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KIERAN GILBERT, HOST: Joining me now live in the studio is the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Richard Marles. Thanks for your time, as always. RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Good to be here Kieran.

KIERAN GILBERT, HOST: Now, the Deputy Prime Minister is, in fact, in Europe at the moment. Richard Marles is travelling through Germany, France and the UK for high‑level talks about our defence ties with those nations. This includes a visit to key shipyards in Britain, which build some of the world's most powerful submarines. Richard Marles joined me earlier from the UK, where I began by asking him whether the likes of Germany can really be relied upon, if push comes to shove, in the Pacific.

KIERAN GILBERT, HOST: The Shangri-La Dialogue, this is the 20th anniversary - why is it so important for you and the government to engage in? DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, RICHARD MARLES: Well, it is a unique opportunity. I mean, this is one of the biggest gathering of defence ministers, of think tanks, of the strategic community that happens in the world, certainly the biggest in our region.

SUBJECTS: Taiwan; Australia-China relations; Australia-US alliance; Defence Strategic Review; Jobs and Skills Summit; Northern Rivers flood review. KIERAN GILBERT, HOST: First, though, let’s go live now to Geelong, and joining me is the Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles. Thanks for joining us this morning. Is the world less secure, more unstable in the wake of Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan?

KIM LANDERS:                      Well, terrorism and North Korea are expected to dominate when Australia's Defence Minister Marise Payne and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop host their US counterparts for talks in Sydney today. The Defence Minister, Marise Payne, joins me now. Minister, good morning. MARISE PAYNE:                    Good morning, Kim.

LACHLAN KENNEDY, HOST: There’ll be some interesting reading later today when the Prime Minister releases legal advice into former PM Scott Morrison’s secret job-sharing in five ministerial portfolios. Leaked media reports suggest Solicitor‑General Dr Stephen Donahue’s view is scathing of Morrison’s failure to honour the conventions of Australia’s democratic system. Joining us from Canberra this morning is the current Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles. Minister, you would have read this report from the Solicitor‑General, is it scathing?

KYLIE GILLIES: Australians were shocked when a major cyber attack infiltrated federal parliament, and crippled a TV network. But these were far from isolated incidents with other recent high profile targets including the West Australian election, and one of Victoria’s largest hospital operators.

Subjects: Afghanistan.    LAURA JAYES: Minister, thanks so much for your time this morning. What is the status of this evacuation mission? PETER DUTTON: Well Laura, clearly circumstances are incredibly difficult, tragic on the ground, in Kabul at the airport at the moment. So we’re working very closely with the Americans, and order needs to be restored to the airport before we’re able to land any of our assets there.

Subjects: National Day of Commemoration for Australia’s troop involvement in the Middle East; withdrawal of Australian troops from Afghanistan; Afghan Locally Engaged Employees visa grants; COVID-19. LAURA JAYES: Joining us live now is Peter Dutton, our Defence Minister. Thanks so much for your time. PETER DUTTON:

LAURA JAYES:  Well praise has been heaped on the Australian Federal Police's crucial involvement in Operation Ironside which brought hundreds of criminals undone. Peter Dutton was Australia's first Home Affairs Minister and served in the role for around four years. During his time in the portfolio he cancelled more than 6,300 visas of non-citizen criminals and was subjected to numerous death threats because of that. The Minister for Defence Peter Dutton joins me live now. 

LAURA JAYES: This morning thousands of Russian troops amass along the Ukraine border. NATO is sending ships and fighter jets to Eastern Europe. The UK is warning of violent and bloody consequences if the Kremlin invades. The United States has put thousands of its troops on heightened alert and Australia is one of many countries evacuating the families of diplomats and warning against travel to the region. Joining me live now is the Defence Minister Peter Dutton. Minister, thank you for your time. What is the latest information you have on that situation?

LAURA JAYES: We'll go live to Brisbane now, the Defence Minister Peter Dutton joins us. Thanks so much for your time. Things look to be moving very fast on the border there. Is Russia about toinvade? PETER DUTTON:

LEIGH SALES: The Defence Minister Peter Dutton is with me now from Canberra. Thanks Minister for coming in. PETER DUTTON: A pleasure Leigh. Thank you. LEIGH SALES: Regarding what we just aired, around a decade ago there were a spate of stories and inquiries into that kind of behaviour and the public was assured that the military had cleaned it up. Does that story suggest that that, in fact, is not the case? PETER DUTTON:

Subjects: Submarine maintenance jobs, Australian Industry Content, attracting automotive workers to the defence industry

Topics: US Alliance, South China Sea, Submarines ***Check against delivery***   LIAM BARTLETT: The Federal Defence Minister and WA Senator, Linda Reynolds, has this morning had her first meeting with her US counterpart. Freshly minuted under the new Biden administration, Lloyd J Austin III is the 28th Secretary of Defense, sworn in just five days ago and he has just finished speaking be Minister Reynolds. Minister, good morning.

