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April 1, 2025
Transcript – Channel 7 Sunrise
01 April 2025
E&OE
NATALIE BARR:
A Chinese spy ship has been spotted off the South Australian coast amid fears it could be mapping some of our most critical military communication cables. This comes just weeks after the Chinese military conducted live fire drills in the Tasman Sea. Despite concerns of an ongoing potential threat, the Prime Minister appeared to downplay the situation, saying only that he preferred it wasn't there. For more, we're joined by Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson, live in Parramatta. Good morning to you. Do we know what this ship is doing here?
JAMES PATERSON:
No, we don't know exactly what it's doing, but it has some pretty interesting capabilities. It can drop a submersible vehicle down 10,000 metres to map the seabed and also it has the potential ability to map things like our internet cables, which coincidentally travel [inaudible]. I'm very worried that the Prime Minister is yet again not across the details when it comes to an important matter of national security. Yesterday, he said that the Australian Defence Force is tracking this vehicle, but the Government is now saying the Australian Border Force is tracking this vessel. Now I know it's only two letters away in the alphabet, but there's a world of difference between the ABF and the ADF. And if the Prime Minister isn't up to the job on national security, then how can we trust him for another three years?
NATALIE BARR:
So, are you saying he lied when he said I have confidence in the Australian Defence Force?
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, he either lied or he got it wrong, and it wouldn't be surprising if he got it wrong because he got so badly wrong when it came to those Chinese Navy exercises a few weeks ago that you mentioned. He said that we were notified by the Chinese government in advance. We never were. He says that the notification from the Virgin Australia pilot and the notification from the Australian Defence Force came around the same time. Actually, the notification from the Virgin Australia pilot came about an hour before. I'm worried that we're going to have to rely on another Virgin Australia flight over the Great Bight of Australia to monitor what is going on with this vessel because the Prime Minister has no idea.
NATALIE BARR:
Okay, so let's say in five weeks you're Home Affairs Minister, what would you be doing differently?
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, first of all, I'd be upfront and clear with the Australian people about what we know and what we don't know, and I wouldn't be getting the facts wrong. Secondly, I wouldn't be baselessly comparing what this Chinese vessel is doing in our region to what our Defence Force does in China's region. The Prime Minister said we do things like this in China. Well, if that is true, why is he talking about it publicly? But secondly, I'm not aware of any similar Australian vessel conducting any similar activities in the South China Sea as the Prime Minister says they did. The ABC has reported this vessel entered into our territorial waters. Are we seriously saying that Australian Defence Force assets have entered into the territorial waters of China to map the deep seabed, and if they have, we've never heard about it until now? I mean, he really needs to come clean today. Has he inappropriately disclosed sensitive missions, or did this never happen at all?
NATALIE BARR:
So yeah, he said our ships do similar in the Taiwan Strait. Are you saying that doesn't happen at all?
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, certainly the Australian Defence Force and Australian Navy does transit through the Taiwan Strait. It's an international waterway. But we do not enter into the territorial waters of the Chinese government. And I'm not aware of any instance of us having a research vessel that has a capability to put a submarine down 10,000 metres to map the seabed.
NATALIE BARR:
Maybe it's classified, maybe the Prime Minister knows, the Border Force knows, and they just don't tell us all the stuff they're doing.
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, if it is classified, Nat, do you think it's appropriate for the Prime Minister to have disclosed it in a press conference in the middle of an election campaign? I mean that would be a very serious breach of national security if we have indeed conducted these activities on a classified basis and the Prime Minister has just blurted it out for everyone to hear.
NATALIE BARR:
Okay, we'll ask him today. We'll ask more. Thank you very much, James Paterson.
JAMES PATERSON:
Please do, thank you.
ENDS