Category Archives: Transcripts

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

SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA TRANSCRIPT – INTERVIEW WITH GARY ADSHEAD, ABC PERTH DRIVE Topics – Leader’s debate; polls, early voting; defence spending; EV subsidies E&OE GARY ADSHEAD And we have in Canberra Dean Smith, the Liberal Senator firebrand, as we like to call him. DEAN SMITH G’day to you, Gary and Madeleine. MADELEINE KING Why don’t you put that on a t-shirt, Gary? DEAN SMITH I thought you might ask me what I’m doing in Canberra when I should be somewhere at pre poll? MADELEINE KING Well, I was going to just let that slide by. GARY ADSHEAD Well, I just thought it must be sort of secret business. I wasn’t going to ask, Dean. But you’re not going to tell us. DEAN SMITH I’ve been participating in a debate with Andrew Leigh, who is Labor’s charity spokesman, at the National Press Club. And, of course, the flights don’t line up. But I’ll be back in town tomorrow. So, you’ll see me out on the pre poll in the Northern Suburbs. GARY ADSHEAD Excellent. Alright. How’d the debate go? Did you have a win? DEAN SMITH Debates are so hard to know when you’re in the thick of it. I think there is one rule of thumb, though. If no one comes up to you after the debate, you haven’t performed very well. If people do come up and introduce themselves, you think, okay, I didn’t do too badly. But people came up and asked me some questions. GARY ADSHEAD Well, there you go. Now this was last night. This was the debate that was on Nine, of course, between Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese. I’ll get your reaction to what was said here. (RECORDING) ANTHONY ALBANESE You ripped $80,000,000,000 out of those two items in February 2014. (RECORDING) PETER DUTTON Prime Minister, you couldn’t lie straight in bed, honestly. This is unbelievable. (RECORDING) ANTHONY ALBANESE Well, you can go to abuse, you can… (RECORDING) PETER DUTTON Well, it’s just the reality. It’s just the reality. (RECORDING) ANTHONY ALBANESE That’s a sign of desperation, Peter, frankly. As is lying. That’s a sign of desperation. (RECORDING) PETER DUTTON Go to the February 2014 budget papers. People can do that online. It’s all available for all to see. (RECORDING) ALLY LANGDON Okay. I feel like we’ve given a fair bit of latitude here. I mean, let’s see what’s – I think we’re done with this one. GARY ADSHEAD Ally Langdon there finding out what it’s like to sometimes control politicians who are either face to face or not. Now listen, Dean Smith, is the Prime Minister a liar? Is he? DEAN SMITH Well, last night’s debate was a clear win for Peter Dutton. We saw strength of character. I thought that Peter was very quick off the blocks, drawing attention to Labor lies around nuclear costs, power prices, Medicare. I thought it was great to hear Peter populating his arguments with cost-of-living statistics, with some important data. So, I thought it was a clear win for Peter Dutton. Some of the commentary in today’s papers reinforced that view as well. It is the third debate. I think there’s one more debate on the fourth Sunday. So, I think, certainly, someone like myself was really encouraged by it. GARY ADSHEAD Right. Okay. I think that might have been the fourth, to be honest. But, Madeleine, who won that debate, do you think? MADELEINE KING Well, I mean, I, I can’t really tell how Dean judges the winner of the debate. So, who chats with someone after? It is really difficult to tell. But from that, what we heard then is, it did sound a little bit unhinged, a little bit desperate from Peter Dunton. But what I would say about these debates, and especially this level of debate between a Prime Minister and someone hoping to be Prime Minister, is the enormous amount of pressure both of these leaders are under. And I don’t know about you, Dean, and you’ve been in a debate at the Press Club today with Andrew Leigh, who’s also a very competent Member of Parliament. You can hardly imagine the level of pressure both of these men are under. So I have a lot of respect for both of them for doing it, but I think the Prime Minister is clearly much better prepared and well-practiced in in debates because he’s been in front of the media consistently, openly and honestly for much longer than Peter Dutton. I think it shows in the past debates and again last night, but, you know, I would say hats off to everyone who participates. DEAN SMITH But there was a very interesting part of the debate, Madeleine, when the Prime Minister was asked to talk about whether people will be better off in the next three years based on what he said in Perth back in May 2022, that people would be better off under Labor. And his response was, we certainly want people to be better off in three years’ time. Hardly a vote of confidence. GARY ADSHEAD Well, out of interest… MADELEINE KING I would say everyone knows that they will be better off under a Labor government because… DEAN SMITH But he said we want people to be better off – hardly a vote of confidence. MADELEINE KING Cheaper medical care and cheaper medicines are going to be put on the chopping block… GARY ADSHEAD Are you worried about the polling, Dean Smith? Are you worried about it? Because, I mean, the, the Australian’s front page has got another news poll that says that one of the interesting factors at the moment is the switch off of women from Peter Dutton. DEAN SMITH You’ve heard it said, Gary, but we will know the outcome on Saturday, the 3rd of May. There’s a lot of business to be made, lots of papers to be printed speculating about…

