
Firstly, $1 trillion of Labor debt is a very grim milestone for the Australian economy. It's a cost that all Australians will pay, but particularly younger Australians who will bear the burden of this through higher taxes and worse services than they otherwise would have had to have. And it's a direct result of Labor's inability to control spending. Because while revenue is at 25 year highs, spending is at 40-year highs outside the pandemic. It is spending which has driven the budget into deficit. It's spending which is driving up the debt, and it is because of Jim Chalmers' weakness as treasurer that Australians will be paying the price.
Secondly, I just want to support the call by Labor elders in The Australian newspaper today for an extended terms of reference, extended reporting date, for the Antisemitism Royal Commission. It is clear the Antisemitism Royal Commission has not been able to call all the witnesses it should call to be cross-examined to conduct an adequate job, and the government should agree to extend the reporting deadline for the Royal Commission so that can happen. This is one of the most important Royal Commissions we have ever had. It should not be rushed. And if it ends without adequately questioning the Prime Minister, the Home Affairs Minister, the Foreign Minister and others about the things they did and didn't do in the lead-up to the tragedy at Bondi, then that will be a very disappointing thing.
JOURNALIST: Penny Wong says Australia is outraged at the Israeli military's decision not to criminally prosecute those responsible for Zomi Frankcom's death. Do you share in that outrage and what do you make of that decision?
PATERSON: Zomi Frankcom never should have been killed. It's a tragedy that she was, and it is incredibly concerning to hear this news out of Israel. I look forward to receiving a full briefing to understand why this decision was made and the nature of the decision. I have only just seen initial media reports very recently, so I will keep my comments to that.
JOURNALIST: On the face of it, though, does it stack up that Israel has decided that the military forces involved shouldn't face criminal prosecution?
PATERSON: That is a very big call for me to make this far away to understand what the factors were that went into that decision, and so I just want to be cautious without being briefed.
JOURNALIST: Just on the debate around support for veterans at the moment, obviously the government is trying to save money and to address the debt in some ways, do you think though that the right call is to cap the amount of support that is going to veterans?
PATERSON: No, we don't support the $5,000 cap on allied health services. Of course the government needs to save money, but the first place you should start is with Chris Bowen's junkets, not with veterans' health care. These are people who served our country, who may have been harmed as a result of their service, and we promised them that we would look after them if they were ever harmed in the course of their duties. We're betraying them with this allied health cap, and it should be reversed.
JOURNALIST: Veterans are also calling for an independent inquiry into DVA. Do you think this has merit given we've had the extensive Royal Commission into defence and veterans suicide?
PATERSON: Well, I understand their frustration that even after a Royal Commission into Veterans Affairs, things don't seem to be improving as much as they should, but they are still having to fight DVA to get the care that they need, that they're still having to wait months and sometimes even years to be approved for the services that we promised as a society we would give them after their service. So, I absolutely understand their calls for this. I think the first step, frankly, is to reverse the cap. The second step is for Matt Keogh to take responsibility for his conduct this week and resign. I'm very happy to look at and consider inquiries as well.
JOURNALIST: Where should cuts come from, given that you're calling for debt to be reduced? That's some pretty significant cuts that are going to be needed to pay that down. Where should they come from?
PATERSON: Look, I don't want to transgress on my colleagues' portfolios, but some of my colleagues have pointed to other areas of savings, and we've outlined those for example, when we put forward the petrol excise cut, and how that could be fully offset. So there are ways in which the government can save money, it's just a question of priorities.
Thanks everyone.
ENDS