THE HON TANYA PLIBERSEK MP
MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
SKY AM AGENDA WITH LAURA JAYES
THURSDAY, 29 FEBRUARY 2024
SUBJECTS: ASIO THREAT ASSESSMENT; MARDI GRAS; DUNKLEY BYELECTION.
LAURA JAYES, HOST: Australia's spy boss has revealed that a former politician betrayed this country after providing sensitive information to an international spy network. Joining me now is the Environment and Water Minister, Tanya Plibersek. Tanya Plibersek, thank you for your time. How concerned are you about this, given you would have been serving in parliament at the same time?
TANYA PLIBERSEK, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER: Oh, look, of course, it's a very concerning story, and I think it's a good thing that the story has been revealed in this way because it's a warning to all current parliamentarians, and not just parliamentarians, their staff, public servants and others, that foreign governments are always trying to get information from Australians who may have access to sensitive information. And it's important to be careful if people are cozying up to you, to you, to your staff, to family members, be on guard.
JAYES: Do you know who it is, and do you think they should be named?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: No. No, I don't know who it is. And I think that's really a matter for the ASIO boss. I imagine there's a reason that they haven't named the person or taken further action. I think the point is to give a public warning that this is a risk for people in public life and that they may be approached. They may not know they're being approached by a spy network. I think reading more of the speech, the ASIO boss lays out some of the ways that these approaches are made, and it's an important warning that we should be on our guard.
JAYES: This person has been described as a sell-out, but it's difficult, as you say, to read between the lines. Do you think this person was unsuspecting or were they knowingly being duped?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Look, I don't know. I don't know who it is. I don't know the details of the case. I've read the same as you've read. But I have to say anybody who works with foreign agents of influence to pass on information to a foreign government is a traitor. And I'm pleased that there are foreign interference laws because we live in a world where foreign agents of influence are going after information that is valuable to their own governments that will be detrimental to Australia. They're also even more boldly going after, say, their fellow countrymen who are living in Australia now, who might be critical of an autocratic government that they've left behind from their country of origin, and they're seeking to bully those people, stop them speaking out. We cannot allow that to happen here in Australia.
JAYES: You've been a long-serving parliamentarian in both opposition and government. Can you give us an idea, or have you ever been approached, I mean, is this something that you've really got to be on guard about?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Yes, absolutely you do. Absolutely you do. And I think if someone's kind of reaching out the hand of friendship, you have got to sometimes wonder why. Of course, there have been times when I've been suspicious of people's motives, and I've shut it down.
JAYES: So, you've just kept your distance?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Kept my distance. And at times, I've reported approaches to ASIO.
JAYES: Wow. Okay, well, we'll wait to see if we can get a little bit more out of Mike Burgess, because, yeah, there are calls this morning for this person to be named, but I want to talk to you about the Mardi Gras ahead of this weekend. There's such a dark cloud around this year's event. It's meant to be this beautiful, inclusive event that happens annually. Police are allowed to March. They're not allowed to do it in uniform, though. That's where the organisers and police have come to. Is that really the right decision?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Look, I'm glad a compromise has been reached because I think it would have been a real shame for police not to be able to march. One of the real changes that I've seen in the decades that I've been marching is the inclusion of police and the celebration of the police presence in the march. That's very different to 1978. I mean, the first Mardi Gras, the police were arresting and bashing people who participated. Now the police are marching. We've got gay and lesbian police officers who are able to march in uniform and be proud of the fact that they're accepted in the force and that their sexuality is not a problem. We've got young people looking on -
JAYES: But not this time, Minister. I mean -
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: That's why I'm saying this is a really good. Over the years, this has been a good change, and I'm really pleased that they've come to a compromise because I think it's great for the police force to have changed its approach to the gay and lesbian community, and I think it's great for young people who are LGBTQIA+ plus to see that they can do anything, they can take any job, they can play any role in life. That's the whole purpose of Mardi Gras. The whole point of it is to celebrate diversity and inclusion.
JAYES: I just don't think it's a great compromise in the end. I think the Mardi Gras organisers have made the wrong decision. Imagine if you are a gay police officer, you were looking forward to proudly marching in that uniform to mark that progress that you and I have just spoken about and now you can't do it. You've got to be in plain clothes. It seems to be the antithesis of what this whole event is about.
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: And I know that there are a lot of people, including 78ers, who are a bit concerned that it's come to this. But I know what I'll be doing on Mardi Gras night. I'll be marching and I'll be seeking out those NSW police who are marching and thanking them for the effort they've made to turn up and to be part of what should be a great and inclusive celebration.
JAYES: Yep, absolutely. Well, Anthony Albanese, I spoke to him yesterday. He wasn't sure whether he was going to be at Mardi Gras, but he's definitely not going to be in Dunkley. Is that a good decision or perhaps an indication that you think you might lose this one?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Look, I'm not sure what he's doing on Saturday night. But I happen to know it's not just Mardi Gras, it's not just the Dunkley byelection, it is also his birthday. Okay. And I think we've got a few others on that night. Brendan O'Connor is on that night as well. So, it's a bit of a birthday celebration for them, perhaps.
JAYES: Okay, and what about Dunkley? If you lose this, what does it say about where your government's at?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Oh, look, it's a close race. And we know that the average swing against a government in a byelection is around 7 per cent. This is a seat that we hold with a margin smaller than that, just over 6 per cent. We've got a fantastic candidate in Jodie Belyea. She is someone that Peta Murphy, our beautiful former colleague, worked closely with and supported. I know that all of Peta’s campaign team have been out knocking on doors and campaigning hard for Jodie. I'm very much hoping to welcome her to Canberra. But it's tough. It's tough and it's close. And we're very focused down there on cost of living issues. We're making the point that every single taxpayer in Dunkley will get a tax cut. There's a new GP after-hours service down there that Peta worked very hard for, established in Frankston. We know that the cost of living issues like cheaper childcare, cheaper medicines, electricity bill relief, all of that will play a part. So, we'll just do our best.
JAYES: Tanya Plibersek, thank you for your time, as always. We will, of course, have live coverage of the Dunkley byelection here on Saturday night. We'll see you soon.
END
