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March 23, 2026
PETA CREDLIN: A survey was undertaken by the ANU's National Security College, and it reveals that we're anxious about rising non-military security threats as well as everything else. Because we believe we could be at a tipping point now for multiple crises. And overwhelmingly, we think that Australia is both underprepared and underinformed. Significantly, it found that in November 2024, 42% of respondents reported they were worried about national security. By July last year, that had jumped to some 50%. And by February this year, it had jumped again to 64%. Here to discuss this and more. Shadow Minister for Defence, Victorian Senator James Paterson. Senator, thank you for your time. So we've got two-thirds of Australians worried about national security. Now, if they're worried, this means they lack confidence in our national government, James. That's what it says to me.
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Peta, this is a credit to the National Security College at ANU for a really comprehensive piece of research. And one of the most remarkable things about it is it was entirely conducted before the war in Iran. So as high as these numbers are then, just imagine how much higher they would be now if you asked these questions again. And I think you're right. I think it does invite very real questions about whether or not Australians have confidence in this government to navigate this dangerous world. But as often is the case, I think, you know, the political class doesn't give the Australian people the credit they deserve. They've got busy lives, they've got other things to worry about, but actually, they have a pretty sophisticated understanding of the dangerous world we live in and our lack of preparedness for it, and we should be being much more upfront and honest with them about what we need to do to navigate it.
PETA CREDLIN: I think they're also looking at the United States and thinking that for a long time we've had all of our eggs in the ANZUS relationship, you know, we've underspent, we're underprepared, thinking we'll just call on Uncle Sam to protect us should it come to that. But I think now we're seeing we've got to stand on our own two feet. Trump very clearly is saying that to all the nations around the world, you've got to pull your weight if you expect us to put the lives of Americans on the line to defend you. So they're picking that up, they're looking at the rise of AI, they're looking at the impact of war around the world. And they're saying, you know, we are, as a nation, not ready, and we're certainly not as ready as we should be. Why do you think the wheels have started to fall off here in terms of their confidence?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Well, I think they see the rhetoric doesn't match the action. When you have the government stand up and say, we're living in the most dangerous strategic environment since the end of World War II, but our defence spending levels have stayed flat at 2% of GDP, when we have a peacetime mindset of our military procurement, just going through the motions, doing things as slowly as we always have done, when we're not reacting to and learning from incidents and events like Ukraine and Iran and massively scaling up the production of missiles or acquiring, you know, armed drones to defend ourselves, or acquiring integrated air and missile defence to defend our northern bases, or our major cities, or our ports. You know, Australians can see that the rhetoric doesn't match the action. I mean, the truth is, if they knew the full extent of it, they'd be even more alarmed. If they knew how likely conflict was, according to intelligence assessments, and if they knew how ill-prepared the ADF was, despite its best efforts, they'd be marching in the streets demanding higher defence spending.
PETA CREDLIN: I also think they understand, James, that energy security is national security. They're looking at the fuel security crisis, they're worried whether we've got the stocks and supplies, whether we have got the people competently placed in the positions they need to be to sort this mess out. What did you make of the revelations in the Telegraph over the weekend that Chris Bowen did not even turn up to the National Cabinet meeting on fuel security?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: When you're a minister, Peta, as you would know, your most important thing is your priorities. How do you choose to spend your time? And when Chris Bowen was first faced with a choice: should he attend a national cabinet meeting to get Australia's fuel supply moving again, finding its way to the people that need it? Or, should he be attending a climate conference? He chose the climate conference. And that tells you everything you need to know about this government. It's not equipped to make the tough decisions in the national interest. It doesn't understand the seriousness of the threats to the supply of fuel, particularly diesel and petrol, and the catastrophic consequences for the Australian economy if that supply is interrupted for any meaningful period of time, as well as our way of life. And so, again, we have a part-time minister who's just not up to the job, and Anthony Albanese, you should relieve him of that responsibility. Put him on a plane so he can spend all his time…
PETA CREDLIN: This reflects on the Prime Minister now. I mean, this reflects on the Prime Minister that we're in this crisis, you know, there's a litany of failures with this bloke, whether it was his time as Immigration Minister, whether it was his time as the Treasurer in the previous administration, why do they put up with it? I mean, coat-hanger him out of the way, send him to Coventry, put someone in who actually cares about the portfolio. We shouldn't have to put up this.
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Well, Chris Bowen already has one foot out the door. He's been elected as the president of the global climate negotiations as part of this deal with Turkey, so that we don't host the conference of parties. And clearly, his day job of being the energy minister is too hard work. The energy transition is not going very well at all. Prices are rising, and reliability is going down. So he's already got his eyes focused on the next horizon, and getting on a plane and flying around the world. Well, if that's where he wants to be, let him do that and appoint an energy minister who's actually focused on Australians and the crisis we have. Not on someone who, frankly, spent the last two weeks gaslighting Australians by saying that there is no fuel crisis, there are no shortages, there's nothing to see here. Well, Australians see every day at the petrol bowser that there is a crisis, and this government has no plan to solve it.
PETA CREDLIN: You're not wrong, Senator. I'll leave it there, thank you very much, Senator James Paterson.
ENDS