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
Chris Smith, ADH TV
20 November 2024
TOPICS: Nuclear energy, AUKUS, Misinformation Bill, the economy, productivity, Ukraine/Russia War
E&OE
Chris Smith
So to respond to what we’ve witnessed from Australia on the world stage this week, let’s bring in West Australian Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash. Senator, thank you very much for your time. This childish reply to the US and UK on nuclear energy is an embarrassment, isn’t it?
Senator Cash
Well, it’s one thing for Chris Bowen to be an international embarrassment, Chris, there’s another thing though now for Australia on the international stage to literally be outliers. 31 other countries signed the agreement to triple the output of zero emissions nuclear energy. Ed Miliband – Labour, UK, – very, very clear, they are reversing the legacy of no nuclear in the United Kingdom. Justin Trudeau, the equivalent of the Labor side of politics here, he has made it very clear in Canada – the Canadians will not achieve their emissions reduction targets without nuclear. And yet, what do we have? Yet again, Chris Bowen, despite the rest of the world moving one way, Chris Bowen knows better for Australia. But it gets worse, because Chris Bowen actually said, and I’ve got the quote here re the Albanese government’s approach to climate change. And I quote: “makes economic sense at every level from the household budget to the national economy.” Well, I bet Australians, Chris, who have received their latest power bill under Mr. Albanese’s Government, and the fact is, on average, $1,000 is what they have gone up by – I bet they’re going to disagree with Chris Bowen’s statement that the Albanese Government’s energy plan for Australia – going it alone – leaving the rest of the world – is actually working for them. And businesses. Don’t start me on what businesses say. Because the Albanese government, since they have been in office, you are now talking it’s around 25,000 businesses have gone insolvent. And when you talk to businesses about why, Chris, what is number one on their list? We couldn’t afford our energy?
Chris Smith
It’s like spitting in the face of every small business person and every individual who is forced to pay this incredible high electricity bill.
Senator Cash
But what’s worse is, Chris, this government either deliberately or is wilfully ignorant in terms of we will have nuclear powered submarine capability. That is what AUKUS is. I come from Western Australia, where there will be nuclear powered subs. Australians embraced nuclear powered submarines because they understand we need to be able to properly defend our country going into the future. And yet, Richard Marles says, oh, but we don’t have a civilian nuclear industry in Australia, and therefore we can’t have one. Say what? So you can’t actually make this up. Yes, we don’t have one. And that is the whole point. If you want a long term energy plan for Australia that is cleaner, that is cheaper, but more than that, Chris, that keeps the lights on now and into the future, nuclear energy is where this country needs to go.
Chris Smith
Yeah, they are backing themselves into a very lonely corner here, both internationally and, I think domestically and politically, because you can’t support AUKUS, and just dismiss nuclear power.
Senator Cash
Yes just dismiss it by saying, well, they’re two separate things. Well actually they’re not. And that’s the whole point. They’re actually not. And you know, Richard Marles answer – oh but we don’t have a nuclear, a civilian nuclear industry in Australia, and it would cost a lot of money to implement one – that’s also not the response. It’s costing Australians now a lot of money every time they receive their energy bill under this government. That’s what’s costing them a lot of money. And all Labor says is, trust us. We have a pipe dream of a plan that is renewables only. What? Again, when will this government stop acting on an ideological best interest for themselves approach and start acting in the best interests of the Australian people?
Chris Smith
They’re signing a suicide note for this country. Now as a Senator, you will be called on to vote, probably next week on Labor’s, otherwise known as the misinformation and disinformation bill. Is it dead?
