November 24, 2022
Thursday 24 November 2022
The Bolt Report, Sky News
Subjects: Drew Pavlou, Parliament House security, China relationship
Andrew Bolt: Thank you so much for your time. What do you make of police removing Drew Pavlou from our parliament as, you know, a guy with a history of protesting against China?
James Paterson: Andrew,the Australian Federal Police have a difficult but important job protecting Parliament House. They have to have to deal with some extraordinary things,including only a few months ago, Extinction Rebellion, vandalising the building by graffitiing the building and setting a light in the parliamentary forecourt.So I don't want to be too critical of them, but I think they have made the wrong decision here. They asked Drew Pavlou, who had legitimate business in Parliament House, who posed no risk to anyone that was undertaking no protest activity, to leave the building. In fact, he was having a flat white at the Queens Terrace Cafe with a friend at the time. They asked him to leave before he was due to meet Peter Khalil, the new chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee who succeeded me. So I find it very difficult to understand how he was a high risk yesterday but is permitted to return the building today. He can't be both of those things.
Andrew Bolt: Well,they must have had a good night's sleep or something. I don't get it. You asked for an explanation from the Australian Federal Police. I did too. That's the one that you just had the answer that I got. What’s the explanation that you had?
James Paterson: Andrew,I've spoken to the Commissioner, Reece Kershaw, this afternoon and I am sure that they will be carefully examining this issue and reflecting on whether or not the decision to ask him to leave the building was the right one. And I'm sure if they decide that it was the wrong course of action, that they will act upon that appropriately.
Andrew Bolt: Well,it's really weird because as you said, Extinction Rebellion protesters, you know, sweeping through and causing all sorts of mayhem and gathered protests against China posed no risk. And I would ask you to stop. That is not good. Not good. Now, China's dictator Xi Jinping last week ended his ban on meeting Australian prime ministers agreed to meet Anthony Albanese. But this week China resumed its attack and saw journalists excitedly saying the peace break through but actually resumed its attack on us through the Communist Party's Global Times, which said that while pursuing a new defence arrangement with the US and Britain was a threat to regional peace and security and a barrier to improving China Australian ties. What do you think China is up to here? You know, carrot and stick at the same time.
James Paterson: It certainly is welcome that they are now willing to resume normal diplomatic dialogue and meet with their counterparts. I thought it was very counterproductive that they refused to meet with their counterparts under the Morrison government, even though we were willing to meet with them. But there has been some very breathless and very excitable commentary about the significance of those meetings when really we have to judge the Chinese government by their actions, not just their words. And those actions include their attacks on AUKUS, as you pointed out, but also the continued arbitrary detention of Australian citizens Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun, and the sanctions,unjustified sanctions, against many Australian industries. So those people who are out there saying that this is a tremendous reset, as I said on business leader say, I think they're either deluding themselves or hoping that it will somehow become that. There's no evidence before us that the Chinese government approach to the region or the world has changed. And we shouldn't expect a very significant change to the Chinese government’s behaviour because Xi Jinping was not only just re-endorsed for a third term as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, he further consolidated power around him, stacking the Politburo Standing Committee with his closest allies and friends who will be yes men for him when he makes big decisions in the region. So there is no reason to expect a kinder, gentler Chinese government towards Australia.
Andrew Bolt: Yeah,I can't see that great breakthrough either. You know, before they were punishing us for not so much. Now they are punching us and talking to us, but we're still getting punched. So I'm not quite sure what the benefit is anyway.James Paterson, thank you so much indeed for your time.
ENDS
