Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
TRANSCRIPT
Sky News – The Kenny Report
TOPICS: Welcome to country debate in Senate, US-Australia alliance, China relationship
24 July 2025
E&OE
Chris Kenny
I’m joined by Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. I believe there’s been a bit of an argument, a bit of a kerfuffle this afternoon about this welcome to country, and you got involved because of some criticism that was directed at your colleague, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. I haven’t seen the footage. I’m relying on you to tell us what unfolded.
Senator Cash
Well, what should have been statements made in relation to Senator Hanson and One Nation turning their backs on the President during the welcome to country, which I have made clear to Senator Hanson, and she accepts is inappropriate. Unfortunately it became a debate in relation to whether or not a welcome to country is appropriate. Senator Malarndirri McCarthy put Labor’s point of view articulately. Senator Waters, the Greens, Senator Pauline Hanson, One Nation’s and then Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, articulately and through lived experience, gave her opinion. That should have been the end of the matter, Chris, but Senator Wong, as Leader of the Government, decided that she would be the last speaker and sought to dismiss Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s view. I will not stand for that. Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s opinion in relation to whether or not a welcome to country is appropriate, is as relevant as any other senators’. So let me be clear, I will defend Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and her right to her opinion every single day of the week. I will not allow anyone, particularly someone from the left, to demean her.
Chris Kenny
I’ve had plenty of debates with Jacinta myself. We are good mates, and I have enormous respect for her, and I’ll always defend her right too. But we do have a clip here of you defending those rights in the Senate this afternoon.
Senator Cash (video from the Chamber)
Do not ever demean anybody. Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, her mother’s story. Bess Price. I suggest you all read it. A woman walking through the desert was her mother, who had her baby between her legs under a tree. She picked up that baby, she cut the umbilical cord, and she kept walking. I suggest you read the story of Bess Price, before you ever come in here and cast aspersions or tell us, Senator Wong, to respect other words. I will stand by and respect Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who, every day, has lived and breathed reconciliation in this country. Her father is white, her mother is black. So please don’t ever come into this place again and pontificate to us.
Chris Kenny
Well, that is extraordinary and impressive stuff Michaelia Cash, if I say so. That’s the first time I’ve seen that as well. Now, as I said before, I know Jacinta very well. I know Bess Price as well, and you’re absolutely right. They’re just wonderful people. And of course, their views on these issues should not be questioned – that they are as valid as anybody else’s, if not more. So it’s a pity that we see so much politics put into a debate like this, but that’s how it unfolded. Thanks for sharing your perspective on that one with us. We might try and catch up with Jacinta next week. I want to move back onto the foreign policy your portfolio area. And it was quite telling today that the Opposition Leader Sussan Ley really focused on Anthony Albanese’s inability to get a meeting with President Donald Trump. There were a number of questions on this. Here’s a recap.
Sussan Ley (video from House of Reps)
261 days ago, the American people elected a new president. In that time, more than 30 world leaders have met with the US President. Why has the Australian Prime Minister failed to meet with the US President?
Chris Kenny
It sure is becoming a political embarrassment for Anthony Albanese. How much damage is it doing to our country? Michaelia Cash.
Senator Cash
Well, I’m very concerned that, in particular, the US-Australia alliance, which, as you know, that has been the foundation of Australia’s security Chris, for over 70 years. I mean, the United States, they are the leader of the free world, to which Australia proudly belongs. Our presence in Washington today in 2025 should be stronger than ever. We should be doing everything that we can to support and enhance the alliance, not put it on the back burner like Albanese appears to have done. I mean, it is now being said, you know, is Mr. Albanese deliberately, for reasons only known to himself, seeking to undermine or diminish the Australia-United States alliance. Mr. Albanese consistently, Chris tells people we are in times of global uncertainty and growing conflict. Well, Chris, isn’t that when you actually stand side by side with the United States when it comes to ensuring the security of Australians and our nation, and you don’t put the foundation of our national security the US-Australia alliance, on the back burner 261 days quite frankly, it’s no longer an embarrassment. It is now becoming negligent.
Chris Kenny
Well, I think it shows that Australia is not treated as a serious player at the moment, because on the back of a six day trip to China and meetings with Xi Jinping, of course, and also the Premier and other significant figures in China, if the relationship was in good shape with the US, and if Australia’s role in the region was respected as it used to be, the first thing Donald Trump and his minions would want to do is to meet with Australia and get our download on what occurred in Beijing. But they obviously don’t care, because they don’t think our buddy is a serious player.
Senator Cash
Well, I think what’s also concerning is obviously that there are other countries who have been actively seeking meetings with President Trump, because they know they need to be face to face with this particular President. They have now successfully negotiated trade deals for their own country. So in other words, they have said we are going into bat for our country, for our people. They have successfully negotiated these deals. And meanwhile, Mr. Albanese sits back, and it’s almost now Chris a lackadaisical approach. But what I think worries me even more about his trip to China, and you and I, I mean, we both want Australia to have a strong trading relationship with China, but Mr. Albanese was even dismissed there by the leadership in Beijing. He raises, or he says he raises, concerns in relation to the second navigation of Australia by Chinese Communist Party ships, he says he raises concerns in relation to the live fire exercises near our civilian airspace. They’re not just dismissed, Chris, let’s be clear here, they’re not just dismissed, which is embarrassing within itself. A statement is made by the leadership in Beijing, they’ll conduct circumnavigations wherever and whenever they want. So the six days, as I said recently, I mean, the Chinese Communist Party would have been incredibly happy with the way this trip has turned out.
Chris Kenny
Yeah, ‘thanks for popping over, Big Boy, handsome boy, yeah, we’ll keep killing as we please.’ Now, obviously this biosecurity decision is there’s a bit of politics involved in that, and trying to get an audience with Donald Trump will follow that up next time we catch up. Thanks so much for joining us tonight. I appreciate it.
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