Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
TRANSCRIPT
2SM Radio with Chris Smith
TOPICS: Trump presidency, Penny Wong at inauguration, latest polls, antisemitism
23 January 2024
E&OE
Chris Smith
We’ve got approximately 50 stations in the great southern land now, listening to this program, and very happy to say, we welcome to the show WA Liberal Party Senator Michaelia Cash. Welcome.
Senator Cash
Good morning, Chris and good morning to your listeners.
Chris Smith
Thank you so much for joining us. I can’t avoid the Trump ascendancy and talking to you about it. It’s very hard to avoid, but what I find hard to cop, and it’s on the front page of The West Australian today is the way our Foreign Minister Penny Wong, despite her hatred of all things Trump, tried to sweet talk incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, DC. Very uncomfortable bedfellows.
Senator Cash
Oh, look, absolutely and I mean, Penny Wong is well known for her negative views on the person who is now the leader of the free world and the President of the United States. And yet you saw Penny there, you know, in the US as the best friend that Donald Trump has ever seen. But I think most Australians know her position. Most Australians know that is just not credible. And ultimately, now you have a government of incompetence and of frauds, and certainly under Peter Dutton, we will ensure that the years ahead in terms of our alliance with the US are some of the most defining for us, and that benefit both Australia and the US.
Chris Smith
Just in terms of Peter Dutton and all of you in the party would be encouraged by this – three polls now this week, have the Coalition ahead on a two-party preferred basis, but will this be enough to avoid what I fear the most, the Greens holding the balance of power?
Senator Cash
Well, Chris, I think what the polls highlight in the first instance is Australians are starting to understand that Australia can’t afford to continue on its current path under Mr. Albanese. But what they also highlight is the need for each Australian to understand where they put their vote. If you vote, for example, for a Teal, you are effectively giving a vote to an Albanese/Greens government. People need to understand this. But more and more Australians, as I move around, they are saying to themselves, am I better off today than I was two and a half years ago? The answer is no. Given the current state of social un-cohesion in this country, they’re asking themselves, do I feel safer and more secure today than I did two and a half years ago? And the answer is no. So I think what the polls are showing more Australians are understanding they can’t afford to continue on the current path. But we also need to understand: be careful where you put your vote, because a vote for anything other than the strong leadership of Peter Dutton is probably going to see your worst nightmare come true – Albanese governing with the most left-wing group of radical ideologues, and that is the Australian Greens.
Chris Smith
Who may even get the seat in cabinet.
Senator Cash
Oh, don’t even start me. I mean, seriously, I was reading The Australian editorial today, and they basically say this: “when it comes to political opportunism and economic illiteracy, the Greens are always consistent, but on their economic record, they are neither fit to govern nor exercise policy power from the cross bench.” And again, people need to understand, you can’t afford to continue on our current path under Mr. Albanese. It can get worse, though, Chris with an Albanese/Greens government. We can do better, and that better is the strong leadership of Peter Dutton.
Chris Smith
On the subject of please explain: I want you to explain to us why we need more hate laws in a country that has so many laws it’s not funny. But I see that the Attorney-General is planning on bringing these into force within weeks. It’s being supported by the Coalition. I understand. Aren’t these antisemitism attacks, not acts of terror? Don’t we have laws for that? Aren’t we covered in this regard?
Senator Cash
Well, in the first instance, what I’d say is this, the weakness of the Albanese government and the abject failure to show strong leadership in terms of the rise of antisemitism in this country is why we are where we are today. The Attorney-General, what a joke bringing the laws forward in the next parliament, when we have been calling for these laws to be implemented, Chris for over 12 months now. James Paterson and I, Peter Dutton, we have consistently written to the Prime Minister, to the Attorney General, to Tony Burke, saying we will support these laws coming into being, and what have we seen; next to nothing.
Chris Smith
So you’re trying to take what is clearly something that has never been before, the criminal courts make it a criminal offense.
Senator Cash
So basically, the hate crime laws are already in place. They are section 80 of the Federal Criminal Code. However, they are clearly not working, because we have not seen any prosecutions under them, and we have consistently said to Mark Dreyfus and Anthony Albanese, we will work with you to amend the laws so that they are fit for purpose. They have failed to do anything. In fact, Chris, the Government has been so slow to act on those laws that we have now, unfortunately, got to the stage where we are now seeing acts of terrorism occurring. And the point that Peter Dutton is now making is we now need to take the strongest action possible in relation to these acts of terrorism, and strengthen terrorism laws so that there is no question at all if you engage….
Chris Smith
They are a separate issue right?
Senator Cash
Yes, absolutely. So the hate crime laws address the urging of violence and because Albanese and Dreyfus have been so weak on this, we have now progressed to the fact that we now have acts of terrorism in this country. And as Peter Dutton has said under his government, if you engage in an act of terrorism, you will go to jail. There will be a mandatory sentence, that is it. And I would think that all Australians would expect this. And shame on Albanese for being so slow to act on the hate crimes laws that we’ve progressed beyond the urging of violence to actual acts of domestic terrorism in our great country.
Chris Smith
Question without notice, will you be working or playing on Australia Day?
Senator Cash
I’ll be doing both. I’ll be I’ll be working in the sense that, yes, I’ll be out and about in my role as a Senator. But hey, what a great day to be out and about in your role as a Senator, celebrating our great country, celebrating our great flag. I am a proud Australian. I think, like most Australians, we live in the best country in the world. Let’s celebrate all that is good about our great country.
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