Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Shadow Attorney-General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Senator for Western Australia
TRANSCRIPT
6PR Perth Live with Oliver Peterson
TOPICS: Nature Positive laws, Antisemitism
3 February 2025
E&OE
Oliver Peterson
The Leader of the Opposition in the Senate is Michaelia Cash and she joins me live this afternoon on 6PR. Senator, thank you for your time.
Senator Cash
Great to be with you Ollie.
Oliver Peterson
You were calling on these Nature Positive laws to be put on the back burner. That decision was made over the weekend. The Conservation Council isn’t happy.
Senator Cash
Well, let’s be clear what this bill actually does. Anthony Albanese wants to establish a brand-new Canberra-based bureaucracy, and let’s face it, everybody loves a big Canberra based bureaucracy – giving it unprecedented power. And this is what it could do – block major projects in areas like housing, clean energy, mining, public infrastructure and agriculture. But what is worse – without the need to consider the economic benefits that these projects would bring. But with what happened recently, how can Western Australians, Ollie, believe anything the Albanese Labor government says about their nature, positive-mining negative laws. Even if they do back away from them this week, it’s pretty obvious to me, and I think most people, Mr. Albanese, will bring them back if Labor is re-elected. Madeleine King said exactly this in an interview with Kieran Gilbert today. She confirmed a second term Albanese government will look at environmental reforms, i.e., nature positive-mining negative.
Oliver Peterson
So this is just delaying the inevitable. If the Albanese government return to power. Whenever we go to a federal poll, they’ll be bringing these nature negative laws back.
Senator Cash
Absolutely. They were yet again, caught out saying one thing in Western Australia and another thing on the east coast. But what is worse now is we know of the report commissioned by Western Australian business and mining industry groups that show this doesn’t just have a negative impact on mining. They also show that Mr. Albanese’s laws will bring additional red tape, and guess what they could actually affect residential house prices. As if people aren’t paying enough for their house price already. This report estimates residential lots would increase in cost by up to 10.6%. I mean, can you imagine housing in the northern suburbs, the southern suburbs, the eastern suburbs of Perth going up by almost 11%. I mean, it’s an absolute disgrace. But I wouldn’t trust Mr. Albanese, as far as I could throw him, because his mates in the Australian Greens and in Western Australia, let’s be clear, Teal MPs like Kate Chaney, they back these laws every step of the way. And what is worse, they want them to go much further. If there is a minority Labor government after the election, that is bad news for Western Australians.
Oliver Peterson
Kate Chaney said here on Perth Live on Friday, she wanted the laws to be brought on. The Conservation Council just said, though 80% of West Australians, they want stronger nature laws.
Senator Cash
Well, hold on, they may want stronger nature laws, but I don’t think they want these laws. I don’t think they want laws that establish a new Canberra based bureaucracy with sweeping powers to say no to developments or projects that actually help our economy and create jobs. I don’t think they want nature laws that are going to increase the price of residential housing, increase the price of wholesale electricity. There’s a fundamental difference between that and nature positive-mining negative laws.
Oliver Peterson
Until we woke up yesterday morning, Senator, I thought that a lot of the antisemitism in Australia, was an East Coast, issue until we see a home in Dalkeith, now targeted and being sprayed with a Nazi swastika and the words F Jews – was something I didn’t actually think we would wake up to in Perth ever.
Senator Cash
Ollie, it was, it was just disgusting to see that vile expression of antisemitism in Perth. What was worse was that it was one week after the Jewish community came together to mark 80 years since the Holocaust. No one should be targeted in their homes or anywhere else because of their faith or their ancestry. You know what I’d say to the Australian people is attacks on Jewish Australians are attacks on every Australian. Today it’s the Jewish people. But who is next? Will it be the Hindus, the Catholics, the Muslims, the atheists. You know, attacking people because of their Jewish faith and their ancestry is un-Australian. I mean, I don’t recognize the country that we have become under Anthony Albanese. We have always been a country that prides itself on treating people equally, whatever their faith or background, but unfortunately, because of the repeated failures and the weakness of our Prime Minister to prevent the vile spread of antisemitism, we now find that so many people of Jewish faith, they live in fear. They are worried about an attack on their home. They are worried about an attack on a place of business or an attack online. But as I said, Ollie, today, it’s the Jews who is next.
Oliver Peterson
What else can the Prime Minister do Senator?
Senator Cash
Oh, well, we’ve set out very, very clearly a number of things that he needs to do, and that includes bringing in mandatory sentences for terrorist offenses and mandatory sentences for the display of terrorist and Nazi symbols. We would support the Prime Minister bringing in that legislation as soon as this week, and it would be passed. I mean, I would have thought that most people in Australia would already think that if you commit a terrorism offense, or you actually encourage terrorism, you’d get a mandatory sentence, but the fact is, you don’t. So we have made it very, very clear that a Dutton Government will introduce mandatory sentences of six years for terrorism or terrorism related offenses in the Criminal Code. But at the same time we will also look to create a 12 month minimum sentence for the display of terror symbols, and that includes The Nazi symbols, the Nazi salute, because Ollie, quite frankly, enough is enough, and as I said – today, it’s the Jews. But Australians need to wake up – who is next? And when you have a weak Prime Minister like Mr. Albanese, who literally has just walked both sides of the street, and he’s completely out of his depth during a period of national crisis, get rid of this government vote in Peter Dutton, and let’s take real action.
Oliver Peterson
Senator Cash thank you for your time.
Senator Cash
Great to be with you, Ollie.
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