SUBJECT | Defence, Trade and Labors failure to provide details on the Voice | 23 January 2023
PETE STEFANOVIC: Let's go to Victoria now. Joining us live is the shadow immigration minister, Dan Tehan. Dan, good to see you again. A few issues to get through this morning. First of all, on the front page of the Nine newspapers this morning, the story about a billion dollars which are to be spent on sea mines. The first time we've invested in sea mines for about half a century; what sort of an investment is that do you think? Do you support it?
DAN TEHAN: Well, obviously, any investment in keeping this nation safe, given the current geostrategic circumstances, is a good one. And I think now what we have to do is make sure that the government gets out there and explains how this is going to keep Australians safe. But one of the things that we did in government was an increase that investment in our defence forces in ensuring that we have the defence equipment that we need to keep Australia safe, so anything that builds on that legacy that we left is a good thing. But what we need now is for the government to explain how it is going to keep Australians safe. And if it is, that's a good thing.
STEFANOVIC: Okay. Still on China —and this is something that you were heavily involved in when you were in government, Dan —China wants to push for Australia to drop, or even suspend, its WTO challenges. Should the Government do that in the face of bringing our nations closer?
TEHAN: Well, the reason that we took those two disputes to the WTO was because of the actions that China took. Now if China dropped their bans on barley and on wine, then there would be no reason to continue to pursue those disputes. But what we need to see is for China to take that action. So if they drop their bans, then there would be no reason, or we would be well and truly worth considering dropping those bans. But what we need to see from China first is they actually do that. Let them start importing Australian wine again, let them start importing Australian barley again, and then there would be no reason for us to continue with those disputes.
STEFANOVIC: Is it important to remember here, Dan, that we don't owe China anything? Is that a point that is in danger of being forgotten as we push towards these meetings with China? And it looks as though the current trade minister may well get, at least, a virtual meeting, in the coming weeks.
TEHAN: Well, what we were able to demonstrate in government, and the Albanese Government has continued that policy, is clearly demonstrate to the Chinese Government that economic coercion doesn't work. Now they have realised that, so what we now have to do is make sure, as they adjust, as they move to take once again our exports —wine, barley, coal and other things— that we don't give anything in return. And one of the things that I'm most concerned about is this talk about membership in what's called the CPTPP, which is the biggest free trade agreement in the Indo-Pacific area. And we have to make sure that membership of that is done based on how you act, not based on any favours. So, we have to ensure, as we change, as we see what China is doing and we look to make sure that we can export again to China, that we aren't giving any concessions in that process.
STEFANOVIC: Okay. Just finally, on The Voice, Dan, the Prime Minister doing the brekkie rounds this morning, he says that there are going to be no changes to his current pitch on The Voice, although he does admit that there could be more detail to come from a working group. He's put the onus on the opposition, though, because he says the opposition's made no suggested changes to his draft ahead of a referendum. So what changes would you like to see, if any, when it comes to the Voice?
TEHAN: Well, the changes that that I'd like to see is a change in approach that the Prime Minister is taking, and that is that we want to see what the government is going to put to the Australian people. So, the first change is let's see the draft legislation months before we go to a referendum. We did that with the same-sex marriage change. They should do exactly the same when it comes to the Voice. We also need to see the government adopt the model that it's going to put to the Australian people. How is representation going to work for The Voice? How is it going to work when it comes to local voices? When it comes to regional voices? They were meant to be done before or at the same time as a national voice. We have heard nothing about how local or regional voices will work. How do we ensure that we do not get legal creep? That we do not create a legal landmine from putting a voice in the Constitution? How do we make sure that we are not going to set up some mammoth bureaucracy in Canberra? Could the bureaucracy of the Voice be put in Alice Springs or Darwin or somewhere else? These are all the sorts of things that we need Anthony Albanese to be talking about, and he should do the right thing; he should approach Peter Dutton say, ‘I want to sit down and talk with you. I want to work through the detail. I want to respond to your letter’. That is what the Prime Minister should be doing. It's up to him to provide the detail.
STEFANOVIC: Dan Tehan, we are going to leave it there. Appreciate your time, as always. Thank you.
