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April 14, 2025
Transcript – Sky News AM Agenda
14 April 2025
E&OE
LAURA JAYES:
Let's go live now to the Coalition's Campaign Spokesperson, the Shadow Home Affairs and Cyber Security Minister James Paterson. James, great to see you. From David Littleproud in Bendigo, to you on the major issues of the campaign. Let me start with NewsPoll today. Does this show you that, okay, we take in the margin of error, but does this show you that something that you're doing in the campaign isn't working so far?
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, Laura, it shows that we're the underdogs in this campaign, but we knew that heading into the campaign. It's 100 years since the first-term government was turfed out of office, and we have a hill to climb. We know that. But I'm encouraged by the response that our candidates are reporting that they get in the field. It's very clear that they are, when people hear about our message, when they understand that their petrol tax is going to go down by $14 every time they fill up, their diesel tax is going to go down every time they fill up. When they hear that we're going to provide them with cost of living relief in the form of that tax offset, of $1,200. They like that message, and they're hearing our message, and I think increasingly they'll be voting Coalition.
LAURA JAYES:
James, can you find or point to a single economist that says that your policy won't just push up house prices?
JAMES PATERSON:
Yes, Tim Reardon, he's the economist for the Housing Industry Association, he says this will help increase supply because it will invest in new builds only, first home buyers are only eligible if they're going for a new dwelling, and of course it's just one among our suite of policies in this space. We are reducing demand by banning foreign investors from buying houses for two years, by cutting immigration by 100,000 net overseas migrants per year, which will free up 100,000 homes. We're boosting supply with a $5 billion fund to fund that infrastructure to unlock those developments. That's 500,000 homes that could be unlocked by that. We're reforming the construction sector by deregistering the CFMEU and getting the lawlessness out of that industry. And we are unashamedly backing first home buyers. We are on their side. They feel like the cards have been stacked against them. We're doing a really meaningful, transformative thing to back them and give them a fair chance.
LAURA JAYES:
Okay, let's talk about the spending in this campaign now. You gave up the mantle of being the party of lower income taxes, are you giving up the mantle as well, of fiscal discipline?
JAMES PATERSON:
No, I don't accept either of those premises, Laura, because of course, we are offering tax relief to Australians in the form of a tax offset, which will be $1,200 for most Australians, for about 85% of taxpayers who will get up to $1,200. We're also cutting petrol and diesel tax. And of course, over time, the Liberal Party will always manage the books better than the Labor party does. We will get Labor's out of control spending under control. The $425 billion they've added in their first term in office won't be replicated in a future Coalition government, we'll spend what we need to spend on the services that Australians rely on, we will guarantee funding for health and education and other important priorities, but we won't go around wasting half a billion dollars on a failed referendum to divide our country or other examples of wasteful spending and that will allow us to get the budget back into shape and over time address things like bracket creep
LAURA JAYES:
So is that just a promise or a guarantee, or are there steps that you can point to in this campaign or in your budget in reply that shows that that is your aim? And do we have a time frame?
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, Laura, I think Australians understand that when the Liberal Party is in office, we manage the economy better, we manage the books better, and we will always return taxpayers' money to them whenever we can afford to do so. We must be responsible about it, we won't go baking in structural spends that are going to contribute to a budget that's out of balance. But as soon as we have the opportunity to return Australians' tax money to them, we'll do so, because it's in our DNA, it's who we are. Nobody joined the Labor Party to cut taxes, but a lot of people joined the Liberal Party to cut taxes, and that's what we'll do as soon as we can afford to do so.
LAURA JAYES:
One final question, James, why are neo-Nazis targeting your office in protest?
JAMES PATERSON:
It's a good question, Laura. I suspect it's because I've been outspoken against antisemitism in our country over the last couple of years, and I've stood shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish community against the horrific intimidation that they've suffered. If intimidation is what these people were aimed at doing, it's not going to work on me. I'm even more determined than ever before to stand up against extremists like this and to protect Australians from them. And these people aren't patriots. They worship a failed foreign regime of one of history's greatest losers, Adolf Hitler. The real patriots were the men and women who went and defeated Nazism, fought Nazism in Europe and defeated it. And if it ever rears its ugly head in Australia as it is at the moment, we must stand with the Jewish community and all other Australians to defeat them.
LAURA JAYES:
Do you think a lot of Australians would be scratching their head this morning thinking, how are they even allowed to do this? I mean, we do allow protests in this country. It's a sign of a very healthy democracy, but that, the menacing black outfits, their faces covered, should that be allowed to happen.
JAMES PATERSON:
Well, you are right that they covered their faces in a particularly cowardly move. If they had the belief in their system, then they would have actually shown themselves and revealed themselves to the whole world. I think that speaks volumes about them. We led the fight over the last three years, Laura, to pass really strong laws at the federal level to crack down on behaviour like this. It is now a crime to engage in a Nazi salute. It's now a crime to publicly display Nazi symbols as it should be. And the critical thing now is we make sure those laws are enforced. We make sure people feel the consequences of this behaviour because I bet you they won't be as bold or as proud if they've been locked up.
LAURA JAYES:
James, thanks so much for your time, as always.
JAMES PATERSON:
Thanks, Laura.
ENDS