Doorstop Interview, RAAF Base Amberley, Amberley

Subjects: Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021; PLA ship; quarantine.

PETER DUTTON:

Thank you very much for being at RAAF Base Amberley. This is quite a remarkable gathering and Operation Talisman Sabre now is really the pre-eminent operation for Australia to train with the United States and with other partners. The fact that we've been able to do this during the course of COVID is a credit to obviously the Commonwealth health officials, but also to the Queensland Government, the NSW Government and the Northern Territory Government. We are very grateful for their assistance, particularly in the quarantining arrangements.

When you bring together almost 20,000 troops from around the world, obviously that's a significant logistical exercise during COVID; we want to do it in a safe way in adherence with the regulations, but it's essential that it take place even during COVID because we know the threats Indo-Pacific continue. We know that we need to have the inter-operability with the United States and our other allied partners to be at the crescendo and for it to continue to improve each year. It's essential that that be the case.

We don't have any more important partner in a military sense than the United States of America. We have been together in battles over many decades and we have achieved a lot for the world together and we have kept our countries safe. I want to say to the Acting Charge D'Affaires at the moment thank you very much for the way in which the US has contributed to this collaboration and the way in which our militaries continue to work together is quite remarkable. I've had a number of conversations and communications with Secretary Lloyd Austin and the way in which we are – I think both see this Operation as absolutely crucial – is obvious in the effort we are both putting in. So I might ask for a few remarks and then we will take some questions and then I'm happy to take questions on other issues as well.

GAVIN SUNDWALL:

Thank you very much Minister. It's a pleasure to be here today in Queensland. As the Minister said in his remarks during the ceremony, this is a testament to the strength of our alliance and the strength of the relationship. From the United States' perspective I would also add that our alliance matters now more than ever, and this is yet another sign of just how important that is for the security and prosperity of Australians, Americans and our friends and allies throughout the Indo-Pacific.

To be able to hold Talisman Sabre safely under a global pandemic is quite remarkable. But again, as we often like to say, this alliance does not take days off. The challenges we face are very real and serious and we need to be ready for them.

Thanks to the hard work and leadership of the Prime Minister, of Minister Dutton and of others on the Australian side, we have been able to go ahead and we are quite happy to be here today in Queensland. So thank you.

PETER DUTTON:

Thank you. Any questions?

QUESTION:

What's the latest update on the Chinese warship off our coastline?

PETER DUTTON:

Well obviously as we have seen in previous Operations, the Chinese have a presence and we have been monitoring that for some time. We obviously expect they operate according to international law. We would expect nothing less if were to traversing through international waters close to China as well. So that will be an intelligence-gathering exercise for the Chinese and I think it's a reminder of the ever-present PLA, particularly with their naval assets within our region, and I think Australians understand that that would be part of an exercise like this.

QUESTION:

In terms of it apparently breaching our local waters on Friday, what's the [inaudible] with that?

PETER DUTTON:

This is a repeat of what the Chinese have done in years past. There would be both covert and overt activities from the Chinese, and I think as Australians recognise now, the Chinese are militarising ports around the world, there’s an ever-present PLA navy operation underway somewhere in the East China Sea or South China Sea, obviously their tempo has ramped up dramatically and this is why in part it's very important for this Operation to be a great success.

Talisman Sabre is not just about the collaboration between Australia and the United States, it's about our collaboration with near neighbours. We want to make sure we work very closely with the Republic of Korea. We want to make sure we don't take for granted our relationships with Japan or with New Zealand or the United Kingdom. We want to make sure that the Philippines and others know that Australia has been and always will be a very close friend and our militaries working together in the region is more important than it has ever been.

QUESTION:

Minister, the Department of Home Affairs has been asked to consider having a quarantine facility on Christmas Island. How is that progressing?

PETER DUTTON:

That's not for Australian citizens. That's not what's proposed around Christmas Island. Obviously when we decided to close the borders, firstly with the Wuhan Province and then with the rest of China at the commencement of this virus 18 months or so ago, we did move some people into Christmas Island, but that was on a temporary basis now we use predominantly the facility at Howard Springs – but obviously the hotel quarantining in other jurisdictions – but the Commonwealth doesn't have any plans; it doesn't meet the criteria for us and particularly given that there is no tertiary hospital or significant ability to provide people with that ICU support that's there.

