Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
TRANSCRIPT
Channel 9 Today
31 July 2025
Topics: inflation numbers, Palestinian statehood, Australia-US alliance
E&OE
Karl Stefanovic
Joining us to discuss today’s headlines is WA Senator Michaelia Cash, and chief political correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Paul Sakkal. Nice to see you guys. All right. Michaelia, Jim Chalmers, is, of course, the architect of all this. Don’t you think? Did you ring him and say ‘good on you, Jimmy champion, legend from Logan.’
Senator Cash
Well, Karl, I can tell you what Jim Chalmers is the architect of. He’s the architect of, in particular the last three years where Australians have suffered one of the worst cost of living crisis ever. I mean, Jim Chalmers can take all the credit he likes for yesterday’s numbers, but what he fails to recognise is Australians are still doing it tough, and they are still no better off than they were three years ago. I mean, the issue we have structurally, is inflation in Australia was higher for longer than it was in the rest of the world. What that has meant is prices in Australia have remained high now for a long period of time. Inflation numbers may drop, and that is a good thing, but it doesn’t mean that prices still don’t go up. They just go up at a slower rate. So Jim, take all the credit you like, but the bad news is you’re the architect of the cost of living crisis that Australians live under your government each and every day.
Karl Stefanovic
Paul, there was a fair bit of exuberance yesterday, the palpable happiness, and it is treading a fine line when you consider that folks are drowning out there and businesses are doing it tough.
Paul Sakkal
Yeah, he was pretty cock-a-hoop yesterday. He called the numbers at one stage, stunning.
Senator Cash
Terrible.
Paul Sakkal
And in question time, he had a pretty big grin on his face. He can claim a pretty significant amount of credit for bringing these numbers into a into a solid position. He’s done so while keeping unemployment at still historic lows. And he’s in a pretty benign period of economic figures at the moment, which gives him some space to branch out and do more. The question is, how much more will he do? And that’ll be what he’s remembered for this term.
Karl Stefanovic
All right, let’s rapid fire these next topics. The PM has stepped closer to recognising Palestinian statehood, it seems. Michaelia, does Hamas need to be dealt with before that happens?
Senator Cash
I never thought I’d live in a country Karl, where a Labor Prime Minister and his government would take steps towards both emboldening and rewarding terrorism. Hamas is a militant terrorist organisation that is dedicated to the destruction of Israel. Mr. Albanese should stand up each and every day and demand Hamas end the war it started, release the hostages, and lay down arms.
Karl Stefanovic
So you would recognise Palestinian statehood if Hamas was out of there?
Senator Cash
Our position has always been very, very clear. Hamas can have absolutely no role. Let’s not call them Hamas. Let’s call them what they are, a terrorist organisation.
Karl Stefanovic
Albo’s keen for some legacy there, Paul?
Paul Sakkal
Yeah. He’s been telling his colleagues privately that this is a matter of time, and effectively, what he’s seeking is bang for his buck. Keir Starmer, his mate in the UK, went a bit earlier this week – that surprised people. Keir Starmer is in a far weaker position internally. His government’s kind of falling apart. He’s under huge pressure on this. Albanese has much more authority, so he’ll do it when he thinks he can have some influence, but there is huge amount of pressure around him to go quickly, and there is that question about how you deal with Hamas governance, and he’s called that a red line, but Hamas doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere.
Karl Stefanovic
Okay, moving on. Donald Trump has shown no sign of appointing an ambassador to Canberra, despite doing so for more than 50 other countries. This as the US Defence Department confirms their AUKUS review is now months away. So Michaelia, we don’t have an ambassador. Mind you, it took him two years last time around. We don’t have a meeting. AUKUS will now take longer to review. I can’t remember a time when our relationship with the US was so blah. So I asked Charlie Croucher about this. He said, maybe ’72, and Gough Whitlam got us out of Vietnam.
Senator Cash
The US-Australia alliance is put on the back burner, there’s no two ways about it, by Mr. Albanese. That is incredibly dangerous. But the bigger issue Karl is this. Is it Kevin Rudd, our ambassador, or Mr. Albanese, who’s not doing their job? Why can’t Mr. Albanese get a meeting with the President? So either Kevin Rudd, you’re not doing your job in the US, or Mr. Albanese, you’re not trying hard enough.
Karl Stefanovic
I reckon we should get Julie Bishop into the ambassador role.
Senator Cash
But either way, the US-Australia alliance, Karl, the bedrock of our security. They are the leader of the free world. It is a dangerous place for Australia to be when a Labor government turns away from the United States.
Karl Stefanovic
You don’t want Julie Bishop in the ambassador role.
Senator Cash
I think Julie’s doing a great job in what she’s doing.
Karl Stefanovic
Really quickly, Paul, really quickly.
Karl Stefanovic
What about Greg? Maybe Greg Norman just for an interim posting?
Paul Sakkal
A bit of a backhander there.
Paul Sakkal
Oh, yeah.
Senator Cash
What about Joe Hockey? What about Arthur Sinodinos? They were outstanding the last time we were in government.
Karl Stefanovic
Nah, Greg Norman. All those great shots of him walking along the beach.
Senator Cash
Well hold on. They negotiated a 0% tariff the last time we were in government. They had an outstanding relationship on a serious note with the US administration.
Karl Stefanovic
We’ve got to roll. Thank you so much, guys. Appreciate it.
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