Senator Dean Smith – Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Transcript – Interview with Gary Adshead, ABC Drive

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA TRANSCRIPT – INTERVIEW WITH GARY ADSHEAD TOPICS: Work from home and public service policies, Gas policy, Port of Darwin, BYD manufacturing standards in Indonesia. E&OE GARY ADSHEAD Alright, boom. Alright, and the conversation now turns to Federal politics, because with me in the studio I’ve got Madeleine King, the Federal Resources Minister. How are you, Madeleine? MADELEINE KING Yeah, very good, thanks, Gary. Good to see you again. GARY ADSHEAD And you. And Dean Smith, of course, the Federal Liberal Senator. I call him the firebrand Liberal. I don’t know how he feels about that. DEAN SMITH Thanks very much Gary. I hope I live up to expectations. GARY ADSHEAD Pressure’s on, great to have you both in the studio. And what are we, two weeks in now? Are we two weeks in? I’ve just lost track. MADELEINE KING I check my calendar each morning, but then I forget as soon as I walk out the door. GARY ADSHEAD I think we’re two weeks into the campaign and it’s almost Easter. And this is a time where people just work about three more days, and then they get this massive holiday if they want between Easter and Anzac Day. Hard to keep people focused, do you think, guys? DEAN SMITH Madeleine and I were talking about this outside just before we came into the studio. MADELEINE KING It sort of reduces the whole campaign time. Because you go into almost a voluntary quiet time. But then the other thing about holidays is, you know, maybe people are sitting around a bit more, being able to read. DEAN SMITH Or waiting for Madeleine to knock on their door. MADELEINE KING That’s it, or a phone call… DEAN SMITH Or their local Senator to knock on their door or wave a sign on the side of the street, like I was this morning on the corner of Marmion Avenue and Reid Highway, with Vince Connelly our Candidate for Moore. GARY ADSHEAD What does it say by the way? MADELEINE KING Are they beeping at you, Dean? DEAN SMITH They were beeping and cheering. But in the interest of full transparency, there were one or two, sort of, middle fingers. GARY ADSHEAD That’s Madeleine’s people. She sends them. MADELEINE KING Yeah, yeah. All the way from Rockingham. DEAN SMITH That’s right. But it’s interesting, I mean, the whole point of the campaign, over the 33 days, is to build momentum and then to have that momentum peak when the pre-poll starts. And then on election day itself. So, Easter does interrupt the building of the campaign. Absolutely. GARY ADSHEAD And pre-poll is right in the middle of it, isn’t it? 22nd? DEAN SMITH Yeah, Tuesday the 22nd. 8AM. GARY ADSHEAD Okay. That’ll be interesting. In your local community, how many people rush out to do it for the Federal Election? We saw a start in the State Election, which was big, and then it sort of tapered off. And that might be all part of the problems that the Electoral Commission statewide have. But anyway… MADELEINE KING Yeah, I’m sure the AEC would be much better organised. DEAN SMITH I’ve got a hundred percent faith in the AEC.   MADELEINE KING So do I. I’ve got four pre-poll booths. DEAN SMITH I did notice that. MADELEINE KING I’m surprised that, yeah, I… DEAN SMITH The pre-poll list came out earlier in the week and I looked at the pre-poll for Perth’s northern suburbs. And I thought, really? Wow, there are lots of pre-poll options. So, there’s no excuse for not getting to the polling booth before your holiday. MADELEINE KING Yeah. And the other thing is people I’ve spoken to that are going away, they’ve just pre-booked holidays and are trying to organise getting a postal vote if the pre-polls aren’t open. So that can be difficult to organise. But also, people visiting from… DEAN SMITH I’m happy to organise anyone getting a Liberal Party how to vote. So just call my office. GARY ADSHEAD It’s good to know that you’re both there to help and serve. DEAN SMITH Don’t go to Madeleine, come to my office. GARY ADSHEAD Hey, let’s just start with a couple of the policies and issues that are around then. Clearly, Dean, you are bleeding in relation to the public servants policy, whether it be work from home or the 41,000 figure that was put on everyone’s head in the public sector. I mean, for Peter Dutton, just to sort of cut it off at the knees is interesting. DEAN SMITH Well, it was said to me, and I do agree, that Peter Dutton deserves ten out of ten for humility. He did listen and responded very quickly. He admitted that it was a mistake, reaffirmed that, and gave people a high degree of satisfaction that it will not be happening. GARY ADSHEAD Did he listen to internal polling, or did he listen to the headlines in the paper? DEAN SMITH I’m sure he listened to his very capable Liberal Party candidates out in the field. I’m sure he listened to those people around him. Made it very clear that he understands better now than perhaps previously the importance of flexibility in the workplace. Flexibility in working from home. These are part of the modern family arrangements for so many people. I think also ten out of ten for Anthony Albanese in running a very effective scare campaign trying to say to people that this was Peter Dutton’s desire across the whole economy. Not true at all, but it’s no longer the policy. Peter’s been very clear about that. And then we’re moving on to other issues. GARY ADSHEAD I mean, it’s a heck of a backflip. Because I watched Jane Hume’s presentation to the Menzies Foundation. I think, Madeleine, I think it was the Menzies Foundation. She was really quite glib…