SUBJECTS: Australian assistance to Ukraine; Sanctions against Russia; G20 Summit; AFL Grand Final.

LIAM BARTLETT: Now in the last financial year alone, the new figures released by the Australian Cyber Security Centre show that more than 67,500 cyber crimes were reported here in Australia. That's one cybercrime being reported in this country every eight minutes, and the criminals are winning big riches too, victim reported losses during that timeframe total $33 billion.

LIAM BARTLETT: We’re joined this morning by WA MP and Defence Industries Minister, Melissa Price. Minister, good morning.  THE HON MELISSA PRICE MP, MINISTER FOR DEFENCE INDUSTRY: Good morning, Liam.  LIAM BARTLETT: Lots of push back on this, isn’t there? 

LIAM BARTLETT: Yes, they’re back. Andrew Hastie, good morning. THE HON ANDREW HASTIE MP, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR DEFENCE: Good morning, Liam, good to be with you. LIAM BARTLETT: And good morning, Matt Keogh. MATT KEOGH, MEMBER FOR BURT: Good morning, Liam, good morning, Andrew, and good morning, listeners. LIAM BARTLETT: At home in quarantine this morning, Matt? MATT KEOGH: I am indeed. LIAM BARTLETT:  He’s had a bad run, Andrew. MATT KEOGH: It’s nice to be back here in WA. It's a lot warmer here than in Canberra.

SUBJECTS: War in Ukraine; IR reforms; Cost of living.

MICHAEL ROWLAND, HOST: Thanks for your company. The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, will today release legal advice around the former Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, secretly taking on those five ministerial portfolios. The advice prepared by the Solicitor‑General is widely expected to find that Mr Morrison’s decision was not illegal, but that is unlikely to put the issue to rest. There are still calls for a broader investigation, and it’s emerged that a separate probe is now underway within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

SUBJECTS: Anzac Day; Australia-Papua New Guinea relations; Defence Strategic Review.

MARK HINE: We do have actually on the line, Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans' Affairs Matt Keogh is with us this morning. Good morning, Matt. MATT KEOGH: Hello, how are you? GARY CLARE: This is obviously a big day right around the country, not only for everyone, it's going to be a busy day for you as well.

SUBJECTS: Visit to PNG; Pacific defence cooperation; Bali bombing vigil.

MATT SHIRVINGTON: Welcome back. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will chair his first National Cabinet meeting today with State and Federal leaders coming together to discuss the most pressing issues facing the country. The ongoing energy crisis will be on the agenda, of course, right at the top as well as the coordinated push by the States for more Federal assistance with health funding. Joining me now is the Deputy Prime Minister in Richard Marles. Good morning to you.

MATT SHIRVINGTON, HOST: Well, new figures out this morning show Australia's cyberspace is coming under increasing attack. The latest Cyber Threat Report shows 76,000 cybercrimes were logged last financial year, an increase of nearly 13 per cent from the year before. That's equivalent to one cybercrime every seven minutes. The average cost per crime was around $40,000 for small businesses, $80,000 for medium and $62,000 for large organisations.

SUBJECTS: The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, Department of Veterans' Affairs Staffing, Expansion of the Australian War Memorial, US B-52 Bombers, marking War Graves

MICHAEL ROWLAND:  Breaking news that has just come in the past few minutes -the US State department approving the possible sale of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Australia. It is all part of that AUKUS subs pact. To find out more, let's bring in the Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy. What can you tell us about the Tomahawk missile deal?

SUBJECTS: MH17 verdict; Release of Sean Turnell; Detention of Cheng Lei; Australia-China relationship.

MICHAEL ROWLAND, HOST: Australian Defence Force soldiers will fly out of Darwin this week to provide training to Ukrainian troops in their ongoing battle against Russia's invasion. For more, the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Richard Marles joins us in the studio. Minister, very good morning to you and happy New Year.