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

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…

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

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

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 – Transcript – ABC Drive with Gary Adshead

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

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…

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

Senator Dean Smith Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Liberal Senator for Western Australia TRANSCRIPT – ABC DRIVE WITH GARY ADSHEAD Topics: Labor smear campaign, Chinese warships, Northwest Shelf , Senator Payman Iran comments E&OE GARY ADSHEAD: And if I push a button now, I’m pretty hopeful that I will have at the other end of the line in Canberra, the one, the only, Liberal senator Dean Smith. How are you, Dean? DEAN SMITH: G’day, Gary and Madeleine. I’m, very well. Feeling a bit of FOMO here. MADELEINE KING: Me too, missing out on estimates. DEAN SMITH: I know, lots to talk about. Lots to share, Madeleine. GARY ADSHEAD: There is. Hey, let me get you both warmed up, though. Anthony Green’s retiring, Madeleine. MADELEINE KING: That’s really sad. And haven’t we all been, for many years, watching and listening to Anthony Green on election coverages or reading his blogs more recently? A really insightful fellow. I heard the interview. I was driving back down from York a little while back, and, you know, what a talent that we’ll miss, to be honest. And how he managed to turn those notes in peoples’ heads, I think he put it, into a function on a computer that that more people could look at and we could see on our television screens. GARY ADSHEAD: And Dean, I mean, I don’t know about from your point of view as a politician, but us as journos, he makes our job a lot easier. DEAN SMITH: Well, he makes the politician’s job a bit easier as well, Gary, because he’d always call it relatively early and very accurately. So, we would know whether we had cause for celebration or cause for commiseration. But I’ve met Anthony in person twice, actually, once here in Parliament, but also out and about. And a really informative guy, great passion for our democratic system, and he’ll be greatly missed. But we’re lucky to have him for the WA election, and we’re lucky to have him for the for the next Federal one. GARY ADSHEAD: And, I mean, let’s hope, well, your side of politics is hoping he doesn’t call this one as early as he did the last one. He was going for a record last time in 2021. Alright. Now listen. In the last twenty-four hours, we’ve seen these stories and reports in and around Peter Dutton and, his property portfolio and whether or not he had some sort of insider knowledge around share purchases, going way back. What’s this all about, Madeleine King? This attack on him in terms of his aspiration and ability to get on and make a living and, obviously, a good life for his family and wealth. What do you say to it? MADELEINE KING: Oh, I respect everyone’s right to do precisely that. I mean, I’ve worked before, going into Parliament in different sectors as a lawyer, in the university, doing a number of things. And I think what we’ve seen is journalists asking questions about previous transactions, and those questions will continue to be asked because, you know, you’ve been a journalist, and sometimes it’s a dog with a bone here. They’re going to follow it until they’re satisfied with an answer. And I’ll leave that with Peter Dutton to deal with. GARY ADSHEAD: Yeah. Well, Dean Smith, I mean, obviously, the timing’s interesting, isn’t it? DEAN SMITH: Gary, this is a disgraceful and desperate attempt by Labor to smear Peter Dutton on the eve of the calling of the election. And this particular attack has fallen very flat. Labor Senators in the Senate Economics Committee this morning tried to raise the issue, tried to prosecute an argument, and it’s absolutely fallen flat. I think that if the Prime Minister has any accusations to level at Peter Dutton, he should be up front. He should do it out in the open, and not to resort to these sorts of unnecessary smear tactics. But let’s be clear. Peter Dutton came out this morning and denied that there was any wrongdoing whatsoever. And people will remember that Peter has been a police officer that acted with great integrity. He’s been a Parliamentarian who’s acted with great integrity. A very shameful first attempt, I suspect, by Labor to smear Peter Dutton and it has fallen flat. GARY ADSHEAD: Is there anything wrong with a politician, let alone anyone, having 26 houses or whatever the case may be over the years, given that aspiration of owning a home for a lot of people has well and truly disappeared? MADELEINE KING: I mean, what’s been said is in the newspapers. It’s, you know, been across two newspapers is my understanding. I have no objection that some people have had more time than others to do this, or more natural advantages, or have had different opportunities in life, and that is, in every instance, up to them. So, I’m not going to criticise… DEAN SMITH: There’s absolutely no wrongdoing here. MADELEINE KING: You know I’m not saying that. DEAN SMITH: Good, so you agree it was a Labor smear campaign? MADELEINE KING: It’s not a smear campaign. I just read what was in the papers. And as I said at the start, this is for journalists. If they want to ask questions to the Leader of the Opposition, they’ll get their answers. If they’re not satisfied with the answers, they’ll keep on asking questions. That’s what happens to each of us all the time. DEAN SMITH: We suspect the origin of this was probably a Labor Party dirt unit. MADELEINE KING: Well, I mean, I guess you can suspect all you want, and I’m going to leave it at that. And Peter Dutton will answer those questions. And as you know, Dean, we all get these questions all the time. DEAN SMITH: A Categorical denial by Peter Dutton today. And, Madeleine, can we get a commitment from you and Labor that we won’t see…

