Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
TRANSCRIPT
6PR Perth Live with Oliver Peterson
8 May 2024
E&OE
Topics: Released detainees, Ninette Simons, Chinese flares, weak Albanese
Oliver Peterson
The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was in Perth for a few hours this morning, making a couple of announcements at the Business News and Nine News event at Crown – one about critical minerals, the other about the new port in Kwinana. But he’s been trying his best to still distance himself from the detainee debacle when he chatted to Gary Adshead this morning on 6PR. He didn’t know how many detainees are living in the WA community released by the High Court, nor how many are wearing ankle bracelets despite the Premier Roger Cook telling the state parliament yesterday there’s 23 people and 11 ankle bracelets. The Prime Minister also didn’t want to inflame relations with China, despite the Communist nation’s military dropping flares very close to an Australian helicopter in international waters over the weekend.
Mr Albanese
We have made our position very clear, both to those Chinese diplomats here but also to Beijing. We’re making it clear publicly what our position is, and we won’t, we won’t be shy about taking the opportunities to raise these issues, to make the strongest representations possible. We will always support our defence personnel.
Oliver Peterson
That’s the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaking to Gary Adshead here on 6PR earlier today. Joining me now is WA senator and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Michaelia Cash. Good afternoon.
Senator Cash
Good afternoon, Oli.
Oliver Peterson
Is that enough? What we just heard there from the Prime Minister, his response to China?
Senator Cash
Absolutely not. And I’d actually encourage your listeners to go back and listen to this interview on your radio station this morning. I mean, his refusal to take responsibility, the waffle, the blame shifting, the personal character attacks. I mean, the obvious desperation, and this is meant to be Australia’s leader. Peter Dutton has made it very, very clear. The Prime Minister, as leader of our nation, should contact China’s President about the mid-air confrontation to ensure that he understands it will not be tolerated. As Peter Dutton has said, if China doesn’t understand what it means, then they will continue these acts of aggression. It is, at the moment though Oli, completely unacceptable that the Prime Minister has not picked up the phone to the Chinese President to make sure that he understands it will not be tolerated. That is just a sign quite frankly, of weak leadership.
Oliver Peterson
And that was put to Anthony Albanese this morning. Have a little bit of a listen here, Senator, to what he had to say about that claim the Opposition’s making on his so-called weak leadership.
Mr Albanese
People think that Peter Dutton is arrogant, won’t listen, has no sense of compassion about any issue. And that’s what it’s about, that says more about Peter Dutton.
Oliver Peterson
Do you think it says more about your leader, Michaelia Cash?
Senator Cash
Well, I think Oli, those are the words of an absolutely desperate Prime Minister, whose weakness has been exposed. Quite frankly, the interview this morning didn’t even make sense. It is Peter Dutton, who is advocating for Australia. It is Peter Dutton, who is standing up for Australia. It’s Peter Dutton, who’s calling on the Prime Minister to stand up for Australia. And as I said, this is what Peter has asked the Prime Minister to do. Show leadership. Pick up the phone to President Xi to inform him of Australia’s dismay and disgust. That just hasn’t happened. And as the Prime Minister of our country, it is completely unacceptable. And that is a sign of weak leadership.
Oliver Peterson
Do you think he doesn’t want to go too hard because he doesn’t want to upset the Chinese Communist Party, he’s trying to repair relationships at the moment, Michaelia Cash, is he trying to have a bob each way?
Senator Cash
Well, you cannot have a bob each way, a) when it comes to China, but b) in particular, when it comes to this type of act of aggression. This does not build trust between our nations, this type of act of aggression. It shows a weakness from Australia’s perspective, if the Prime Minister does not pick up the phone and call Prime Minister or President Xi. As I said, if China doesn’t understand what this means to Australia, then quite frankly, they sniff weakness out, they will continue these acts of aggression. And that is why Prime Minister Albanese should pick up the phone immediately – he should have done it. He hasn’t done it, but he should do it to the Chinese president to make sure that the Chinese President understands these types of acts will not be tolerated.
Oliver Peterson
The other issues canvassed this morning with the Prime Minister were around obviously, this detainee debacle. We still don’t have any firm answers about this so-called independent board that has been established and whether or not Andrew Giles did abrogate his responsibilities to that board and I do see in the paper today, there’s a page six ad by the Liberal Party – Mr. Albanese while you’re in WA, can you tell us why you and your ministers can’t keep us safe? We didn’t really get those answers either, Senator.
Senator Cash
Well, these are basic questions, Oli, that the Prime Minister, as leader of our country, should be able to answer. I mean, in that interview this morning on TV, he kept saying his heart goes out to Ninette Simons, but he still hasn’t apologised to her for the fact that it was his government and the government officials that didn’t oppose the former detainee’s bail. And it was his government – his government officials that then allowed him to have his ankle bracelet removed. That interview was just a complete abrogation of responsibility. He still refuses to accept responsibility for allowing the former detainee to have his ankle bracelet removed. It does not matter how much responsibility he sheds, he is all blame, no responsibility. But you know Australians are smarter than that. They are realising they don’t just have a government, but they have a prime minister that is weak, and can’t keep them safe. And quite frankly, Ninette Simons is now the face of Mr. Albanese’s failure to protect all Australians.
Oliver Peterson
Do you think this is an issue that’s going to continue to haunt the government?
Senator Cash
The number one responsibility of any federal government, Oli, is to keep Australia and Australians safe. This is a government that has failed miserably and as I said, Ninette Simons, those shocking pictures of a Perth grandmother, a cancer survivor, after she was violently assaulted allegedly by a former detainee. Again, she is now quite frankly, the face of Mr. Albanese’s failure to protect all Australians. And the fact that the Prime Minister of this country is all blame and no responsibility. Well guess what, that exposes his character.
Oliver Peterson
One more before you go Senator Cash, we heard Saul Eslake at the Press Club today about the GST deal the former Morrison government, now supported by the Albanese government, struck up, saying it is not in the national interest – does Western Australia get too much of a share of the GST?
Senator Cash
Well Oli, I was part of that former Coalition government and in particular the WA Liberal team that fought long and hard and managed to convince all the other states and territories that WA wasn’t getting its fair share of GST, that we should change the formula to ensure that we did. Today as we stand as a result of the former Liberal government, the former Coalition government’s actions, we now get 70 cents, it’ll go to 75 cents. We do now get our fair share. And guess what, that is guaranteed under Peter Dutton as Prime Minister.
Oliver Peterson
Michaelia Cash, thanks for your time.
Senator Cash
Great to be with you.
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