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Transcripts
July 24, 2025
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: I just want to comment on two quick issues this morning before I take some questions.
Firstly, we learn in The Australian newspaper this morning that Labor MPs hate Jim Chalmers' tax on unrealised gains and superannuation, and it's no surprise that they do so. In fact, they join many eminent former, prominent Labor people, none less than the former Prime Minister, Paul Keating, Bill Kelty and even the ACTU's Sally McManus, who think this is a flawed plan, an unfair plan, and something the government should stop and consider before proceeding with. So the question is, why is Jim Chandler so pig-headed, so stubborn, and so insistent on proceeding with what is a totally friendless tax grab on Australia's retirement savings?
Secondly, I couldn't help but notice the story in the Daily Telegraph today about the Chinese Consul-General in Sydney approaching a local government in Newcastle about AUKUS basing on the East Coast. A new submarine base on the east coast is critical to Australia's national security, and I am concerned to see a representative of the Chinese government seeking to undermine that at the local level, at the non-national level. We must remember that the Prime Minister was in China while this occurred and said that he believed we had a respectful relationship with China and that they showed their respect for him by playing no less than Midnight Oil, Powderfinger, and Paul Kelly. Now, why would a government that's shown such respect for our Prime Minister be engaging in such a disrespectful act on our home soil? Frankly, the Foreign Minister needs to stand up today and say whether she thinks this is acceptable behaviour from Chinese diplomats.
JOURNALIST: Just on AUKUS, there was another story in the Herald suggesting that the government has made this 800 million dollar payment, the second 800 million dollar payment to the U.S. for the submarines. Should this payment have been made, given that this review is still underway?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: I've got no problems at all with Australia continuing to make investments in the U.S. submarine industrial base to help increase the production of Virginia-class submarines, which goes to our shared deterrence efforts in the Indo-Pacific. But it shouldn't be the government's only strategy to safeguard AUKUS with the Trump administration. It also requires the Prime Minister frankly getting on a plane going to Washington, D.C. and sitting down with the President because it is now 261 days since the President was elected, and Mr Albanese is one of the only world leaders, one of the only US allies, who hasn't made the effort to go and meet with President Trump, and it is putting AUKUS at jeopardy.
JOURNALIST: Also on the Australian-US relationship, do you think that it's a good thing that we're going to be allowing US beef in with a little bit more relaxed rules on biosecurity?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: I'm very surprised to see that this has been anonymously leaked to a newspaper this morning without any details and without any reassurance to Australia's $11 billion beef export industry. Because the Prime Minister himself has said previously that the biosecurity issues that prevent the importation of U.S. beef are very serious and could jeopardise the security of our beef industry here in Australia. So full credit to AFR for getting the story, but the Prime Minister should stand today and reassure Australian farmers that no compromise to Australian biosecurity has been made that would jeopardise their industry.
JOURNALIST: So you're concerned that there could be this sort of like horse trading, allowing U.S. beef into Australia just to try and see if we can get a better deal on tariffs.
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Well, the Prime Minister and the government themselves have said consistently that we have no problem with importing U.S. beef, but if we can't assure ourselves that it is only U.S. beef that's being imported, if we're not certain about the origin of all of the beef that is imported from the U.S. to Australia, then that poses a biosecurity risk to our $11 billion export industry and our $82 billion domestic beef and red meat industry. So nothing should be done to compromise Australia's biosecurity. If the Prime Minister has found a way to solve this problem that doesn't compromise biosecurity, he should stand up and explain how he's done so and reassure farmers of Australia that biosecurity hasn't been compromised.
JOURNALIST: Can I ask you also on penalty rates? We've got the legislation or the amendment to the Fair Work Act coming in today to try and protect penalty rates for mainly retail workers or lower-paid workers. What do you make of the changes that the government's proposing?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Everyone wants higher wages for Australian workers, including the Coalition and we will carefully study this legislation when it is introduced today and carefully consult with small business in particular to make sure it doesn't adversely affect them or adversely impact employment and based on carefully reviewing the legislation we'll consider our position through our party processes.
JOURNALIST: Are you concerned, though, that this is just another hit for businesses when it comes to increasing more costs?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Well, I think the Albanese government themselves need to explain how this measure will enhance productivity like its other measures in its first term which gave enormous advantages to unions at the expense of the private sector, have contributed to the downgrading of productivity on their first term. In fact, we went back in productivity terms a decade to 2016 levels during this government's first term, and it's one of the reasons why Australians' living standards are going backwards on this government's watch. So they have to
demonstrate what their plan is to increase productivity. If they just keep handing out favours to unions as they did in their first term, I doubt that's going to result in a more productive Australian economy.
Thanks, everyone.
ENDS