Senator Dean Smith – Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Transcript – Interview with Gary Adshead, ABC Drive

Transcripts

SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA TRANSCRIPT – INTERVIEW WITH GARY ADSHEAD TOPICS: Election campaign, NDIS, public service cuts, superannuation, schools curriculum E&OE GARY ADSHEAD You through till six o’clock, of course, here on 720 ABC drive, and we’re going to get into our campaign next with Liberal Senator Dean Smith and the Resources Minister for the Government, Madeleine King. One of them is in Canberra, and that would be Madeleine, if I can find her. Are you there? Madeleine? MADELEINE KING I am Gary. I believe we passed over the Nullarbor with Dean. DEAN SMITH Like planes in the night, or planes in the afternoon. I was coming back, and you were going. GARY ADSHEAD Well, welcome to the studio. What to start with. This is a bit unusual, but I was just talking about NDIS issues leading up to the news, Madeleine, and our phones have lit up. I don’t know whether we’ve hit on something here, but it was a mother just telling us that her son’s plan had changed suddenly, and she’s now having to sort of go backwards to try and get it all back in place. I’ll just take a couple of calls on this, and you guys feel free to jump in on the conversation. Hi, Melinda, you there? CALLER: Yes, I am. GARY ADSHEAD Okay, you are a former local coordinator for NDIS. Is that right? CALLER: WA NDIS, before Mark McGowan. We worked very hard to keep the WA NDIS, but then it went, switched over to the federal model, which is very different in operation, to how we used to do it in WA, which was a lot cheaper, more person centred, very individualised to the person and the family. And we’d have unfunded strategies, not just funded strategies. I remember one plan I had for a schizophrenic client, and he didn’t have any funding. He didn’t need it. He was doing great. So, he was an example of an unfunded plan that we had, but he had all these community social supports in there, you know. I just think if we could ever go back to the WA model, that would just be great. I don’t know if that would be very difficult to achieve… GARY ADSHEAD Thanks for the call, Melinda. I mean, Dean, hearing what I was talking about before the news. Do you get many constituents come to you at all? DEAN SMITH Well, I was listening outside the studio to the segment, and it reminded me, I have got one or two matters before me at the moment where I’m advocating for people who have, like the story that you aired, people without any warning, without any preparation, they find that their NDIS program is significantly reduced. There’s not an explanation for it. During the end of COVID I had a very heart wrenching experience. A mother came to see me. She had a severely disabled young son with all sorts of challenges. Happy to report that we were successful in putting fresh information before the NDIS, making the case strongly, and she was able to have that funding restored. So, what I would say to people is: collate the information. If you don’t feel like you are getting a fair hearing from the NDIS, then go and see your local Parliamentarian, because that is one of the reasons why Madeleine and myself are there to advocate on behalf of people. I’ve got one very important matter at the moment, which listening to your program reminded me that, you know, I must stay on top of it, because I do think what Melinda just said about where we’ve got to as opposed to where we’ve come from, I think it’s very, very true to say that the West Australian disability service model that existed before the NDIS was very, very good. It was very grassroots. People felt very, very connected to the system. And I remember very clearly Colin Barnett, who was the premier at the time, arguing strongly that we should have a federated NDIS model rather than a national model. And in making that point, Colin Barnett was really wanting to preserve all that was good about the West Australia model, as well as take up some of the benefits that might have accrued from the national body. But all I say to people, and it is tragic because it comes to people often. These sorts of things come to people without any warning, at a time when people are under a lot of personal and financial pressure. What I say to your listeners is, reach out to someone. Reach out to a service provider. Reach out to your local Parliamentarian. Gather all the necessary evidence, the doctor’s evidence, the specialist evidence, and make the case. There are examples where people have had their funding packages restored. GARY ADSHEAD All right. Madeleine, I don’t know whether constituents have come to you of late or not, and sort of asked for help on this one. MADELEINE KING Hi Gary and Hi Dean. I just say, I mean, I’d back in actually, what Dean said is that the electorate offices are there to help in regard to many inquiries, but particularly NDIS and yes, I’ve had people come to my office, and my staff have helped them get through some of these challenges in the system. I would say it is a very complex System, the NDIS, but it is, it’s really essential, and I think it’s a very good thing that it’s a bipartisan policy now in this country where people with disability can get that support. It does need to be sustainable, and that’s challenging. I’m sorry, I didn’t hear the story before I got to this. GARY ADSHEAD It was a lady saying that she’s got a son, he’s 18. He’s been on a plan for about four or five years. It…

The Hon Michael Sukkar MP & Senator Dean Smith – Joint Media Release – COALITION COMMITS $50 MILLION TO FOOD CHARITY SERVICES

