MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
Senator COX (Western Australia) (16:43): An urgency motion in this place should generally involve some emergency—a threat to the nation, a crisis facing Australian families, an event requiring the immediate attention of the Senate. Today, apparently, it is this—this motion, brought by Senator Sharma. Of all the challenges facing Australia and our region, those opposite have decided that the Senate must urgently turn its attention to a podcast.
It is not our security partnership with Japan, not our trade relationship, not regional stability; the nation can rest easy that the opposition is hot on the heels of this case! Japan is one of Australia's closest and most important partners. Prime Minister Takaichi is a friend of Australia and a friend of our prime minister.
Australia and Japan have never been closer or more strategically aligned. And this relationship runs much deeper than any single visit or just an announcement. For 50 years, since the signing of the NARA treaty, Australia and Japan have built a partnership of trust, reliability and shared interests.
Australia has been a dependable supplier of energy, resources and food to Japan. Japanese investment has helped build Australian industries. More than a hundred sister relationships connect our communities, and a record one million Australians visited Japan last year.
We have stood by each other through earthquakes, tsunamis and bushfires. That is the relationship those opposite are now trying to drag into a manufactured political controversy. And for what?
A cheap headline? A day's outrage? During Prime Minister Takaichi's visit in May, our leaders announced stronger cooperation on economic security, defence, energy security, critical minerals and cybersecurity.
Together, including through the Quad, we are working for a free and open Indo-Pacific that is peaceful, stable and prosperous—five major outcomes advancing Australia's national interests. If those opposite really want to have a debate about judgement in foreign affairs, we are very happy to have that. This week shadow minister Anne Webster saw the flags displayed for the Vietnamese president's visit and asked, 'Why are the Chinese flags flying?' Those were the Vietnamese flags.
There was no urgency motion. There was no demand for an apology—just a correction, and everyone got on with their day. But let's not forget that those opposite have form for sticking their foot in it.
In fact, the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, Senator Jane Hume, claimed that Labor volunteers at the 2025 election were in fact Chinese spies. And who can forget their previous leader Peter Dutton joking about our partners in the Pacific having water lapping at their door. So spare us the fake outrage and the lectures on diplomatic judgement.
Seriously, we could be debating about tax cuts, cost-of-living relief and what we're delivering to Australian families. We could be debating about our work to build more homes. We could be debating about how Australia navigates the most consequential period of strategic competition in our region since the Second World War.
Instead, those opposite have brought us here to manufacture a scandal out of absolutely nothing. Prime Minister Takaichi does not need the Australian opposition appointing itself to be offended on her behalf. Those opposite can keep searching for their outrage.
This government will continue to do the work. We will keep strengthening our region, deepening our partnerships, taking pressure off families and delivering the real change that Australians need.