TANYA PLIBERSEK MP 
SHADOW MINISTER FOR EDUCATION
SHADOW MINISTER FOR WOMEN
MEMBER FOR SYDNEY

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
SKY NEWS FIRST EDITION WITH PETER STEFANOVIC 
THURSDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 2021

SUBJECTS: AUKUS; Melbourne protests; Vaccinations.
 
PETER STEFANOVIC, HOST: Let's bring in Tanya Plibersek now, the Shadow Minister for Women and Education. Just on that point, Tanya good to see you by the way, thanks for joining us. So Labor did agree with AUKUS, and you had those three conditions that satisfied both parties, so what what's the problem now going forward? 

TANYA PLIBERSEK, SHADOW MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND SHADOW MINISTER FOR WOMEN: I don't think there is a problem. We believe very strongly that a closer relationship with the United States and the United Kingdom is a good thing for Australia. But we also say we need to retain and maintain good relations with countries in our region. On the nuclear submarine deal, I think it's a bit rich for the Prime Minister to say we were consulted all the way through, we were consulted just before the announcement was made, our leader and our leadership group were consulted just before the announcement was made. And it's quite right that now the announcement has been made, we look at some of the details. And those details include things like our sovereign capability as a nation - can we defend ourselves whenever we need to? Will the technological upgrades, the spare parts if you like, be available to us whenever we need them? These are quite proper questions for us now, and over the next 18 months to ask. This is a decision that will guide Australia's Defence Procurement and our foreign policy for decades to come. It is proper that as the details emerge we scrutinise them, and it's quite proper too that we look back on the failed deal with the Japanese Subs, the billions of dollars and years wasted then pursuing the French submarine deal, and ask the Government a few hard questions about how they've managed to stuff it up quite so badly. Don't forget the first of these new subs won't be with us until 2040. That is a big gap that the Government needs to explain. 

STEFANOVIC: Yeah. Okay. Well, I mean there's going to be the leased subs as well, which they're still trying to work out, that's going to help to bridge that gap. But just on one of your earlier points, do you have doubts that Australia can act independently now that we are kind of permanently attached to the US and the UK in what the Prime Minister described as the forever partnership?

PLIBERSEK: I think doubts is too strong a word. I just think these are the details that we need to explicitly nail down in the coming months and years. It is important, this is a good, strong partnership for Australia. The US has always been, well for a long time has been, a principal ally, a good friend, a very important strategic partner. The UK, likewise a very important, very long-lasting friendship. But we also have interests and relationships much closer to home. We need to be working cooperatively with the ASEAN Nations. It was a shame that Indonesia felt surprised by this new announcement - those diplomatic relationships much closer to home for us are very important to maintain, to protect, to develop over coming years, as well. 

STEFANOVIC: Joe Biden overnight has apologised to Emmanuel Macron for not including him in those talks. Tanya, do you believe that the Prime Minister needs to do the same? 

PLIBERSEK: Well, I don't think you could say this was well handled. This is a huge project that's had years of investment. We've spent, Australia's already spent billions of dollars on this, despite the fact we haven't got a submarine yet. I don't think you could say this is well handled and I think the very short notice given to the French government is obviously a problem that the Prime Minister needs to fix. 

STEFANOVIC: So is it an apology? Does he need to apologise or is it along Boris Johnson's line of thinking, which was to quote, get a grip in French. 

PLIBERSEK: Yeah, look, I don't think that's particularly helpful as well. Let's just be grown-ups about this and actually make sure that we repair the relationship that has been damaged.

STEFANOVIC: Just onto the protesters at the Shrine of Remembrance. There's been widespread condemnation this morning. Tanya, what's your response to those demonstrators, protesters who were there yesterday? Some 200 being arrested.

PLIBERSEK: I think it's disgusting behaviour, and every Australian who's just going and quietly rolling up their sleeves and getting a jab is doing much more to get us back on the path to opening up and any of these idiots who are protesting in Melbourne and desecrating the Shrine of Remembrance. That really is disgraceful behaviour. I think it's important to acknowledge we're all sick of the lockdowns. There's no question that we're all sick of the lockdowns, and if Scott Morrison had got the vaccine rollout and hotel quarantine right when he had the time to do it, when case numbers were low before Delta hit, perhaps we wouldn't be in this second extended lockdown. But now the best thing we can do, every single one of us, for ourselves, for our families, for our communities, for our country is go out and get the jab so things can get back to normal as quickly as possible. I'm double vaxed with AstraZeneca, so is my husband. My daughter has had Pfizer because she's younger, one son has had his first jab and as soon as the youngest is old enough, I'll be making sure he gets jabbed too. It's the best thing we can do to get life back to normal. 

STEFANOVIC: Tanya Plibersek, appreciate your time. 

PLIBERSEK: Any time.

ENDS