July 2, 2024
KIERAN GILBERT: Live in the studio, now is the Shadow Home Affairs Minister, James Paterson. Lot to talk about. I know Peter Dutton is going to hold a news conference in five minutes. We'll take our viewers live to Peter Dutton when he speaks. But in the meantime, on the Fatima Payman issue. Do you do you accept that the Prime Minister is also trying to navigate not just his party politics, but maintaining social cohesion over these matters?
JAMES PATERSON: I'm sure that's true. But I mean, he's tolerated open defiance from her for a very long time. It started when she made that statement in budget week about the river to the sea, something he said is a very violent statement that has no place in Australia. There were no meaningful consequences for that. When she initially crossed the floor there were no meaningful consequences from that. It was really only when she went on Insiders on Sunday, and stuffed up their communications plan for this week - that is the greatest sin apparently, intervening in a Labor party communications strategy - that there's been real consequences for her. I think had he addressed this earlier and more firmly, we wouldn't be seeing what we're seeing right now.
GILBERT: The Greens are stoking this as well, aren't they? Clearly.
PATERSON: They are and there is a kind of a legitimate political campaigning point which they can make. They can move whatever motions they like in the chamber. I am concerned, though, outside the chamber, that things are happening that are dangerous to social cohesion in this country, like vandalising the war memorial, like the attacks we have seen on electorate offices, which the Greens should be much more careful about stoking.
GILBERT: You've got to go to a vote, I can see the red light flashing. I'll let you go. Thank you for making the time and as I said to James Paterson, we will be live to the Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, shortly. He's holding a news conference in a couple of minutes from now.
PATERSON [OFF CAMERA]: Thanks, it's a real I assume, real I assume?
ENDS
