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
Doorstop, West Perth
TOPICS: North West Shelf gas hub extension, CFMEU, WA state election, WA Liberal leadership
21 March 2025
E&OE
Senator Cash
I want to make some remarks about the Albanese Government’s failure to make a decision on the approval for an extension on the life of the North West Shelf project. Tanya Plibersek actually slipped in to Western Australia recently, and it’s incredibly disappointing that she did not stand up and address Western Australians and let us know why under her and Mr. Albanese, they have failed to make a decision in relation to the extension of this vital project.
The North West Shelf project has been an economic powerhouse for over 40 years. It has also contributed in excess of $40 billion to the economy in terms of taxes and royalties. It also provides a source of cheap power for Western Australians at the domestic level, in addition to the energy that it provides for millions all over the world. It is inconceivable that Mr. Albanese, who keeps on telling us that he gets us, has not had his minister make a decision in relation to this important project. But we all know why. Mr. Albanese, when he’s here in Western Australia, says one thing to Western Australians. And I would say to Western Australians, judge Mr. Albanese by his actions and not his words, because when he’s here, he says one thing, but when he is in inner city Sydney and inner-city Melbourne, he is basically kowtows to the Greens and the Teals. And we all know what this inability to make a decision is all about – votes in inner city Sydney and inner-city Melbourne. Peter Dutton was here this week, and he has made it clear that he will ensure that a decision on this vital project is made within 30 days of a Dutton Government being elected. The Cook Labor government, they went through an extensive approvals process over six years, and they have given the green light to the extension on the North West Shelf. So today I call upon Premier Cook to stand up to Western Australians and tell Mr. Albanese to make a decision prior to the election. I call on Madeleine King, I call on Minister Keogh and I call on Minister Patrick Gorman – stand up for Western Australians for once, please. This is an important project, and Peter Dutton has made clear, we will ensure a decision is made on this project within 30 days of being elected. It is, quite frankly, un-Western Australian that Mr. Albanese will pit us against Greens and Teals in the eastern states at the expense of Western Australians.
Journalist
Will the Coalition fast track the project?
Senator Cash
We have made it very clear, and that is the commitment that Peter Dutton has made. We will fast track a decision on this project. A decision will be made by the Minister Jono Duniam within 30 days of coming into Government. But more than that, we have also made clear that unlike Tanya Plibersek and Anthony Albanese, we will pay serious regard to the economic and social benefits of this project. The Minister is able to do that, but under Tania Plibersek and Anthony Albanese, they pay respect to Green voters and Teal voters at the expense of Western Australians. That is unacceptable.
Journalist
The resources minister Madeleine King yesterday said that this pledge to fast track approval for the North West shelf expansion further risks delaying the project by exposing it to further legal challenge. What’s your reaction?
Senator Cash
Well, I wish Madeleine King would stand up for Western Australia for once in her ministerial life. She has shown herself to be a weak and ineffectual minister. She has no sway around the Cabinet table. But I have to say, if Madeleine King is referring to the fact that if this project goes ahead, Greens and Teals, cashed up with millions of millions of dollars, will take it to court. Well, of course it will. Well, guess what? We are not going to be deterred by those minority groups who do not have the best interests of Western Australians at heart. Does Minister King not understand that Premier Cook, a Labor Premier, they put this project through an extensive improvement process that took six years, six years, and they have given the green light for it to go ahead. I’m going to work on the basis Roger Cook knew what he was doing and did his job. As I said, the problem with Madeline King, Tanya Plibersek who conveniently slipped into town last week, but didn’t address Western Australians in relation to this matter, is they are beholden to inner city Greens and inner-city Teals in the east, I can assure you that I am not. Jono Duniam is not, and Peter Dutton is not.
Journalist
But would the Liberals, I guess, be skipping through proper process if they were to fast-track approvals?
Senator Cash
No. You have a statutory time period in which this decision is meant to be made. The Labor government have extended the decision. They should have already made a decision on this project, but we all know why – there’s an election coming up. They want Western Australians to believe one thing, but at the same time, they are losing seats in the inner city, in Sydney, in Victoria. This is all about playing one thing on one side of the country and another thing on the other side of the country. And quite frankly, Western Australians can see through it. Peter Dutton and myself on behalf of the WA Federal team, we will put the interests of Western Australia first. But I also trust the six year process that Roger Cook and his government undertook in giving this incredibly important project the go ahead. I mean, where does Mr. Albanese think Western Australians get their energy from. Woodside provides us with the gas we use on a domestic basis. This is all about ensuring an ongoing future for Western Australians and access to a cheap form of energy. And Mr. Albanese is playing politics, and he is prepared to put that at risk. He should be upfront with the people of Western Australia if you are not going to approve this project, tell us prior to the election.
Journalist
How is this project going to work in relation with the coalition plan to move to nuclear?
