September 18, 2024
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PETER STEFANOVIC: Let's go to Canberra. Joining us is the Shadow Home Affairs Minister, James Paterson. James, thanks for your time, as always. So yep, the Prime Minister says he's a friend of big business and of employees. Can you be both at the same time?
JAMES PATERSON: Well, good morning Pete. It is welcome to see the business community now finally speaking up about the ridiculous and costly policies of the Albanese government, particularly on industrial relations, but also energy and tax and other issues, which is holding Australia back. Frankly, I am more concerned about the small and medium enterprise sector because they don't have the loud voice that big business has. They can't speak up for themselves. And the Prime Minister has done enormous damage to that sector. We've seen a rise in insolvencies. We've seen the pressure that the business sector is under in this country and it's because of the policies that this government has pursued. And if we don't fix this and get our country back on track, it's going to end very badly.
STEFANOVIC: Ok, we’ve got a few topics to touch on this morning, James. I'll move to this other one this morning in the Australian, Labor has quietly scrapped a ministerial direction that's known as Directions 63, which orders the deportation of bridging visa holders who are charged with an offence. Your thoughts?
PATERSON: Well Tony Burke needs to step up today and explain what is it in Direction 63, which has been in place for ten years, it was issued by Scott Morrison as Immigration Minister, that he disagrees with and why it needed to be repealed. I've got it here with me. Let me just read a couple of sections. I want to know which one the government disagrees with. “The government is committed to ensuring that non-citizens, given the privilege of living in the Australian community on bridging visa E, behave in a manner that is in accordance with Australian laws.” Is it that “the Australian Government has a low tolerance for criminal behaviour by non-citizens who are in the Australian community on a temporary basis”? Which part of that does Tony Burke and the Albanese Government disagree with, and why have they quietly repealed this without so much as standing up and explaining why, issuing a media release, even putting anything on the Home Affairs website?
STEFANOVIC: Okay. Tony Burke, He maintains community safety is not being compromised here. That's his response to it. Does it undermine the presumption of innocence?
PATERSON: No, it doesn't. The way that this works is someone who's applied for permanent protection, for example, who has been here on another visa, is put on a bridging visa, and that it allows them to stay in Australia and have access to certain benefits while their status is being resolved, while we decide whether or not they meet the threshold for permanent protection. But if you break the law or commit a serious offence or are charged with a serious offence, well then your privilege of being free in the community while your status is being resolved should be taken away and you should be put into immigration detention and that's what's happened. Now, if you're subsequently found to be innocent, then you can be released from immigration detention. But if you're a non-citizen in our community and you commit a violent crime, you have violated the privilege of being in Australia and violated the privilege of being free in our community. And because this has now been repealed, decision makers in Home Affairs and the AAT are going to be letting people stay in the community even after they're charged with serious offences.
STEFANOVIC: All right. The final one here is up. Olivia Casey just reported on, AUKUS is set to expand as part of Pillar two. You okay with that?
PATERSON: AUKUS is the most intimate and attractive military technology sharing partnership in the world. It should stay as the original three members, but it does make sense to be able to cooperate on a case by case basis on pillar two with other very close partners, partners like Japan. But also, as we're reading in reports today, South Korea, New Zealand and Canada. They are advanced economies. They are like minded partners. They are fellow democracies. And we can work together on solving some of those technological problems, whether it's quantum computing or advanced hypersonics or cyber security, in a way that enhances our shared values and shared interests.
STEFANOVIC: Ok, James Paterson Shadow Home Affairs Minister, thank you for your time as always. Speak to you soon.
ENDS
