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March 31, 2025
Transcript – ABC News Breakfast
31 March 2025
E&OE
JAMES GLENDAY:
Alright, let's head back to the federal election campaign, and we are joined this morning by the Shadow Home Affairs Minister, James Paterson, who is also now the Coalition's campaign spokesperson. He joins us from Sydney with, looks like some slogans behind him from Liberal HQ. James, good morning.
JAMES PATERSON:
Good morning, James. It wouldn't be an election campaign without a slogan.
JAMES GLENDAY:
No, I was going to say you've got the backdrop ready. I want to start on the opinion polls that have been out over the past day or so. Three different polls appear to show a slight shift in voter sentiment towards the government. Do you have any thoughts on why that might be the case?
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, James, what these polls show is that the next election is going to be close. That's what polls have shown for the best part of a year. It shows that the Coalition are underdogs. We have a big task ahead of us because no first-term government has been removed from office in 100 years. And it shows that Australian people have a significant choice to make over the next five weeks. Can they afford another three years under a re-elected Anthony Albanese Labor government, or do they want to get our country back on track by electing a strong Prime Minister in Peter Dutton and the Coalition?
JAMES GLENDAY:
I just want to ask, though, I mean, you're at Coalition Campaign Headquarters, presumably you've got all sorts of research and information at your fingertips. Why over the past few weeks, maybe the past month or so, has the Coalition appeared to have lost some ground?
JAMES PATERSON:
Well polls often tighten in the lead up to an election and there's no question that particularly over the last month or so the Labor Party has thrown a lot of dirt personally at Peter Dutton and I think that's because they're not proud of their record over the last three years. And how could you be? Australians have suffered the worst fall in living standards in our history and the worst fall in the OECD over the post-pandemic period. Australians are 8% poorer today than they were when Anthony Albanese was elected, and he promised, if he was elected, that people would be better off under him. He even promised cheaper mortgages.
JAMES GLENDAY:
Are you concerned, though, by this? It seems like a little bit of a trend.
JAMES PATERSON:
No, I'm not concerned. What these polls show is that the election is close. It will be decided in the campaign. We've got a very positive message about how we'll get our country back on track, how we will improve Australians' financial circumstances, how we will make our community safe. And Peter Dutton is a strong leader who can deliver on that, unlike the Prime Minister, who, if he is re-elected, would likely be re-elected in a minority-hung parliament with the Greens and the Teals, and I don't think that's the best thing for the future of our country.
JAMES GLENDAY:
Well, I'm just going to ask one more question about that. At the weekend, Peter Dutton asked reporters, “Does anyone believe that Anthony Albanese can form a majority government after the election?” Looking at these polls, the answer seems to be well, maybe it's a minority, but there is a chance that they're within touching distance of a majority. Do you think Peter Dutton could live to regret those comments?
JAMES PATERSON:
No, I don't think there's any chance of Anthony Albanese forming a majority government. He would have to win seats in order to form a majority government. All the polls show there has been a swing against the Labor Party since the last election. That's both in the public and the private polling. And I think we do have to ask the Prime Minister what deals he is willing to do with Adam Bandt and the Greens? This is a much more extreme version of the Greens political party than we saw 10 or 20 years ago. They've frankly harboured antisemitism since the 7th of October. And is that really what our country needs in an uncertain world? A minority government where the Greens call the shots on our international alliances, on our defence policy, on our foreign policy, I don't think that's a recipe for a safer and more secure Australia.
JAMES GLENDAY:
Alright, the Greens will reject that bit about antisemitism, and Labor's going to say no, we're going to win a majority, but let's move on and get to some policy. Is it the Coalition's policy to hold a referendum or even referendums on things like four-year fixed electoral terms, recognising Indigenous Australians in the Constitution, or indeed on the citizenship status of dual citizens?
JAMES PATERSON:
No, we have no plans to hold any referendums if we're elected at this election. The only exception to that is that Peter Dutton has said very clearly a number of times that if our efforts to protect the community from violent citizens and cancel their citizenship is thwarted by the courts, then we will leave on the table as a last resort the option of a referendum. Because I think we do have a problem in this country when we have people who come to our country, who breach the principles and the values of Australian citizenship, who, for example, are convicted of terrorism offences, who then don't have their citizenship cancelled and aren't required to leave our country. So we will try and address that issue through legislative means first. There are a lot of options which we'll be outlining in the campaign about how to do that. That is the only referendum which we are contemplating.
JAMES GLENDAY:
Okay, on policy and a different issue, we asked Peter Dutton specific questions on defence, spending, migration and energy last week. He was very polite. He said all would be revealed soon. When is soon? Voting begins in three weeks. The last two weekends of the campaign are going to be disrupted by Easter and Anzac Day. Don't you have to get your skates on?
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, we've already announced an extraordinary amount of policy, particularly in Peter's Budget in Reply speech last week, where we announced that under a Dutton Coalition Government, every time you go to the petrol station, you will get a tax cut. Every time you fill up your tank, you'll be $14 better off. If you're filling up twice a week, as some families do, you'd be $28 better off.
JAMES GLENDAY:
And we spoke to you about that on Friday. Can you give us an answer then? What's your defence spending target? Is it 2.5% of GDP?
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, as you know, James, it's not my job as Coalition Campaign Spokesman to reveal policies before they are to be announced. You and your viewers will not have long to wait.
JAMES GLENDAY:
What about migration then? 160,000? Is that the permanent migration, net migration figure?
JAMES PATERSON:
The permanent migration figure we've already announced will be 140,000 in the first two years of a Dutton Coalition Government, rising to 150,000 in the third year and 160,000 in the fourth year. That's a cumulative reduction compared to what Labor promises to do of about 25 per cent, but of course, Labor has failed to meet any of their migration targets; they have exceeded every one. And that's why they've brought in almost, in fact, over a million people in their time in office. But their signature housing policies like the HAFF haven't built a single home. So it's no wonder that the rental market is out of control and that houses are becoming out of reach for most Australians.
JAMES GLENDAY:
Okay, we'll look forward to some of those details, no doubt soon, whenever soon is James Paterson, we always appreciate your time.
JAMES PATERSON:
Thanks, James.
ENDS