Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Trade and Tourism (Senator Farrell) and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Senator Watt) to questions without notice asked by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Senator Birmingham) and Senators Paterson and McDonald today relating to foreign relations, the NZYQ case and offshore gas exploration.

The first question was a question to Senator Farrell. We also just had the last question to Senator Farrell. In the response that he gave just then, you could see a preparedness to maybe react and provide a bit of colour to the debate that we're having here in this place. But when it comes to an issue of his own making, which was the topic of the first question, all we see from Senator Farrell is ducking and weaving. I've got to say I like Senator Farrell. He's from the good side of the Labor Party, if there is such a place. He's a decent fellow and he makes good wine too. I've enjoyed his wine. But I can tell you that I am getting rather sick and tired of coming into this place, seeing questions provided to Senator Farrell and hearing him just waffle around and not treat question time with the seriousness it should be treated with. It is an opportunity for us to come in here, particularly as the opposition and indeed the crossbench, and ask questions of this government and its leaders. Proper answers should be given.

On the issue of Australia's ally—our closest ally—the United States, it should have been very, very easy for Senator Farrell to confirm that, yes indeed, the United States is Australia's greatest, strongest and closest ally. It would have been the easiest thing to do because that has been the long tradition of this country since we fought in the early wars. Since the formation of the very fabric and nature of this country, we have been allies. It would have been very, very easy. But, instead, for whatever reason—we can only surmise what that reason might be—Senator Farrell did his usual ducking and weaving, just fumbling around and winding down the clock and not taking the issue seriously. I have to say it is getting exhausting. It is a shame because Senator Farrell can bring a lot into this place. But when he's put under any kind of pressure, that's the tactic that he plays, and I think he needs to up his game. It's not acceptable, particularly when there's an opportunity to reaffirm the great relationship that we have with our closest ally, the United States.

The other question we had, from Senator McDonald, went to the issue of the supply of gas in the east coast and the issue that environmental approvals are having. This isn't just an issue on the east coast; this is also an issue in my home state of Western Australia. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia estimates that there is $318 billion worth of investment at risk due to the delay in environmental and other approvals. The government is getting in the way of projects that need to occur. The Scarborough gas field can provide 30 years of power not just to Perth but to 10 other cities the size of Perth around the globe. Thirty years of electricity could be providing heat to homes in Seoul and places like Tokyo. They are much larger cities.

There is an opportunity here that is going missing. Western Australia is the powerhouse of the nation. I always like to remind us in this place of that place over there, WA. We generate incredible wealth. We have $318 billion that's being held up, and this government here and the state government of Western Australia need to get their acts together, because Australians and, indeed, the rest of the world are missing out on wonderful opportunities when it comes to supplying good, reliable and cheap power.

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In my view, the question from Senator Birmingham to Minister Farrell was completely infantile. I think it's perfectly right, from the point of view of the Minister for Trade and Tourism, to point out that our trade relationship with the United States might be a bit more complicated than simply being able to refer to the US as being our most trusted ally. It is, in this context. And we have the ability to walk and chew gum.

Are you feeling insecure in your relationship with the US, Senator Birmingham? It seems so. But we aren't, and the US aren't. Are you somehow worried, Senator Birmingham, that Senator Farrell's answer somehow implies that some other nation has come between us? You tend to equate our important diplomatic relationships to schoolyard antics like the particular sayings by text message: 'You're dropped,' and 'Will you go around with me?' or, 'Will you not go around with me?' These are our diplomatic relationships. Our diplomatic relationships are sophisticated, reliable and strong and have never ever had such significant standing in the eyes of the Australian public or in the strength of our relationships with other countries than since Minister Wong became our foreign minister.

The amount of work that has been done to rehabilitate our relationships with the US, China and a wide range of other countries, indicates how infantile your question actually is. We have to build strong, trusted relationships with a wide variety of countries. I would not expect the trade minister to give an answer in relation to the nature of our relationship with the US and being allies. It's not at all clear to me about whether you were talking in the context of trade, defence or security et cetera. To my mind, I'm quite cognisant of the fact that, yes, while the US is our most significant military ally, they are not always our best friend on trade, but we are secure in our economic relationships with the US. We are secure and robust in our relationships with the US when it does come to trade, despite the fact that we don't always see eye to eye. We are secure in our relationship with the US. Yes, they are our most trusted ally in many respects but that is not an absolutist answer. It is not ever helpful to create the kind of hierarchy in allyship without the level of nuance that our diplomatic relations actually require.

