E&OE…
David Coleman: Well, good morning. Well, the Prime Minister needs to come clean on when he was briefed on this shocking alleged plot in Sydney with a caravan of explosives with addresses of Jewish targets. This was incredibly disturbing for all Australians. If this attack had been carried out, it would have been one of the worst attacks in Australian history. And we need to know what our Prime Minister knew, when he knew it, and what he did about it. When did he find out about this? And this is important. Now, the Prime Minister doesn’t have to spell out everything that he was told in a briefing, but he does need to explain, when did he know about this? It’s very reasonable for the Australian people to know, when was the Prime Minister briefed? On the issue of anti-semitism, generally, he has been defined by his absence. He hasn’t taken action on this from the start. He should have taken much stronger action, and we do need to know when was the Prime Minister briefed on this. And that is something that he needs to come forward on and state, when was he briefed and be frank with the Australian people about that.
Journalist: Do you support the Government’s decision to ban DeepSeek on Government devices?
David Coleman: Yes, that’s a sensible decision. That’s obviously has been based on the advice of agencies and we support it.
Journalist: Do you think that other Chinese apps like WeChat should also be banned?
David Coleman: Well, we will obviously take advice in Government on those issues. But the decision today to ban DeepSeek on government devices is supported by the Coalition.
Journalist: There’s a story today about MPs from both sides establishing a presence on, I think it’s called RedNote, another Chinese social media app. What do you make of that? Do you think there may be security issues around that as well? I guess more broadly, what do you make of that issue of MP’s jumping on Chinese social media to try and court that vote in certain communities?
David Coleman: Well look, we’re not calling for any further changes, but what we do support is what the government’s announced in relation to DeepSeek on government devices.
Journalist: How concerned are you about the Chinese government spying on the Australian Government through these apps?
David Coleman: Well, it’s absolutely appropriate to be concerned about the potential for espionage activities. The advice to ban DeepSeek on government devices has apparently come from our government agencies and we support the Government’s decision.
Journalist: Can I ask about a different issue? Your colleague Philip Thompson, last week said the appointment of Angus Campbell as Australia’s ambassador to NATO in the EU [inaudible] was a misstep. He suggested that Angus Campbell may have something on Labor to appoint him to this role. Is it appropriate for MP’s to be having that kind of running commentary on diplomatic appointments?
David Coleman: Look, I haven’t seen those comments, so I wouldn’t comment on that.
Journalist: But is it appropriate for MP’s to be describing appointments in that way?
David Coleman: Mr. Thompson is free to make whatever comments he’d like to on appointments, but I wasn’t familiar with those comments.
Journalist: How many public servants would you like to see cut from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade [inaudible]?
David Coleman: Well look, obviously Mr Dutton has made comments about the need to reduce the number of public servants. There is wastage under the Labor Government and we need to be sensible and prudent with the expenditure of Australian taxpayers. We have seen under this Government, excessive spending, and that is a big part of why inflation has been out of control under this Government. And it is sensible to take steps to ensure that every dollar is spent appropriately. And that’s what we need to do in Government.
Journalist: What wastage would you consider being in DFAT?
David Coleman: Look, as I said, I would simply state that we have seen a big increase in public servants. It is a…
Journalist: [Inaudible]
David Coleman: Well, there’s no question there’s been a large increase in public servants and we must always use the public’s money efficiently and we propose to make changes to that and we’ve been very upfront about that.
Journalist: Not really though, he hasn’t identified any particular areas that would be cut or reduced. In particular departments and particular numbers. We sent David Littleproud [inaudible] last year, saying that every single one in 36,974 public servants will be cut. Jacinta Price on the weekend in The Australian suggested there will be no cuts, there’ll be hiring freezes and so forth. There hasn’t really been a lot of clarity on this. You’re running for the Minister for Foreign Affairs, what areas in foreign affairs do you think should be cut in that way?
David Coleman: Well again, I would simply say that it is self-evident that using the public’s money wisely is what you should do as a government. This Government has spent excessively. One of the ways that they’ve spent excessively has been through this massive increase in public servants, and there needs to be a change in that, and we’ve been very clear on it.
The Hon. David Coleman MP
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
Federal Member for Banks