May 23, 2024
TOM CONNELL: All right, let's return to the story on nuclear power. So we've got revelations today that the seven sites have been selected, albeit not revealed yet, by the Coalition. Joining me live is Shadow Home Affairs and Cyber Security Minister James Paterson. For more on this and a few other issues. Thanks for your time. It looks like five Nats and two Lib seats. Is this sort of you recognising that you need to do it in your own backyard?
JAMES PATERSON: Good morning Tom. Look, I wouldn't leap to excitedly at this story today. I'm not sure all the details in it are in fact accurate. But there will be an announcement. It'll be well before the election, and we will nominate the sites that we intend to be, future sites of zero emissions nuclear energy. And we're putting that burden on ourselves because we're going to be upfront about this with the Australian people. We don't think that Labor can manage the transition to net zero by 2050 without completely de-industrialising our country. And we do believe that nuclear energy as a stable, reliable, zero emissions source of energy is essential to making that transition work. So we will nominate those sites. The communities will know and they will have a very important part in the process.
CONNELL: Okay, All right. Well we want to get the truth out there. What do you want to clarify or hosed down out of what's been out there today?
PATERSON: That's a fair try Tom, but obviously I'm not going to pre-empt an announcement by the Coalition when it is ready to be made.
CONNELL: Couldn't you just correct what is out there?
PATERSON: I think if we start doing that, Tom, you know where that will lead. We're doing this in a very careful and methodical and considered way, and we will be announcing the full details in good time, well before the election.
CONNELL: Okay. And other interesting figures out there today are on immigration, in particular relating to international students. So the group of eight in particular, 32% up on the number of international students. That's compared to the last pre-COVID year. Now, do you say this is just a bit of an outlier because we had a so-called catch up year, or is does this suggest to you this is an area if you want to introduce net overseas migration, it's never easy, you want to keep skilled workers coming in. This is the area you look to reduce numbers in?
PATERSON: Well there has been a massive and unprecedented surge in international student visas granted in the last two years under this government. It is not sustainable and it has to return to more normal levels, the kind of levels that we saw in our country in the lead up to the pandemic. That is sustainable, that allows universities to earn significant international export income, but is more achievable and has less adverse effects on the housing market and other services and infrastructure. And so we will bring that back down. We've said very clearly that there are two important measures to do that. One is that there is going to need to be a cap on international students. And secondly, the student visa application charge currently doesn't reflect the cost to society of someone coming here and living in our community. The Grattan Institute and others have nominated some figures, will consult with the higher education sector to make sure that the number that we come up with is something that is proportionate to the task that we've got.
CONNELL: Okay. Story out of Sydney. A cake baked for a four year old's birthday. Hamas themed, I want to say tasteless. that's not meant to be a pun. I guess it is, anyway. Is this something you just criticise, or is there a legal issue here in your view?
PATERSON: What's very distressing and very sad, Tom, is that anybody thought this was a good idea and that a four year old child has been subject to, frankly, appalling behaviour by the parents and the bakery involved. I would hope that no one born and raised and living in Australia would think that this is an appropriate thing to do. It is a crime to glorify a terrorist organisation in this country, a listed terrorist organisation like Hamas. I'm not sure whether this can reach that threshold…
TANYA PLIBERSEK, OFF CAMERA: Don't say anything horrible about James Paterson.
CONNELL: Ok, alright well.
PATERSON: I can hear Tanya Plibersek in the background there.
CONNELL: Okay. That's why you paused; I wasn't sure. Okay, so we've had a little bit of a rogue microphone.
PLIBERSEK, STILL OFF CAMERA: …get out of my way.
CONNELL: I will just give the guys a signal out there. She's coming in soon, Tanya. Not yet. Let me ask you, finally. Emmanuel Saki. So this is an immigration detainee who's been released, now charged with murder. Obviously at the charges stage, but I want to just focus on the body that released him. I know you've criticised Labor, but the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, released him. He did have a serious domestic violence conviction against him. He could have been detained and he should have been. Do you have some criticism of the AAT over that?
PATERSON: Well the AAT followed the law. Andrew Giles in January 2023 issued a ministerial direction, number 99, which required decision makers to consider someone's ties to Australia as a primary consideration when deciding whether or not they can stay. The AAT in this instance, has overturned the delegates decision to cancel this visa. But there were two options available to the minister when that happened. One, he could have immediately cancelled that visa and put that person back into immigration detention. Or two, if he believes, as he said in the media in the last 24 hours, that the decision was wrong at law, he could have appealed to the Federal Court. Now this decision happened two months ago. Andrew Giles did not do either of those things, and the AAT was only following direction which Andrew Giles himself issued. So there really is nowhere for him to hide. He should front up today, explain his processes, explain his decision making. Did the department provide him brief on this case? Did he follow the advice of the department? Did he ignore the advice of the department? Did he ask the department for a brief? These are questions which Andrew Giles has to answer and has to answer today.
CONNELL: James Paterson, appreciate your time, thank you.
ENDS
