Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
TRANSCRIPT
Youth Jam Radio
TOPICS: Greens contempt for ANZAC Day, Coalition Housing Policy and Labor’s Housing Failures
15 April 2025
E&OE
Isaac Mulcrone
Joining us now is Senator Michaelia Cash, a WA Senator for the Liberal Party. And can I just start off by saying Michaelia Cash has made herself very available to Youth Jam over the last few weeks and months, so that might be something to consider when going to the polls. But good to chat to you.
Senator Cash
It’s always good to be with you, Isaac, and hello to your listeners.
Isaac Mulcrone
Let’s start off with the Greens, because we’ve heard about this disco debacle. They were trying to host a fundraiser disco on ANZAC Day between 6pm and 11:30pm. Now, for those who are wondering, that has since been postponed, being rescheduled. But what’s your response to that disco debacle, Senator?
Senator Cash
Completely, totally and utterly inappropriate. But I think in 2025, the reality for so many people who may have supported the Greens back in the old Bob Brown days, when they were environmentalists, in 2025 the last thing the Greens are, are environmentalists. They just have radical causes which they pursue. And unfortunately, they have complete contempt for the Australian Defence Force. They have complete contempt for Australians who serve or have served this nation in the Australian Defence Force. And they have complete contempt, Isaac, and this is shown by what they propose to do on Friday, on ANZAC Day, utter contempt for the people who died to give us the freedoms that we celebrate each and every day.
Isaac Mulcrone
Yeah, and that’s one thing that I think everyone can agree with. In fact, I’m sure the Greens are silently agreeing, seeing as though they’ve rescheduled their event.
Senator Cash
Do you know, I think the unfortunate thing there, though, is okay, so they’ve moved the event. They’ve only moved the event, though, as you and I know, due to public backlash. If you actually look at the history of the Greens, this is something that they stand for. It’s inappropriate, but this stance reflects the values that they stand for. Anzac Day itself is a day of reflection. It’s a day on which we honour those Australians who have served our country, but more than that, who have fought for our way of life. They fought and died, Isaac, for the right for you and I to have this conversation today and not have this conversation censored by government. But don’t believe the Greens when they say that they have moved this dance that they were going to have, and it means that they’ve changed their position. It doesn’t. Judge them by their actions, not their words. The Greens in the parliament, even last year, opposed a motion in the Senate condemning those who had desecrated war memorials in Canberra. Let me say that again, the Greens opposed a motion in the Senate last year that condemned people who had desecrated our war memorials in Canberra. That is the level of contempt that the Australian Greens have for people who served our country, who serve our country, but more than that, who gave their lives and today continue to want to give their lives so that each and every one of us can continue to have the freedoms that we celebrate on a daily basis. That is the Australian Greens in 2025.
Isaac Mulcrone
In a statement to Youth Jam earlier today, the Greens did say the event originally scheduled for April 25 has been rescheduled. Sophie Greer, who is running against Patrick Gorman, will attend an Anzac Day Service on that day, and she was always intending…
Senator Cash
Well, I find that, Isaac, even more contemptuous, even more contemptuous, quite frankly, that their attitude is to actually show disrespect for the Australian Defence Force, both the current members who serve us today and those, obviously, who’ve served us in the past, but in particular those who gave their lives for people in the past. And suddenly going to attend these events, really, come on, what they have done, and their attitudes are completely inappropriate. But they unfortunately reflect today the values that in 2025 the Greens stand for. What I’d like to say, in particular to every young Australian, because there are so many young Australians who are so proud, in particular, of their grandfathers who fought originally in the war. So many of them will know, or their great-grandfathers who died, Isaac, for the freedoms they have today. They are so proud of their mums, their dads, their brothers, their sisters, their cousins, their aunts and their uncles who have either served us in the Australian Defence Force or who are currently serving us in the Australian Defence Force. I want them to know that as a Liberal, I stand with you, and I support the men and women who have served us and do serve us in our Australian Defence Force. But also understand that the Greens have complete contempt for our Defence Force personnel. And quite frankly, shame on the Australian Greens.
Isaac Mulcrone
I think everyone has been impacted by the Defence Force, in terms of everyone knows someone. I mean, my cousin, he fought in the British defence. Despite it being Anzac Day, these things still hit home from it, a lot of people, seeing as though a lot of people have known somebody who has fought for various countries around the world, including here in Australia.
Senator Cash
Absolutely. Can I just say on that, and in particular in terms of ANZAC Day in 2025 and what it’s now become, we observe this day, and it’s a national day of remembrance, as you know. But we commemorate today the sacrifice and contribution of those who have served in all wars, in conflicts, but also in peacekeeping operations. But it particularly marks, as we know, the anniversary of the first major military action by the Anzacs in World War One, at the landing at Gallipoli in 1915. But today, it is a reflection and a thank you to all who’ve made the sacrifice and continue today to make the sacrifice for our great country.
Isaac Mulcrone
Absolutely. I want to come to housing policy just quickly. But obviously, Labor had their one. You’ve had your housing policy, both announced at campaign launches. Experts have said, though, that the Coalition’s housing policy will just increase housing prices. In my mind, that’s the opposite of what we want to do. What’s your response to those experts who claim that your policy will just increase house prices?