Media Releases

SHADOW MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, NDIS, HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS AND MANAGER OF OPPOSITION BUSINESS – THE HON MICHAEL SUKKAR MP SENATOR DEAN SMITH – SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY & LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA JOINT MEDIA RELEASE COALITION COMMITS $50 MILLION TO FOOD CHARITY SERVICES 28 March 2025 A Dutton Coalition Government will provide $50 million to help food charities, like Foodbank, SecondBite and OzHarvest, expand their services, including school breakfast programs, to support Australians struggling under Labor’s cost-of-living crisis. This funding comprises: $20 million in the first year (2025-26), to provide immediate support to Australians in need, with $10 million for the three national food relief charities and $10 million for other charities providing food support; and $10 million each year from 2026 to 2029, to further support the three national food relief charities. Under the Albanese Labor Government, Australians are experiencing the worst collapse in living standards in history. Real household disposable income has plummeted by 8 per cent, and the price of everything has soared by more than 10 per cent since the last election. To put Labor’s cost-of-living crisis into perspective, nearly 2 million Australian households of all age groups and demographics have experienced severe food insecurity in the past 12 months; 30 per cent of households with mortgages and 46 per cent of renting households are being forced to skip meals just to keep a roof over their heads; and even working Australians can’t afford the basics, with more than half of the households seeking food relief having at least one person in paid employment. As a result, Australia’s food relief sector has been calling on the Labor Government to provide an urgent and dramatic increase in funding to respond to the unprecedented levels of demand for food relief, including from Australians who have never previously relied on that support. However, the calls for funding have fallen on the Government’s deaf ears. Unlike Labor, we have listened to the sector and know Australians need increased support now. Only a Coalition has a plan to fix Labor’s cost-of-living crisis and get Australia back on track. ENDS

Senator Dean Smith – Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Transcript – Interview with Gary Adshead, ABC Drive

Transcripts

SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA TRANSCRIPT – INTERVIEW WITH GARY ADSHEAD TOPICS: Greens salmon stunt, Federal Budget, Budget in Reply, North West Shelf approval delay. E&OE GARY ADSHEAD: It’s a perfect way to bring in my next guests, who are of course Madeleine King, the Federal Resources Minister, and WA Liberal Senator Dean Smith. And no doubt he, probably, hopefully he got to see this with his own eyes. [RECORDING] SENATE PRESIDENT Senator Hanson-Young, second supplementary. [RECORDING] SARAH HANSON-YOUNG Thank you. The Australian Conservation Foundation, the Australian Marine Conservation Society, WWF, the Australia Institute. They’ve all condemned these laws. That’s right. On the eve of the election, you have sold out your environment credentials for a rotten stinking extinction salmon. [RECORDING] SENATE PRESIDENT Senator Hanson-Young, remove the prop from the chamber. Senator Hanson-Young, you’re not in a debate with me, it’s a prop. It’s a prop. Remove it from the chamber. GARY ADSHEAD: It was actually a dead fish. And Madeleine King, the Federal Minister for Resources, and WA Liberal Senator Dean Smith join me now. How are you both?   MADELEINE KING: Well, I’m very distant from any salmon, I’d have to say Gary. I was not there. I’ve seen the footage. The magic of the Senate. DEAN SMITH: I’m very well as well this afternoon Gary, great to be on the show. I was in the Senate Chamber. I did see the salmon. It was wrapped in plastic, so we couldn’t smell it, but we could definitely see it. I think it sort of exposed the fact that the Australian Greens aren’t very good at debating the issues, that they have to bring props into the Senate. GARY ADSHEAD: Well I did ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Miles, whether he’d ever seen a fish in Parliament, of any houses, and he categorically said no. Is that the first time you’ve ever seen a fish in the, in the Senate, Dean Smith? DEAN SMITH: Actually it’s interesting you say that Gary, because before I came to the Senate there was some…this may not be the first fish incident. Let me go away and do some Senatorial homework for you. You know that I’m a bit of a Senate nerd. Let’s just see whether this was the first fish incident or whether there have been others.   GARY ADSHEAD: Okay, well I look forward to that update. Of course, we do know about some coal being taken into Parliament down in the lower house at one point. So that’s well and truly documented. Okay, on with it then. We, we did just have a Federal Budget of course, last night. So Dean Smith, I’ll start with you on this. Clearly Angus Taylor and Peter Dutton have described the tax cut that’s been offered by the Albanese Government as a hoax, a cruel hoax. So if that’s a cruel hoax, what tax cuts are you going to give? DEAN SMITH: We’re voting on the tax cut bill tonight in the Senate. That’s the plan and we’ll be opposing it. I think the Coalition in the Senate might try to rename the tax cut bill to the 70 cents a day paid sometime next year bill, because it is a cruel hoax. Because the Budget in its entirety is really an election Budget. There’s no doubt about that. Jim Chalmers and Anthony Albanese have taken a decision to try and bribe Australian voters with just 70 cents a day, paid sometime next year. I spoke in the Senate this afternoon, Gary, when you read more deeply into the Budget papers, it’s quite revealing because while it might be a Budget for the election, it’s certainly not a Budget for the future of this country. Those Budget papers that were released last night by Jim Chalmers show that the gross debt for this country will tip over $1 trillion for the very first time. It shows also that the plan to put the Budget in balance, which was to happen over the next decade, is now into the never never. Alarmingly it shows an 8.7% increase in government expenditure to $731 billion. And for the first time in 40 years, the first time in 40 years, government spending is going to tip over the 27% of GDP mark. So yes, it’s a Budget for the 5th, for the 3rd of May, the 10th of May, the 17th of May. Madeleine might be able to enlighten us on that during the show. But it’s certainly not a Budget for the future. And if Australians are voting for the future, then they can’t vote Labor, they have to put Labor last. GARY ADSHEAD: So yeah, well if it is small fry, then it’s not much of a bribe according to what you just said then, Dean Smith. But Madeleine King, if it’s so small fry, was it worth the $17 billion extra going into the deficit? MADELEINE KING: Well, Gary, I’ll just start by saying it’s, it’s interesting to see the, the Coalition now following the lead of the Greens in undertaking a stunt this time just maybe not a fish, but it will go down like a, like a maybe a dead cat DEAN SMITH: That was a rhetorical flourish. There is no Coalition plan to rename the legislation. Just to get ahead of this before we get back into the Senate. MADELEINE KING: But anyway, that’s what happens in the Coalition and of course they’ve voted against a series of tax cuts because they don’t want to deliver any tax relief for Australians. And you know, the, the Coalition has scoffed at these latest tax cuts, but what I know when talking to people in my community in Rockingham and Kwinana is every little bit helps. So this tax cut announced last night, on top of the tax cuts of the previous Budgets, are about for every Western Australian, on average,…