There will be an upgrade I'm sure at some stage of Christmas Island, and no doubt Home Affairs will be looking at that because if there is a boat that turns up tomorrow, and if there are significant numbers, then obviously they want to be able to provide for those people to be accommodated – probably in COVID-safe arrangements – that haven't been relevant in years past.

So the work that Home Affairs is doing there has got nothing to do with the Government's announced arrangements with Victoria so far, what we've proposed in Queensland and what we will work on with other jurisdictions.

QUESTION:

But the scope will be wider than just asylum seekers?

PETER DUTTON:

No it's not. It's not a quarantine facility for Australian citizens.

QUESTION:

So what exactly are they looking to, what are they considering?

PETER DUTTON:

If there was a vessel that arrived tomorrow from Sri Lanka for example, or Vietnam, an illegal arrival of 100 people on board; I think there would be new arrangements. It's an issue for Minister Andrews and for the Department of Home Affairs to comment on, but there would be, you know, testing would take place, that would take time to realise whether those people had COVID or not. So I think the work that they are doing is around upgrading the facilities for that purpose, but not for similar to what we proposed in Victoria or what we've proposed close to the Brisbane Airport.

We've got quite strict criteria about the quarantine arrangements that we are happy to enter into, that the Commonwealth will own and that the states will operate and Christmas Island doesn't meet that criteria.

QUESTION:

What we understand it is for a larger facility to be able to house skilled workers.

PETER DUTTON:

I just refer you back to the comments I've just made.

QUESTION:

Another option the Department has asked to look into a cruise ship as an option.

PETER DUTTON:

I'm not aware of that, so you would have to put that to Home Affairs.

QUESTION:

If Howard Springs is used to get skilled workers back into the country, would that be a disadvantage for returning Australians?

PETER DUTTON:

Well we've been consistent in saying all along that Australian citizens and their family members – which might include permanent residents, so if you've got a family where one spouse is not, you know, yet an Australian citizen, then we don't treat them differently – so for those Australian citizens and their close family members, they have been the priority. That's been appropriate that continues. But equally there are many Australian jobs that rely on the tertiary education sector, there is literally, tragically, millions and millions of dollars each week worth of fruit around the country that is wasting on vines and on trees because they just can't pick that fruit and get that produce to market.

So there are different ways you know, as we go through this, as time goes on, about ways in which we will be able to bring people in, but we won't displace Australian citizens and that's been the approach we've taken from day one.

QUESTION:

So just to be clear, your understanding of this examination into Christmas Island on the part of Home Affairs, is to do with purely asylum seekers and not at all skilled workers?

PETER DUTTON:

Home Affairs can provide you with that detail at the appropriate time when they want. The point I've made is it doesn't meet the criteria for Australian citizens to stay at that facility. And if there are other facilities...

QUESTION:

What about skilled workers?

PETER DUTTON:

Again, that's an issue for Home Affairs, but for Australian citizens coming back, who are staying in hotel quarantine at the moment, that might stay in a facility that's about to constructed in Victoria, that won't be replicated on Christmas Island. There's no plan for that whatsoever.

QUESTION:

So if Christmas Island is not happening, what other plans are being considered for skilled workers in particular?

PETER DUTTON:

We've announced our arrangements in relation to Victoria, we are working very closely with them and obviously the Department of Home Affairs who has the lead in this negotiation is speaking with the Queensland Government at the moment. I haven't got the detail of what is happening in other jurisdictions, it's a question for them.

QUESTION:

Just to clarify, if we have got someone [inaudible] being brought into help, for example the people coming into the [inaudible] Talisman Sabre, is there any consideration for international skilled workers and their [inaudible].