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

SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA TRANSCRIPT – ABC DRIVE WITH GARY ADSHEAD Topics: Whyalla Steelworks, RBA rate cut, mortgage stress under Labor, BHP CEO IR comments, North-West Shelf delays E&OE GARY ADSHEAD: Okay, first up and we’re watching just on the TV at the moment, actually, we were just glancing there. Whyalla Steelworks. Madeleine King, this is of course, you know, historically a major steelworks in South Australia. Are there any implications for the Federal Government in the fact that this will now be forced into administration by the South Australian Government? MADELEINE KING: Well, it’s a very important step that the South Australian Government has taken under the leadership of the Resources Minister Tom Koutsantonis and, of course, Premier Malinauskas. This is a great industrial city in South Australia. It’s important that the South Australian Government stepped in so that they could save those jobs and look for a future for Whyalla, as it has had some poor management decisions, to say the least. Obviously we as a Government have been closely in contact with the South Australian Government about the Whyalla Steelworks and I have no doubt there’ll be more to be said about our assistance in this regard in the future. But, right now, we’re totally in line with Premier Malinauskas and his intentions to save the steelworks, but also to save the jobs of all those workers, which is really important. There’s been a lot of doubt around this, and doubt creates a lot of tension in the community and that needed to end. GARY ADSHEAD: Is there potentially any way that the Federal Government would be asked to sort of come in with funding to try and save it in the meantime? Because if it goes into administration, then obviously first thing is creditors that have to be looked at and so on, and then you have to work out whether there’s another operator that would come in and run it. But, in the meantime, there might be a need for the Federal Government to commit to funding, yeah? MADELEINE KING: Well, there’s a lot of options being looked at. The preference, of course, is always that the private operators, you know, invest in projects. Like it’s not a project, it’s a longstanding facility, the Whyalla Steelworks. And I have no doubt that is exactly what’s going on right now is seeking other investors and experienced steelwork operators. There are a number of them around the world. What we really want to concentrate on is making sure the community is reassured that the steelworks can continue, but that will, that will take a lot of effort. The South Australian Government has stepped up and will step up alongside with them to make sure the Whyalla Steelworks survives, and that will involve talking to other operators around the world and encouraging that investment, because we know we’ll continue to need steel and Australia needs our steelmaking capacity to continue. GARY ADSHEAD: Is this a bipartisan view that, you know, saving this particular steelworks is important? Or are there politics at play here? DEAN SMITH: There’s no doubt that the Whyalla steel mill is critical to Australia’s sovereign capability. I think 75% of the steel production of Australia’s steel production comes from Whyalla. A thousand jobs at risk here. You know, I think the town has 20 to 25,000 people, so there’s no doubt that this is an important piece of national and South Australian infrastructure. But we are at the beginning of this, there’s no doubt about that. I think there are some questions. Why is it only now that the South Australian Government might be choosing to step into this? I mean, there have been issues around the Whyalla operation for a considerable period of time, not just the operator, but in terms of its, sort of the technology that it uses, etcetera. I think the furnace has been out of action. I would worry how deeply South Australian taxpayers and perhaps even Commonwealth taxpayers might be drawn into this. You know, we would prefer to have private operators of large industrial developments like this. Of course, we know that the international dynamics around steel manufacturing are changing and changing very, very competitively. So, this actually could be the beginning of what could be a bad outcome. Just because steel production is getting more expensive, we don’t know the full impact of tariffs, for example, we don’t know what is going to be the nature of changing Chinese demand. I suspect this has got a long way to run yet. GARY ADSHEAD: 132 720. I have with me Madeleine King, the Resources Minister, Dean Smith, the Liberal Senator. If you want to get involved in the conversation, feel free to give us a call right now and we’ll put you through. Our interest rate cut. It’s been a long time coming. When’s the Federal election? Because you’ve been waiting for it, haven’t you? DEAN SMITH: I’m looking intently at Madeleine as well. MADELEINE KING: I mean, we’ve had this conversation a few weeks running. And, even in the room, we’re having the same… GARY ADSHEAD: Now we can look at each other in the eyes. But no, seriously, though, I mean, this is important for the Government settings in terms of going into an election campaign. To see that interest rates have finally been eased up somewhat. MADELEINE KING: But more importantly, and much more importantly, it’s in the interests of Australians, particularly mortgage holders, of which there are many. My electorate has one of the highest rates of people with a mortgage in the country. So, it is really important for people, you know, everyday families and workers right around the country. So, that really is the focus and that’s where the benefit accrues to. But it’s a benefit that, you know, the hardworking women and men of Australia have earned through…