Senator Cash
Well put it this way, the crossbench have come out and said they’re not inclined to support it. Let me be very, very clear. The Liberal Party and the National Party, we are not supporting it. But more than that, in the House, we did not support it. But put aside the cross bench. It doesn’t matter what they do or don’t do. If the bill doesn’t get up, all Labor will do, Chris, if they get another term in office, is they will bring it back into the Parliament. The Australian people need to understand Mr. Albanese has openly declared that he is against free speech in Australia, that he is more than happy as the Prime Minister to censor Australians. And I would have thought on that one issue alone, that Mr. Albanese would be voted out. Chris, did you ever think that in our great country, the great country of Australia, you would have a Prime Minister who was committed to denying Australians our right to free speech and censoring us. Because in all honesty, I know this is a bad government, but even I wouldn’t have believed they would actually censor Australians, and yet, that is exactly what they’re doing. But this is just it. What type of a country do Australians want to live in post the next Federal election. Mr. Albanese promised Australians so much before the election, he basically misled them. He has delivered the opposite. But for a Prime Minister in the great country of Australia to attack our right to free speech – I am so sorry, Chris, but in my book, you don’t come back from that. And I would plead with Australians, consider your vote at the next election. Because even if this bill, Mr. Albanese’s censorship of Australians, Bill, does not get up next week, you’re guaranteed he will bring it in in the next Parliament.
Chris Smith
It’ll bounce back absolutely. Very briefly about the economy. The Business Council didn’t pull any punches yesterday, as we all saw, warning the government that the nation was quote, standing on a burning platform. What they got wrong, though, Senator was saying that living standards will fall. According to the OECD, they’ve fallen.
Senator Cash
So under this government, Australian living standards have dropped by 6.2%. That is a fact. The government cannot dispute it, no matter what they say. But more than that, real wages in Australia have gone backwards by 2.6%. And when you look at the Reserve Bank the most recent statement on the 5th of November, yet again, the Governor of the Reserve Bank in her statement, what did she say? The Reserve Bank will continue to either hold interest rates or alternatively, it will have to consider to increase them, because of the government’s homegrown inflation. In other words, Mr. Albanese, despite everything you say, the Reserve Bank’s independent governor has been very, very clear. Your policies are directly contributing to inflation. And ultimately, unless you get an increase in productivity, and let’s be clear, Chris, this is not about Australians working harder, because Labor jumps straight onto it and say, well, all you want is people to work harder. That is not what it is. It is working smarter as a country, utilizing the technologies that are available to you to get better value out of what you do, Unless you increase productivity in this country, our standard of living – if people think it’s bad now – it can get worse.
Chris Smith
That has always been the key, but I don’t hear it from the mouth of our leaders in the country at the moment. All right, I have no faith in the way the United States is feeding Ukraine’s thirst for more war against Russia. Everyone I spoke to outside of this studio today, the barista I go to of a morning to get my coffee through to the bloke from the corner store. They have all said that this is frightening – US built missiles are landing inside Russian territory. Joe Biden obviously wants Putin to start nuclear World War three.
Senator Cash
On this issue, let’s first look at, though, why Ukraine is in the situation that it’s in, and that is because Russia unilaterally made a decision to invade sovereign Ukraine. This has now been going on for over 1000 days. They continue to bomb Ukraine. If Australia was invaded, Chris, we would want the right to self-defence.
Chris Smith
It’s not the same.
Senator Cash
It’s easy to sit back here in Australia and to have that position, because we are a lucky country. In terms of President Putin, he has made these threats before. He made them in September of 2022. Which to me, says having to make these threats again, you are a very desperate man. What we need to do, not just as Australia, but as the world. We need to stand up to President Putin. We need to stand up to any despot who makes a decision to unilaterally invade another country.
Chris Smith
Having said that this is a territorial dispute that could be sorted out tomorrow, and they could take what they occupy at the moment, and we could save a potential World War Three.
Senator Cash
Again, Putin’s made these threats before. It is for the rest of us to stand up, quite frankly, and stare down the threats that are being made. Ukraine does have a right to defend itself. Russia – they entered the Ukraine. It is as simple as that.
Chris Smith
Okay, let’s agree to disagree.
Senator Cash
Absolutely.
Chris Smith
I think it can be resolved, I think, in the direction that I’m speaking of, but we’ll have to wait until early next year. Thank you so much for your time, much appreciated.
Senator Cash
Always great to be with you, Chris.
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