April 21, 2025
GARY ADSHEAD:
The opposition, the Coalition, have been out today with their crime policy. They've chosen the public holiday Monday to go out and launch a policy of $750 million worth of plans to tackle crime at all different levels, I should point out. Joining us to talk about it right now is Senator James Paterson, who was part of the announcement today. He joins us on the line. Thanks very much for your time, Senator.
JAMES PATERSON:
It's good to be with you, Gary.
GARY ADSHEAD:
What would you describe of the $750 million package? What would say is the centrepiece? Is it the child sex offender register?
JAMES PATERSON:
That is a very critical element. As you know, Western Australia already has a scheme like this in place where parents or guardians of children can apply to find out whether someone who has contact with their children is a registered sex offender. But Australians in other states and territories don't have that scheme and we want to roll it out nationally because we think every child is equally worthy of protection and parents in the rest of the country should have what Western Australians have had for many years, which is a right to find out whether their teacher or their childcare worker or their sporting club coach who's got contact with their children is a risk to them at all.
GARY ADSHEAD:
So over here, I don't know what you're proposing, but that system here as to if you're living in a suburb, you can put in certain details to find out whether there's one living in the suburb. That won't tell you exactly who the person is, though. Are you talking about something like that or not?
JAMES PATERSON:
What we're proposing is a disclosure scheme where parents or guardians can apply to police, and police make a judgement call whether or not they should disclose that information. It's
originally based on a UK model, but the South Australian Government is looking at it as well, and we want it to be nationally consistent so that you have that right to find that information out about people who have access to your children. It is not a public database; you can't search it and find any person's name. It is a disclosure scheme, and the police have the final say. In the UK, literally thousands of disclosures have been made. That means thousands of parents have been able to remove their children from a dangerous situation with a registered sex offender.
GARY ADSHEAD:
So why haven't they done anything like this on the east coast, given some of the recent cases that we've seen, you'd think that they might have moved on it by now?
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, I agree with you, Gary. There is no good reason why it hasn't been done on the east coast. We think it is an oversight, and it's long overdue, and it is going to be one of our early priorities as part of this $750 million package for safer communities. Because unfortunately, we've seen community safety and crime go backwards on this government's watch, whether it's home invasions, or car jacking, or thefts in retail stores. It's all up on this government's watch, and people are feeling much less safe.
GARY ADSHEAD:
I think you're also talking about the amount of illegal tobacco that's coming into the country, cigarettes, the organised crime issues that that's creating. What would you do about that?
JAMES PATERSON:
Yeah, look, this is completely out of control. And right across the country, we've had tobacco stores being firebombed by rival gangs trying to control the illegal tobacco trade. And we know a very high proportion of smokers nowadays are buying illegal tobacco and not paying excise on that. And that means that taxpayers are all worse off from it, as well as our communities are less safe. So we want to surge resources to the Federal police, but also the other Commonwealth agencies that are working on law enforcement, including Border Force, AUSTRAC, which is the financial crimes regulator and the Criminal Intelligence Commission. We're going to put $355 million behind this task force because what is clear is that this is being driven by organised crime and also bikie gangs, and they're profiting enormously from it, and we must break that business model because they use it to terrorise families and communities.
GARY ADSHEAD:
But isn't the reality that the cost with excise of cigarettes and tobacco is so high that it's created the perfect environment for a black market?
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, look, that is probably one of the factors. But another factor is the completely unregulated vaping market that people are now profiting from. We want to have a regulated and taxed vaping market, and we're going to use the proceeds in part from that to reinvest in enforcement. We just don't think enforcement has been adequate either at the border or in our communities. We know that there are many retail stores openly illegally selling tobacco, and they're not facing legal consequences for that. So we really do need state and federal governments to work together, but we're going to take a leadership role, and we're going to fund it.
GARY ADSHEAD:
How does it keep getting through, though? Cause you're right. I mean, if I put out on radio, does anyone know anyone that buys on the black market, I'd get calls because it's just so easy. How's it all getting through?
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, this is the other part of our package. We're going to surge resources to the border to have more inspections of cargo and mail. Cargo and mail is an increasing way that illegal tobacco and vapes, but also drugs, including date-rape drugs, are being imported into our country to then be used to commit horrific crimes. And just not enough of our cargo and mail is getting scanned when it comes into the country. So we want to work with Australia Post to make sure a much higher proportion of that is being scanned so that contraband can be taken out of the system before it gets into our country.
GARY ADSHEAD:
Okay, another thing you're looking at is a dedicated task force on antisemitism. I mean, aren't AFP and other authorities doing enough on that already?
