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
6PR Perth Radio, Mornings with Gary Adshead
30 August 2024
TOPICS: PM’s backflip on LGBTQI+ census question
E&OE
Gary Adshead
Michaelia Cash, what do you think?
Senator Cash
What an absolute mess. One day they don’t want to stoke division. Now they’re creating division. But the question people need to ask is this: Does the Prime Minister of Australia actually know what he stands for? And this is half the problem with Anthony Albanese. He actually doesn’t know what he stands for. That was reflected in particular in the work that was done on the religious discrimination legislation. They promised the Catholics one thing, they promised the Imams another thing, they promised the LGBTIQ+ equality movement another thing. You’ve got to be kidding me. You either know what you stand for as the Prime Minister of Australia, or you don’t. But Gary, this is what actually worries me. If this Prime Minister can be swayed as simply as this, can you imagine what will happen if they’re in a minority government with the Australian Greens, and what they will capitulate on? Disastrous.
Gary Adshead
Because clearly the Labor MPs in the backbench were arcing up, and he’s gone weak at the knees, hasn’t he?
Senator Cash
But this is just it. You either know what you stand for, and as the Prime Minister, you carry the authority of that office, or you don’t, and that’s my worry. I was looking at the Greens manifesto this morning. Can I tell you, Western Australians need to pull it up online and actually read it, because a few of the things that the Greens want if they are in a minority government with Anthony Albanese are an inheritance tax, and guess what? They’ve rebranded it – dynastic wealth transfer tax, climate reparation, I kid you not, to pay for the ongoing impacts and legacy of colonialism. So this is an issue that people need to wake up and understand. You have a Prime Minister who does not know what he stands for. One minute, he’s got people out there saying, “we can’t divide the country.” Some people arc up. He’s now saying, “I didn’t mean that last week. This week, I mean something different.” Wow.
Gary Adshead
How do you reckon Richard Marles feels? I mean Richard Marles was fairly stoic in what he said 48 hours ago.
Senator Cash
Absolutely. Who is actually running this country? Who is running this country? But more than that, Gary, what promises is this Prime Minister making to different groups of people? I have personally experienced it. One thing to the Catholics, one thing to the Imams, one thing to the LGBTQI+ community on religious discrimination, and then it all becomes too hard.
Gary Adshead
He’ll be here next week. Won’t the Prime Minister and the Cabinet be here next week?
Senator Cash
The first thing he needs to do on Monday morning is apologise to the Western Australian people in terms of his quip that showed total contempt for our farmers. The next thing he needs to do, is stand up and explain why we now don’t have one person in Cabinet that is a friend of Western Australia, given Madeleine King’s comments yesterday. I mean, Gary, wow.
Gary Adshead
That’s in reference to comments that she made before a luncheon where BHP obviously were targeted by the Minister in relation to their concerns about union activism. All right, well, there’s a lot going on in the federal politics space.
Senator Cash
And more than happy to talk about it next week with you.
Gary Adshead
Michaelia Cash, thanks very much for that.
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