Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
TRANSCRIPT
Sky News with Chris Kenny
27 August 2025
Topics: IRGC terror listing; antisemitism in Australia; Australian values
E&OE
Chris Kenny
Let’s get back to the major issue of the day, of course, the fallout from Iranian sponsored terror attacks looking to stir up antisemitism in this country. I’m joined on the desk again by the Shadow Foreign Minister, Senator Michaelia Cash, good to see you.
Senator Cash
Great to be with you, Chris.
Chris Kenny
Now, a lot of pressure on Anthony Albanese today over years of inaction. His argument seems to be, we just sit here and wait for agencies to tell us what to do. We’re not proactive at all with Australian diplomacy or national security.
Senator Cash
Well that is exactly right. They sit on their hands and they wait for the incidents to come to get them. This is a government that, quite frankly, in their entire time in office has never been serious about national security – are always dragged kicking and screaming to what the solution is, Chris. Mr. Albanese today should have apologized to the Australian people for the inaction of his Labor Government. How many warnings does Mr. Albanese need before he takes action. September, 2022 the death of the young Iranian woman Mahsa Amini. Just so Australians know what this was all about, because this comes down to values. This beautiful young Iranian girl, she was picked up by the morality police, yes they have them in Iran, for a hijab related incident. In other words, she wasn’t wearing it properly. Three days later, she was dead. That wasn’t enough. There were protests in the streets in Australia, October the seventh, 2023 when Iran’s proxy Hamas committed atrocities in Israel. What more did Mr. Albanese need? Well, guess what? State sponsored terror here on Australian soil, where Australians could have been killed and Chris, that wasn’t enough for this government to act.
Chris Kenny
It’s extraordinary. And I ask the question now it’s a rhetorical one I won’t get you to answer. But if this series of events had unfolded with a Coalition government where there have been years of warnings and police to take action against Iran and this then this reality unfolds, there would be all hell breaking out. The media demanding heads.
Senator Cash
They would be calling for….. demanding heads. They’d be calling for the Minister to resign. The ministers to resign, they would be calling for the Prime Minister, quite frankly, to step aside. You’ve got to be kidding. Can you honestly imagine what it would have been like. But the point being is it would never have happened under us.
Chris Kenny
Well, I want to come back to this issue of values, but again, something I talk about a lot on this program. I think it’s so important we maintain our values and stand up for them, and that’s been lacking in the past 22 months, since October the seventh, we have protests regularly in this country. People chant from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free, calling for the obliteration of Israel. They chant for Intifada. That is a terrorist uprising against Israel. They never fly an Australian flag. They fly Palestinian flags and terrorist flags. They wear pictures of Yahya Sinwar and hold up placards that display the Ayatollah of Iran that sponsors terrorism all around the world. And yet, our Prime Minister lauds these protesters and says they are peaceful gatherings. Where are the Australian values in any of that?
Senator Cash
They’re not. And Mr. Albanese, quite frankly, is trashing the Australia that you and I grew up in and that you and I loved so dearly. My call out to 27 million Australians who have now seen state sponsored terror on Australian soil, whereby the Islamic Republic of Iran could have killed Australians is this. Please join together as a grassroots movement across Australia to say no to Mr. Albanese and his trashing of Australian values and stand up for our country. Enough is enough. This is what Israel fights for, quite frankly, every single day. Hamas don’t share our values. Hezbollah don’t share our values. The Islamic Republic of Iran don’t share our values. My God. Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old Iranian girl. She was picked up by the morality police for God’s sakes.
Chris Kenny
It is extraordinary. There’s a clear battle here. Some people call it the battle for civilization. Bibi Netanyahu calls it the fight against the barbarians. But there is this Islamist extremism at play. It’s funded by Iran. Our government’s been slow to act. Now they’re acting. What more do they need to do?
Senator Cash
It’s interesting. We say now they’re acting, and they are. They should have acted, obviously, some time ago. And Mr. Albanese, Penny Wong, Mark Dreyfus, you name it, they all have questions to answer. But ultimately, at the end of the day, where were they on October the seventh. In all honesty, the Jewish community in Australia have now been subjected for how long to the most grotesque campaign of antisemitism in this country. They feel abandoned by Mr. Albanese. Well, quite frankly, all Australians should feel abandoned by Mr. Albanese.
Chris Kenny
It’s about all Australians. Australian Jews are in the front line.
Senator Cash
We are actually going to be fighting for our lives shortly in terms of our values. Mr. Albanese has capitulated to the Islamic Republic of Iran. They have got what they wanted Chris. The recognition of a Palestinian state whilst their proxies the terrorists Hamas are in charge.
Chris Kenny
You are spot on.
Senator Cash
Mr. Albanese you have delivered for the Islamic Republic of Iran. Shame on you.
Chris Kenny
I can’t disagree with you Michaelia Cash it’s what I’ve been saying. Thanks so much for your time.
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