Television Interview, Today Show
One Nation Cartoon; Immigration; US Force Posture in Australia; 25 Anniversary of 9/11. SYLVIA JEFFREYS, HOST: To discuss this now, we're joined by Deputy PM and Defence Minister Richard Marles in Melbourne. Minister, good morning to you and thanks for your time today.
Barnaby Joyce has personally apologised to Andrew Hastie now. Should Pauline Hanson do the same and remove the video at the centre of all this? RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Look, I think she should.
I definitely understand where Jacqui Lambie's coming from. I understand where the RSL is coming from in relation to this. I mean, obviously, I know Andrew Hastie well.
He is most definitely not a traitor. He is a man who has served our country wearing our nation's uniform, and he deserves our respect and he deserves to be honoured, as does every one of our veterans. And I think one of the issues here is to use that word in respect of any veteran is taken on by the entire veterans community.
You hear that in the way in which Jacqui Lambie was speaking then. And so it's not– I mean, it is very much an affront to Andrew Hastie, but I think it's actually an affront to all veterans. It's distasteful, it's inappropriate, it should come down and Pauline Hanson should apologise.
TOM STEINFORT, HOST: All right, well, elsewhere, it's been interesting to see South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas warning that those sweeping cuts being proposed across the board to visas or slashing international student numbers is madness and a race to the bottom. This is one of the, I guess, most respected figures in the Labor Party at the moment saying this.
What do you make of it? Well, look, immigration is a really complex area. It's one we need to get right.
Immigration definitely does play a very important part in our economy and Peter Malinauskas is right that, you know, this is not something that should be kicked around like a political football. That said, immigration needs to be pegged at a level which matches our infrastructure, our services. When we came to government, it was too high in the aftermath of the pandemic.
It does need to be brought down and we have brought it down. In our most recent Budget we've said that the net overseas migration rate should come down to 245,000 in this financial year and that's what we are seeking to achieve. And so it is important– Okay, but when are we going to get the latest detail on that policy?
Sorry to interrupt, Minister. When are we going to get the latest detail on that policy? Because it's been more than a month now since Tony Burke pulled the pin on that Press Club address.
Have you figured out your number yet? When are we going to figure out what that is and learn what that is? Well, the number was in the Budget, so we've been making that– that's been public and I just said it.
It's 245,000. That's what we are seeking to achieve in the course of this financial year, and that– Is that what you're going to stay at beyond this year? Well, no.
Again, the Budget had it going down to 225,000 in the subsequent financial year. So, all of that is public, Sylvia, and it's been public since the Budget. There’s nothing hiding any of that.
But the position of the Government is very clear and it's transparent, and what we're trying to achieve is there for all to see. And we're working on a set of policies which bring that about. And we are confident that we will bring the migration rate down to that level.
We've already brought it down by about 40% against the high that we inherited when we came to office. And it is– you know, this shouldn't be a political football. Skilled migration does play a really important part in the economy and that's what Peter Malinauskas was pointing out.
But equally, you know, we need to have a migration rate which matches the infrastructure services that we have in the country. And that's why we need to be bringing it down. Alright, moving on to your portfolio because you were in DC just last week discussing an expanded US military presence here in Australia.
Some people are sort of fearful, I guess, that this is a US base by stealth. What do you say to those concerns? Oh, I don't accept that.
I mean, we've been, again, very transparent about all that we've been doing in respect of American force posture, the American presence in Australia since the time that we've come to office. And all of that occurs against a very robust sovereignty framework, full knowledge and concurrence, which really means that any country that operates in Australia – and it's not just the United States.
Singapore, for example, does a lot of activity within Australia – it does so on the basis that we understand what that activity is, it has our permission, and we know what's going on. And that's in respect of everything that occurs. And that is always the case in terms of any country, including America, that engages in Australia.
That said, the US Marines in Darwin are playing a really important role there. We get a lot out of that in terms of building our own capability. And what we're seeing with the establishment of the Submarine Rotational Force–West from the end of next year in HMAS Stirling, south of Perth, is going to be really important in terms of building our own future submarine capability.
And that's a really important part of Australia's defence. So, you know, all of this is done from the perspective of Australia's national interest, and we're very transparent about it. Finally, Minister, today, it's hard to believe, marks 25 years since 9/11.
How are you reflecting today on those terrible events and how they changed the world forever? Well, I think for people of my age and generation, it is the day in our lives that most shaped the world in which we live. And I'll never forget it.
Like a lot of people, I was watching West Wing, and at the end of it, the TV cut to this extraordinary scene of smoke coming out of the north tower of the World Trade Centre and then, astonishingly, we then see what appears to be a plane flying into the south tower. And I think as the days proceeded after that, what really struck me was that people were going about their normal days; buying a coffee, getting on a commuter aircraft, the sort of thing that thousands of Australians do each and every day.
No one thought they were putting themselves into harm's way on that morning when they were doing those very normal things. And yet they became the victims of this. And this, of course, sparked wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
More than 40,000 Australians served in them. More than 40 lost their lives. 10 Australians lost their lives on that day. And it is a day which has completely shaped the world in which we all live now.
And my thoughts on this anniversary are very much with those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, both on the day, but in the wars since, and those whose lives have been very significantly impacted. We all share that sentiment. Deputy Prime Minister, appreciate your time this morning.
Enjoy the game there. Big day ahead in Melbourne. And I know you've got your Cats tie on there, huge game for Geelong tonight against Freo as well.
All happening. A lot on your front today. Enjoy.