Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
TRANSCRIPT
Sky News – Afternoon Agenda
TOPICS: Trump tariffs, work from home
7 April 2025
E&OE
Holly Stearns
Well, joining me live is Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Michaelia Cash. Thank you for your time this afternoon. Let’s just start with that quickly. Is Australia in good stead to deal with this? Do you agree?
Senator Cash
Well, I think what this now shows is the choice that the Australian people have to make at the next federal election is incredibly important. Who do you think is better placed to manage the economy? And I think on any analysis, there is no track record for the Albanese government to stand on. I mean, you’ve had the largest collapse in living standards in Australia’s history. You’ve had interest rates go up 12 times. You’ve had inflation at persistently high levels. And the Australian people really do need to ask themselves, Am I better off today than I was three years ago when Mr Albanese was first elected? And the clear answer to that question, Holly, is no. Versus Peter Dutton and Coalition governments, who, you look back at Howard and Costello, were able to steer Australia through turbulent times. You look at the previous Coalition government, and in particular, how we got Australia through, in such good shape, the COVID-19 pandemic. So, what I think this shows is that there is a very clear choice for the Australian people to make on the 3rd of May: who is placed best to manage the economy going forward? And I would have to say that Mr Albanese, unfortunately, does not have a track record to stand on.
Holly Stearns
Well, Donald Trump’s actions, though, are putting a pretty dark shadow over the global economy. Do you agree with Donald Trump’s decisions at the moment?
Senator Cash
Well, let’s be very clear, Donald Trump has made his decisions. The key thing for Australia is, where was our Prime Minister? This is a Prime Minister who’s had one phone call with the President and continues to talk about it. This is a Prime Minister, recently, this is a Prime Minister who has been absent from the world stage. This is a Prime Minister who, unfortunately, both he and key members of his government have made atrocious personal reflections on the now President in the past. So again, the key for Australians is: who do you think is best able to manage the ongoing relationship with the United States going forward? Peter Dutton has a track record to stand on. Peter Dutton, in the previous Coalition government, worked with the Trump administration, both in relation to border protection but also in relation to defence. Peter has made it clear that he is going to get on a plane, and one of the first meetings he will have is with Donald Trump. Mr Trump is a negotiator. He likes you to turn up to the negotiation. And unfortunately, under Mr Albanese, yet again, we’ve seen a very hands-off approach to this relationship. Under a Peter Dutton government, we would seek to reset this relationship and certainly work on it going from strength to strength.
Holly Stearns
Okay, we’ll move on now to other things. I wanted to firstly get your thoughts on, Peter Dutton’s policy ditch. Only week two, it’s been called a “shambles,” a “bin fire of chaos”, quote unquote, by the government. Your response to those comments?
Senator Cash
Well, that is by the government, who has a tendency to indulge in scare campaigns, lies, and not be up-front with the Australian people. But what I’d say to the Australian people is this: we’ve listened, we’ve learned, and we’ve changed our policy. What I think that goes to, Holly, is the calibre of Peter Dutton as a leader. He is someone who is prepared to stand up to the Australian people and say, I’ve got it wrong. And in particular, when you are looking at global turbulent times, and in particular, global turbulent economic times going ahead, isn’t that the type of leader that Australians want? Someone who can actually say, I listened to you, you didn’t like what I put on the table, and I am prepared to: A) say that, be up-front about it, but B) change my policy in response. Unlike Mr Albanese, I mean, you’ve got a total contrast there. This is a man who recently fell off a stage. The video evidence is there for all Australians to see. And yet he persistently says to the Australian people, But I didn’t fall. Labor indulges in scare campaigns and lies. Peter Dutton, he has been prepared to say to the Australian people, We got it wrong, we listened to you, and guess what? We are prepared to change our policy. To me, that shows the strength of Peter Dutton as a future potential Prime Minister.
Holly Stearns
Okay, well, it’s good to recognise mistakes. I don’t want to get bogged down in the Prime Minister falling over. I mean, we saw Peter Dutton’s gaffe on the weekend, kicking a footy into a cameraman’s head. I don’t want to get bogged down in that.
Senator Cash
It’s not the Prime Minister falling over, Holly, it’s not the Prime Minister falling over though. Nobody wishes that on anybody. It is his response. When you have clear video evidence, nobody wants anybody to fall over. But it is his response in misleading the Australian people.
Holly Stearns
But what I want to get your thoughts on, right, it’s no surprise that so many people work from home, and I understand what you’re saying. You’ve recognised the mistake, you’ve made a change. But Sky News’ Andrew Clennell, even out today, he’s been out door-knocking and says that most people were home. Times have changed. So how did you guys get it so wrong?
Senator Cash
Well, in the first instance, Labor ran a very good scare campaign. That is something that Labor are good at, and we have to live with that. It never applied to anybody other than the Australian-based Canberra public servants. It never applied to anyone in the private sector. The private sector will do what is in the best interest of the private sector. And certainly, flexibility is the key. So Labor ran a very good scare campaign. But I think when we’re out on the doors, knocking on them, I’ve been out the doors listening to people. They said, We value our flexibility. We would say to them, But you are not in the public service. But Labor’s scare campaign had worked. One of the things that we all know is: post-COVID, flexibility is now the key. Flexibility includes working from home. And that flexibility and that working from home is here to stay. That’s it.
Holly Stearns
Okay. We’ve got about 10 seconds to wrap things up, but your response quickly to the polls? It doesn’t look great.
Senator Cash
We’re always the underdog. 1931 was the last time a first-term government was turfed out. The only poll that counts is on election day. And I believe that we present a very clear choice to the Australian people, in particular when it comes to who is best able to manage the economy and to provide that immediate cost-of-living relief via 25 cents per litre off your fuel excise. That’s what the Australian people are looking for, the person who’s best able to manage the economy, and that person is Peter Dutton.
Holly Stearns
Michaelia Cash, I reckon that would have been about 20 seconds or so, but I’ll let you off. Good to see you.
ENDS
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