If Senator Birmingham is seriously worried that Minister Farrell was trying to imply that someone had somehow come between us and the US and that we were no longer special friends, on all things at all times, well, that approach that the opposition is taking is absolutely laughable. This government has a mature, reliable relationship, a grown-up relationship. We work as a team—consistent, organised—whether it is with the US, New Zealand or, for that matter, China. It is an approach that we will continue to take now and into the future, especially under the leadership of both Senator Farrell as our Minister for Trade and Minister Wong as our Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have witnessed a few train wrecks in this place in my time but I think that tops the pops. I would suggest to Minister Wong to get the Hansard of that so that she can get in here quick smart and start walking that back, because we just heard a doubling down on Senator Farrell's gaff over the US. We know it was a gaff because he has basically come in and admitted it. He had to walk it back after his boss said that our most trusted and most important ally is the United States. That is what your boss says. If you work as a team, as we just heard, you might want to back up your boss, because Prime Minister Albanese has been very clear that the US is our most trusted and our most important ally.

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did not. I just said—

Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh my God—for Senator Pratt to come in and double-down and absolutely walk that back as a question is just breathtaking. It is gobsmacking. I was here to take note of answers today and I was actually planning to take note of another pathetic display that we saw by Senator Murray Watt regarding the national security risks and the detainees that are walking around in our community—rapists, murderers. These guys don't even know where they are—one job: keep Australians safe. We have murderers and rapists out wandering in the community and you guys don't even know where they are. It is breathtaking.

To follow on from Senator Pratt, it had to be noted. This part of the day—take note of answers by ministers—we might have to expand to taking note of the contributions of those from the government who have literally just put on display the most extraordinary doubling down of an insult. Perhaps I am a cynic. Perhaps I don't have blind faith in those opposite. That might come as a surprise to some knowing how opaque they are when it comes to any policy.

Labor's new favourite trick—people in the gallery might be interested in this—is they now make people they consult on policy and legislation sign NDAs so that no-one can discuss what they want to roll out in their policy agenda. They don't actually share any legislation beforehand. They just plan to ram it through, usually in a dirty deal with their mates in the Greens. But the fact that they are now asking stakeholders to sign NDAs means we are seeing this government sink to a new level.

Excuse the cynic in me here but do you think perhaps some of these comments might be related to the fact that we have a visitor from China this week? Do you think they might be here going, 'Don't worry, mate'? We have seen them get rid of the antidumping provisions when it comes to wind turbines just today, just as a friendly gesture to China: 'Come and dump all of your wind turbines here. Don't worry about manufacturing any in Australia. You just make them over there and we will take them all. Dump them here. Stuff up the price arrangements any local manufacturing might have.' But they have given the wink and the nudge to China.

Maybe this was what Senator Farrell was aiming towards, saying: 'Don't worry, China. We're not that close to the US.' Well, here's a little bit of a reality check for you: we are close to the US; they are our most trusted ally. And as part of the AUKUS agreement, as part of the Five Eyes agreement, there is information shared between our two nations at the most sensitive level. To play—it's not even playing politics; it's just plain stupidity. The plain stupidity of these comments beggars belief.

It beggars believe that any of you sitting on those government benches should ever be anywhere near the national security of this country, because you clearly do not prioritise it. You don't prioritise the safety of Australian citizens. Clare O'Neil, the minister, is out there saying how she wishes all of these people were back in detention, but she hasn't brought forward a new piece of legislation. They haven't asked for the court to provide any supervision orders or any extra orders. Nothing. No protection orders. They haven't asked for anything. The incompetence is beyond laughable. It is beyond comprehension. It is only in good faith that the Australian electorate will soon start to see through this incompetent government, which is now putting at risk one of our strongest, most important and longstanding relationships. If Donald Trump wins the presidency, we could be without an ambassador in the US after what's happened today. Credentials could be revoked. What an unbelievable precedent you lot are setting.

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It seems that the opposition wants us to ignore the High Court. It wants us to ignore the advice of our agencies. But on this side of the chamber we have confidence in the agencies that are working hard to keep Australians safe. We have confidence in them. What we don't have confidence in is the ability of the opposition to rise above the politics of fear and division in this nation. What we don't have confidence in is the ability of Mr Dutton to rise above rank political opportunism when he sees it. On this side of the chamber, we do have confidence in our law enforcement agencies and our security agencies. We have confidence that the Australian people know what is important to them today and every day, even if the opposition don't know that. And what the Australian people can have confidence in is how our economic security is tracking in this country right now, and how our plans are delivering for them today.

