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Transcripts
July 31, 2025
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Good morning, I know you have questions on other matters, but I just briefly want to observe the Treasurer's victory lap this morning, declaring mission accomplished when it comes to the economy, because inflation has finally started to return to the target band of the RBA.
The truth is that inflation in Australia has been higher for longer than almost all our peer economies, and the reason for that is that the Albanese government has had out of control spending, which has put upward pressure on inflation. And it means that mortgage rates have stayed higher for longer than they needed to as well. Even with the couple of rate cuts that we have had, and hopefully there are more on the way, the average Australian household is paying thousands of dollars more every year on their mortgage under this government's watch. In fact, prior to these rate cuts, about $1,900 more each month, and each rate cut is worth only about $100 in saved interest per month for the average mortgage holder.
So if we get these rate cuts that everyone is hoping are coming, if inflation continues to moderate as we hope, Australians with mortgages are still going to be thousands of dollars worse off. And that is before you consider the higher tax burden they have faced on this government's watch due to bracket creep and the falling living standards we've seen across the board from inflation. And the truth is that the victory lap that the treasurer is on this morning is premature and out of touch.
JOURNALIST: Senator, the treasurer also said this morning that Palestinian recognition, sorry, of a Palestinian state is a matter of when, not if. Do you agree with those comments?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: No, I don't, I don't think the Australian government should recognise a Palestinian state until and unless there has been a successful negotiation of peace between Israel and Palestine as consistent with our long-standing bipartisan position on the resolution of this conflict. We support a two-state solution. We do not support recognising a state which is right now, today, governed in part, by a listed terrorist organisation that is holding 50 hostages, that swears the destruction of the Israeli state, and that's just Hamas in Gaza. There are profound problems with the governing authority in the West Bank as well, the Palestinian Authority, which hasn't held an election for 20 years, which is deeply corrupt, which has paid money to the families of suicide bombers who have blown up Israelis, and which promotes hatred against the State of Israel and the Jewish people, and has not accepted their right to exist. So it is extraordinary that the Australian government would contemplate recognising such a state.
JOURNALIST: So if Hamas were to be dismantled or gotten rid of, would you then be open to recognising a Palestinian state?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: The bare minimum that would have to occur before we would support recognition of a Palestinian state is the release of the hostages and the removal of Hamas from power, and the demilitarisation of Gaza and the West Bank. That's the bare minimum. But we also think there should be a negotiated two-state solution that achieves peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. And outside, premature recognition actually just takes away the leverage the international community has to ensure that the Palestinian Authority, or whoever ends up governing the Palestinians, engages in these negotiations in good faith.
JOURNALIST: The suggestion is, from some of these other countries, that there needs to be recognition now to move towards peace. It's probably the only way that you are going to move toward peace is by recognising Palestinian statehood at this point in time.
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: I don't comment on the foreign policy of other countries, only Australia's foreign policy, but I just would observe, does anyone seriously think we're any closer to a Palestinian state today because any country in the world has said that they will recognise a Palestinian state? I don't think so. In fact, I think we are further away than we have been because there hasn't been a resolution to the conflict in Gaza, and because those hostages continue to be held. Until those issues are resolved, I think it's inconceivable that an Israeli government will ever recognise a Palestinian state. And actually, that is the objective we should be aiming for because it's peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians that we're trying to achieve. It doesn't actually change much on the ground to have Australia or any other country recognise a Palestinian state. Israel refuses to do so, and we should be helping to right the conditions for them to do so.
JOURNALIST: So if Australia doesn't move with like minded countries like Canada, the UK and France in September. Sorry, if Australia does look to do that, you won't offer bipartisan support?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: No. Absolutely not. We will be completely opposed to a premature recognition of a Palestinian state unless there has been the release of hostages, the dismantling of Hamas, and a recognition between the Palestinians and Israelis that each of them has a right to live securely and in peace in two states.
JOURNALIST: Just on another issue. Business groups are calling for penalty rates to be maybe negotiated away in exchange for people that want to work from home. What do you make of that?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: The Coalition supports flexible working arrangements, including work from home, and we want Australians to be paid well for the hard work that they do. This is an application before the Fair Work Commission, which is an independent authority that will decide this. It's not really something that politicians should be weighing in on, and we will respect the Fair Work Commission process and any decision they arrive at in response to this application from the New South Wales Business Council.
Thank you.
ENDS