PETER DUTTON:

Again, it's a question for Home Affairs. I mean there are already some arrangements, as I understand it, perhaps in Victoria and even the Northern Territory, where they've been able to bring skilled workers in and provide on-farm quarantining. I don't know that that happens in Queensland or New South Wales, but my recollection is there is something like that in Victoria.

So there will be different proposals by different employers and, you know, different contracting companies etc. Home Affairs will assess all of that, but for us, as has always been the case, our priority is to keep Australians safe and secure. We've done that since the start of this pandemic when we took a decision to close our borders, firstly with China and then the rest of the world and that's really what's given us a head start.

We've taken advantage of our geographic location as an island nation and we haven't surrendered that easily. We are going to continue to support the states and territories and we will bring Australians home as quickly as we can, but we've been very clear since about March of last year that we want Australians to return back home. It's safer here than in many other parts of the world and we've been clear about that for a long time.

QUESTION:

Should we have any concern at all considering the relationship currently with China [inaudible]?

PETER DUTTON:

I think as Defence has assessed and as is obvious, they are there to gather intelligence on the Operation that's taking place. I mean the Communist Party doesn't like our close collaboration with the United States, but that is a relationship that has gone through peace and through war and it will always endure and our relationship with the United States, our friendship, people-to-people links is more important than what it ever has been and there is nothing that will upset that or deter it or derail it. We are going to continue to make sure that we work together to deepen it even further and that's been the spirit, I suppose, of the conversations I've had with the Defense Secretary in the United States and I know that the Prime Minister has had with President Biden as well.

QUESTION:

Considering their motives though [inaudible] do you not [inaudible] should also be put into [inaudible]?

PETER DUTTON:

I don't think you would expect me to talk about what resources we would apply or what countermeasures we have in place. Defence obviously deal with all of that on a regular basis. We know in a cyber sense there are many businesses, including as you know Channel Nine and others, who have been under cyber attack in a very serious way. I mean for some businesses they are completely crippled and we need to realise that that is a growing threat to our economy, to jobs, to the prosperity of our own society and we continue to push back on that.

So there are a number of ways in which we can continue that offensive activity, but for this Operation, for Talisman Sabre '21, I'm just really grateful that we've got the support of all of our partners and observers here. There are a number of countries who are observing what is going on. There are a number of countries who traditionally wouldn't had a presence in Indo-Pacific, but that are proposing to send assets to our part of the world. The United Kingdom, for example; Germany who are sending a frigate as well. So that will give you a sense of their interpretation of what's happening, what's unfolding Indo-Pacific and I think most Australians understand this is a concerning period. I said in my speech before, this period has an echo of the 1930s to it and that's the reality.

We need to push back against the threats to our country, whether it's now or over the course of the next decade or two. We need to be realistic about what is happening within our region and I lot of our activities, our alliances will continue to deepen because our partners realise the reality of that threat as well.

QUESTION:

Can you elaborate on what you are referring to specifically regarding your 1930s comment?

PETER DUTTON:

I think for example people can be compromised or have a rose-coloured view of activities, or countries, or just pass it off because they've got a trading relationship with a particular partner; but this goes much deeper. I mean the reality is that the Communist Party, the PLA has been very clear about in their activities. When you look at what's happened over the course of recent years in the militarisation of bases, not just here, but around the world. When you look at the massive investment that is being made into their navy and other defence assets, that's a reality and we need to deal with it. There is no sense pretending that it's not happening or that they are not on a particular trajectory. We want peace more than anyone in our region and that's what we continue to fight for every day. That's the wish of our allies and friends as well. That's what this exercise is about. We want to make sure that peace endures in our region and that's what we will all continue to do.

QUESTION:

What's the purpose of Australia joining the British fleet in the South China Sea?

PETER DUTTON:

We would have joint exercises on a regular basis with the United States, with the Japanese, with the Brits and many others. There would be close collaboration, sometimes there is the opportunity to onboard our own people or bring people from whatever nation it might be into a command and control centre. There are different ways in which we work together and obviously the Brits are one of our Five Eyes partners. One of our most important friends in the world and we work very closely with them and always will. Thanks very much everyone. Thank you.

[ends]