Just think about the state of this country when we took office. Wages had been flat for a decade under those opposite. Inflation was on the march. Interest rates were already rising. Real wages were falling off a cliff under those opposite. And the Morrison government was hiding increases to the benchmark electricity price that we've been talking about today. At the same time there were eye-watering deficits of $80 billion and $50 billion as far as the eye could see, year on year on year. This is what the Australian people were concerned about when we came into office.

What a difference 18 months of a Labor government makes. What a difference it makes to put some people in charge who are actually focused on the issues that Australians care about. What a difference it makes to put some decent and strong economic managers back in charge—because today we have the fastest wage growth in 20 years in this country. Today inflation is moderating, and we know that from the RBA decision and their commentary yesterday. Interest rates have now been on hold for four months, with the RBA recognising that inflation is moderating and that downward pressure on electricity prices is important to that as well. Today we are seeing real wages growing again. Today the budget is back in shape, with the first surplus in 15 years. And, in just a few months, every single one of 13.6 million Australian taxpayers will get a tax cut. These are the things that Australians care about. These are the issues that matter to them.

What also matters to them is that energy prices are going down too. The default market offer, which you had to hide from the Australian people as you were leaving office, is now trending in the right direction: it is trending down. We have lower electricity prices, and that is so welcome. There is so much more work to do, and we will continue to do that difficult work.

I know that the opposition wanted to come in here today and ask questions that distract from all of that good work that we have been doing to get our economic security back on track. They have come in here today and asked questions about state issues, like gas in Victoria. Do we want to talk about the Victorian government? I'm happy to talk about my home state, if you think it's appropriate to ask about the Victorian government in question time. We know that the Victorian government is focused on energy security, and we know that they are focused on jobs in renewable energy—in generation, in transmission and in manufacturing. There have been 59,000 jobs created in renewable energy in Victoria. Prices are going down in Victoria by six to seven per cent. That is all part of their plan, supported by our plan, to actually bring electricity prices down and improve our energy security in this country.

We can listen to those opposite talking about fear and division, we can listen to their questions about state issues that they bring into this chamber of the parliament or we can listen to what the Australian people are concerned about. What they are concerned about is having a good job and the money that they're going to get back from our tax cuts on 1 July. What they are concerned about is earning more and keeping more of what they earn under the Albanese Labor government.

Maria Kovacic (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of answers to questions from the opposition. I'm not often lost for words, but I can tell you that I almost am today. I don't know where to begin, actually: Senator Farrell's inability to answer Senator Birmingham's questions, Senator Pratt's responses or Senator Walsh's response. It is incredibly confusing. What I will note is that, while Senator Farrell did not answer Senator Birmingham's questions, he talked a lot about the consistent policies of this government. If there is one thing that this government has not been, it is consistent. There is constant chopping and changing. There is telling the community one thing, saying you're going to do a second thing and then backtracking and delivering a third thing. It's absolutely confusing. Senator Farrell didn't even answer the question that Senator Birmingham asked around Five Eyes. He actually just went on to say who was included in Five Eyes. He didn't answer the question; he just gave some background narrative. It's very confusing.

Senator Pratt went on to note that she would not expect a trade minister to discuss the nature of a relationship with a trading partner or with the US. But the problem is that Senator Farrell did. He made the statement that he is not sure that the United States is our most trusted ally. So, in one breath, we have somebody making a statement and in the next breath, in the defence of that statement, somebody says you wouldn't expect somebody to say something, when they just did. This is in reference to—in Senator Pratt 's own words—a sophisticated, reliable and strong relationship and an important diplomatic relationship, and Senator Farrell has said he is not sure the United States is our most trusted ally. It's very disappointing.

In relation to the questions around the NZYQ case, I note that Senator Walsh said that those of us on this side of the House want to ignore the High Court or ignore the advice of agencies. No, we don't. We just want this government to be prepared for the outcomes of any High Court decision or for the advice of agencies and not to be caught out without being ready to make decisions based on those decisions or outcomes. That is the problem: this government wasn't ready. This government didn't act when it should have to protect Australians, and now it is backtracking and suggesting that we want to ignore the High Court, when that is absolutely not the case.

Finally, we all know that this government has not been a decent and strong economic manager.

Question agreed to.