E&OE
GARY HARDGRAVE:
David Coleman, who is the Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister, has called in. Good to talk to you, David. Trust you’re well. And of course, Saturday’s a big day. But this whole business of Russia, wanting to work with an Indonesian base. Darren actually sent me a text. He said, (this is a listener), the new Indonesian President seems more interested in mixing with Russia and China than the US. It should be of serious concern to the Government, but they don’t seem to be all that interested in it. What’s your take, David Coleman?
DAVID COLEMAN:
Well, afternoon, Gary. Look, any attempt by Russia to expand in our region is very concerning. We’ve seen what Russia is doing in Ukraine, and the last thing that Australia wants to see is Russian expansion in our region. This is very serious and the Government has been shifty, evasive and dodgy on this issue, Gary. The Prime Minister is doing everything he can to avoid scrutiny about what the Government knew. About what it did or didn’t do. He’s compared questions about this issue to asking questions about a fake moon landing. One of your Senators from up in Queensland, Murray Watt, said it was like the search for the Loch Ness monster. They’ve just tried to make a joke of this issue. But it’s not a joke, Gary. It’s very serious. The Government should provide a briefing to the Opposition. That’s what always happens on sensitive matters of national security. They’re refusing to do that. And I’m pretty sure the reason they’re refusing to do it, Gary, is because that briefing would be embarrassing for them. But it’s not about the Labor Party, it’s about the country and they should be honest with the Australian people about what’s going on here.
GARY HARDGRAVE:
Well, David Coleman, I said much the same thing, as you might imagine, 20 minutes ago, that I believe that this is not about politics, this is about the country and the Opposition should have been told. We’re now hearing that they knew about this before the election was called. Just like I believe, and this is my belief, that they were briefed about the Chinese research vessel that were doing the rounds around our waters, because the Kiwis gave permission for the Chinese to be in the waterways, and yet the Prime Minister said, oh, that’s not very helpful. I mean, they’re holding stuff back. You guys, the Opposition should be told.
DAVID COLEMAN:
Yeah that’s always been the tradition, Gary, and that’s what we did in Government, including during the election campaign. We briefed the then Opposition on a national security matter. But you know, Penny Wong on the 16th of April said – we have got no confirmation of that approach. I just want to be really clear we’ve not got confirmation of that approach – on the 16th of April. But we now read in The Australian, today, that the Government knew about this in March. You’ve got the PM comparing it to a briefing on the fake moon landing. You got Richard Marles, the Defence Minister… Now about a week and half ago, Gary, he said there’d be no issue with providing a briefing. And then about a week later he turned around and said we’re not providing the briefing. Now, why would he do that? The only reason he would do that is that a briefing would reveal something that they don’t want the Opposition to know. Of course we would respect any confidentiality as part of that briefing, but the Australian people deserve to know what their Government has done here, or what they haven’t done. And this issue will be pursued every day until now and the election, unless the Prime Minister comes clean, because that’s what he needs to do.
GARY HARDGRAVE:
It’s a tangled web, David Coleman. I mean this is about deception, this is about holding information back. It is not about politics, it’s not about whether the Liberal Party knows what the Labor Party knows. It’s what both sides, either side… One of the other, either you or Penny Wong could be the Foreign Minister in a week’s time, I mean one of the other, you know, you both should know stuff like this, because this is about Australia.
DAVID COLEMAN:
100% and the ambitions of Russia to expand in the Indo-Pacific region, that is a very serious issue, Gary. That is the definition of the sort of matter that Oppositions have always been briefed on historically, that governments of both persuasions have done in the past. Now it’s not happening here. So this is the exception to the rule. Why won’t they explain what happened here? It is very suspicious, Gary, and it’s very easy for the Government to clear up just by providing that briefing. Anything that needs to stay confidential will stay confidential. But the Prime Minister obviously has something to hide here. He’s been twisting and turning like some sort of gymnast on this issue. This is red hot. It is red hot and they need to come clean and they need to explain what is going on, what they’ve done or what they haven’t done. It’s a democracy and the Australian people deserve to know what’s happened here.
GARY HARDGRAVE:
More positions than the Karma Sutra, as they have famously remarked in the past. Good to talk to you David Coleman. All the best for the weekend. David Coleman is the Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister.
HON DAVID COLEMAN MP
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
Member for Banks