Senator Dean Smith – Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Transcript – Interview with Gary Adshead, ABC Drive

Transcripts

SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA TRANSCRIPT – INTERVIEW WITH GARY ADSHEAD TOPICS: Northwest Shelf, Dual Citizenship deportations, Federal Budget E&OE GARY ADSHEAD: Speaking of politics, let’s get into the campaign, our segment here where we have our guest, Madeleine King, the Minister for Resources, and of course North Australia, which is important. You’ll find out why in a second. And Dean Smith, the WA Liberal Senator. They both join us. Thanks very much, folks, for coming. Well, Madeleine’s on the line. Dean, you are right in front of me. DEAN SMITH: G’day Gary. Hello Madeleine. I’m starting to take it personally, Madeleine, that we’re not in the studio together. GARY ADSHEAD: You’ll have very serious affairs of state won’t you, Madeleine, to be dealing with at the moment? MADELEINE KING: Well, I’m actually a fair way away from your studio at the moment, but still in in Perth. Down in the south, where it’s the best as you know. GARY ADSHEAD: Alright, okay. Hey, let’s just get started if we can with this idea that Peter Dutton has floated, which is that – everyone’s waiting on Northwest Shelf gas, the extension of this project to go beyond 2030 and up to 2050. He says he’ll fast track it if he wins the election, and this is some of what he had to say: (RECORDING) PETER DUTTON: And I think West Australians are smart enough to realise that they’re being duped by a Prime Minister who is no Mark McGowan, no Roger Cook and frankly he’s a Prime Minister that is against mining and is against agriculture and is against development. And our announcement today to deal with the Northwest Shelf gas extension decision within 30 days should send a very clear message that our Government would be a very different, provide a very different future for Western Australians than what a Labor-Greens Government would do. I’m seeking a mandate from the Australian people and, in particular, from the people of Western Australia to make sure that we can keep mining going. GARY ADSHEAD: He’s a bit of a “drill, baby, drill” type of guy, isn’t he, Peter Dutton? Dean Smith? DEAN SMITH: Gary, you know, drill baby drill has been pretty essential to the prosperity of this state. And when we think about the Northwest Shelf project in particular, it’s a very significant revenue earner for Commonwealth taxes. Very important earner for West Australian revenue. I think what Peter is saying is that the Northwest Shelf project, and gas in particular, has an important role to play here in Western Australia. But in terms of the national energy transition, it’s absolutely critical to global energy security interests. And what Peter is doing is drawing people’s attention to the fact that the regulatory processes don’t work fast enough to give investors like Woodside and others enough confidence to be able to make significant investment decisions. And Peter today said a couple of things. He said within 30 days there will be a decision in regards to the Northwest Shelf. And he’s made it clear to people what his personal opinion is about that – he’s for the project. Secondly, he also said that he would apply a broader national interest test to take into account economic and broader social issues. And he also said, which hasn’t been mentioned, that he would effectively put a statute of limitations over appeals to projects. So, this would allow interested parties, environmental groups, up to 12 months to make the appeals. But beyond that project investment would be safe and secure. GARY ADSHEAD: Okay… DEAN SMITH: So, this is a very pro-West Australian decision. GARY ADSHEAD: This is obviously right in Madeleine’s ballpark. Madeleine, is it wrong for Peter Dutton to say there might be a process in place, the environmental process in this instance, and we’ll go over the top of that and short-circuit it so that there’s a decision quicker? MADELEINE KING: Well, I really don’t know, Gary, what Peter Dutton’s going to do about the six years it’s been in the State Government processes. That is not something he has much influence over. So, putting that aside, which is where we’re at, at the moment, after six years, it’s now come up to the Federal Government to make the decision. But, what we’ve seen today is, it’s actually a reckless announcement because it does pre-empt the judgment on this decision. It pre-empts Governmental decision-making. And what that does is make any decision that he makes or his Government might make if he is elected. And I don’t think you will be able to do that, it prejudices all of that and just opens it up for more challenges. So, it demonstrates how reckless the Coalition have been before in decision-making. And I’ve mentioned this in the media before, I’ve had to go through a number of court cases cleaning up the mess around apprehended bias type decisions because Ministers and the Coalition Government were shooting their mouth off about decisions, which then just open the door to a caravan of litigation that has taken a couple of years to fix up. So, Peter Dutton is just doing the exact same thing as the Coalition did before, which brings enormous doubt into the decision-making DEAN SMITH: But Gary, let’s wind this back a bit because we had this conversation on your show a few weeks ago. And let’s just remind listeners what happened. Tanya Plibersek recently deferred the decision on the Northwest Shelf project to post the 31st of March. She did that to get over and past the WA State Election. She did that expecting, and we probably will be, in an election period. So, the caretaker conventions are then invoked, which means a decision can’t be taken. So, this decision is being put on the backburner. GARY ADSHEAD: Well, it’s a key point, isn’t it Madeleine? I’m not trying to…