Senator Dean Smith – Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Media Release – ACCC nod to Virgin-Qatar alliance a win for competition

SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA MEDIA RELEASE 18 February 2025 ACCC NOD TO VIRGIN-QATAR ALLIANCE A WIN FOR COMPETITION The latest ACCC green light to a flight partnership between Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways is welcome news for Australian air consumers. The competition watchdog today released a draft determination that a five-year integrated alliance between the carriers can go ahead. This long-standing issue has been at the heart of the airline competition debate in Australia, with greater competition and its many benefits to travellers given low priority – and in some cases actively prevented – by the Albanese Government. Under the proposal, the carriers will operate 28 new weekly services between Doha and Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with Virgin using Qatar aircraft and crew under a wet lease arrangement. Although its final determination is subject to regulatory approvals and feedback, the ACCC has judged the Virgin-Qatar alliance “is likely to result in public benefits and is unlikely to result in any public detriment”. The release of this draft decision coincides with the publication of ACCC’s February 2025 Domestic airline competition in Australia Report, an important pro-competition initiative which Labor attempted to shut down in October 2023 but was forced to retain under Coalition pressure. The Report revealed that total arrivals and departures to and from Australia increased by 6.8% and 11.6% respectively in the 12 months to November 2024, demonstrating a steady increase in demand for international travel over the past year. This increased demand makes the Virgin-Qatar proposal, and the alternatives it will offer, timely good news for passengers. And while today’s draft determination is a positive step for all Australian air consumers, it is worth noting that those in Western Australia will especially benefit from it. The ACCC Report notes “Western Australia in particular experienced significant growth in international travel. International passenger numbers at Perth Airport were 23% higher in 2024 than in 2023.” These additional services to the Middle East and beyond will provide Western Australians with greater choice and flexibility when booking an air ticket. Comments attributable to Senator Dean Smith: “This draft decision is welcomed by the Coalition as an important step for aviation competition in Australia.” “It gives consumers the choice, flexibility, better service and cheaper prices that accompany improved competition – and the latest data confirming increased demand makes the timing of this especially significant.” “This decision comes nearly three years after the Albanese Government came to power and its term has been characterised by either neglecting, or blocking, increased competition in this sector.” “There is still a long way to go until we have the sector Australian travellers deserve, but the ACCC’s draft decision today, and the various Coalition initiatives aimed at boosting aviation competition, reveal progress will happen despite Labor’s incompetence and skewed priorities.” ENDS

