April 24, 2025
Transcript – Sky News Sharri
23 April 2025
E&OE
SHARRI MARKSON:
Joining me now to talk about this is Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson. James, thanks so much for your time. Now, 21 billion dollars is a significant spend. Can you explain to our viewers the specifics of your defence policy and how it's different from Labor's?
JAMES PATERSON:
Sharri, we know that Labor talks a good game when it comes to defence and national security. They say they understand the strategic environment and how dire it is, but you have to look at what Labor does, not just what they say, and they never match their rhetoric with action. They've kept defence spending low, and in fact, because they're spending on future AUKUS capability without increasing our defence budget, they're cannibalising existing defence capability and having to cancel a whole string of important defence procurement projects like infantry fighting vehicles, howitzers and joint strike fighters, cannibalising current defence capability in favour of future capability which is important but won't arrive for some time. We think that's a historic mistake, we think it's a dangerous and reckless thing to do, and we're going to significantly increase defence spending in the next five years up to 2.5% of GDP and over the next decade up to 3% of the GDP.
SHARRI MARKSON:
The Prime Minister today said that this is a media release in search of a policy. So how will the 21 billion be spent? What new equipment will be purchased?
JAMES PATERSON:
We've given some examples already, like restoring the 4th Squadron of Joint Strike Fighters that Labor cancelled, those F-35 fighter jets. But we're not going to make the same mistake that Labor did before the last election, of basically entering into negotiations and procurement contracts without the benefit of advice. And I'll tell you why. In his major foreign policy and national security address before the election, Anthony Albanese said we're going to put Tomahawk missiles on the Collins-class submarines. Well, the only problem with that was that it turned out when they got into government, they realised that those Tomahawk missiles were no longer in production, that could go on the Collins-class submarines, and it was too expensive and complicated to retrofit the Collins-class submarines to host those Tomahawk missiles. So that was a major blunder on national security and defence that Anthony Albanese made because he didn't have the benefit of the advice, and he tried to make a big promise before the election without the benefit of it. We're not going to make that same mistake.
SHARRI MARKSON:
But you could say, generally speaking, that you want to invest in more aerial drones or more missiles or more submarines, for example.
JAMES PATERSON:
That's right, Sharri, and we have said all of that. We've said that we're going to be investing in more guided weapons, including missiles. We said that we would be investing in lethal drones. We said we're going to be investing in upgrading our defence bases and facilities because right now, we're at grave risk of not being ready for AUKUS in just two years' time when we're supposed to be receiving the first rotational US submarines, Virginia-class submarines, at Fleet Base West in Western Australia. If we don't get that base up and running, if it's not ready to receive them, then we will have failed at the first AUKUS hurdle and that's because this government is failing to put the money in that it needs to.
SHARRI MARKSON:
Look at this announcement today, Andrew Hastie was grilled on the topic of women in combat. Let's have a look at that.
[CLIP START]
ANDREW HASTIE:
Our Coalition policy is that all combat roles are open to women. The one thing that we will insist on is high standards because in combat, there's no points for second place. So we need to be able to win every fight that we go into, and that's why we'll uphold high standards.
JOURNALIST:
Are you saying that women have lower standards? Is that what you're saying?
ANDREW HASTIE:
Hardly. That's hardly what I'm saying. I'm saying we have one standard.
[CLIP ENDS]
SHARRI MARKSON:
And it went on that questioning. Now, James, I'm a feminist, but this isn't a case of gender bias. I mean, the reality is that most men wouldn't qualify for the SAS because of physical strength, let alone women who are, for the most part, but not, biologically simply, not as strong.
JAMES PATERSON:
Sharri, a lot of people who've been lecturing Andrew Hastie about this haven't seen what he's seen, haven't served in the way he has, and I think that should be a bit more humble, including the Deputy Prime Minister. But our policy is very clear. Any person, regardless of their gender, or their sexuality, or their race, or their religion, or any other characteristic, any person who meets the standard is welcome to serve. In fact, we want more people to serve; we want people to sign up, because on this government's watch, we have a recruitment and retention crisis. The ADF is 5,000 people below its authorised strength, and that is a disaster in a dangerous security environment. So if you're a patriotic and fit and able Australian, we want you to sign-up and we want to serve regardless of your gender or any of the characteristics.
SHARRI MARKSON:
Yeah, absolutely, and that recruitment is a major issue, and the lack of recruitment is in large part due to how returning veterans have been treated. Now I spoke last night in the show about how the national polls are telling a different story to the internal Liberal polling. Dutton mentioned this on air yesterday as well.
[CLIP START]
PETER DUTTON:
I think if you have a look at the 2019 poll result, where, you know, all the published polling was pointing one way, the reality is that there was a different outcome. Now, I'm not going to go into the private polling, but you'll see where the government's spending money at the moment in their seats, they are defending seats at the moment. They're not on the offensive. So I think there's a bit more of a sophisticated view in relation to the polling and what's happening at the moment. Australians are hurting. That's the reality.
[CLIP ENDS]
SHARRI MARKSON:
So, James, what's your sense at the moment? You're the Coalition Campaign Spokesman. You're in the Coalition Headquarters. Is pessimism setting in about the election result, or is Dutton right, that your internal Liberal party research is still showing a better outcome than the national polls?
JAMES PATERSON:
This election is still very much up for grabs, and over the next week and a half, we'll be sticking to our message about how Australians will be better off under a Dutton Coalition government. And let me give you a data point that illustrates why this election is still up for grabs. There are four seats in Victoria that are traditional safe Labor seats. Hawke and Gorton in the north west, and Holt and Bruce in the south east. In each of those seats, over the last few months, the Labor party has spent at least $70,000 on Google and YouTube advertising. In some of those seats, up to $110,000. Now, those are seats which have not been held by the Liberal party for decades. Some of those have margins of more than 10%. If you're dropping 100 grand in Gorton on online advertising, that shows you what you really think about where this election is going to be fought and won and lost. And I've never seen a government seeking a second term in office have such a defensive posture and be spending so much money and time and effort trying to hold traditional safe Labor seats. That tells you what Labor thinks about where this campaign's really at.
SHARRI MARKSON:
So you said there at the start of that answer that the election is still anyone's to win. Are you legitimately saying that the coalition could win majority government? Here minority government? What exactly do you think is a realistic prospect?
JAMES PATERSON:
I'm not going to get into the dangerous game of specific predictions, Sharri, but to suffice to say, this government has not sold the deal with the Australian people. They have not convinced the Australian people that they deserve another three years, and for good reason, because their performance in their first three years has been so abysmal. It's not going get any better in their next three years should they be lucky enough to have that, particularly if they're reliant on the Greens and the Teals, as they likely would be in a hung parliament scenario. So Australians do have a choice to make over the next 10 days, and they should really contemplate what their future would look like under Anthony Albanese with Adam Bandt as a co-pilot, with the Teals as co-pilots, just think about what that'll mean for the economy, for our national security, for our place in the world.
SHARRI MARKSON:
Absolutely. I spoke about that at the start of the show. Very worrying prospect. All right, James Paterson, thank you very much for your time.
ENDS