Senator Dean Smith – Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Media Release – National Spike in Borrowers Who Cannot Make Mortgage Repayments Under Labor

Media Releases

SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA MEDIA RELEASE 20 March 2025 NATIONAL SPIKE IN BORROWERS WHO CANNOT MAKE MORTGAGE REPAYMENTS UNDER LABOR The number of Australian mortgage holders running at least three months late on their repayments has increased in every state and the ACT, according to newly released data from the Reserve Bank of Australia. These figures update data supplied to Senator Dean Smith by the RBA in 2023. They confirm the growing mortgage hardship over that time, revealing the percentage of borrowers in 90-day arrears nearly doubled in some states. Victoria was the worst affected nationally, with 0.66 percent of mortgage holders in 90-day arrears – up significantly on the 0.37 percent recorded in the earlier data. New South Wales was the next highest, hitting 0.55 percent compared to 0.31 percent. Queensland jumped from 0.29 percent to 0.42 percent of borrowers, South Australia from 0.33 percent to 0.47 percent, Western Australia from 0.43 percent to 0.51 percent, and the ACT from 0.21 percent to 0.34 percent. Tasmania’s numbers were notable, increasing 0.18 percent between data sets to 0.47 percent. The RBA data also covers the percentage of borrowers assessed as having a high mortgage burden. These households are defined as spending more than 30 percent of their household income on mortgage repayments and being in the lowest income quartile. Victoria and Tasmania led the way, with more than 10 percent of mortgage holders impacted – 11.4 percent in Victoria and 10.1 percent in Tasmania. Except for the ACT, where numbers increased from 8.8 percent to 9 percent, all states experienced a slight decrease in the number of borrowers carrying a high mortgage burden between the data provided in 2023 and 2025. This mortgage stress has been occurring as more than half of mortgage holders rolled from fixed rate to more expensive variable rate loans. According to the RBA, between 58 percent (Queensland, WA and South Australia) and 64 percent (Victoria) of fixed term loans were due to expire during 2024. Assuming a 25-year loan and interest rate of approximately 6.4 percent, the Bank estimates the switch to a variable rate loan translates to an extra $940 in monthly repayments on a $450,000 loan. An $800,000 loan would cost an extra $1,740 per month and a $1,000,000 loan an extra $2,170. This latest data proves something thousands of Australian mortgage holders know from personal experience – mortgage repayments are higher under Labor, and, combined with cost of living pressures, an increasing number of homeowners can no longer keep up with them. Comments attributable to Senator Dean Smith: “As the Federal election rapidly approaches, this new RBA data confirms the widespread, growing scale of mortgage stress under Labor.” “More and more borrowers in every state and the ACT are falling behind on their mortgage repayments and it’s a direct consequence of the Albanese Government’s cost of living crisis and cumulative interest rate rises.” “The recent interest rate cut by the RBA was welcome, but it will take many more before mortgage holders pushed to the edge by Labor’s dozen rate rises experience any meaningful relief.” “Life is harder under Anthony Albanese and Labor, and only a Dutton-led Coalition Government has a plan to get the Australian economy – and mortgage holders – back on track. ENDS

Senator Dean Smith – Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Media Release – New RBA Data Confirms Jump in WA Mortgage Pain Under Labor