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

Senator Dean Smith Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Liberal Senator for Western Australia TRANSCRIPT – ABC PERTH DRIVE WITH GARY ADSHEAD Topics: Federal election; anti-Semitism; Production tax credits; Nature Positive; Coalition simpler meal tax deduction for small business; Gaza. E&OE GARY ADSHEAD: Alright, let’s get to our segment, the campaign, as the Federal election heats up and Parliament is sitting. My two guests are Madeline King, the Labor Resources Minister, and Liberal Senator Dean Smith, who are in Canberra in our studio over there. Hello, you two. MADELEINE KING: Good to hear from you, Gary. It’s great to be here with Dean as well in this tiny little studio here in Canberra. DEAN SMITH: I was just sharing with Madeleine, Gary, that we are lucky we’re both Dockers’ supporters. It’s very cozy in the ABC studio here in Parliament House. GARY ADSHEAD: Ah, both Dockers’ supporters. Well, we’ve found that out about you then, haven’t we? Let’s find out some more. Hey, look, obviously question time today there was no doubt where the Opposition wanted to go with this, and that’s asking the Prime Minister questions about when he was told about the issue of the caravan which was found with explosives. Why won’t the Prime Minister just answer the question, Madeleine? MADELEINE KING: Well, I think he’s been very clear on why certain details don’t get discussed in Parliament or at press conferences, and that’s about the national security and about letting the security forces do the work they need to do to catch the people responsible for that particular incident, where there is this seemingly abandoned caravan with explosives, with hate speech on it. So, it’s pretty plain that that’s the reason why, and that makes a lot of sense. I think everyone understands that sometimes you’ve simply got to let security forces do their bit, and having Prime Ministers or Ministers or other members of Parliament just chip in without warrant or need doesn’t really help the investigators. GARY ADSHEAD: But the question is really whether or not the PM was briefed like the New South Wales Premier was, and it seems like the Prime Minister just doesn’t want to say whether he was or wasn’t. That’s what doesn’t add up here. MADELEINE KING: Well, the questions in question time, which obviously I was there for, were more about specific dates and sometimes those specifics aren’t particularly helpful. Also, not helpful for how security forces deal with future incidents like this, and briefings of members of our national security committee and, also, of course, the Prime Minister himself. GARY ADSHEAD: It won’t go away though, will it? MADELEINE KING: Well, the main priority is to catch the people responsible and make sure they pay the penalty for what fear they have created in the community. And that’s my priority. It’s certainly the government’s priority and I’m very sure that that’s the security forces priority as well.   GARY ADSHEAD: Dean Smith, can you give us an idea as to why Peter Dutton and the Opposition keep pursuing this line as to when the PM was told? DEAN SMITH: Absolutely I can, Gary. Of course, I was sitting in Senate question time on the red leather and not on the green leather with Madeleine. But I think this case is a pretty simple one. At a time when we’ve seen a rising escalation of anti-Semitism in this country, in our own state, which will come as a surprise to people, we argue that there has been a lack of clear national leadership on the issue since the events of the 7th of October. That has made the situation very perilous across our country. As the national leader, Australians would expect that Anthony Albanese would take a high level of interest in these matters. Of course the speculation is this, that he did not know about the caravan incident in New South Wales for several days. People would find that unacceptable for the national leader to have not inquired, to have not been told for a number of days. And we are still yet to determine exactly how many days, about what could have been a mass casualty terrorist attack in this country. GARY ADSHEAD: That’s not his fault though, is it? That wouldn’t be his fault if he wasn’t told by the AFP or whoever might’ve been the responsible agency to tell the PM or brief them. That wouldn’t be his fault. He would be asking questions himself, wouldn’t he? I mean, he be saying why wasn’t I told? DEAN SMITH: I’m sure Peter Dutton will continue in this line of prosecution. Five questions, Peter Dutton asked the Prime Minister today, and the Prime Minister did not provide a clear answer at all. To what is a simple question. What was the date? When we know the date, we might be able to ask other sorts of questions about when the inquiries were made. What effort did you, the Prime Minister, make to make yourself more appraised of these events? So, I think at a time when we are expecting our national leadership to be hypersensitive to risks to our safety in this country, to risks that give rise to further antisemitism, this is another example we would argue of Anthony Albanese asleep at the wheel. GARY ADSHEAD: Alright now I’ve got in the Canberra studio talking to me, Madeleine King, the Labor MP for Brand, of course Resources Minister and Dean Smith, WA Liberal Senator, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury. 1-300-222-720 if you’d like to ask a question as we obviously step up the Federal election campaign, feel free to do so. I just do need to get a quick reaction from you too, because it, when we talk about the Middle East here in Australia, obviously there’s a lot of contention and there’s been a protest in the street about what happened in Gaza, et cetera. Now we do…