Senator Cash
Well, with all due respect to the experts, we disagree with them. We disagree with them because we have a suite of policies that we are putting in place that ensures that we also tackle the supply side of the housing issue, as well as targeting with our policies new home buyers to ensure that they have that ability to get into the market. Peter Dutton has been clear he is not going to accept a situation where a generation of Australians miss out on the opportunities for home ownership that previous generations, like myself, Isaac, have enjoyed. So, our policy is a comprehensive policy. So, we’re going to boost the housing supply. And your listeners would know, of course, you need to do that. You need to ensure that we are building more new homes and more new apartments. But at the same time, you’ve actually got to reduce migration to sustainable levels. You’ve then got to incentivise first home buyers and take the pressure of interest rates and rents. And as you know, one of our signature policies, which we have now announced, which your listeners will be interested in, is that if they are a first home buyer, they are now, under us, going to be able to deduct the interest paid on up to $650,000 of their mortgage. And that basically means that they could save, depending on the size of their mortgage, but around $12,000 a year for five years. So again, ours is a comprehensive suite of housing policies that tackle the supply side by actually boosting the building of houses but at the same time reduce the migration levels to sustainable levels, because that has actually put a huge pressure on demand. And we want our young Australians in particular to be able to get into the housing. But at the same time, we’re going to ensure that young Australians in particular, they’re able to access up to $50,000 of their superannuation so that they have a deposit, but also deduct the interest paid on the mortgage. That’s how you get young people into the housing market.
Isaac Mulcrone
One of the experts yesterday said that one of the best ways to ensure that those young people who want to get into the housing can do so, is to build more social homes. What do you make of that? Is building more social homes the way to go?
Senator Cash
You actually need to ensure that those who can, who are working, have that ability to get into the market, so actually buy that home themselves, whilst at the same time, as always, ensure that you have an adequate supply of social housing. But we are going to be incentivising builders in particular, to actually up the ante on building those new homes and those new apartments. And in particular, you’ve got to be a new home buyer, not an investor. Investors are not allowed to take part in this program. They are not part of it. As you know, we are also saying, in particular to foreign buyers, that they are going to actually have to be out of the market for a little while. So, for us, it is all about saying to young people in particular, we want you to be able to have that same opportunity that, as I said, people like me had. And that’s why you have the comprehensive suite of policies that says to the builders, we’re going to incentivise you to build the homes, that reduces the migration to sustainable levels, that has the two-year ban on foreign investors, to say to more Australians, but in particular the young Australians, we understand that you’ve been doing it tough, and we need to give you the opportunity to get into the housing market, whilst at the same time taking the pressure of interest rates for them so they have that financial capacity to get into their first home.
Isaac Mulcrone
I want to end on a better thing, the Liberal Party released the diss track. Have a listen.
[Diss track plays]
“Albo’s Gotta Leave.” It’s called “Leaving Labor.” Senator, you’ve heard it before, but your gurus have been busy making that. Your first impression when you first heard it?
Senator Cash
Albo’s got to leave. Albo has got to leave, absolutely, exactly. I mean, after the last three years, and this is actually serious in particular for your younger listeners, this is all about talking to an audience to highlight Labor’s failures. And when I look at this younger generation, I’d say to them, you know, the question you all need to ask yourself is, do you feel better off today than you did when Mr Albanese was first elected? I mean, in particular, if you look at all the promises that Mr Albanese made when it came to housing, what people actually don’t always know, because a lot of people don’t necessarily listen to politics, but Mr Albanese talks a big game when it comes to Labor’s housing policies. The fact of the matter is this, this is an actual fact. It cannot be disputed by Labor. Mr Albanese, despite saying that his government was going to build all of these homes, in particular for young people, their housing policies have not delivered any additional homes in three years. In other words, despite everything that Mr Albanese has said, Isaac, Labor’s signature housing policies have built zero homes. So I’d say to your listeners, why would you now believe Mr Albanese when he says to you, “We’re going to build a whole lot of homes for you,” when in the last three years, he made a lot of promises to the young people of Australia, and their reality is they have failed to deliver a single additional new home under their failed housing policies? And that is what this new track is highlighting, Labor’s failures over the last three years, but in particular, that we cannot afford another three years of Labor.
Isaac Mulcrone
Can I ask, though, because it’s got a fair bit of criticism on social media, do you not think it’s a little bit cringy?
Senator Cash
Oh, but do you know, the thing with something that’s a little bit cringy is the fact that people then listen to it over and over and over again. And then, like you and I, guess what, we’re actually now talking about it. And then people actually start, they’ll probably start Googling it now, and saying, “I’ve got to listen to this diss track.” And that’s the whole point of really what a diss track is. You know, you use multiple platforms to communicate to voters. Very much, you know, we’re communicating with younger voters. But in particular, what is the message that we’re all now talking about? We’re talking about the fact that Labor have not lived up to their promises, and after the last, you know, three years, voters themselves should be leaving Labor.
Isaac Mulcrone
Alright. Senator Michaelia Cash, good to chat.
Senator Cash
Great to be with you.
ENDS
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