Media Releases

SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA MEDIA RELEASE NEW RBA DATA CONFIRMS JUMP IN WA MORTGAGE PAIN UNDER LABOR The toll of the Albanese Government’s dozen interest rate rises on Western Australian mortgage holders is rising. New Reserve Bank of Australia data sourced by Senator Dean Smith reveals a significant increase in the WA homeowners who are three months or more behind on their mortgage repayments. 0.51 percent of borrowers in the West are now in 90-day arrears according to the RBA – up from 0.43 percent in data the Bank provided to Senator Smith in 2023. It is third highest rate of 90-day mortgage arrears in Australia, with only New South Wales and Victoria recording worse results of 0.55 percent and 0.66 percent. The RBA data also highlights that 9.8 percent of WA borrowers are classified by the RBA as having a high mortgage burden. This is also the third largest number in Australia. The high proportion of fixed rate loans that have rolled over to higher variable rates has not helped. 58 percent of fixed rate loans in the state were due to expire in 2024, according to the RBA. The average mortgage repayment increases for affected homeowners puts this into context. The RBA calculates that – assuming a 25-year loan and an interest rate of approximately 6.4 percent – those with a $450,000 loan switching to variable interest would have to make monthly repayments of $3,000, an extra $940 compared to their fixed rate repayments. On the same basis, an $800,000 loan would carry monthly repayments of $5,340, an extra $1,740, while a $1,000,000 loan would carry a monthly repayment of $6,670, an extra $2,170. This data makes clear that mortgage stress in WA is both very real and worse – not better – after two additional years of economic mismanagement by the Albanese Government. The growing number of borrowers unable to make their mortgage repayments is a direct result of the cumulative interest rate rises and ongoing cost-of-living pressures Labor has inflicted on Western Australians. Comments attributable to Senator Dean Smith: “On the eve of the Federal election, this data leaves no doubt that more and more Western Australian mortgage holders have been pushed to the edge under the Albanese Government.” “Not only is the number of WA mortgage holders in 90-day arrears up significantly, but the RBA now classifies nearly 10 percent of borrowers as having a high mortgage burden – all due to Labor’s cumulative interest rate rises and cost-of-living crisis.” “The recent interest rate cut was welcomed by all, but a dozen rises during Labor’s term means many more will be needed to provide genuine relief to those being crippled by mortgage stress.” “Only a Dutton-led Coalition Government has a plan to rein in spending, properly address inflation, and get our economy – and our mortgage holders – back on track.” ENDS

Senator Dean Smith – Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Transcript – ABC Drive with Gary Adshead

Transcripts

Senator Dean Smith Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Liberal Senator for Western Australia TRANSCRIPT – ABC DRIVE WITH GARY ADSHEAD Topics: WA state election; WAEC handing of election, US Tariffs E&OE   GARY ADSHEAD: And joining me right now, Liberal Senator Dean Smith who joins us in the studio. Hello Dean. DEAN SMITH: G’day Gary. GARY ADSHEAD: And on the line Madeleine King, the Federal Resources Minister. I’m not sure where she is, but she’s definitely on a telephone line, I hope. How are you? MADELEINE KING: Hi Gary, can you hear me? GARY ADSHEAD: Oh, I’ve got you loud and clear. MADELEINE KING: Fabulous. GARY ADSHEAD: Dean’s here, he says G’day. MADELEINE KING: Hi Dean. How are you going? DEAN SMITH: Congratulations, Madeleine, and to the red team. MADELEINE KING: Thank you very much. As always. You’re always gracious, I must say. DEAN SMITH: You would’ve heard on the radio that I did draw attention to the 25% swing away from Labor in the state seat of Rockingham in the heart of your electorate though. MADELEINE KING: Oh, but it didn’t all go to the one place, so we’ll wait… GARY ADSHEAD: That is the full picture, Madeleine. Alright, just first. I know Madeleine, on Saturday, we certainly had this sort of playing out as we were trying to look at election results and who was winning and who was losing and so on. We had this sort of peppered through our coverage on the ABC, these calls and these anecdotes of problems with polling booths. It’s snowballing. What has gone on here and how worried should we be? MADELEINE KING: Well, I mean I’m sure Dean’s probably the same. I’ve never heard of anything like this, in the elections when I wasn’t a candidate, you know, growing up voting and enjoying voting and indeed loving voting. So, this is a new reality. I’ve never heard anything like this It’s not good. I think the Premier’s acknowledged that. I heard Sally on the phone before. I agree with her. This has been a shemozzle and something we’ll need to change. And, you know, I heard other calls earlier say that when you have an election that’s not got the confidence of people, its open to challenges and seats open to challenges. I heard the story about an elderly man that couldn’t vote. I mean everyone, well, not saying everyone loves voting, but for the most part people want to vote. And that’s why respecting that trust in our democracy is so important that Electoral Commissions around the country get it right. I’m really confident in the Australian Electoral Commission, the independent federal body, and I don’t know how this could work, but maybe there’s a space for WA to outsource it to the AEC. But, you know, I don’t want to spark controversy there. GARY ADSHEAD: Well, Dean Smith. I mean, in terms of the seriousness of it, we’re talking about an inquiry of some sort, but is it deeper than that? I mean, what are you hearing on the ground from people who are saying “for goodness’ sake”? DEAN SMITH: It’s definitely deeper than that, Gary. I started to hear news probably late afternoon on Saturday about booths running out of ballot papers. Pretty significant and serious stuff. I think the time for asking and probing questions is now, and if Robert Kennedy, the State Electoral Commissioner won’t come on your show, well let’s ask the WA Auditor General. What were they doing over the last few years? Did they conduct an inquiry into the suitability of outsourcing certain Electoral Commission functions? What action will the Auditor General take in Western Australia in response to this? In the Federal Parliament, we have a very robust parliamentary inquiry mechanism. So, after every election, win, lose or draw, after every election, there’s a joint parliamentary committee that conducts an examination into the conduct of that. I agree with Madeleine that the Australian Electoral Commission is highly professional, but sometimes problems do happen. And it was only a few elections ago when we lost Senate ballot papers and we had to have the Senate rerun here in Western Australia. So, integrity of the ballot is very important. I think there are some questions of the WA Minister who was responsible for electoral affairs. GARY ADSHEAD: He’s gone. DEAN SMITH: Well, then, he should be free! We need John Quigley on the program. He should be freer to talk about what he did and what he didn’t do. And was the Cabinet advised and did the Cabinet sign off on these procurement arrangements? What due diligence did the Minister, and the Government, put the process through? You know, Shane Love has been out there, quite rightly talking about further inquiry. But I think people deserve some answers now because there are eight electoral contests still not called. Albany, Dawesville, Pilbara, just to name a few, Fremantle, which you’ve talked about. This is a live issue. So, I don’t think it’s appropriate for Robert Kennedy to not yet have come and spoken to the West Australian public via programs like your own or Nadia’s. The Government should be very clear about what review mechanisms will be put in place. I think the Auditor General is a good place for the ABC to start. GARY ADSHEAD: Okay, alright. No, good point. Just from both of you, you probably know whether this, how this might work, but let, let’s say there is a seat that comes down to the wire and then those polling booths in that, in that electorate had all these problems. Who makes the decision from a Liberal point of view or a Labor point of view, right? If they want to recount or go to the Supreme Court. Who does it? MADELEINE KING: Well. Well, I mean the, the parties make, make those decisions. Our State Secretary would, I imagine it’s the same mechanism in the Liberal…

