February 27, 2025
PETER STEFANOVIC: The ADF chief, David Johnston, has made things uncomfortable for the Prime Minister by casting doubt on what the PM says he knew about Chinese live fire drills off the New South Wales coast. So further to this, now let's go to Canberra and bring in the Shadow Home Affairs Minister, James Paterson, who was there at Senate estimates. So timings, not just timings, James, but advance warnings or no notice, as Jack pointed out, that when the Prime Minister said there was now hotly disputed, is it just fair to say our security weakness has been exposed here and China are playing us off as mugs.
JAMES PATERSON: Not just hotly disputed, Pete, flatly contradicted. The Prime Minister must apologise to the Australian people today for repeatedly misleading them about the activities of the People's Liberation Army Navy in the Tasman Sea. He says they gave notice. He didn't just say that once. It is said that twice. He said multiple times now that they gave notice. The Chief of the Defence Force, Admiral Johnston, said there was no notice. And in fact, we only found out about these exercises after they started. Secondly, the Prime Minister has said that notification arrived from our New Zealand colleagues at the New Zealand Defence Force and Virgin Australia at about the same time. Well, that's another false statement. In fact, this report came from Virgin Australia well before our New Zealand colleagues. It was reported at 9:58am to Airservices Australia, who then referred it to Defence. It wasn't till 11:01 that report first came into Australia from the New Zealand Defence Force. So, on two grounds, the Prime Minister has misled Australians. He needs to front up. He needs to apologise today.
STEFANOVIC: When this happened, James, what should have been done?
PATERSON: Well, I have a range of concerns about the management of this issue. I do not understand, given that Admiral Johnson told us that the ADF had sufficient assets to provide coverage and surveillance of this, why the Australian Defence Force didn't have constant surveillance, why we chose to hand this off to our New Zealand counterparts because Admiral Johnston admitted that the consequence of handing it off to the New Zealanders was delayed notification of this issue. That's one of the first issues. The second issue is the Prime Minister should have been much more upfront and honest with the Australian people. The third issue is he should have been much stronger in standing up for Australia and our men and women in uniform objecting to the Chinese government over this issue, rather than downplaying it as he has been. And finally, the Prime Minister should stop equating the behaviour of our professional and dedicated patriotic men and women in uniform and what they do in the South China Sea to what the Chinese Navy has done in the Tasman Sea. They are completely different. We do not behave in the unprofessional way that they have done. We are not reckless. But that's what the Prime Minister has a compared it to.
STEFANOVIC: Do you think there's an element of naivety here from the Australian government to China, given that trade seems to be back on track?
PATERSON: There really should be no naivete at all, Pete. I mean, maybe five years ago, but there's enough in the public domain, let alone the classified intelligence briefings that the Prime Minister regularly receives and, I hope, pays attention to. But based on his lack of attention to detail and understanding of this issue, perhaps that's the problem. Perhaps he doesn't read his briefings. Perhaps he doesn't pay attention. He clearly has no natural instincts for national security and no interest in it. And maybe that's why we're in the world we're in. But for him to downplay the seriousness of what they do, and for him to equate it to what we do in international waters - we give 24 to 48 hours’ notice. We do not exercise under live flight paths. We did not require commercial airliners to divert traffic at the last minute to protect their passengers on board. These are all things that the Chinese Navy has done in our waters. And that comparison is a slur on them, on the professionalism of the men and women of the ADF.
STEFANOVIC: Do you assume there are subs out there?
PATERSON: Yes, I think it's highly likely that there are submarines as part of this task group. I asked the ADF that yesterday they weren't able to say, they don't know. They said that it is often the case that a submarine accompanies these kinds of task groups. But this is a very formidable, very capable task group. And I would be surprised if they didn't have a nuclear submarine trailing them.
STEFANOVIC: Yeah, Nick Ryan is going to be joining us in the program next hour to talk about this. Just one final note here, James, before you go. Just on cost of living, these insurance premiums are going to rise again. But this is the biggest jump in seven years since you were last in power. Some, including NIB with a supersized raise on the way. They're playing catch-up after a number of caps. Could the Health Minister have done any more here?
PATERSON: Well, for starters, he should have been more upfront and honest about it earlier. He's been hiding this decision for months. It was due a long time ago, and really, on the eve of an election, he's finally tried to sneak it out amid a bad news day for the government on national security. But I think Australians are going to notice when they get the premium increases from their insurers. As you say, it's the largest increase in seven years. It is above the rate of inflation. Australian families were already struggling to hold onto their private health insurance, with all of the other cost of living pressures they've faced on this government's watch, and the Albanese government has just made a decision to make it even worse. This is a seriously out-of-touch government.
STEFANOVIC: James, we'll leave it there. Thank you as always, we'll chat again soon.
ENDS