JAMES PATERSON:
Look, I wish we could say that they were, but we've had, you know, a shocking increase in antisemitism in our country, particularly over the last two years. And there are still many unsolved antisemitic crimes that have been committed, in particular, the firebombing of the Addas synagogue in Melbourne. The culprits have still not been identified. And we just don't think there's been enough federal leadership on this, that the Albanese government hasn't made this a priority, hasn't invested resources in it. And we want to put dedicated resources behind this problem, because it's a scourge, which is obviously terrible for the Jewish community but dangerous for all Australians, and it clashes with who we are as a country. You know, we're better than this, and we have to stop it.
GARY ADSHEAD:
Can I just ask you, I know that you'll probably have an answer ready for this, but polling, the Redbridge accent polling, the research has come out, I mean it must be difficult to put that to the back of your mind in terms of how bad it looks like the Coalition are tracking right now in 20 marginal seats. What do you say to the polls right now? It has you as the underdog.
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, we always knew we would be the underdog in this campaign. It's been 100 years since a first term government lost office. And, you know, we're climbing a steep hill off the back of the results of the last election, but we find that when people hear about our plans, particularly the cut in petrol and diesel tax of 25 cents a litre or the $1,200 tax rebate that they'll be getting at tax time under a Dutton Coalition government, that they are increasingly likely to vote for the Coalition. But a lot of Australians haven't tuned in. All the research is showing there's a very high soft vote, even at this late stage in the campaign. And Australians are busy, and they have other priorities other than listening to politicians. And so many of them won't make the decision until quite late.
GARY ADSHEAD:
In other words, in the middle of a long holiday period, for those that have taken and grabbed those three days in between Anzac and Easter, how hard is it for you to focus the community or is this basically a lost 10 days?
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, quite appropriately, we don't do overt political campaigning on Good Friday or Easter Sunday or Anzac Day. They're really significant days in the Australian calendar, and we want to respect that by not intruding on people. I've got to say, not everybody in the Australian political system respects that. The Teal candidates, in particular, were bombarding people on Good Friday and Easter Sunday with advertising, which I think is really bad taste. But we're respecting that. Australians are having those conversations, though, with family and friends over the kitchen table. I'm particularly thinking of young Australians who want to get into the housing market would have been talking with their parents and grandparents over the weekend about how our policy to allow them to deduct the interest costs of their mortgage will give them, you know, $11,000 to $12,000 more a year they can spend on servicing a mortgage and get them into that home market sooner.
GARY ADSHEAD:
Redbridge also found quite categorically that the Labor claims of your nuclear plan costing $600 billion is resonating with people, that it's too much. What do you say to that?
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, it's based on a lie. It uses a flawed methodology that is not true. We've actually had this independently costed at a fraction of that cost. In fact, 44% less than Labor's plan for a renewables only system, which, as we know, is not going to be sustainable or deliver the emissions reductions we need in a way that's economically affordable. And that's why Australians are paying so much more for power on this government's watch. It's up 32% in terms of electricity and 34% in terms of gas. So we think our nuclear plan is a better plan, but there's no question, Labor is running a scare campaign on that, which we think is irresponsible and dishonest.
GARY ADSHEAD:
Can I just check as well before I let you go? I note that the Nine Media papers are running a story that Anthony Albanese sort of overwrote a minister in relation to changes to online gambling regulations and laws. Would you as a Coalition do more to stop online gambling advertising?
JAMES PATERSON:
This is another example of Anthony Albanese trying to please everybody but pleasing nobody. I mean, he doesn't want to upset the sporting codes and the gambling companies. He doesn't want to upset the gambling reform advocates. So he just does nothing at all. We've been very clear about this. We think that gambling advertising during sport is particularly a scourge that families do not want. And we've said we'll ban gambling advertising during live sporting broadcasts and one hour either side of it. So that you can watch a game on a Friday night or a Saturday with your family and not be bombarded with gambling ads. We set out that position nearly two years ago now, and Peter Dutton has taken leadership on this issue. I just wish the Prime Minister would honour the request of his colleagues and others who have been fighting for this for a long time.
GARY ADSHEAD:
So you're saying that the Prime Minister's parked anything too contentious going into this election. Isn't that just good politics?
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, it may or may not be good politics, but I don't think it's a good policy, and I don't think it's good for our country. And I think on so many issues, he's kicked decisions into the long grass. I mean, in Western Australia, you have the north-west gas shelf expansion and extension. I mean, he was required, his government was required to make a decision on that, and they've kicked that off till after the election. I don't think that's for a good reason. I think that's because he wants to hide from Western Australians whatever decision he's going to make on that, that could cost jobs and export income.
GARY ADSHEAD:
James, thanks very much for joining us today.
JAMES PATERSON:
Always good to be with you, Gary.
ENDS