Senator Dean Smith – Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Transcript – ABC Drive with Gary Adshead

Transcripts

Senator Dean Smith Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Liberal Senator for Western Australia TRANSCRIPT – ABC DRIVE WITH GARY ADSHEAD Topics: WA election, Chinese warships, work from home policy for public servants, Roger Cook comments, Tony Burke citizenship tour E&OE GARY ADSHEAD: And joining us in the studio right now is the Labor Resources Minister Madeleine King. MADELEINE KING: Good to see you, Gary. GARY ADSHEAD: And the Federal Liberal Senator, Dean Smith. G’day. DEAN SMITH: G’day. Fresh off the pre poll, Gary. Madeleine and myself, we’re down in Rockingham getting a feel for it. GARY ADSHEAD: Alright, we’re getting a feel for it. Now… MADELEINE KING: You even got a bit of sunburn, Dean. DEAN SMITH: Actually a little bit. GARY ADSHEAD: Yeah, you need one of those big hats. Big Panama hat. DEAN SMITH: I got the sunburn in the northern suburbs supporting Liam Staltari and Scott Edwardes. MADELEINE KING: I didn’t get sunburnt supporting Magenta Marshall. GARY ADSHEAD: All this is brilliant. It’s just brilliant. I could just go now, leave them to it, because there is a state election, of course, on Saturday and you’ll be joining us, Madeleine, with the coverage here on ABC radio. So, thanks very much for doing that. MADELEINE KING: Looking forward to it. GARY ADSHEAD: Give us a bit of a sense though, because, I just wrote a column that would’ve been published yesterday for Business News magazine and I started looking at all the numbers, the margins and so on, and came up with things like, you know, impossible, improbable, implausible, and so on for the Liberal Party to be able to win this state election. But a lot of those margins, they just can’t be taken seriously given what happened in 2021. I mean you’d both agree with that, that there were artificial margins? MADELEINE KING: I mean, I don’t think anyone’s witnessed that kind of election where the margin for the Labor government was so large and called so quickly and that no matter who was in government, that can’t last forever. It shouldn’t last forever really. We need to have strong oppositions as well. DEAN SMITH: I’d agree that we need very strong and competent oppositions, particularly when governments have such huge majorities like they’ve had for the last four years. But, I mean, every election builds on the next election and I’m confident that we’ve got some great candidates across some important seats, and I think that Saturday night will turn out to be much more interesting for people than they might have thought. GARY ADSHEAD: What’s a win for the Libs? Is it 10, is it 12? Is it 15 seats back? MADELEINE KING: Must be at least 12. DEAN SMITH: I think there’s Madeleine trying to set the expectations. Look, success, there are many elements. There are many elements to success. One is how the campaign’s been conducted, and another is how individual seats look. I will not be so presumptuous as to as to make a statement about what looks good, bad or otherwise. GARY ADSHEAD: If you don’t get Nedlands back, if the Libs don’t get Nedlands back, then you would call that a… DEAN SMITH: Well, we don’t want to take anything for granted, there’s been a strong Nedlands campaign. There’s been a great Cottesloe campaign, there’s a great campaign in Churchlands. So, we’re hoping that voters there will elect Basil and elect Jonathan Huston… MADELEINE KING: Cottesloe’s one of the seats you hold already… GARY ADSHEAD: Only by 7.6, I think, something like that… DEAN SMITH: But with good, fresh candidates. GARY ADSHEAD: Can I just say Anthony Green’s in the building, so, you know, if he hears me and I say something that I think’s brilliant, he’ll come in and check me on it. But I have a view that if Churchlands, Nedlands and Carine haven’t fallen to the Liberal Party, back to the Liberal Party within two hours of the counting started, that it could be a long night for the Libs. DEAN SMITH: I don’t think it’ll be a long night for the Libs. I think that in Carine particularly we’ve had an excellent candidate, excellent campaign in Liam Staltari. Jonathan Huston’s done an excellent job in Nedlands. I was out with Sandra Brewer earlier this week and she’s doing a fantastic job. And what’s important for the Liberal Party, those seats are very important for the Liberal Party, because when the Liberal Party is able to restore itself in core Liberal seats, then the whole Party benefits. So, I’m very confident. GARY ADSHEAD: Well if the swing’s on…we’ll see it early in those three. That’s why I sort of pointed to it. MADELEINE KING: There has to be a massive swing of some sort. GARY ADSHEAD: It’s got to be… DEAN SMITH: But I think there are two things to look for, Gary. GARY ADSHEAD: It’s going to take a massive swing… DEAN SMITH: Two things to look for. The first, I think, will be the swing across regional Western Australia… GARY ADSHEAD: Yeah, I think regionally you’re right.   DEAN SMITH: Really rude shock. Secondly, I do think that Labor has, and people won’t be surprised to hear this, I do think that Labor has taken voters for granted in traditional Liberal seats. And it’ll be very interesting to see the strength of anti-Labor sentiment in some of those seats. MADELEINE KING: On the same side of that though, Dean, but the Liberal Party took those same voters for granted and therefore lost all those seats. DEAN SMITH: I think the argument that Libby’s been making vey competently is the last four years have demonstrated complacency on the part of Roger Cook and Labor. This state has benefited from GST windfalls, good commodity prices. And I think many West Australians are saying what can they see for it? And where’s actually the vision for the future? Roger Cook has, you…

Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Opinion Piece – Community Directors Intelligence – Coalition pledges stronger voice for charities and not-for-profits

Opinion

SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA OPINION PIECE – COMMUNITY DIRECTORS INTELLIGENCE 4 March 2025 COALITION PLEDGES STRONGER VOICE FOR CHARITIES AND NOT-FOR-PROFITS The role of Australian not-for-profits in supporting Australians is vital – and probably never more so than in the last year. Amid an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, communities have relied heavily on you, your volunteers and the many services you provide. On behalf of those Australians, and the Coalition, I thank you for your incredible efforts. What you continue to deliver is particularly impressive given you face many operational headwinds of your own. The cost-of-living crisis has run in tandem with a cost-of-doing-business crisis, which has seen a challenging combination of increased demand for your services and skyrocketing overheads. NFPs that tackle food insecurity, for example, will know that 34% of Australians faced food insecurity last year, with 74% of them at risk of going hungry for the first time. Given all this, the sector requires the greatest possible support to continue its work, not increased red tape, insufficient consultation, or other factors that make what you do harder rather than easier. As I travel around Australia, in city and regional communities, red tape is always flagged as a major concern, and it was raised as a top issue on the episode of the Not-for-profit Agenda that I joined late last year. Despite this, the Albanese government has repeatedly ignored or deliberately disadvantaged the interests of the sector since it came to power. It embarked on changes to the Fair Work legislation that affected the ability to hire staff on short-term contracts, which, as you know, is common practice in charities and not-for-profits due to funding arrangements. Working alongside sector representatives who had found the relevant minister’s door closed, I gathered support in the Senate for an order that would have required the Albanese government to make public how it had arrived at its decision – including a failure to consult with not-for-profit organisations. I only withdrew this threat after then Minister Tony Burke gave a written undertaking to hear the sector’s concerns. Since then, a temporary exemption has been granted while an acceptable longer-term solution is found. Unfortunately, it was a similar story with the bungled roll-out of the changes to not-for-profits’ tax reporting requirements – and it required a similar approach. That roll-out was marred by a lack of clear communication and the careful implementation necessary to make it work, leaving volunteer-run organisations overwhelmed, confused and short-changed. This was something the Albanese government and the ATO (Australian Taxation Office), in particular, refused to admit. The ATO maintained that its efforts to engage with and support not-for-profits were progressing well. The experiences of affected organisations painted a very different picture – once again, they were frustrated and ignored. I established a Senate Economics References Committee inquiry in the later part of last year to give these not-for-profits and associated stakeholders a voice. Many were confused, being forced to pay for expensive professional advice they could not afford, or in some instances deciding it was easier to wind up their much-needed operations. Improved communications, an extended reporting deadline and revisiting some of the thresholds involved were among our recommendations to deliver this policy in a way that not-for-profits can understand and operate under. Once again, it was disappointing that the Albanese government let it get to this point – rather than proactively backing the Australians doing so much for other Australians. We enter the new year with optimism, but many more challenges lie ahead in 2025. It is essential we prepare for the rapidly evolving digital landscape, including the impact of AI, digital infrastructure, and the ever-rising need for strong cybersecurity measures. Much more must be done to pave the way to doubling philanthropic giving by 2030, a goal supported by the Albanese government and the Coalition alike. This includes delivering on the election commitments made to the sector, which under this government have arrived frustratingly late, or not at all. It is regrettable that the Albanese government and Minister Andrew Leigh have failed to act with the urgency needed to meaningfully reform and better support the sector, both now and into the future. Through all this your resilience has shone through, and your persistence in providing the services you do with such dedication is an inspiration to all. After two and a half years in my role as the Shadow Assistant Minster for Charities, it has become clear to me that the charities and not-for-profits sector needs a voice in a government that takes the work they do, and the challenges they face, seriously.