Media
|
Transcripts
October 6, 2025
SHARRI MARKSON: Joining me now is Acting Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson. James, as you heard there, Albanese said these ISIS brides have a right to enter Australia because they're Australian citizens. Do you agree, and did he have other options available to him?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Sharri, the Prime Minister's responses on this issue have been contemptuous from the very start, and he is now being badly exposed. The truth is that the reports in The Australian and your reports were completely accurate, and he has potentially misled the House; that is a very grave offence. And it's also true that the government did assist these people in their return in two respects. In order for those children who were born to Australian parents overseas to come to Australia, they first have to apply for citizenship by descent from the Department of Home Affairs. And once that is granted, they then have to apply for a passport from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Otherwise, they can't board a plane, and they can’t enter our country. Clearly, those two things have happened, and therefore, the government has assisted their return. But secondly, there was an option available to the government to stop them from returning. The parliament has given the executive government of Australia the power to apply for a temporary exclusion order to prevent an Australian citizen who has travelled overseas to associate with a terrorist organisation from returning to our country. Very clearly, the government did not use these powers in this instance, and they should explain why. These people have only returned with the blessing of the Albanese government.
SHARRI MARKSON: And I have no doubt you'll be putting pressure on them tomorrow when parliament returns over this issue. I just want to ask you whether the Albanese government has made a different decision to other countries who have stripped ISIS brides of their citizenship to stop them returning home.
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Well, the United Kingdom in 2019, under the Home Secretary Sajid Javid, withdrew the citizenship of Shamima Begum, one of the most prominent ISIS brides who travelled to the so-called Islamic State at the height of the caliphate, and they were very well grounded in doing so. In Australia, our former Minister for Home Affairs, Peter Dutton, tried on several occasions to withdraw the citizenship of Australians who associated with terrorist organisations. But regrettably, the High Court has found that in Australia, the Constitution prevents a minister from ever cancelling the citizenship of a citizen. That it can only be done as part of sentencing for a terrorism offence. Now we have that regime in place. The Albanese government has yet to use it. And frankly, I don't think they have broadened the aperture wide enough to make sure that the largest number of people can be captured by this offence. Because I think all Australians would agree, if you leave this country, if you go and join an Islamist caliphate terrorist organisation, which has done all those despicable things that you described in your question, then you've effectively repudiated your allegiance to Australia, and you should not be welcome to return.
SHARRI MARKSON: I think most Australians would agree with you on that. James, I also want to ask you about the shenanigans in the Liberal Party. Andrew Hastie has resigned, of course. He says it's because he abides by the Westminster system. But if he's not ready for the leadership himself, and he says he's not, he's got a young family, then isn't this move simply destabilising the party and improving Albanese's position?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: No, I don't think it is Sharri because the alternative is that Andrew would have to remain in the Shadow Cabinet when he disagrees with the direction under Sussan. And would be a source of discontent within the Shadow Cabinet. He is a person of integrity. He didn't want to do that. He thought the honourable thing to do was to admit his disagreement and go to the backbench, from which every Liberal has the freedom to pursue the policy issues that they want to. And he will, and I have no doubt he'll do that effectively in a way that will be constructive and strategic and will not seek to undermine the leadership, as he has very clearly said himself in his press conference on Saturday.
SHARRI MARKSON: Well, Sussan Ley's Newspoll results are shocking. Does the Liberal Party need to find a new leader quickly who has a better chance of victory at the next election, or at least of saving furniture if not victory?
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Sharri, whoever was leading the Liberal Party in the circumstances we're in now, following our worst defeat ever in 80 years, would make tough going of it. It is not an easy task, and I'm not surprised that we are not zooming ahead in the polls. We have to demonstrate both to our traditional core supporters that we're worthy of their support and to swing voters that we are ready for government and that we have a compelling alternative vision, and it will take some time to do that. And right now we're having the debates that we haven't had in the previous term about our direction and our policy that are necessary, even if they can be a bit untidy. We have to resolve those debates in a timely way, it can't go on forever, but I'm confident under Sussan's leadership we can do that.
SHARRI MARKSON: I take your point, but you say you're not surprised you're not zooming ahead in the polls. But James, this government couldn't get any worse. You should be ahead in the polls.
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON: Well, I agree with you, Sharri, and I think the most interesting thing is that the government's primary vote has barely lifted at all. Despite all the woes of the Liberal Party, our primary vote has gone elsewhere to other minor parties and independents. It has not largely gone to the government. So it's no endorsement of the Albanese government or their performance, particularly on the economy, where they've just delivered their first Labor deficit, and they plan to deliver 10 more years of deficits and 1.2 trillion dollars of debt. We are in a terrible state of affairs, whether it's on national security or the economy under this government, and we have a lot of opportunities and a moral responsibility to take advantage of that in the national interest of our country.
SHARRI MARKSON: Agreed there. All right, James Paterson, really appreciate your time. Thank you so much.
ENDS