Senator Cash
Well, we have a plan for cheaper, cleaner, consistent energy. Nuclear is a long-term plan to ensure that in the decades to come, Australians have access to a reliable form of power, a cheap form of power, but more than that, a clean source of power. In the short term, though, we have been very upfront, and that is why the North West Shell project is so important. You need to get more gas into the system. I mean, Mr. Albanese, Chris Bowen and relevant ministers, when they were elected to office, they demonised gas, and yet they’ve suddenly woken up to the fact that the short-term solution to cheaper energy in this country is more gas in the system. Well, we’ve always said that our plan is a long-term plan for cheaper, cleaner and consistent energy for Australians, that includes gas, renewables and nuclear.
Journalist
Just on the WA election – how disastrous was this state election result for the liberals?
Senator Cash
Well, in the first instance, I’m from the Federal team, and I was looking at the Federal swings – the Federal swings achieved in the federal seats, for example, of Pearce and Hasluck. They should have Mr. Albanese, very, very worried. There were swings in those state seats of up to 20%. It was always going to be tough for the WA Liberals on the ground, because we had little to no infrastructure, because we only had the two seats. Roger Cook also, let’s, let’s be clear here, he stood up to Mr. Albanese on a number of issues. They are the same issues that I have stood up to Mr. Albanese on, that Peter Dutton has stood up to Mr. Albanese on, including Mr. Albanese’s disastrous decision to ban live sheep export and actually kill off our industry and our WA farmers. Mr. Albanese’s, disastrous nature positive, mining negative legislation. So Roger Cook was perceived as someone, as a Premier who stood up to Mr. Albanese, just like the Federal WA liberals do. It’s a bit of a shame that the Federal WA Labor members roll over and just do what Mr. Albanese says. It’s not in the best interest of our State.
Journalist
What do you make of her WA Liberal leader, Libby Mettam standing down, and should Basil Zempilas replace her?
Senator Cash
Well, in the first instance, that is a decision for Libby Mettam. Libby, despite the result did an outstanding job. She was literally a one person show on the ground every single day. Out there every single day articulating the Liberal Party policy. The result was not what she wanted, but in the same regard, we also move on. I am now purely concentrating on the Federal election and the disaster that would be for Western Australia – an Albanese minority government, governing with the left-wing Teals and the left-wing Greens. They are anti-mining and they are anti-Western Australia. My job is to stand up for Western Australia and Western Australians against a Labor government that has, quite frankly, walked away from WA.
Journalist
Would Basil Zempilas be good as the WA Liberal leader?
Senator Cash
Ultimately, that is a decision for the State party room, so I wouldn’t pre-empt those matters. What I would say about Basil Zempilas is this, though – he is energetic, he is enthusiastic and he is articulate, and I think he will be an outstanding asset to the Western Australian Liberal Party. And despite everything that Roger Cook and the WA Labor Party say they also know that, and they are afraid. Otherwise why would they have thrown everything at Basil Zempilas, it’s up to a million dollars, it’s estimated, to ensure that he did not win the seat of Churchlands. I think Basil Zempilas will be an outstanding asset to the Western Australian Liberal team.
Journalist
Does the election result damage the Liberal party’s chances here in the Federal election?
Senator Cash
No, because, as I said, Roger Cook – the baseball bats were not out for Roger Cook. That was made very clear to us with all of our candidates door knocking for months and months and months. The baseball bats were not out for Roger Cook. They were out for Anthony Albanese. Why? Because Western Australians know he promised the world before he was elected, and he’s not delivered anything. He has made life worse. And as you go around Western Australia and you talk to people and you say to them, Do you feel better off today than you did three years ago when Mr. Albanese was first elected, they look at you now and the answer is no. And then you say to them, can you risk three more years of Mr. Albanese governing in a minority with the Greens and the Teals? And the answer is no. But more than that, Mr. Albanese, despite all his weasel words, has shown by his decisions, he is anti-Western Australian.
Journalist
What kind of difference does Basil make for the federal election?
Senator Cash
Well, again, in relation to the Federal election, we are the Federal team, and we will be the ones out there prosecuting the Federal arguments. But as I said, Basil is a great asset to the State Liberal Party, and I look forward to working with him, whether it’s as the member for Churchlands, he’s actually my local member, or in any other position that the party room might give him. But ultimately, that is a matter for the Western Australian party room.
Journalist
How quickly would a Coalition government move to wind back multi-employer bargaining?
Senator Cash
We’ve made it clear that our focus is on cleaning up the construction industry in Australia. What we saw on 60 Minutes on Sunday night was quite frankly disgusting. A health and safety representative from a union kicking a woman that was there for all Australians to see. And what does Mr. Albanese say? Next to nothing. But worse than that, what do we all now know that this government has provided to Incolink, which has ties to the CFMEU, a $5 million grant to work with women in construction. Quite frankly, you couldn’t script this. So our focus, on behalf of all Australians, will be to clean up the construction industry, to restore the tough cop on the beat the Australian Building and Construction Commission. But in particular, and we announced this last week, to bring in mafia-style laws to once and for all, break the business model of organized crime, which has infiltrated the CFMEU in Australia, and is now costing mum and dad Australia 30% more for their roads, for their houses, for their schools and for their hospitals. So our clear focus is on cleaning up the construction industry for the betterment of all Australians.
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