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April 27, 2025
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, it should have been the easiest question for the Prime Minister to answer. What is going to go down in cost if you're re-elected as Prime Minister? It should have been an easy question because this has been a cost of living election. It should have been an easy question because at the last election, the Prime Minister promised that the cost of everything would go down if he won the election, including people's mortgages. But that hasn't been Australians' experience. And maybe that's why the Prime Minister stumbled so badly through that answer. He wasn't able to provide any concrete answers into what is going to go down under his prime ministership if he's elected for a second term. And I think Australians know that its true that nothing will go down if Anthony Albanese is re-elected for another term. Everything will keep going up, as it has in his first term.
Two other frankly weird moments in the debate tonight was the Prime Minister's bizarre suggestion that the President of the United States does not have a mobile phone. I think that would be news to the President and his team. And a truly, utterly bizarre moment. And also the Prime Minister's unwillingness to be clear about whether or not he still supports the Voice agenda. We know he signed up to the Voice agenda in full. He signed up not just to a Voice referendum, but also to treaty, and also to a truth commission. So it's up to the Prime Minister now to be very clear. Will he pursue that agenda if he's elected at this election?
JOURNALIST:
Senator, Peter Dutton was also asked a pretty straightforward question. Will you visit a nuclear power site during this campaign? He didn't say yes or no. So what's going to happen there?
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, he gave a very clear answer to that question, which is he already has visited…
JOURNALIST:
Outside the election campaign, he was asked about the election campaign.
JAMES PATERSON:
Your time as Opposition Leader is more than just what you do in an election campaign. And Peter Dutton has visited, as Opposition Leader, three sites of nuclear power facilities.
JOURNALIST:
There are seven, though, Senator.
JAMES PATERSON:
That's right. And the truth is that wherever the sites are, all Australians will benefit from our energy plan. They'll benefit immediately from the cut to petrol and diesel tax. They'll benefit over time from reduced gas prices from our east coast gas reserve. And in the long term, they'll benefit from an emissions free, reliable, affordable energy system under nuclear power. And what we're focused on is all of the Australians who will benefit from that plan.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think Elon Musk is an evil genius?
JAMES PATERSON:
I thought that was a fair description. I don't think even Elon Musk would object to that.
JOURNALIST:
Do you agree that the ABC and the Guardian are hate media? That was quite an extraordinary comment that the public broadcaster is hate media.
JAMES PATERSON:
Oh, look, I hope no one took that too personally. I thought that was said in jest. I think it's pretty fair to say that both the Guardian and the ABC have taken some tough editorial stances and applied a lot of scrutiny to Peter and the campaign. And they can certainly dish it out. I'm certainly sure they won't be offended in return.
JOURNALIST:
But it is the public broadcaster, with a many billion dollar budget. Hate media is quite a strong comment from an aspiring Prime Minister, is it not?
JAMES PATERSON:
I thought it was a tongue in cheek comment. I think you will know, as you've seen on this campaign trail, Peter engages very well and very respectfully with all media outlets. You've had great access to him on the campaign trail. Everybody gets a question every day. He doesn't hide from that scrutiny. And I think it's a fair exchange of ideas and sometimes a little bit of cheeky exchanges too, and I don't think that's a harmful thing in a healthy democracy.
Thanks, everyone.
ENDS