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September 11, 2025
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PETER STEFANOVIC: To the other major news story here in Australia this morning, folks, is that Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, well, she finally moved on Jacinta Price by sacking her from the shadow front bench last night. Well, joining us live now for some reaction to this is the Shadow Finance Minister, James Paterson. James, good to have you with us this morning. First of all, I do want to start off with your reaction to this assassination in the United States this morning.
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Look, it is a very troubling development and shocking images that are coming out of the United States this morning, Pete. Obviously, the suspect responsible for the shooting has not yet been identified or apprehended, so we can't speak to their motivations exactly. But Charlie Kirk is a prominent conservative political activist and someone who is very close to President Trump. So it would be very distressing if it were confirmed subsequently that this is an act of political violence. Unfortunately, that's not unheard of in the history of the United States, but it is a very troubling event.
PETER STEFANOVIC: What do you fear ahead for political discourse in the United States, James?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Well obviously this most prominently follows an attempt on President Trump's life himself and other acts of political violence in recent years and even though there is a long history of that, dating back to Martin Luther King, and JFK, and many other significant political figures in U.S. history, it does seem that there has been an uptick in this sort of violence recently and that is not a good thing. It is not a good thing for the United States, it is not a good thing for a country like Australia, for whom the United States is such an important ally. So, of course, it's a reminder for all of us in public life to be measured and calm in how we conduct ourselves.
PETER STEFANOVIC: Let's get to your party now, James. Was Sussan Ley right to sack Jacinta Price?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Well, I support Sussan Ley. I support her as our leader. I'm very disappointed that this is where we found ourselves because Jacinta is also a very good friend of mine and a very valued colleague, and I think she had a very big contribution to make on the front bench. She will now have a contribution to make from the backbench, and I know she'll do that well. And my observation, Pete, is that political careers are not linear anymore. They have fits and starts, forward steps and back steps, and I'm confident that Jacinta will be back in a prominent role in the frontbench in due course.
PETER STEFANOVIC: So just to clarify there, you do support Sussan Ley staying on as Opposition Leader?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Of course I do, Pete, and on the question of Westminster conventions, I'm someone who's an institutional conservative. It's critical to the functioning of a parliamentary democracy, and one of those conventions is that you are required to support the leader of the parliamentary party if you're a member of the front bench. And if you can no longer do that, then you're obliged to leave the frontbench, and I support Sussan Ley.
PETER STEFANOVIC: Okay, does she now have an agitator on the back bench, though?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Look, I hope not, and I don't think that's the way that Jacinta will play these things. She's someone who's very sincere and genuine about the issues that she's pursued. And in her statement yesterday, where she announced her removal from the front bench, she talked about the priorities that are important to her, and they're all big policy issues, which I think is shared by a lot of Australians. And Jacinta will be a powerful voice from the backbench, and we have to find a way to utilise her talents, her unique talents and abilities from that position.
PETER STEFANOVIC: So you don't have any concerns that, you know, she may well get miffed with the party after climbing on board, perhaps going as an independent or, I don't know, returning to the Nats or other parties? You don't have any concerns about that?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: No. I'm not remotely concerned about that. I've known Jacinta for about 10 years, and we've had so many discussions over that time, long before she entered the Parliament, about her worldview and her philosophy, and at heart, Jacinta has always been a Liberal. After the 22' elections, she was obliged to join the National Party, but I'm not surprised that at the first opportunity, she chose to join the Liberal Party because she believes in the fundamental values of the Liberal Party and she is a loyal Liberal.
PETER STEFANOVIC: How much damage was done to your party throughout this whole ordeal, James?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Well, Pete, it was self-evidently not an edifying week for the Liberal Party, and we are concerned about the way in which Indian Australians heard that discussion and felt about that and we feel very sorry about the impact it's had on them and that's one of the reasons why Sussan had to take the strong action that she did. But it's incumbent on me and all of my colleagues to show that discipline, to show that focus and to work on the two critical tasks we have as an opposition. The first is to hold the government to account, and the second is to develop a positive alternative policy agenda to take to the next election, which is capable of earning the trust and support of the Australian people, and that's my focus, and I'm sure that'll be the focus of all my colleagues too.
PETER STEFANOVIC: Yeah, but why did it take a week? Why did Sussan Ley let this happen? Why not move on it sooner?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Pete, one of the golden rules I've had in my political career is never to provide advice to colleagues through the media, and I'm not going to start this morning on your program, either in retrospect or going forward.
PETER STEFANOVIC: All right, I know you've got another interview to go to, James. I just want to squeeze this one in. And we're getting back to political messaging here. It's our security deal with Vanuatu, which has fallen through. Now our attention turns to Fiji. Do you have concerns about our Pacific neighbours being easily persuaded or more easily persuaded by China and China's treasures than they are for us?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Pete, on this issue, we want the Albanese government to succeed. Australians can't afford for them to fail because, as the Foreign Minister has said, we are in a permanent contest in the Pacific with the People's Republic of China. And so it is very concerning that the arrangement with Vanuatu has not proceeded at this time. I hope the Albanese government can revive it, and I hope they can continue to build relations with other critically important Pacific Island nations like Fiji, the Solomon Islands and others.
PETER STEFANOVIC: All right, Richard Miles coming up in the program next as well. James, thank you. We'll chat again soon.
ENDS